WORLD

  Paris, France | AFP | Global stock markets were firmer Monday, buoyed by the prospect of further easing of coronavirus lockdowns despite sharp increases in case rates in some countries such as Brazil. On the downside, an upsurge in Sino-US tensions, especially over Chinese plans to introduce a national security …

Beijing, China | AFP | The Chinese virology institute at the centre of US allegations it may have been the source of the COVID-19 pandemic has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but none match the new global contagion, its director has said. Scientists think COVID-19 — which first emerged …

New York, United States | AFP | Faced with the calamitous fallout from the coronavirus on airline customers and the broader economy, Boeing found itself in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position in March. The company, a longtime symbol of American industrial power, was unable to raise the funds to finance its …

Beijing, China | AFP |  China said Sunday that relations with the United States were “on the brink of a new Cold War”, fuelled in part by tensions over the coronavirus pandemic, as Muslims around the world celebrated a muted end to the holy month of Ramadan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi …

Pandemic gives Dubai chance to put tech to the test Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | From smart police helmets to research labs, the novel coronavirus has given Dubai an opportunity to test its technological and scientific clout as it shapes its approach to the pandemic. A key part …

Netanyahu to face court in ‘unprecedented’ corruption trial Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set Sunday to become the country’s first sitting premier to face criminal charges over a string of corruption allegations which he denies. Fresh from forming a new government after more …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Ineta Akhtyamova’s husband flew into a rage in late April, about a month into Moscow’s coronavirus lockdown. She was preparing a meal in the small apartment she shares with her partner when he exploded, calling her names, hitting her and shouting at her to get out. …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  French oil trader Pierre Andurand was catapulted into the spotlight this year after correctly betting that the deadly novel coronavirus would spark a sub-zero oil market collapse. Andurand, the 43-year-old founder of London-based Andurand Capital who runs two multi-million-dollar funds, bet in February that the …

San Francisco, United States | AFP |  It’s a secret, almost. But Silicon Valley is buzzing over a new audio-chat social network which is struggling to keep people out even as it hits an eye-popping value. The invitation-only platform called Clubhouse lets people drop in on conversations ranging from weighty topics …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Spain said on Saturday it would let in foreign tourists and restart top league football in the coming weeks, accelerating Europe’s exit from strict coronavirus lockdowns, even as the disease continued its deadly surge in parts of South America. Brazil saw its death toll passing 22,000 …