USA

CHICAGO (AP) — The orders seem prudent in the bid to thwart the spread of the novel coronavirus: Don’t go out, don’t gather with others and keep your stores closed. But growing segments of the U.S. population say state and federal governments are trampling on freedoms central to American life in the name of protecting public health.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The contrast could hardly be more stark. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has said that if all of his sweeping, expensive measures to stem the corornavirus saved one life, it would be worth it. President Donald Trump has another view: The costs of shutting down the economy outweigh the benefits, frequently telling Americans that 35,000 people a year die from the common flu.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic have topped 1,000, in another grim milestone for a global outbreak that is taking lives and wreaking havoc on economies and established routines of ordinary life.

In a recognition of the scale of the threat, the U.S. Senate late Wednesday passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 25 (APP): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Canadian diplomat Deborah Lyons as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Ms. Lyons succeeds Tadamichi Yamamoto of Japan, who has served in this critical role since 2016.

A diplomat with 21 years of professional experience in political affairs, international cooperation and economic development, Ms. Lyons recently served as Canadian Ambassador to Israel, and from 2013 to 2016, as Ambassador to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON, March 25. /TASS/: The United States Federal Reserve System, which acts as the country’s central bank, postponed the implementation of amendments to its payment system risk policy regarding the provision of intraday credit to US branches and agencies of foreign banking organizations due to the situation with the coronavirus. This is according to a statement on the regulator’s website.

WASHINGTON, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US senators and Trump administration officials have reached an agreement on a massive economic stimulus bill to alleviate the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the negotiators said on Wednesday.

The Senate will vote on the US$2-trillion package later in the day and the House of Representatives is expected to follow suit soon after.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharpened on Thursday his criticism of China’s handling of a coronavirus pandemic, saying its ruling Communist Party was still denying the world information needed to prevent further cases.

The remarks, in an interview with the Washington Watch radio program, provoked a riposte from China that Pompeo should cease “politicizing” the epidemic and defaming the country.

LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned on Tuesday that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic was still to come and local residents should prepare for more loss of life.

Garcetti noted at the daily press conference that the city could see a situation similar to the outbreak in New York City in the coming six to 12 days, saying, "The peak is not here yet. The peak will be bad. People will lose their lives."

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ lieutenant governor said Monday night that the U.S. should get back to work in the face of the global pandemic and that people over the age of 70, who the Centers for Disease Control says are at higher risk for the coronavirus, will “take care of ourselves.”

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made the comments while appearing on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Patrick, 69, went on the program after President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that he wanted the country getting back to business in weeks, not months.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is making a baseless claim of surging suicides if the U.S. economy remains mostly shut due to the spread of the coronavirus. There’s no evidence that suicides will rise dramatically, let alone surpass potential coronavirus deaths. Historically in a crisis, suicides tend to diminish as society pulls together in a common purpose.