Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed comparisons to a tsar on Thursday, arguing he “works every day” and listens to what people want. “Well, this is not true,” Putin said when asked about being described as a Russian imperial-era ruler. “Maybe someone else can be called a tsar. But in my …
Read More »Youth warned against ‘fever dream’ of coronavirus invincibility
New York, United States | AFP | Before shutdowns swept the globe and many were urged — or mandated — to stay indoors to stymie coronavirus’s spread, Divya Sonti sensed the worst was yet to come. A specialist in public health communications, the 31-year-old encouraged her millennial peers to steer clear …
Read More »US prisons a potential coronavirus ‘tinderbox’
Washington, United States | AFP | As the United States grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, there is concern not only for the elderly but also for another vulnerable population: prisoners. The US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world and experts have warned that infections could potentially spread rapidly …
Read More »Trump deploys hospital ships in coronavirus ‘war’
New York, United States | AFP | The United States is to deploy military hospital ships to fight the coronavirus, Donald Trump said Wednesday, as he likened himself to a “wartime president” and invoked a Korean War-era law. As America and Canada announced they were closing their border to non-essential travelers, …
Read More »Viral content: Pandemic offers influencers captive audiences
Paris, France | AFP | The coronavirus may be causing global chaos, but for social media influencers it is a golden opportunity to grab the attention of giant captive public forced to stay at home. Some have even been sharing their experiences of living with the virus, like the New York …
Read More »2020: It’s Trump vs Biden… vs coronavirus
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is increasingly sure Joe Biden will be his Democratic challenger, but coronavirus is already the more dangerous opponent — sending his campaign reeling and throwing the entire contest into uncertainty. Just over a couple weeks ago, Trump was sitting pretty, at least …
Read More »Trump criticizes China expulsion of US journalists as tensions soar
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized China’s unprecedented decision to expel American journalists from three major US newspapers, as media advocates feared that tensions between the two powers provided cover for Beijing to target the press. All US journalists from The New York Times, The …
Read More »Greece to restrict migrant camp movements in virus measure
Athens, Greece | AFP | Greece has said it is placing migrant camps across the country on a two-week shutdown to visitors to ward off the new coronavirus. “Visits (to camps) by individuals and organisations are suspended for at least 14 days,” the migration ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. …
Read More »‘The Plot Against America’ goes for daring Trump parallel
New York, United States | AFP | US author Philip Roth certainly could never have imagined Donald Trump’s presidency when he wrote “The Plot Against America.” But a new TV adaptation of his bleak 2004 novel, which envisions an alternate history of a fascist United States, certainly suggests a link between …
Read More »Biden clean sweep in 3 states puts him on track for Dem nomination
Miami, United States | AFP | Joe Biden scored decisive victories in all three major Democratic primaries Tuesday, earning him a nearly insurmountable lead over rival Bernie Sanders in their race for the party’s presidential nomination. As the United States grappled with combating the spreading coronavirus pandemic, voters handed the former …
Read More »