Headlines
  • After gunfire outside the White House correspondents' dinner in Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump was evacuated.
  • After attending high-level discussions and presenting Pakistani officials with Tehran's list of demands for ending the war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • US President Donald Trump has called off envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's planned visit to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran.
  • An intercepted ship affiliated to the Iranian "shadow fleet" is being escorted back to Iran by a Navy helicopter, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
  • About ten minutes after he announced on Saturday morning that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would not be traveling to Pakistan for diplomatic talks, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran sent over a new peace offer that was "much better" than what they would have worked with going into the meeting.
  • On Saturday, Tuareg rebels and an Al-Qaeda affiliate took credit for synchronized operations throughout Mali.
  • In the first elections since the start of the Gaza war, Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza cast votes for local councils on Saturday.

Tag: Coronavirus

May 22, 2020

In Africa, Civil Rights vs. a...

Prompted by widespread reports of police beatings of protesters, heavy-handed enforcement of safe-distancing measures and other abuses, rights groups and academics are raising the alarm over what they see as a squeeze on basic human rights in Africa’s fragile democracies

University of Oxford Study Set to...

While laboratory evidence demonstrates hope for the drug, the results are inconclusive, prompting the creation of the international, double-blind study.

Ukrainian Prisoners Pay A Price For...

Detainees at Kyiv’s notoriously overcrowded Lukyanivska prison, parts of which are 160 years old, have been offered a way out of overcrowded cells with up to a dozen inmates and poor sanitation. But there’s a catch. More spacious, refurbished cells, with fewer prisoners and modern bathrooms, come at a price

May 21, 2020

Nigeria: Free Mental Health Care for...

Thousands of Nigerians are receiving free mental health care through a program to help people cope with stress and isolation from COVID-19. The program, Mentally Aware Nigeria, or MANI, was formed by psychologists and medical experts to create an environment where people can seek mental health care without fear of stigma or discrimination. Timothy Obiezu …

COVID-19 Effects Spanish Tourism Industry

With Europe’s economies ravaged by the coronavirus, the European Union is considering a 545-billion-dollar plan to help them recover. Among the worst hit is Spain, where leaders are torn between extending the lockdown or reopening quickly as demon-strations mount demanding an end to what some see as unnecessary damage to the economy, especially for those at the bottom of the rung

COVID-19: Allegation of Police Use of...

Uganda’s security officers stand accused of using excessive force and targeting political opponents while carrying out lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic. On April 19, police stormed the home of Ugandan legislator Francis Zaake and arrested him for allegedly disobeying presidential directives against distributing food aid. He was released a week later but with scars all over his body and left partially blind

COVID-19 Update from WHO

The resolution also “captures the comprehensive whole of government and whole of society approach we have been calling for since the beginning of the outbreak. If implemented, this would ensure a more coherent, coordinated and fairer response that saves both lives and livelihoods,” said Tedros.

Giving Thanks to Pandemic Frontline Workers

Brian Stokes Mitchell is a Broadway star, film actor and Chair of the Actors Fund, which helps those in need in the entertainment community. The fund has distributed millions of dollars since the outbreak of COVID-19. Mitchell is giving his personal thanks to the pandemic’s frontline workers

May 20, 2020

COVID-19: Homemade Face Shields by Two...

After Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended contingency and crisis strategies for front line healthcare workers in late March, there was an immediate shortage of protective gears in hospitals. A family in Maryland is doing their part by making face shields at home and donating it to not only healthcare workers they know but also where it is much needed, hospitals in New York. VOA‘s Saqib Ul Islam has their story

Could Seoul be the Model for...

South Korea is one of very few countries to so far contain the coronavirus without resorting to mass lockdowns. Instead, it is taking a targeted approach: using cellphone data to locate and isolate those exposed to the virus. The digital tracing places public safety above personal privacy, but has been highly effective

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