Coronavirus Live News: Global Cases Close to 4 Million as Unemployment in the US USA Reaches 14.7% World News

China reported a new case of coronavirus on Friday, unchanged from the previous day, data from the national health authority showed on Saturday. The case was related to travel abroad, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

The commission also reported 15 new asymptomatic cases for Friday, up from 16 the day before. The total number of coronavirus cases in China now stands at 82,887, while the death toll from Covid-19, the disease it causes, remained unchanged at 4,633, the national health authority said.

Roy Horn, from the double act Siegfried and Roy, died after hiring Covid-19, according to US media reports. He died in Las Vegas on Friday, at age 75.

The duo’s performances, in which illusionists rode elephants, romped with tigers, and made animals disappear, became one of the biggest attractions in Las Vegas.

In 2003 Horn was left in critical condition after being mutilated by an albino tiger during his stage act. He finally recovered and was able to return to the stage.

The cause of her death was complications from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Horn’s publicist, Dave Kirvin told the New York Times.

the U.S issued a new rule on Friday that tightens visa guidelines for Chinese journalists, saying it was in response to the treatment of American journalists in China.

The United States and China have participated in a series of retaliatory actions involving journalists in recent months. In March, China expelled American journalists from three American newspapers, a month after the United States said it would start treating five Chinese state-owned media entities with U.S. operations the same as foreign embassies. A day after the United States’ verdict on state entities, Beijing expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents, two Americans and one Australian, after the publication of an opinion column that China denounced as racist.

In issuing the new regulation on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security cited what it called China’s “suppression of independent journalism”.

The regulation, which takes effect on Monday, will limit visas for Chinese journalists to a period of 90 days, with the option of extension. Such visas are typically open and do not need to be extended unless the employee moves to a different company or medium.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Friday that his goal is to present plans next week to reopen the economy, as key sectors such as car manufacturing seek to start business again after more than a month of quarantine measures.

“They are going to present me with an initial proposal on Monday,” López Obrador told reporters during a regular press conference. “And we want to announce it to you and the Mexican public on Wednesday or Thursday.”

The government has been under pressure at home and abroad to establish plans for a return to normality in the fight against the pandemic that has killed almost 3,000 people in the country.

One sector facing strong pressure is the automotive industry, which is the backbone of Mexico’s manufacturing sector and is closely integrated with the rest of the North.
America.

This week General Motors Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) and Ford Motor Co. said their goal was to resume production in North America on May 18, but suppliers would need time to prepare. Industry sources say May 18 is also seen as the tentative date for the reopening of the sector in Mexico, provided López Obrador gives the green light.

The leaders of U.S Congressional foreign affairs committees have written to more than 50 countries asking them to support TaiwanThe inclusion of the World Health Organization (WHO), Reuters reported.

Taiwan is excluded from the WHO due to diplomatic pressure from China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory.

“As the world works to combat the spread of Covid-19, a new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, it has never been more important to ensure that all countries prioritize global health and safety over policy,” said the letter from the legislators, sent on Friday and seen by Reuters.

Washington’s growing support for Taiwan comes as tensions between China and the United States over the origin of the coronavirus continue to rise.

The Trump administration accused China of making the pandemic worse by hiding information. Last month, Trump announced that he would suspend aid to the WHO, accusing it of being “China-focused” and promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak, the WHO says it denies.

Argentina It will extend a quarantine that covers its capital, Buenos Aires, but will relax restrictions in the rest of the country, President Alberto Fernández said on Friday.

The national quarantine began on March 20 and will run in the capital until May 24. As of Friday, the country had registered 5,611 confirmed cases of the virus and 293 deaths.

The head of the International Monetary Fund He signaled a possible downward revision of global economic forecasts on Friday, warning the United States and China against the rekindling of a trade war that could weaken the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said at an online event organized by the European University Institute that recent economic data from many countries was below the fund’s pessimistic forecast for a 3% contraction in 2020, Reuters reports.

“Without immediate medical solutions, unfortunately more adverse scenarios could materialize for some economies,” said Georgieva. “The behavior of this virus that is clouding the horizon for projections is unknown.”

The IMF’s April projection of a 3% contraction in the global economy would mark the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The IMF predicted a partial rebound would occur in 2021, but warned that the results could be much. worse, depending on the course of the pandemic.

President Donald Trump threatened to punish China for its handling of the virus by imposing new tariffs, and on Friday suggested it could end a Phase 1 trade agreement between the United States and China.

On Friday, Georgieva warned that a withdrawal to protectionism could weaken the prospects for a global recovery at a critical juncture. “It is very important for us to resist what may be a natural tendency to withdraw behind our borders,” he said.

Hi, I’m Rebecca Ratcliffe, bringing you the latest coronavirus world updates.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, reported cases of coronaviruses worldwide reach 3,932,896, approaching the grim 4 million milestone. Worldwide, 274,422 deaths have been recorded, with the USA. USA In the lead with 77,126. The United Kingdom has registered the second highest mortality, with 31,315, followed by Italy with 30,201.

Here is a summary of the main news lines so far:

• Unemployment in the United States has reached 14.7%, as 20 million Americans lost their jobs in April. This is above 4.4% in March.
• Donald Trump has said the coronavirus “will go away without a vaccine,” but warned there could be “outbreaks” next year. It occurs when press secretary for Mike Pence, who is married to one of Donald Trump’s top advisers, has tested positive for coronavirus.
• The United States accused China and Russia of cooperating to spread false narratives about the coronavirus, intensifying a war of words on the origin of the pandemic.
• Russia registered more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday for the sixth day in a row, after emerging as a new hotspot for the pandemic.
• Madrid and Barcelona will not advance to the next phase of Spain’s exit from the blockade, after failing to meet the Spanish government’s criteria for a reduction in restrictions.
• Local authorities in the German state North Rhine-Westphalia they are configured to reimpose some blocking measures after seeing an increase in new coronavirus cases.
• Bogotá will lift restrictions that require men and women to shop on separate days, the city mayor said. The rules, which have been in effect for almost a month, will end on Monday.

If you think we have missed a story or want to draw our attention to something, please contact us. My email is [email protected] and I am @rebeccarat on Twitter.