German imports and exports record biggest ever drop in April
German exports and imports slumped in April, posting their biggest declines since records began in 1990 as demand dried up in the coronavirus lockdown, adding to a gloomy outlook for Europe’s biggest economy, data showed on Tuesday.
Facing its deepest recession since World War Two, the big question is how quickly Germany’s export-oriented economy can recover now a shutdown that halted production and stunted retail has eased.
Desperate to speed up recovery, the government last week announced a 130 billion euro ($146.35 billion) stimulus package to help boost domestic demand. That comes on top of 750 billion euros worth of measures announced in March.
How a Texas couple claimed their baby from Ukraine despite coronavirus lockdown
KYIV, Ukraine — It took the Straubs more than three days to travel from Dallas to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But, arduous as it was, to them the trip was worth it.
A baby was waiting for them in Kyiv. Their baby. Waiting to come home.
Whether the Straubs would be able to enter Ukraine — or would be stopped by travel restrictions aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus — they did not know. Already, reports had emerged of parents traveling to Ukraine to pick up babies born to surrogate mothers, as the Straubs were doing, but being turned away at the border, leaving as many as 100 infants in legal limbo.
New Zealand celebrates end of most coronavirus restrictions
U.S. death toll could reach 145,000 by August, researchers predict
The U.S. could have a death toll of over 145,000 people from COVID-19 by August, according to researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.
If true, it would mean a further 30,000 deaths occurring in the country in the next two months. The U.S. has reported 113,000 deaths to date.
Almost half of U.S. states have reported an uptick of cases in recent days and weeks following widespread reopening of economies raising fears of a second peak.
View this graphic on nbcnews.comHarvard analysis suggests virus was circulating in China as early as Fall 2019
The coronavirus could have been circulating in Wuhan, China as early as late summer or fall 2019, according to researchers at Harvard University. The global pandemic had previously been linked to a jump from wildlife at a so-called 'wet market' in the city in November or December.
The study came to that conclusion after analyzing search queries on the Chinese search engine Baidu and looking at satellite imagery of hospital parking lots from the time. They found that searches for "cough", which usually follow seasonal variations, and "diarrhea," which is not seasonal in the same way, both showed an increase that preceded the reported start of the epidemic. In addition, hospital activity appeared to increase at the same time.
There have been complaints that China initially tried to cover up the outbreak, which it denies, as well as indications that the virus arrived on European shores much earlier than initially thought.
Businesses in the city that never sleeps wake up to a new reality
The city that never sleeps emerged from its coronavirus-imposed stasis Monday morning with a handful of "phase one" businesses in New York City raising their roller shutters to a landscape altered by the virus and protests over systemic racism. While some small-business owners said they were eager to get back to work after three months, they expressed uncertainty about what's next.
Retail, construction, manufacturing and agriculture are the first nonessential enterprises to cautiously resume in New York, the center of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.
About 25,000 businesses in the Big Apple had certified with the state as of Thursday that they could reopen while following safety regulations, a prerequisite for opening, said Jonnel Doris, commissioner of the city's Small Business Services Department. Each industry has had to significantly reduce operations and implement new safety measures.
Grief turns to anger in Italy's epicenter
WHO says pandemic 'far from over' as daily cases hit record high
GENEVA — New coronavirus cases had their biggest daily increase ever as the pandemic worsens globally and has yet to peak in central America, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, urging countries to press on with efforts to contains the virus.
"More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online briefing.
More than 136,000 new cases were reported worldwide on Sunday, the most in a single day so far, he said. Nearly 75 percent of them were reported from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia.
New York City begins reopening
About 400,000 workers can now return to jobs in construction, manufacturing and retail with curbside pickup. Cases in New York continue to decline, while other states that reopened sooner are seeing an increase.
Trump could resume rallies this month despite coronavirus concerns
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign is preparing to present the president with options to resume rallies in June, according to two officials familiar with the plans.
There are no final decisions yet on where and how this could be done safely amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Over the last week, Trump has been asking advisers why he can’t be holding mass rallies when thousands are gathering in the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, these people said.
"Americans are ready to get back to action and so is President Trump. The Great American Comeback is real and the rallies will be tremendous. You’ll again see the kind of crowds and enthusiasm that Sleepy Joe Biden can only dream of," Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale told NBC News in a statement.