North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sexual assault allegation is raising Joe Biden’s first big challenge as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind.

Biden’s campaign has denied the allegation from his former Senate staffer Tara Reade, who has said Biden assaulted her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in the 1990s. But the story garnered fresh attention this week after two of Reade’s associates said she previously told them about elements of her allegations.

NEW YORK (AP) — Police were called to a Brooklyn neighborhood Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said.

Investigators who responded to a 911 call found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to a law enforcement official. No criminal charges were brought and the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the days following the capture of an American contractor in Afghanistan earlier this year, Navy commandos raided a village and detained suspected members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while the U.S. intelligence community tried to track the cellphones of the man and his captors, The Associated Press has learned.

(AP) --- Scientists on Wednesday announced the first effective treatment against the coronavirus — an experimental drug that can speed the recovery of COVID-19 patients — in a major medical advance that came as the economic gloom caused by the scourge deepened in the U.S. and Europe.

The U.S. government said it is working to make the antiviral medication remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible.

Washington, Apr 29 (PTI) US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

NEW YORK, Apr 28 (APP): A U.S. federal government commission on international religious freedom has lambasted India for the sharp decline in religious freedom condition in the country, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has allowed “campaigns of harassment and violence” against Muslims and other religious minorities.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Trump adminstration officials on Tuesday predicted a strong economic rebound in the fourth quarter as the coronavirus fades, but a senior White House adviser warned that near-term unemployment and GDP data will be a “very grave” negative shock.

Kevin Hassett, senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump told CNN that unemployment could reach 16-20%, and GDP output could fall as much as 30-40% on annualized basis in the second quarter, a prediction in line with Wall Street and Congressional Budget Office forecasts.

(Reuters) - Boeing Co is working with investment banks on a multibillion-dollar bond-fueled financing package, aiming to shore up its balance sheet amid a sharp travel downturn from the pandemic, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The preparations reflect Boeing’s confidence that it can tap the capital markets to strengthen its finances, even as the largest U.S. planemaker weighs seeking government aid.

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 1 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19, with the death toll exceeding 57,000 on Tuesday, showed the latest data.

The country's number of COVID-19 cases topped 1 million Tuesday afternoon, reaching 1,002,498 as of 1:55 p.m. (1755 GMT), with a total of 57,266 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Navy sailors who have been quarantined on Guam for weeks will begin moving back to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday night, U.S. officials said. A coronavirus outbreak sidelined the aircraft carrier in late March.

Hundreds of sailors are expected to reboard the ship over the next several days, after spending about a month in gyms, hotels and other facilities while the ship was cleaned, officials said. The sailors were expected to begin moving back during the late evening and overnight Eastern time, which would be Wednesday in Guam.