North America

Washington, Mar 23 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has said he is "upset" with China over its late sharing of information on coronavirus.

"They should have told us about this," Trump told reporters at a press conference in the White House on Sunday.

NEW YORK, Mar 22 (APP): New York State will conduct trials on a malaria drug combined with an antibiotic that could be used to treat patients with the novel coronavirus who are seriously ill, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced.

He said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will send to New York 10,000 doses of azithromycin, an antibiotic, and hydroxychloroquine, which is used to treat malaria.
“As soon as we get those doses, we will work with hospitals, doctors and families on using those drugs and seeing where we get,” Cuomo said.

23 March 2020; AFP: The Afghan government and the Taliban on Sunday held their first discussion on arranging prisoner exchanges, a key step in a broader push for peace, the US special envoy for Afghanistan said on Twitter.

"Today, the US and Qatar facilitated the first Afghan government to Taliban technical talks on prisoner releases, via Skype video conferencing," Zalmay Khalilzad said.

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that without further efforts, between 3.5 and 4.4 billion people in the world will live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion of them living in cities.

In his message to the World Water Day, which falls on March 22, the UN chief said that "the world's water resources are under unprecedented threat."

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has activated the National Guard in three states that are hit the hardest by the coronavirus outbreak to combat infections, he said Sunday.

The governors of the states of New York, California and Washington "will be in command" of the missions, and the costs will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Trump said at a White House press conference.

LOS ANGELES, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has approved California's request for a presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the most populous U.S. state's COVID-19 emergency response efforts, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Sunday.

The announcement came hours after Newsom sent a letter to Trump to request the action in response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Trump administration official said Sunday that illegal border crossings have dropped by half as the strictest U.S.-Mexico border policies yet went into place amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there was confusion about how it was all working.

DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump is falsely asserting how quickly automakers including GM, Ford and Tesla can manufacture ventilators to help fill an acute U.S. shortage of the medical equipment for coronavirus patients.

Ford and GM have yet to start production, and it would take them months, if not longer, to begin production, if it’s even possible.

A look at the claim:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three weeks ago, EmpireCLS was heading toward a second straight year of record business. A car service company in New Jersey, Empire couldn’t even find enough chauffeurs and office workers to meet its needs.

Now? With stunning speed, business in the United States — as well as in Europe and elsewhere — has collapsed in the face of the coronavirus and warnings for everyone to stay home. Suddenly, no one needs a chauffeur.

CHICAGO (AP) — For Jalen Grimes, the virus pandemic is stirring up a slew of emotions. “Annoyed” is the first one the 13-year-old Chicagoan mentions. “Scared, confused, worried.”