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This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton.
Christians around the world celebrated Easter on Sunday, but their observances were different this year because of COVID-19. Instead of going to church, many people participated in virtual observances on one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. People all over the world have been ordered to stay at home to curb the tide of the virus. Pope Francis livestreamed his Mass from the Vatican, holding the ceremony in solitude in St. Peter's Basilica rather than, as is tradition, sharing it with thousands of worshipers on the piazza outside. It was one of his most political messages since his election in 2013. He said, "This is not a time for self-centeredness, because the challenge we are facing is shared by all." Some defiant U.S. ministers, however, held services at their churches despite shelter-in-place orders that banned large gatherings. The U.S. is leading the world in cases and deaths due to the virus. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports the United States has more than a half million cases and more than 20,000 deaths. The top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned Sunday there is an "extraordinary risk" of the further spread of the ravaging coronavirus if the United States is reopened to business and a sense of normalcy too quickly on May 1 as President Donald Trump is considering. Fauci told CNN, "It's not going to be a light switch" to regenerate U.S. commerce as government recommendations for safe distancing between people end on April 30. He held out hope that "in some ways" the country could return to work and routine day-to-day activities next month, but he said it's likely to be different in various parts of the country, depending on the number of cases in specific communities and whether testing has shown that most people aren't infected. The U.S. coronavirus death toll has topped 20,000. This is VOA news. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from a London hospital Sunday after being treated in intensive care for the novel coronavirus. But the prime minister will not immediately return to work. That's according to a statement from his office, which added he would continue his recovery at his country residence. Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas' hospital in London one week ago. That was ten days after he tested positive for coronavirus. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been filling in during Johnson's absence. Meanwhile, Britain faces grim projections that their country could be the worst affected [by Europe] in Europe by the coronavirus. The death toll in Britain climbed to 9,875 over the weekend. Over 900 deaths were reported on Saturday. The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling on Libya to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid while [mai...] maintaining preventive measures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement issued in Tunis, Tunisia, on Sunday, the ICRC expressed deep concern that "hundreds of thousands of Libyans are caught in an intensifying conflict as COVID-19 threatens to spread and debilitate the country's fragile health system." Libya and the Libyan people "need more support and resources to face this challenge," the statement said. Enforcement of curfews and border closures to curb the spread of the disease, although important as preventive measures, are creating new challenges for the delivery of humanitarian aid and keeping supply chains for food, medicine and basic needs open. The ICRC is providing medical supplies to hospitals and primary health care facilities in the country and is delivering other medial items to health workers on the front line. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with one of his lawyers while holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for much of the past decade, according to a report Sunday confirmed by his partner. Assange's fiancée, lawyer Stella Morris told the Mail on Sunday. She and Assange have two boys aged two and one. Morris said she revealed the news because she is concerned about Assange's health as he sits in a high-security prison in London, fighting an extradition request by the United States. The U.S. wants to try him on espionage charges. OPEC and its oil allies reached agreement Sunday to cut global production by 9.7 million barrels a day starting May 1 to shore up the world price in the face of a significant drop in the demand for oil because of the coronavirus pandemic. The pact was reached after an emergency virtual meeting of oil officials from 23 countries completed just hours before a new week of oil trading was set to start. The benchmark price for [tr...] Brent crude has fallen into below $30-a-barrel range. I'm Marissa Melton, VOA news. |