World News

The ongoing spread of the coronavirus has spurred government agencies to warn its citizenry against the use of paper currency and coins. Meanwhile, Central Banks around the world are considering the use of cryptocurrency in the future.

The number of people to have died from coronavirus in Italy has now surpassed that of China, where the disease originated, according to figures released Thursday.

China has called for using electromagnetic attacks on U.S. warships transiting the South China Sea, according to a state-run Chinese outlet.

Even the new coronavirus can’t stop President Vladimir Putin when his power is on the line. As rumors abound that Russia’s capital is about to be locked down to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19, Mr. Putin said this week that an April 22 nationwide vote on constitutional amendments that could keep him in power until 2036 will proceed as planned.

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced an economic stimulus program worth €750 billion Wednesday night.

Early trials have shown that a Japanese flu drug is effective in treating the coronavirus, according to reports on Wednesday.

Oil dropped 24% to a more than 18-year low on Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sap demand for crude, and as rising worries about a global recession lead to fears of longer-term demand destruction.

The U.S. and Canada will close their border to non-essential traffic to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus worldwide has now surpassed 200,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, while the death toll has topped 8,000.

From Jerusalem’s Western Wall to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, the coronavirus is changing the Middle East and people in the region are adjusting to a new normal.

China is revoking the press credentials of three major US media organizations, in a move that has been censured by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a further step toward secrecy by the communist administration of Xi Jinping.

An ‘unprecedented’ locust swarm is forming in the Horn of Africa, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and is expected to cause major food shortages across Africa and the Middle East later this summer.

The European Union announced that member nations will close the EU’s external borders for the next 30 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

A member of the Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint or dismiss the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died from the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus, the semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported Monday.

Russia’s Constitutional Court has approved constitutional amendments that could enable President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for another 16 years.

The International Monetary Fund on Monday said it ‘stands ready’ to use its $1 trillion lending capacity to help countries around the world that are struggling with the humanitarian and economic impact of the novel coronavirus.

Europe proposed shutting its external borders to foreigners for 30 days on Monday in a bid to turn the page on its scramble to contain the coronavirus, but it drew criticism for doing too little, too late.

New economic data released Monday shows China’s economic activity in all areas plunged in the first two months of 2020 as the novel coronavirus outbreak first erupted and took hold in the world’s second-largest economy.

Vladimir Putin has formally signed off on constitutional amendments that would allow the Russian leader to run again for president in 2024, the Interfax news agency reported on March 14.

The World Health Organization says Europe has replaced China as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.