Italy now has more coronavirus cases than China
The number of coronavirus cases in Italy has reached 86,498, according to a tally by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. That puts the European country ahead of China, where 81,946 infections have been confirmed.
Both are short of the over 104,000 cases reported in the United States. However not all countries report or measure cases in the same manner, so the true figures could be higher in Italy and China.
More than 9,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy, more than anywhere else in the world, followed by Spain at 5,138 deaths, and China at 3,295. In the US, there have been about 1,700 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.
Posturing and point-scoring leave UN hamstrung against coronavirus
The security council is struggling to function as the US defies secretary general’s advice and Russia probes for political gain
In the face of a truly global crisis, the world’s highest deliberative body, the UN security council, has been paralysed by squabbling among the major powers.
The 15-member council has not even been able to muster a joint statement on combating the spread of the coronavirus – in part because of US insistence that it should stress the Chinese origins of the pathogen, which was unacceptable to other states, not least China.
A draft statement would have echoed the calls from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, for a global ceasefire in view of the pandemic.
The US is losing its world superpower status due to its failure to lead on the Covid-19 crisis – and this time, it might not recover
As exemplified by the coronavirus pandemic, the end of US hegemony is less to do with economics and military strength and everything to do with Trump’s inability to cope with a real global crisis
The US may be reaching its “Chernobyl moment” as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. As with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in 1986, a cataclysm is exposing systemic failings that have already weakened US hegemony in the world. Whatever the outcome of the pandemic, nobody is today looking to Washington for a solution to the crisis.
The fall in US influence was visible this week at virtual meetings of world leaders where the main US diplomatic effort was devoted to an abortive attempt to persuade the others to sign a statement referring to the “Wuhan virus”, as part of a campaign to blame China for the coronavirus epidemic. Demonising others as a diversion from one’s own shortcomings is a central feature of President Trump’s political tactics. Arkansas Republican senator Tom Cotton took up the same theme, saying that “China unleashed this plague on the world, and China has to be held accountable”.
Opinion: How many deaths can we afford?
Just two weeks into this crisis some are actually calculating how many deaths society can accept to salvage the economy. For DW's Henrik Böhme, this is unacceptable.
It’s a question to which there is no answer — at least, to which I have no answer. But some people seem to think they know it. There’s an unnerving debate going on about what we should consider more important: protecting the health of every single individual, or protecting the economy from a devastating crisis.
Guineans overwhelmingly vote to back controversial new constitution
Guinea has voted to back a contested new constitution, the country’s electoral body said Friday, in a blow to President Alpha Conde’s opponents who fear the reforms are a ploy to extend his grip on power.
The proposal to change the constitution was hugely controversial in the West African state, spurring mass demonstrations in which at last 32 people have been killed, according to an AFP tally.
Independent National Electoral Commission president, Amadou Salifou Kebe, told reporters that 91.59 percent of ballots were in favour of adopting the new constitution, while 8.41 percent were against.
Turnout was 61 percent, he added, saying that these were provisional figures.
You'll Never Walk Alone tops coronavirus 'lockdown chart'
You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers has topped a chart of classic songs that are enjoying renewed popularity amid the coronavirus crisis.
The Official Charts Company's "lockdown listening list" is based on the tunes that have seen the biggest increases in plays on streaming services this week.
You'll Never Walk Alone was up 150% after dozens of radio stations came together to play it last Friday.
Tracks by Akon, Frank Ocean and The Police also featured in the top five.
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