Hungary has condemned global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for saying that an ‘Orwellian law’ has imposed an ‘information police state’ in the country. RSF urged two United Nations rapporteurs to condemn the governments of Hungary and dozens of other nations for ‘violating the right to information’ about the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns of global social unrest if government measures to halt the coronavirus pandemic are seen as unfairly favoring the rich.
Confirmed cases of the new coronavirus reached two million worldwide late Tuesday, prompting several countries to extend lockdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the virus, COVID-19. The lockdowns came amid warnings that the pandemic could lead to the deepest global recession in a lifetime.
Debt held by the public will exceed the size of the U.S. economy by the end of fiscal 2020, a watchdog said Monday.
The coronavirus pandemic that has crippled big-box retailers and mom and pop shops worldwide may be making a dent in illicit business, too.
Britain has pledged 200 million pounds ($248 million) to charities and the World Health Organization (WHO), which has come under U.S. pressure over its handling of the new coronavirus pandemic. Its Easter present came while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been suffering from the virus COVID-19, said he “owed” his life to British medics.
U.S. governors appealed Saturday for $500 billion in federal aid, saying states face a budget crisis due to the new coronavirus pandemic that threatens essential services. They urged Congress to “meet the states’ budgetary shortfalls that have resulted from this unprecedented public health crisis.”
Israeli officials say the government wants to gradually reopen the country’s economy hit hard by a coronavirus pandemic that overshadowed the Passover holiday. But in a setback for the tourism industry, regular flights will only resume in September, Israeli media reported Saturday.
Major Christian publishing companies have reported increased sales of the Bible during the coronavirus pandemic. The increase is reportedly similar to that observed after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.
Islamic State–Khorasan (ISIS-K) claims it carried out Thursday’s rocket attack on Bagram airfield, the largest US base in Afghanistan. There were no casualties or injuries. Bagram’s NATO-led US military mission, Operation Resolute Support, confirmed in a tweet that five rockets were fired at the base early in the morning on Thursday.
The federal government debt of the United States has reached a record $24 trillion despite warnings by the nation’s leading watchdog that it is unsustainable for the world’s largest economy.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he talked to 10,000 U.S. faith leaders about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has led to bans on in-person church services, closed nonessential businesses and killed more than 14,500 Americans.
European Union finance ministers agreed Thursday on a half-a-trillion euro ($550-billion) rescue package for European nations hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The chairman of the Eurogroup, Mário Centeno, confirmed the deal following marathon talks in Brussels where Italy warned the EU would collapse without financial solidarity.
The Federal Reserve is not leaving any corner of the U.S. bond market behind in this crisis.
Powerful cyclone Harold slammed into the South Pacific island nation of Fiji Wednesday, cutting off communications, causing buildings to collapse and injuring residents in Suva, the capital. The category 5 cyclone has already killed 27 people in the Solomon Islands and wreaked havoc in Vanuatu. The cyclone crisis in the South Pacific comes as local Island nations brace for the coronavirus pandemic.
A disagreement over eurozone loans on Wednesday halted European Union (EU) efforts to agree on a deal on managing the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Negotiations between European finance ministers were suspended until Thursday after 16 hours of talks brought no resolution. Yesterday’s discussions followed similar talks that were held last month, when no agreement was reached either.
As the coronavirus hammers New York, churches continue to serve the needs of the community and pray for an end to the outbreak.
Worldwide debt reached 322% of GDP last year, according to new figures which will worry governments planning post-coronavirus economic recoveries.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) rushed to defend his agency’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic after President Donald Trump threatened to cut U.S. funding to them. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed for unity and a halt to “politicization” of the global health crisis, saying China and the United States should show “honest leadership.”
A study has found that only 28% of Americans have watched on-line church services since coronavirus stay-at-home orders shut the majority of church doors. Conducted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the study also found the low level of viewership was despite a majority of Americans reporting they have become more religious since the COVID-19 pandemic began.