- Associated Press
In scramble to stop virus, testing raises tough questions
Health officials confronted tough questions and doubts Thursday about testing to intercept the fast-spreading virus, with scrutiny focused on a four-day delay in screening an infected California woman despite her doctors’ early calls to do so. The questions are global: not just who, when and how to
- Bloomberg
CDC to Test More People; Evacuation Whistleblower: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. health authorities moved to greatly expand the number of people who will be tested for the coronavirus, adding travelers from several new countries with outbreaks as well as people with unexplained, severe respiratory illnesses.Trump administration officials disputed a report in the
- Reuters
U.S. spy agencies monitor coronavirus spread, concerns about India -sources
U.S. intelligence agencies are monitoring the global spread of coronavirus and the ability of governments to respond, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, warning that there were concerns about how India would cope with a widespread outbreak. While there are only a few known cases in India
- NBC News
Why is Iran's reported mortality rate for coronavirus higher than in other countries?
Four doctors in Iran said that the total number of those infected is likely substantially higher than the number released by Iranian health authorities.
- Bloomberg
Russian Firm Dodging U.S. Questions on ‘Putin’s Chef’ Ties
(Bloomberg) -- The only Russian entity that has responded to U.S. charges of meddling in the 2016 presidential election could be held in contempt of court in Washington for not answering subpoenas ahead of its April trial.Concord Management and Consulting LLC -- controlled by a close ally of Russian
AFPWHO says virus at 'decisive point' as world battles spread
The World Health Organization declared Thursday that the new coronavirus epidemic was at a "decisive point" as countries across the globe battled to contain the deadly outbreak. Saudi Arabia banned pilgrims from visiting Islam's holiest sites as the number of deaths jumped in neighbouring
- Associated Press
Feds cite new evidence against former Mexico security chief
New evidence against Mexico's former top security official has been uncovered since he was charged with taking tens of millions of dollars in bribes to protect Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s notorious Sinaloa cartel, federal prosecutors said Thursday. “The strength of the government’s case has only
- Associated Press
Democrats focus on Super Tuesday even as S. Carolina looms
Bernie Sanders will swing through North Carolina, Virginia and Massachusetts in the coming days. Elizabeth Warren will make stops in Texas and Arkansas. Amy Klobuchar will be in Tennessee and Virginia.
- Associated Press
States ramp up virus preparations, try to reassure public
With worries growing about the new coronavirus in the U.S., state officials are ramping up efforts to prepare for a possible outbreak while simultaneously trying to assure the public that they are well-positioned to handle it. Governors and legislators in several states have proposed pumping millions
- Associated Press
Former Baltimore mayor sentenced to 3 years in book scheme
The disgraced former mayor of Baltimore was sentenced to three years in federal prison Thursday for arranging fraudulent sales of her self-published children’s books to nonprofits and foundations to promote her political career and fund her run for the city’s highest office. Catherine Pugh spoke through
- Associated Press
AP-NORC poll: How Americans describe 2020 Democrats, Trump
As the 2020 campaign intensifies, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research asked Americans to say what word or phrase comes to mind when they think of the top candidates, including incumbent President Donald Trump. Many Americans think of the former vice president'
- Associated Press
Israeli top court rules against surrogacy law excluding gays
Israel's Supreme Court ruled against a surrogacy law Thursday that critics said discriminated against same-sex couples and which sparked uproar in the LGBT community when it was passed. In a statement, the court said the 2018 law, which expanded access to surrogacy in Israel to single women but
AFPUK talks tough on EU post-Brexit trade deal
Britain put the prospect of a chaotic Brexit back on the table on Thursday as it set out its red lines for upcoming trade talks with the European Union. In its mandate for negotiations that start on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government rebuffed the EU's demands for common trading
- Associated Press
Biggest explosion seen in universe came from black hole
Astronomers have discovered the biggest explosion seen in the universe, originating from a super-massive black hole. Scientists reported Thursday that the blast came from a black hole in a cluster of galaxies 390 million light-years away. The explosion was so large it carved out a crater in the hot
- The Conversation
¿Cómo prepararnos para el coronavirus? 3 preguntas y respuestas
Nota del editor: Las autoridades de Salud Pública en los Estados Unidos han advertido que el coronavirus, que se ha propagado en distintas partes de los Estados Unidos, se avecina y el país necesita estar preparado. ¿Pero qué quiere decir esto para usted, y para las autoridades de salud pública? Aubree
- Business Insider
One of Iran's vice presidents has been infected with coronavirus
Ebtekar, one of Iran's vice presidents, was the English-language spokesperson known to the media as "Mary" during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
AFPIran coronavirus deaths jump to 26, top officials infected
The coronavirus epidemic in Iran has cost 26 lives, the health ministry announced Thursday, with a vice president becoming the latest top official to be infected as the spread appeared to accelerate. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference that the tally of infections had
ABC NewsRussia announces date for referendum that could extend Putin's rule
Russia has announced the date of a national referendum on constitutional changes that could allow Vladimir Putin, now 67, to extend his time in office. While Putin has remained in power, either as president or prime minister, since 1999, current laws prohibit the Russian president from seeking another
- The Guardian
Saudi Arabia closes two holiest shrines to foreigners as coronavirus fears grow
Pilgrims also banned amid broader restriction on visa holders from states deemed most likely to pose a health risk * Coronavirus – latest updatesSaudi Arabia has closed the two holiest shrines of Islam to foreign travellers and banned pilgrims from entering the country as fears surrounding the coronavirus
- Associated Press
Watchdog: Israel moves ahead with hundreds of settler homes
Israel is moving forward on plans to build more than 1,700 homes for settlers in the West Bank, the settlement watchdog Peace Now said Thursday. Peace Now said the housing was spread over 10 settlements, some deep inside the West Bank in areas the Palestinians want for a future state. The housing approvals
- Associated Press
Halt of Muslim pilgrimage over virus brings worldwide dismay
For years, Ibrahim al-Dabba has been saving up money to make the umrah pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia, which for many Palestinians is the only way to leave the impoverished and isolated Gaza Strip. The outbreak could potentially affect the much larger annual hajj pilgrimage,
- Associated Press
Prague square named after Russian opposition figure Nemtsov
Prague has renamed a square in front of the Russian Embassy after Boris Nemtsov, honoring the slain Russian opposition leader. The change did not immediately draw an angry response from Moscow, as did some other recent moves in the Czech capital, such as a plan to remove the statue of a World War II
- Associated Press
Q&A: Saudis halt Muslim pilgrimage over virus fears
Saudi Arabia's unprecedented decision to halt the umrah pilgrimage amid the global outbreak of a new virus could prevent millions of Muslims from undertaking a major religious rite that many spend years saving up for. Unlike the hajj pilgrimage, which takes place once a year and is required for
- Associated Press
What's happening: Virus forges on, as world hunts solutions
From California to Italy, France, Germany, Spain and beyond, more cases are popping up in which the source of the virus remains a mystery. Health authorities in all these places are working hard to find the original source of infection using what’s called contact tracing, or finding all the people the
- Associated Press
Virus response in Mideast tainted by political views of Iran
The coronavirus has killed 26 people in Iran -- the highest toll outside of China where it originated. Many of the over 240 confirmed cases in the region have links to Iran, including dozens in Kuwait and Bahrain, six in Iraq and two in Lebanon. In sharp contrast to Europe, were countries kept borders
