WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | The world economy is facing “severe” economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic that could be even more costly than in 2009 and will require an unprecedented response, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said Monday. Georgieva called on advanced economies to provide more support to low income countries, which face a …

Washington, United States | AFP | Under pressure on one side from an economy cratered by  coronavirus and on the other by his crumbling reelection campaign, President Donald Trump is struggling to deliver Americans a clear message. After having finally gone all in on the strategy of social distancing to halt …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The new coronavirus pandemic is clearly “accelerating”, the World Health Organization warned Monday, but said it was still possible to change its trajectory by going on the attack. The remarks came as the number of deaths soared past 15,000, with more than 341,000 people infected worldwide, …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The Tokyo Olympics appears to be creeping towards a postponement, an unprecedented and costly exercise that involves ripping up years of planning. As International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach told Germany’s SWR: “Postponing the Olympic Games is not like moving a football game to next …

  Rome, Italy | AFP | From the elderly Italian woman who routinely lines up the glasses of water she sets herself to drink every day, to the British composer leading a virtual orchestra, life for Europeans under coronavirus lockdown is an uncharted mix of resilience and creativity. Hundreds of millions …

Singapore, Singapore | AFP | Oil prices were mixed in volatile Asian trade on Monday, but remained at multi-year lows due to the double shock of the coronavirus pandemic and the Saudi-Russia price war. Both main contracts plummeted at the open after a trillion-dollar support package for the American economy crashed …

Beijing, China | AFP | People in central China where the coronavirus was first detected are allowed to go back to work and public transport is restarting, as some normality slowly returns after a two-month lockdown. The easing of restrictions in Wuhan city comes as Chinese health officials reported Monday no …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Dubai carrier Emirates reversed on Sunday its decision to suspend all passenger flights, shortly after it said it would halt operations from March 25 amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The airline said it “received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  Coronavirus lockdown or not, Amaya Howard plans to unwind after a hard day’s work by sharing a few glasses of wine with her friends. But with bars closing across the United States, they have started meeting online via Houseparty — one of several group …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Sahel… with the great powers focused intently on the COVID-19 virus, will armed conflicts across the world decrease in severity or intensify? Experts as well as diplomats at the United Nations say there is a serious risk of the …