USA

WASHINGTON, May 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump threatened China with fresh tariffs as he stepped up his attacks on Beijing over the coronavirus crisis, saying he had seen evidence linking a Wuhan lab to the contagion.

The diatribe from the Republican incumbent came as data showed the United States shed more than 30 million jobs in six weeks, as lockdown measures began to bite across the nation.

WASHINGTON, May 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The IMF approved loans worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Mali and Ethiopia to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Washington-based crisis lender has stepped up its global financing efforts in recent weeks to help countries weather the coronavirus crisis.

The IMF board granted $411 million to Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa to help relieve the pandemic’s effects on its fast-growing economy.

UNITED NATIONS, May 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and China remained at loggerheads Thursday over a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a 90-day humanitarian pause in conflicts worldwide in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The stalemate — over a mention of the World Health Organization — leaves little hope of a quick vote as the Security Council struggles to find a response to the global crisis, remaining largely mute since the once-in-a-century pandemic began killing tens of thousands of people and shutting down economies across the world.

NEW YORK, May 1 (APP): Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called for cancellation– not just suspension — of debt payments by developing countries to enable them redirect financial resources toward dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

In a New York Times’ opinion piece, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning African leader said the recent move by Group of 20 industrialized nations to suspend debt payment of world’s low-income countries until the end of the year was a step in the right direction, but this initiative needed to be even more ambitious.

1 May 2020; AFP: Boeing said Thursday it does not plan to seek US government support now after receiving strong interest from the bond market for a $25 billion public offering.

The aviation giant, which has been badly hit by the devastating impact of coronavirus shutdowns on global airlines, said demand for the bond offering was "robust."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his hard-fought trade deal with China was now of secondary importance to the coronavirus pandemic and he threatened new tariffs on Beijing, as his administration crafted retaliatory measures over the outbreak.

Trump’s sharpened rhetoric against China reflected his growing frustration with Beijing over the pandemic, which has cost tens of thousands of lives in the United States alone, sparked an economic contraction and threatened his chances of re-election in November.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghanistan, beset by a poor healthcare system, malnutrition, war and other vulnerabilities, likely is facing a “health disaster” from the coronavirus, a watchdog report to the U.S. Congress warns.

The report released late on Thursday by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko could heighten concerns among U.S. officials and lawmakers that the pandemic threatens to derail stalled U.S.-led peace efforts.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has sketched out an altogether bumpier ride for the U.S. economy than many are predicting - one that sees business activity stop and start for months to come, until an effective treatment or vaccine for the novel coronavirus can be found.

Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States, economic growth stalled almost overnight as “stay at home” orders shut down large parts of the economy. Economists and Trump administration officials have been divided about how deep and long-lasting the economic impact will be.

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Three U.S. airlines said Thursday that they will soon require passengers to wear face masks on flights amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delta Air Lines Inc, American Airlines Group Inc, and Frontier Airlines, released their statements separately, two days after Jet Blue announced its change in policies, the first major U.S. airline to impose the rule.

Delta's requirements begin from May 4, while American's and Frontier's start from May 11 and May 8, respectively.

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- NASA scientists have found that ice loss from Antarctica and Greenland accounted for roughly half-inch sea level rise between 2003 and 2019, according to a NASA release on Thursday.

Using the most advanced Earth-observing laser instrument NASA has flown in space, scientists have made precise and detailed measurements of how the elevation of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have changed over the 16 years.