U.S., China deadlock over U.N. coronavirus action deepens
An attempt by Estonia and Germany to overcome an impasse between the United States and China at the United Nations Security Council instead appeared on Thursday to have reinforced their stalemate over action on the coronavirus pandemic.
In twist of fate, Venezuelans in Chile seek to return home
Hundreds of Venezuelans seeking to return home gathered in a makeshift tent camp outside their embassy in Santiago on Thursday, as the coronavirus outbreak spurs a reverse migration wave of those who fled their crisis-stricken country in recent years.
Baltics launch Europe’s first pandemic ‘travel bubble’ as curbs ease
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their borders to each other at the stroke of midnight on Friday, creating the first “travel bubble” within the European Union in a bid to jump-start economies broken down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Qatar makes wearing masks outside mandatory with violators fined up to $50,000
Qatar’s interior ministry announced on Thursday that wearing masks will be mandatory to go outside starting Sunday, and those who do not comply will be fined up to 200,000 riyals ($53,000).
Colombia bombing kills ELN rebel commander, three others
A commander from Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels known for his management of illicit finances has been killed along with three others in a military bombing, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. Senate approves bill to pressure China over Uighur rights
The U.S. Senate approved legislation on Thursday calling on President Donald Trump’s administration to toughen its response to China’s crackdown on its Uighur Muslim minority, the latest push in Washington to punish China as Trump blames Beijing for wo…
Ontario to let retailers, vehicle dealerships open next Tuesday, with limits
((This May 14 story officially corrects number of new cases in paragraph six to 345 from 258 after the provincial government amends data due to a glitch))
U.N. gathering of world leaders unlikely to be ‘business as usual’
The United Nations is looking at different ways to hold its 75th annual gathering of world leaders – traditionally held in New York City – because “we’re not going to have business as usual in September,” a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday.
EU top diplomat wants independent probe into coronavirus origins
The European Union’s foreign policy chief called on China on Thursday to contribute significantly to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and said there should be an independent scientific investigation into the origins of the pandemic.
Clogged cooling system likely cause of gas leak in India, three investigators say
A clogged cooling system was the likely cause of a temperature surge in a storage tank which led to a gas leak at a chemical plant in India, killing 12 people, three state government investigators told Reuters.
