North America

WASHINGTON, Apr 12 (APP): The Pakistan Embassy on Saturday brushed aside as “guesstimates” media reports about the death of more than 100 Pakistani-Americans in the New York region resulting from the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the United states and many other countries of the world.

“We have seen media reports on the number of Pakistani-American deaths on account of Covid-19 infections in the US. There are no formally confirmed figures available from any official source in the US,” the embassy said in a statement.

12 April 2020; AFP: South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years, with decades of progress in the battle against poverty at risk, because of coronavirus, the World Bank said Sunday.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, which have 1.8 billion people and some of the planet's most densely populated cities, have so far reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots.

LOS ANGELES, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Six persons were wounded by gunfire at a large party in Bakersfield, 170 km north of Los Angeles, local media reported on Saturday, saying around 400 people were at the party.

The incident occurred at about 12:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) on Saturday morning, Bakersfield's CW 12 news channel reported. When policemen arrived at the scene, they found a large party had been held at an apartment complex prior to the shooting.

MEXICO CITY, April 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Mexican journalist who disappeared over a week ago in the southern state of Guerrero was found dead close to where his family last saw him, the local prosecutor said.

Forensic tests on human remains in the seaside resort of Acapulco were identified as belonging to Victor Fernando Alvarez, who disappeared on Apr 2.

WASHINGTON, April 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump said the US government could impose visa sanctions on countries that refuse or unreasonably delay accepting people returned from the United States.

In a memorandum to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump cited the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the need to ensure “the repatriation of foreign nationals who violate the laws of the United States.”

HAVANA, April 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuba hit out at the United States over its nearly 60-year-old embargo against the island nation, which Havana described as “even more cruel” given the suffering caused by the new coronavirus pandemic.

The communist-run single-party island is finding it tough to source medical supplies and has already recorded 564 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths.

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases on USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has risen to 550, the U.S. Navy said on Saturday.

In an update, the U.S. Navy said 92 percent of the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew members have been tested for COVID-19, with 550 positive and 3,673 negative results, and that a total of 3,696 sailors have moved ashore.

The data came some two weeks after the ship's captain Brett Crozier sounded alarm over the outbreak when only dozens of sailors on the ship had tested positive for the virus.

OTTAWA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian Parliament passed on Saturday what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the country's most significant economic program since the World War II.

NEW YORK, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 500,000 on Friday night, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The fresh figure reached 500,399 with 18,693 deaths as of 10:00 p.m. (0200 GMT on Saturday), according to the CSSE.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump is having a moment in the midst of a pandemic.

After catching some criticism for not mentioning the coronavirus in a March speech to a parent-teacher group, the first lady has increased her engagement on the issue, mostly through social media since she is staying home like most Americans.