Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the cabinet meeting, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Tehran, Iran on April 1, 2020. (REUTERS File Photo)   DUBAI, April 5 (Reuters): Iran's president said on Sunday "low-risk" economic activities would resume from April 11 in the Middle Eastern country worst-affected by the new coronavirus.   Iran has been struggling to curb the spread of the highly infectious respiratory di

Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson arrives to testify at a House Intelligence Committee closed-door hearing on a whistleblower complaint about President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US on October 4, 2019. (REUTERS File Photo)   WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters): President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his decision to fire the top watchdog of the U.S. Intelligence Community, saying Michael Atkinson did "

Medical officers rest during a rapid test amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia on April 4, 2020 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (REUTERS Photo)   JAKARTA, April 5 (Reuters): Indonesia has ordered its citizens to wear cloth face masks when going outside as the numbers of coronavirus infections rise to 2,273 on Sunday, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.   "Everybody must wear f

IANS Photo.   Dhaka, April 5 (IANS): Bangladesh on Sunday announced a stimulus package of 727 billion taka ($8 billion) to help cushion the economic blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the announcement of the support package in a televised speech in capital Dhaka, reports Xinhua news agency. In her speech, Hasina said COVID-19 escalation could cut the country's economic growth. To better manage the impact caused by the

Healthcare workers load a person into an ambulance outside the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RC2YXF9UIVHZ   New York, April 5 (PTI): New York State, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, continued to record the highest count of daily deaths from COVID-19 as a staggering number of 630 people died i

London, April 5 (IANS) UK Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove has called the conspiracy theories linking 5G masts with the spread of the novel coronavirus as "dangerous nonsense", the media reported. Videos purportedly showing masts deliberately set on fire were posted on social media after theories about the link between the 5G mobile technology and COVID-19 circulated online, said the Metro nespaper in a report on Saturday. Fire crews in the West Midlands and Merseyside have be

New York, April 5 (IANS) Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has announced his foundation is paying for the construction of facilities that will manufacture seven promising coronavirus vaccines and the best two vaccines would be picked up for final trials. In an interview with host Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, he said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is moving forward with building manufacturing capacity for the seven vaccine candidates to save time, as the novel coron

New York, April 5 (IANS) US president Donald Trump warned Americans that the country is headed into a few brutal weeks ahead where "there will be a lot of death", and also circled back to his riff on reopening the economy as the coronavirus death toll surged past 8,400, overwhelming the domestic health care system. "There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. There will be death", Trump said at a White House briefing on Saturday. "This country was not designed to be closed.

A flight attendant waits for the departure of a one-passenger flight between Washington and New Orleans as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2020. Picture taken April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo   April 5 (Reuters) - When Reuters photographer Carlos Barria boarded American Airlines flight 4511 from Washington Reagan National Airport to New Orleans on Friday for an assignment, he was the only passenger on the 7

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - In mid-March, President Donald Trump personally pressed federal health officials to make malaria drugs available to treat the novel coronavirus, though they had been untested for COVID-19, two sources told Reuters. Shortly afterward, the federal government published highly unusual guidance informing doctors they had the option to prescribe the drugs, with key dosing information based on unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science.  

A man walks in a corridor near a sign with instructions about the coronavirus and social distancing following the implementation of stricter social-distancing and self-isolation rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo   MELBOURNE, April 5 (Reuters) - Several Australian health officials said on Sunday they were cautiously optimistic about the slowing spread of coronavirus in the cou

People wait to buy food outside a supermarket and a greengrocer's, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ronda, southern Spain April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca   MADRID, April 5 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would ask parliament to extend lockdown measures by 15 days until April 26, as the rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths slowed again in one of the world's worst-hit countries.   In a televised ad

Madrid, April 5 (IANS) The overall number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain has increased to 126,168, overtaking Italy's tally of 124,632, making it the worst-affected European nation in terms of infections. The tally placed Spain first in Europe and second only to the US worldwide in terms of confirmed cases. The US was currently the highest with a total of 312,076 cases, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at the Washington-based Johns Hop

Tehran, April 5 (IANS) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that authorities will launch a "smart distancing" plan to continue the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, on Saturday announced 55,743 confirmed cases, with a death toll of 3,452, Xinhua news agency reported. The "social distancing" plan launched last month has attained "good achievements", Rouhani said on Saturday in a meeting at the National Headquart

IANS Photo.   Islamabad, April 5 (IANS): At the special request of the Afghanistan government, Pakistan has decided to allow a four-day window to stranded Afghan nationals wishing to return home amid the coronavirus pandemic, a media report said on Sunday. "The Torkham and Chaman land border crossings will be opened for a specific period from April 6 to April 9 to facilitate Afghan nationals," The Express Tribune quoted a statement issued by the Foreign Office on

The aftermath of a cartel shootout in March, a month that saw Mexico record its highest ever homicide rate. Photograph: Sergio Maldonado/Reuters   Mexico City, April 5 (IANS) At least 19 people were killed in a shootout between rival gangs in Mexico's Chihuahua state, authorities said. The shootout was reported at 6.35 p.m. on Friday in the town of Chuhuichupa, Xinhua news agency quoted the state attorney general's office as saying in a statement. Police a

IANS Photo.   Tehran, April 5 (IANS) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that authorities will launch a "smart distancing" plan to continue the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, on Saturday announced 55,743 confirmed cases, with a death toll of 3,452, Xinhua news agency reported. The "social distancing" plan launched last month has attained "good achievements", Rouhani said on Saturday in a

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the press briefing room at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts   Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump told sports commissioners on Saturday he hoped that their leagues and competitions, which have been suspended by the coronavirus outbreak, would soon be back in action.   At a later White House briefing, Trump said commissioners from the NFL,

A Spanish National Police officer is seen wearing two protective masks, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ronda, southern Spain, April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca   Madrid, April 5 (IANS): The overall number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain has increased to 126,168, overtaking Italy's tally of 124,632, making it the worst-affected European nation in terms of infections. The tally placed Spain first in Europe and second only to the US wo

A delivery bike is seen on an otherwise empty street during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manhattan, New York, U.S., April 4, 2020. Picture taken April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs   NEW YORK, April 5 (Reuters): Coronavirus-related illnesses killed 630 people in the last day in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, in the grimmest 24 hours yet for the U.S. state hit hardest by the pandemic.   The novel coronavirus has now kil