USA

(AP) --- While many Americans are filled with fear, Melissa Ackison says the coronavirus pandemic has filled her with anger. The stay-at home orders are government overreach, the conservative Ohio state Senate candidate says, and the labeling of some workers as “essential” arbitrary.

“It enrages something inside of you,” said Ackison, who was among those who protested Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s orders at the statehouse in Columbus with her 10-year-old son. She has “no fear whatsoever” of contracting the virus, she said Thursday, dismissing it as hype.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has given governors a road map for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out “a phased and deliberate approach” to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases.

“We’re starting our life again,” Trump said during his daily press briefing. “We’re starting rejuvenation of our economy again.”

He added, “This is a gradual process.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of America’s unemployed swelled toward Great Depression-era levels Thursday, and President Donald Trump reacted to the pressure on the economy by outlining a phased approach to reopening parts of the country where the coronavirus is being brought under control.

Trump told the nation’s governors that restrictions could be eased to allow businesses to reopen over the next several weeks in places that have extensive testing and a marked decrease in COVID-19 cases.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 16 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that debt relief must be an important part of Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, while cautioning that the African continent could end up suffering the greatest impacts.

“The crisis has wide-ranging implications”, said the UN Chief, delivering remarks at a meeting with leaders of the African Group of countries on Wednesday. “This is in no way of Africa’s making. But as with the climate crisis, the African continent could end up suffering the greatest impacts.”

WASHINGTON, April 16. /TASS/: About 1,500 Russian nationals are waiting to return home from the USA, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday, quoted on the embassy’s Facebook.

"There are 1,500 Russians on our waiting list, they cannot wait to return home," Antonov said.

"I assure you that we will do everything in our power to support our compatriots stranded here in the conditions of tough restrictions introduced to combat the spread of the coronavirus infection," the ambassador said.

16 April 2020; MEMO: The US navy has claimed that 11 Iranian navy vessels came within ten yards of six of its warships, describing the close encounters as “dangerous and harassing approaches”.

The incident took place yesterday with footage released by the US Fifth Fleet showing boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy.

(Reuters) - Big banks in the United States should raise $200 billion in capital right now amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari wrote in an op-ed for the Financial Times newspaper on.ft.com/34JV0qq.

“In 2008, U.S. taxpayers injected about $200 billion of capital to strengthen banks”, Kashkari wrote on Thursday.

PARIS, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US decision to freeze funding to the World Health Organization over what President Donald Trump said was its “mismanaging” of the global coronavirus pandemic triggered anger and concern.

Trump announced that the United States would halt payments to the UN body that amounted to $400 million last year.

WASHINGTON, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump says the US has “passed the peak” of new COVID-19 cases and predicted some states would reopen this month.

At the daily White House virus briefing, Trump said new reopening guidelines would be announced on Thursday after he speaks to governors.

“We’ll be the comeback kids, all of us,” the president said. “We want to get our country back.”

UNITED NATIONS, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A COVID-19 vaccine may be the only thing that can bring back “normalcy,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, hoping for just that before the end of the year.

“A safe and effective vaccine may be the only tool that can return the world to a sense of ‘normalcy,’ saving millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars,” he added during a video conference with the 50 or so African countries that are members of the United Nations.