USA

WASHINGTON, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector plunged to an 11-year low in Apr, amid mounting COVID-19 fallout and weak global energy markets, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell by 7.6 percentage points to 41.5 percent in Apr, the lowest since Apr, 2009. Any reading below 50 percent indicates the manufacturing sector is generally contracting.

NEW YORK, May 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – A more aggressive stand adopted by some top U.S. administration officials against China on economic, diplomatic and scientific issues, at the heart of the relationship between the world’s first and second largest economies may backfire, reported The New York Times on Saturday.

WASHINGTON, May 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – There is “no scientific backing” for the two claims, floated recently by some U.S. politicians and media outlets that, COVID-19 could be human-made and have escaped from a laboratory, scientists said.

“The origin of the novel coronavirus is a legitimate area of scientific inquiry, in which there are still open questions,” said an article posted on Apr 22 on BuzzFeed News.

UNITED NATIONS, May 02 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for greater protection of journalists who are providing the “antidote” to what he has characterized as a pandemic of misinformation surrounding the coronavirus crisis.

The UN chief made the appeal in a video message for World Press Freedom Day, which will be observed on Sunday, in which he underscored the crucial role media has in helping people make informed decisions.

He added that under the current circumstances, those decisions can make the difference between life and death.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday welcomed the reemergence of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un after weeks of speculation about his health, but prospects for the U.S. efforts to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearize appear as bleak as ever.

On Saturday, North Korean media said Kim cut a ribbon at a ceremony on Friday to mark the completion of a fertilizer plant.

(Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) sold its entire stakes in the four largest U.S. airlines in April, Chairman Warren Buffett said Saturday at the company’s annual meeting, saying “the world has changed” for the aviation industry.

The conglomerate had held sizeable positions in the airlines, including an 11% stake in Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), 10% of American Airlines Co (AAL.O), 10% of Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and 9% of United Airlines (UAL.O) at the end of 2019, according to its annual report and company filings.

UNITED NATIONS, May 2 (Xinhua) -- In Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, with a fragile health system, the United Nations is bracing for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which, it is feared, could be severe, UN News reported on Saturday.

"COVID-19 is known to be particularly dangerous for those with underlying health conditions and, in the African Great Lakes nation, a significant proportion of the population fall into that vulnerable category," it said.

NEW YORK, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A more aggressive stand adopted by some top U.S. administration officials against China on economic, diplomatic and scientific issues at the heart of the relationship between the world's first and second largest economies may backfire, reported The New York Times on Saturday.

NEW YORK, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States topped 65,000 on Saturday morning, reaching 65,244 as of 12:00 a.m. (1600 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

A total of 1,106,373 cases have been reported in the country, according to the CSSE.

The state of New York suffered the most, with 308,314 cases and 24,039 deaths. Other hardest-hit states included New Jersey with 7,538 deaths, Michigan with 3,866 deaths, and Massachusetts with 3,716 deaths, the data showed.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. renewable energy industry is reeling from the new coronavirus pandemic, which has delayed construction, put thousands of skilled laborers out of work and sowed doubts about solar and wind projects on the drawing board.

In locked-down California, some local agencies that issue permits for new work closed temporarily, and some solar companies furloughed installers.

In New York and New Jersey, SunPower CEO Thomas Werner halted installation of more than 400 residential solar systems, fearing for his workers’ safety.