Beijing, China (AP) — As countries consider how to restart their virus-halted economies, the early experiences in China and parts of Europe show it will be no easy task. Workers back on the job are wary of spending much. Shoppers are staying away. Masks and social distancing measures are not fading. And pervasive is the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — As government relief checks popped up in Americans’ bank accounts, the damage to the economy piled up Wednesday. And the reopening of businesses in Europe and China made it clear that things won’t necessarily bounce right back when the crisis eases.American industry shriveled in March to 1946 levels, registering its biggest decline…
Paris, France (AP) — A year after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral has been halted by a lockdown in Paris to battle the coronavirus. The April 15, 2019, blaze gutted its interior, toppled its famous spire and horrified the world. The medieval landmark that is the jewel of Paris remains locked…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden in a video saying Biden has “all the qualities we need in a president right now.” That gives Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a boost from the party’s biggest fundraiser and one of its most popular figures. Obama and Biden are known to…
Bangkok, Thailand (AP) — A lack of new hotspots in the coronavirus pandemic appears to be holding, fueling debate about how soon authorities could start scaling back social restrictions and reopen economies. While concerns remain over the virus’ fresh spread in places like Japan and Indonesia, nowhere is currently undergoing the explosion in hospitalizations and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders has endorsed Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy. The two former rivals made a joint online appearance on Monday. Sanders says he’s asking all Americans to come together to support Biden’s candidacy, which he says he also supports. The backing is a crucial development for Biden, who must bridge the Democratic Party’s…
CHATSWORTH, Ga. (AP) — Storms that killed at least 22 people in the Southeast are spreading misery atop a pandemic as they move up the East Coast. The severe weather outbreak that began on Easter in the Deep South caused floods, mudslides and more than 1 million power outages by Monday. Officials say 11 died…
Tokyo, Japan (AP) — South Korean officials are warning that hard-earned progress fighting the coronavirus pandemic could be upset by new infections at leisure spots. There are growing global tensions between governments desperate to maintain social distancing and citizens eager to resume their lives as economic pressure mounts and infections slow in some places. Some…
NEW YORK (AP) — The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has hit 100,000, according to the running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The sad milestone comes as Christians around the globe mark a Good Friday unlike any other — in front of computer screens instead of in church pews. Meanwhile, some countries are…
Jerusalem, Israel (AP) — Christians are commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion without the solemn church services or emotional processions of past years, marking Good Friday in a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic. A small group of clerics are to hold a closed-door service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built on the…