Wednesday,  May 20th, 2020

Michigan becomes the fourth state in the U.S. to pass 5,000 deaths from COVID-19. As of this date, the state has 5,017 reported deaths and 52,350 total cases. (MLive.com)

WHO members agree to review coronavirus response despite Trump During the World Health Organization’s annual meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, representatives of the member nations agreed to conduct an “impartial, independent” and “comprehensive evaluation” of the organization that would review “experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19.” On Monday, President Trump made public a letter he sent to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, which accused the agency of protecting China and threatened to cut off U.S. funding. The other WHO member nations pushed back against this on Tuesday, with a spokesperson for the European Commission saying now is “the time for solidarity, not the time for finger pointing.” Source: The New York Times

Top officials warn of ‘permanent damage’ to economy, need for major policy effort Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday the U.S. economy could sustain “permanent damage” if state shutdown measures continue for months longer. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell agreed the economic outlook is dire amid the coronavirus pandemic, and suggested large-scale federal and state policy efforts will be necessary to slow the downturn and ignite recovery. Powell said the Fed may expand its program to buy municipal debt. “We may need to do more, and Congress may, as well,” he said. Mnuchin deflected blame on the administration’s handling of the crisis, saying the government has provided “enormous amounts” of support to states. He said if shutdown measures continue, some unemployed Americans may no longer have jobs to return to. Source: The Washington Post

Global carbon dioxide emissions see historic drop The worldwide drop in carbon emissions due to coronavirus shutdowns could be the largest in recorded history, scientists say. As of early April, daily global carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 17 percent compared to last year’s levels, corresponding with emission levels of 2006, according to a study published Tuesday. Scientists estimate an annual decrease of 4 to 7 percent. Researchers analyzed 69 countries, representing 97 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and found 43 percent of the decrease stemmed from reduced surface transportation, including cars, trucks, and buses. All sectors examined had a decrease in emissions, except the residential sector, which saw a growth of 2.8 percent, likely from people staying home. The decline isn’t likely to significantly combat climate change, as carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for a long time. Source: NBC News

The End 

Tuesday,  May 19th, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine candidate shows promise in early trial  Moderna announced Monday that during the phase one clinical trial of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, eight patients developed antibodies at levels that were on par with those who recovered from the virus. Moderna described the interim data as “positive,” with Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks saying that the findings, though early, “substantiate our belief that mRNA-1273 has the potential to prevent COVID-19 disease and advance our ability to select a dose for pivotal trials.” Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel also said “we are very, very happy,” noting “the vaccine was generally safe.” Moderna is moving into phase two of its clinical trials, and its third phase is expected to begin in the summer. Markets surged throughout the day following the news. Source: Stat News

California loosens requirements for reopening  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday announced a change in the requirements a county must meet before its businesses can enter California’s second reopening phase. They’ll no longer have to report no COVID-19 deaths for 14 days, leaving all but five California counties eligible for the next phase. Under the new requirements, most counties must prove they have stable hospitalization rates and that their number of coronavirus patients haven’t grown by more than five percent over a seven-day period. Newsom also suggested professional sports, hair salons, and churches could reopen within weeks. California has seen a 7.5 percent decrease in hospitalizations statewide over the last two weeks, and an 8.7 percent decrease in ICU patients over the same time.  Source: San Francisco Chronicle

In Sweden, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 strikes near Kiruna and its iconic mine, though no injuries are reported. The earthquake is the largest mining-related earthquake in Sweden’s history. (The Local)

The World Health Organization holds its annual World Health Assembly using video conferencing instead of in-person meetings. (NPR)

Ugandan police arrest Stella Nyanzi, a prominent academic and vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni, for inciting violence as she protested against lockdown measures taken by the government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

Fifteen pro-democracy activists are released on a HK$1000 bail. Notable political figures, including Benny Tai, University of Hong Kong academic and one of the Occupy Central founders; Civil Human Rights Front convener Jimmy Sham; former Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau and others flock to the court to show support for the activists. (The Standard Hong Kong)

