- Coronavirus cases top 3.7 million worldwide.
- China mocks US coronavirus response in Lego-like animation video.
- White House plans to disband task force!
- Rishi Sunak preparing to wind down furlough scheme from July.
- Virus misinformation fuels hatred against India’s Muslims.
Coronavirus: Live updates
CNN says the global coronavirus numbers top 3.6 million infections and at least 257,000 deaths, according to John Hopkins University. In the US, more than 1.2 million cases and over 71,000 Covid-19 related deaths have been recorded.
In other news, the virus started in 2019. New genetic analysis dispels speculation that Covid-19 was in circulation among people long before it was recognised. The research dashes hope that any populations may have already built up some immunity.
Read the full story on CNN
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‘Once upon a virus’: China mocks US coronavirus response in Lego-like animation
Japan Times says China has published a short animation titled “Once Upon a Virus” mocking the US response to the new coronavirus using Lego-like figures to represent the two countries.
Washington and Beijing are locked in a war of words over the origins of the disease, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has now grown into a global pandemic.
Read the full story and watch the video on Japan Times
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White House plans to disband Task Force
BBC News says US President Donald Trump has confirmed the White House coronavirus task force will be winding down, with Vice-President Mike Pence suggesting it could be disbanding within weeks.
“We are bringing our country back,” Mr Trump said during a visit to a mask-manufacturing factory in Arizona. New confirmed infections per day in the US currently top 20,000 and daily deaths exceed 1000. US health officials have warned opening businesses may cause the virus to spread.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Rishi Sunak preparing to wind down furlough scheme from July
The Guardian says the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is preparing to wind down the coronavirus wage-subsidy scheme for workers from July as part of government plans to gradually remove lockdown measures.
In a sign of the mounting costs to the exchequer with almost a quarter of employees in Britain furloughed in the past fortnight, the chancellor is expected to announce that the Covid-19 job retention scheme will be steadily scaled back as restrictions on business activity are lifted.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Virus misinformation fuels hatred against India’s Muslims
France24 says Hindu nationalists are using the coronavirus to foment hatred against Muslims, using online platforms and some mainstream media to accuse them of spreading the disease. Critics partly blame Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who they accuse of seeking to remake India as a Hindu nation, undermining the secular and pluralist roots of the world’s biggest democracy.
The publication speaks to Gayur Hassan, who’s Hindu neighbours came at night, throwing stones at his family’s home in a northern Indian village and setting his workshop on fire. All because his son “liked” a social media post.
Read the full story on France24
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- US: Biden to beam in Florida, as Presidential hopeful takes campaigning online.
- Germany: Warrant issued for ‘GRU hacker.’
- Kenya calls for probe into Somalia humanitarian plane crash.
- Syrian President’s tycoon cousin pleads for help on Facebook.
- No signs Kim-Jong-un had heart surgery.
- New Zealand PM says the country will keep borders closed for a long time.
Biden to beam in Florida, the largest 2020 battleground
Fox News says Joe Biden is heading out on the virtual campaign trail. He will hold two virtual campaign events on Thursday in Florida — the largest of roughly a dozen general election battleground states.
Read the full story on Fox News
The New York Times gives an outline on what Joe Biden Needs to Do to Beat Trump. In order to win, he has to find a way to get beyond the basement tapes and project himself into our ever more digital world. In other words start tweeting like Trump!
Read the full story on The New York Times
Germany issues warrant for ‘GRU hacker’ allegedly behind hacking Parliament and US presidential elections
RT News says a German media report suggests prosecutors have begun proceedings to arrest Dmitry Badin, who they believe to be a Russian agent behind a string of hacks dating back as far as 2014, and who is also wanted by the FBI.
Read the full story on RT News
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Poland postpones May 10 presidential election over Covid-19 fears
Poland’s governing parties said on Wednesday they had agreed to postpone the country’s May 10 presidential election after a failed attempt to hold it via a postal vote due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the Full story on France 24
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Syrian president’s tycoon cousin pleads for help on Facebook
The Independent reports Rami Makhlouf, one of the richest men in Syria, breaks ranks and begs Syrian president for help in a Facebook video in which he denies he evaded tax.
Read the full story on The Independent
No sign Kim Jong-un had heart surgery
BBC News says South Korea’s intelligence agency has said rumours about Kim Jong-un’s health were groundless, and there are no signs he had heart surgery.
Read the full story on BBC News
New Zealand PM: No open borders for a long time
The Express says NZ Prime Minister has said the country’s borders will remain closed for a “long time.” The country has recorded a death rate of just one per cent – but the PM announced plans to keep the borders closed for the foreseeable future.
Read the full story on Express
