April 9, 2020

New York Jews Observe Passover Amid Pandemic

New York Jews Observe Passover Amid Pandemic

April 9, 2020 6:12 pm
Matzah, wine and bitter herbs still flew off the shelves but hours before Passover the normally bustling streets of Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhoods stood eerily quiet — save for a somber funeral procession and the persistent wail of sirens.With the coronavirus pandemic ravaging New York — more than 6,200 people have died in the state — Jewish residents are preparing to “seder-in-place” when the eight-day holiday that recounts the Hebrew exodus from Egypt kicks off Wednesday evening.

The scent of the traditional burning of chametz — leavened products forbidden during the observant period — wafted through the Hasidic zone of …

US Cautiously Optimistic As Coronavirus Curve Flattens

US Cautiously Optimistic As Coronavirus Curve Flattens

April 9, 2020 6:11 pm

US health officials made cautiously optimistic noises about coronavirus despite a jump in deaths Thursday, suggesting Americans might be able to take summer holidays, as falling hospitalization rates hint at a turning point in the battle against COVID-19.

With unemployment skyrocketing and the economy tanking, President Donald Trump is keen to lift social confinement measures and get the United States open for business again as soon as possible.

Trump’s top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci warned America cannot be reopened overnight due to the threat of further waves of infections, but said it could be up and running again by the …

Biden-Trump Showdown Looms After Sanders Quits

Biden-Trump Showdown Looms After Sanders Quits

April 9, 2020 6:08 pm

Leftist US Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign Wednesday, clearing the way for rival Joe Biden to secure the Democratic nomination and challenge Donald Trump in November.

The feisty 78-year-old democratic socialist shook up the 2020 race with his relentless pursuit of “economic justice” for all Americans and a demand for universal health care.

But he acknowledged his campaign had fallen short, as party voters determined Biden would be a stronger candidate to go up against Trump in the general election.

“I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful,” Sanders told supporters in …

World Faces New 'Great Depression' As Virus Toll Mounts

World Faces New ‘Great Depression’ As Virus Toll Mounts

April 9, 2020 6:07 pm

World powers scrambled on Thursday to build a global response to the human tragedy and once-in-a-century economic collapse caused by the coronavirus epidemic, as the worldwide death toll topped 90,000.

In a locked-down New York, the UN Security Council was to meet on the pandemic for the first time. And, by video conference, EU finance ministers are wrangling over how to bail out their worst hit members Italy and Spain.

The US coronavirus death toll jumped to over 15,774, according to the Johns Hopkins University, with more than 430,000 cases.

New York State had recorded its single day record for …

New Rules Apply As US-Russian Space Crew Blasts Off

New Rules Apply As US-Russian Space Crew Blasts Off

April 9, 2020 3:11 pm

A US-Russian space crew blasted off Thursday to the International Space Station (ISS) following a tight quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos’ Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner lifted off as scheduled at 08:05am GMT from the Russian-operated Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Read Also: US Vice President Gives Deadline To Boeing, SpaceX

Their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft was set to dock at the station six hours later.

Russian space officials have taken extra precautions to protect the crew during training and pre-flight preparations as the coronavirus outbreak has swept the world.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in

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Five Rockets Hit US Airbase In Afghanistan

Five Rockets Hit US Airbase In Afghanistan

April 9, 2020 3:10 pm

Five rockets have hit a important US airbase in Afghanistan but there were no casualties, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan has said, in an attack claimed by ISIL (ISIS).

The attack comes weeks after the Taliban and the United States reached a deal on the withdrawal of US-led international troops in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

Read Also: UN Condemns Rocket Attack On Tripoli Hospital

The Afghan affiliate of ISIL, known as the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), have not been included in the pact.

“Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning,” the NATO-led mission, Resolute Support, said

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Visa Chinese Workers In The US Are Losing Their Visas

Chinese Workers In The US Are Losing Their Visas

April 9, 2020 2:45 pm

Boston (CNN Business) After her company laid her off last month, Tang Chen couldn’t sleep. For days, her heart kept racing. There was one question at the front of her mind: would she be able to stay in the United States? Tang comes from eastern China’s Zhejiang province, but has worked in the US since 2014. Her H1-B work visa is due to expire later this year, so the travel firm where Tang worked as a software developer in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, had begun the arduous process of applying for a green card, which would allow her to live

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UK Doctor Who Urged PM To Provide Protective Gear Dies

UK Doctor Who Urged PM To Provide Protective Gear Dies

April 9, 2020 2:42 pm

London, United Kingdom – A British doctor who warned United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson that health workers on the front line did not have enough personal protection equipment (PPE) has died of COVID-19.

Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a 53-year-old consultant in the urology department at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Romford, worked for the NHS for more than 20 years after migrating from Bangladesh.

He died on Wednesday aged 53 after spending 15 days in hospital.

Read Also: Coronavirus Plunges World Economy Into Brutal Recession

In a Facebook post on March 18 directly addressing Johnson, Chowdhury urged the prime minister to

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Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Top 1.5m

Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Top 1.5m

April 9, 2020 2:41 pm

The United Kingdom reported 881 coronavirus deaths as of 1600 GMT on April 8, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 7,978.

Read Also: Coronavirus Plunges World Economy Into Brutal Recession

The British foreign minister warned that the country hadn’t “yet reached the peak of the virus”.

Meanwhile, Spain reported 683 daily coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours – a lower number of fatalities compared to the previous two days.

For the second straight day, the US recorded nearly 2,000 fatalities.

There are now more than 1.5 million confirmed cases of …

Hundreds Of Migrants Stuck In Sahara Amid Pandemic

Hundreds Of Migrants Stuck In Sahara Amid Pandemic

April 9, 2020 2:36 pm

While countries across Africa have been closing their borders as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, migrants and people on the move are paying a high price.

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of women, men and children have been stuck in Niger, a country that represents a traditional corridor of transit for seasonal labourers from West Africa heading to Libya or Algeria, as well as people hoping to move further to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

Read Also: Turkey To Stop Migrants Crossing To Greece By Sea

“We’re being overwhelmed by requests of support,” said Barbara

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Facebook Expands Information Centre To Nigeria, 16 Others

Facebook Expands Information Centre To Nigeria, 16 Others

April 9, 2020 2:35 pm

Facebook Inc has announced that it would expand its Coronavirus Information Centre to 17 more countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

Kojo Boakye, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa, who disclosed on Thursday, noted that the information centres form part of Facebook’s effort to help the global fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, Facebook will be providing people with the latest news and information from trusted health authorities.

“The COVID-19 Information Centre features at the top of the news feed that provides a central place for people to get informed about the virus.

Read Also: Facebook Revenue Slips

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How Educators Can Stem The Tide Of Cyber-Bullying

How Educators Can Stem The Tide Of Cyber-Bullying

April 9, 2020 2:34 pm
It’s perhaps one of the great paradoxes of our time – the opportunities that technology presents come with complexities that can be difficult to navigate. Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s classrooms. While technology is helping transform the learning experience in profound ways, it can also leave students exposed to significant online risk if the right measures aren’t in place.

A recent survey on online bullying in the Middle East and North Africa revealed the depth of the challenge educators and parents face, highlighting that at least 85 per cent of UAE children have been bullied online.

In …

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