Protests against the government resume in Santiago due to food shortages in the poorest neighborhoods of the city created by the lockdown to control the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

Marco Rubio to replace Burr as Senate Intelligence Committee Chair  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will be the next head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Monday. Rubio will take over for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who stepped down from the committee amid an FBI investigation into his questionable stock dealings. Rubio’s appointment leaves him in charge of the committee’s Russia probe, at least until the investigation into Burr is complete. McConnell called Rubio “the natural choice.” Burr stepped down from chairing the intelligence committee last week. He was found to have sold between $628,000 and $1.72 million of his stocks in 33 separate transactions on Feb. 13, while he was getting private briefings from health officials about forecasted economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. He has denied wrongdoing.  Source: Politico

Turkish-backed GNA forces capture the strategic al-Watiya airbase from forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, and seize a Russian Pantsir missile system. (Al Jazeera)

A car bombing at an intelligence agency installation in the central province of Ghazni kills at least seven and wounds another 40. The Taliban claims responsibility. (Reuters)

 

Monday, May 16th, 2020

Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint in Logar province, Afghanistan killing eight security personnel and wounding five others. (Xinhua)

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns China that the expulsion of 13 U.S. journalists could affect the U.S. assessment of Hong Kong’s status. (Reuters)

The United States Space Force successfully launches its X-37B robotic spacecraft on a classified mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket. Though little is known about the classified program, the spacecraft is expected to deploy a satellite into orbit, and test the “power-beaming technology”. (BBC)

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Monday, May 18th, 2020

Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell says U.S. economic recovery from the recession could take until the end of 2021. (Financial Times)

A jet from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds crashes into a house in Kamloops, British Columbia, killing one pilot and injuring another. (CTV News)

India extends its lockdown, which was set to expire today, until May 31. (Al Jazeera)

Chinese ambassador to Israel Du Wei is found dead in his home in Tel Aviv, aged 57. (Haaretz)

Investigators launch a criminal probe into yesterday’s fire and subsequent explosion at a hash oil manufacturing building in downtown Los Angeles, which injured a dozen responding firefighters. (The Associated Press)

Israel’s new unity government is sworn in, after 18 months of rule by a caretaker government. (The Jerusalem Post)

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah sign a power-sharing deal to end a months long political turmoil that hampered the peace process. (Reuters)

The United States Space Force successfully launches its X-37B robotic spacecraft on a classified mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket. Though little is known about the classified program, the spacecraft is expected to deploy a satellite into orbit, and test “power-beaming technology”. (BBC)

NASCAR becomes the first major American sports league to resume its season since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. (The Washington Post)

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick wins The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, his 50th career Cup series victory. The race took place behind closed doors. (NBC Sports)

Obama criticizes ‘folks in charge’ for coronavirus response Former President Barack Obama offered what was possibly veiled criticism of his successor, President Trump, and the Trump administration Saturday during an online commencement address to graduates of historically black colleges and universities, whose ceremonies could not be held in person because of the coronavirus pandemic. “More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” Obama said. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” Obama had previously questioned the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic in a private phone call last week. During the commencement speech, Obama also said COVID-19 “spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country.” Source: The Guardian 

Spain records fewer than 100 coronavirus deaths for first time in 2 months Spain, one of the world’s hardest-hit nations, recorded 87 coronavirus-related deaths within the last 24 hours Sunday, the first time the daily fatality tally fell below 100 in two months. Since the outbreak began, there have been 27,650 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Spain. Elsewhere, South Korea recorded just 13 new coronavirus cases, which have continued to decline again since the country experienced a brief uptick in new infections linked to re-opened nightclubs in Seoul. Shanghai announced classes for younger students will re-start June 2, while some restaurants and shops are set to re-open in Italy on Monday, the same day church services are scheduled to resume. In the United States, restaurants in New Orleans will begin allowing limited diners, and California began its second phase of re-opening, which includes more retailers offering curbside pickup. Source: BBC

 

The End

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