WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Thursday that new cases of the coronavirus are a certainty as states begin to roll back restrictions. States need to proceed carefully as they take steps to reopen businesses and allow greater freedom of movement, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. “We will get blips … there’s […]

NEW YORK (VINnews) On March 27th, as the desperate shortage of ventilators for coronavirus patients became more widely known, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter to urge Ford and General Motors to “START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!” Buzzfeed News reports that one of the thousands of replies that the tweet attracted struck an equally urgent tone: […]

NEW YORK (THE CONVERSATION/AP) On April 10, Apple and Google announced a coronavirus exposure notification system that will be built into their smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android. The system uses the ubiquitous Bluetooth short-range wireless communication technology. There are dozens of apps being developed around the world that alert people if they’ve been exposed […]

BERLIN (AP) — German police raided five sites linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, as authorities announced Thursday that they were banning activities by its political wing in Germany. The raids, intended to prevent evidence about possible front organizations being destroyed, took place at mosques and community centers in Berlin, Bremen, Muenster, Recklinghausen and […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified” but say they are still examining whether the origins of the pandemic trace to contact with infected animals or an accident at a Chinese lab. The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the […]

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, announced the birth of a son on Wednesday, just two days after Johnson returned to work following hospitalization for the coronavirus. Johnson’s office said Symonds gave birth to a “healthy baby boy” in a public hospital in London on Wednesday morning, and […]

GENEVA (AP) — A top World Health Organization official says the U.N. health agency is looking into whether grandparents can safely hug their grandchildren without risk of contracting the coronavirus. The comments from Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of WHO’s emergencies program, come after a top Swiss health official this week suggested that grandparents could […]

RIYADH (VINnews) — During the last few days social media has seen a “tweeting war” between Palestinians and Saudis after Palestinian media published caricatures gloating over the Saudi losses from the sharp drop in oil prices. The Palestinians even mocked Saudi consort Mohammed Bin Salman and criticized them for broadcasting pro-Israel sitcoms. The Saudis, incensed […]

TOKYO (AP) — New rumors about Kim Jong Un pour in daily. The North Korean leader is dead. Or he’s very ill. Or maybe he’s just recuperating in his luxury compound, or isolating himself from the coronavirus. As speculation about his health builds, an underlying question looms for professional spies, policymakers, academics and curious news […]

PARIS (AP) — Airbus says the aviation industry’s unprecedented troubles are just beginning. The European manufacturing giant reported 481 million euros ($515 million) in losses in the first quarter, put thousands of workers on furlough and sought billions in loans to survive the coronavirus crisis. And its CEO said Wednesday it’s still at an “early […]