World News

Finance ministers fell short of agreement Tuesday night on an EU-wide strategy to fight an economic slump caused by the coronavirus.

The fast-spreading coronavirus has prompted many countries around the world to effectively shut down in order to contain the outbreak.

The U.S. is cutting aid to Afghanistan by $1 billion and will cut even more unless the country’s feuding political leaders can resolve their differences and form a government that can implement a peace deal with the Taliban.

The Trump administration announced on Friday a ban on recreational and tourist travel at the U.S.-Mexico border as a precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The U.S. Federal Reserve continued to roll out emergency support on Friday as it enhanced efforts with other major central banks to ease a global dollar-funding crunch, backstopped a market essential for U.S. state and local government finances and ramped up its purchases of mortgage-backed securities.

The World Health Organization has said at least 20 vaccines for coronavirus are in development around the world — though the process is likely to take many long months, as the medical world races to find both preventive measures and treatments for those infected.

Close to one billion people worldwide were confined to their homes on Saturday as the global coronavirus death toll shot past 11,000 and US states rolled out lockdown measures already imposed across swathes of Europe.

A strong earthquake rattled Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday morning, killing at least one person and littering the streets with debris.

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Saturday, according to the South Korean military, in a move that highlights the country’s continuing military expansion amid a global health pandemic.

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.