1Coronavirus: European countries further relax restrictionsMonday, May 18, 2020

Italy and Spain are among a number of European countries further easing their coronavirus lockdown restrictions on Monday. Most businesses in Italy, including bars and hairdressers, are reopening after more than two months of nationwide lockdown measures. Spain meanwhile has slightly eased restrictions on some of its least... Read More

2Thomas Thabane resigns as Lesotho prime ministerMonday, May 18, 2020

Thomas Thabane has announced he will step down as prime minister of Lesotho following months of pressure after he was named as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife. He did not say when he would leave office but his party said a new premier would be sworn in on Tuesday. The 80-year-old's current wife, with whom he was living... Read More

3Hancock: UK now a global champion in testingMonday, May 18, 2020

Giving more details about the expansion of testing, Mr Hancock said the UK had scaled up its diagnostic testing capacity over the past six weeks at "breathtaking" speed and was now a "global champion". He encouraged all those aged over five with symptoms - a new persistent cough, a high temperature or the loss of smell... Read More

4UK's track and trace system faces monumental challengeMonday, May 18, 2020

The expansion of the testing programme may grab the headlines. It is a significant milestone – in less than two months the UK has gone from only being able to test hospital patients and health and care staff to offering it more or less population-wide. But it should not mask the difficulties that remain getting... Read More

5Not true that we're not fighting Covid-19 - TanzaniaThursday, May 14, 2020

Tanzania has dismissed allegations that it is not doing enough in the fight against coronavirus – a day after the US embassy warned of an exponential growth of the pandemic in the country. Government spokesman Dr Hassan Abbas told the BBC that the national laboratory remains closed and testing halted due to investigations... Read More

6One in four US workers claiming jobless benefitsThursday, May 14, 2020

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by almost 3 million last week as virus shutdowns continue to weigh on the US economy. The filings brought the total number of new jobless claims since the middle of March to more than 36 million. That amounts to nearly a quarter of the American workforce. The... Read More

7Coronavirus Sanofi: France resists idea of US getting vaccine firstThursday, May 14, 2020

France has said it would be "unacceptable" for French drug giant Sanofi to prioritise the US market if it develops a Covid-19 vaccine. The government was reacting to remarks by Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson, who said "the US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk". Prime... Read More

8Richard Burr: US Senate intelligence chief quits amid virus trading scandalThursday, May 14, 2020

The Republican chairman of the US Senate intelligence committee will resign from the post amid an insider trading investigation. Richard Burr of North Carolina would step down on 15 May, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. It has emerged on Thursday that Mr Burr's phone has been seized by the FBI as part... Read More

9UK economy shrinks at fastest pace since financial crisisWednesday, May 13, 2020

The UK economy shrank at the fastest pace since the financial crisis in the first quarter of 2020 as coronavirus forced the country into lockdown. The Office for National Statistics said the economy contracted by 2% in the three months to March, following zero growth in the final quarter of 2019. The decline was driven... Read More

10Afghan attack: US secretary of state condemns shooting at Kabul maternity wardWednesday, May 13, 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condemned a militant attack on a maternity ward in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two babies and 12 mothers and nurses were killed when several gunmen stormed the hospital on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a bombing at a funeral killed at least 26 people. Mr... Read More