World News

A street is seen empty during a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ramallah, West Bank on April 1.

Palestinians In The West Bank Improvise Checkpoints To Help Fight Coronavirus

3:41pm April 17, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

In the shadow of Israeli watchtowers and settlements, Palestinians have set up improvised checkpoints to enforce a Palestinian Authority lockdown in areas where Palestinian police can't patrol.

People chant slogans as a young man recites a poem, illuminated by mobile phones, at a protest in Khartoum, Sudan in June 2019.

World Press Photo Winner Captures Poetic Moment At A Protest

3:28pm April 17, 2020

by Austin Horn

Images of a young man reciting poetry at a protest in Sudan and an immersive 360 project from Hong Kong were among the winners of World Press Photo awards.

Indonesians at a traditional market in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday appear to be ignoring social distancing rules the government put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Indonesia Now Has The Most Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Southeast Asia

1:33pm April 17, 2020

by Ashley Westerman

Health experts say low rates of testing and refusal to enact strict lockdowns have allowed the virus to infiltrate all 34 provinces of the archipelago nation.

A man carries a box of protective masks to emergency workers Thursday in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The West African country has seen relatively few confirmed cases of the coronavirus to this point — but global health officials fear that won't alway

U.N. Agency Fears 'Vulnerable' Africa May Suffer At Least 300,000 COVID-19 Deaths

1:22pm April 17, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

And that's the best-case scenario laid out by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The commission said the continent, in the worst case, may see up to 3.3 million deaths this year alone.

Antibody test cartridges used in diagnosing the coronavirus move along on a production line at Boditech Med in Chuncheon, South Korea. By Friday, authorities had identified 163 patients who tested positive again after a full recovery.

In South Korea, A Growing Number Of COVID-19 Patients Test Positive After Recovery

11:47am April 17, 2020

by Se Eun Gong

By Friday, South Korean authorities had identified 163 patients who tested positive again after a full recovery. The number more than doubled in about a week, up from 74 cases on April 9.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference call with French virologist Françoise Barré-Sinoussi on efforts to develop a vaccine and treatment against the new coronavirus, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday.

Several European Leaders See A Popularity Boost During Coronavirus Pandemic

11:26am April 17, 2020

by Eleanor Beardsley

Even after Europe became an epicenter in the global spread of COVID-19, a number of leaders have had growing approval from their citizens.

An employee wears a face mask as he works at a blower and fan manufacturing plant in northeastern China's Liaoning province. The economy contracted by 6.8% in the first three months of 2020 from the same period a year ago.

China's Economy Retreats, With Pandemic Causing Biggest GDP Drop In Decades

11:20am April 17, 2020

by Scott Neuman

China's economy contracted by 6.8% in the first three months of 2020 from the same period a year ago — its biggest drop since 1992.

Cathay Pacific Airways jetliners lined up on the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport last month. The global airline's flying schedules have declined since the outbreak of COVID-19.

World News

Cathay Pacific To Cut U.S. Cabin Crew As COVID-19 Grounds Most Of Its Flights

9:37am April 17, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The Hong Kong-based airline, which is flying just 3% of its schedule in the wake of the pandemic, will lay off nearly 300 employees in New York, San Francisco and LA.

U.S. Intelligence Community Assesses Beginnings Of COVID-19

7:41am April 17, 2020

by Greg Myre

Where exactly did the coronavirus first emerge? Months after it erupted in central China, this question remains a mystery. U.S. intelligence teams working to make their own assessments.

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World News

Pandemic Causes Biggest Drop In China's GDP In Decades

6:54am April 17, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to James Mayger of Bloomberg News about China's economy which shrank 6.8% in the first three months of 2020, compared to a year ago — the biggest drop in nearly 3 decades.

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