UN, IRCRC call for unity in scaling up efforts for testing, developing vaccine

Two doctors who carried out an independent autopsy of George Floyd, the black man whose death in Minneapolis police custody last week triggered nationwide protests, said on Monday that he died from asphyxiation and that his death was a homicide.

Tense standoffs, often leading to clashes with police were seen in cities across the United States while Minneapolis now resembling a warzone with buildings razed to the ground, stores ransacked.

Civil unrest flared and curfews were imposed in several major United States (US) cities on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets to vent outrage at the death of a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab defended on Sunday the government’s “careful” loosening of the coronavirus lockdown, saying it was the “right step to be taking at this moment in time”.

Civil unrest flared and curfews were imposed in several major US cities on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets to vent outrage at the death of a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that states and cities must get "much tougher" on anti-police protests or the federal government will step in, including by using the military and making arrests.

The European Union urged the United States on Saturday to reconsider its decision to cut ties with the World Health Organisation over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Violent protests continued across the United States in the aftermath of the killing of a black man by police in Minneapolis.

The white former Minneapolis police officer shown in video footage using his knee to pin an unarmed black man’s neck to the street was charged with murder on Friday in the man’s death, an incident that has unleashed four nights of violent protests.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said on Saturday it was “a sad day” for the global financial centre, hours after US President Donald Trump moved toward stripping the city of its special treatment in a bid to punish China.

China recorded four new confirmed cases of coronavirus as of the end of May 29, up from none the day before, data from the country's health authority showed on Saturday.

New York City is “on track” to enter phase one of reopening on June 8, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday as he announced that five upstate regions will now transition to phase two which includes businesses like barber shops and hair salons.

Mexico on Friday registered 3 227 new cases of the coronavirus and 371 more deaths, bringing the total numbers to 84 627 cases and 9 415 fatalities, according to data from Health authorities.

Belgium will allow cross-border travel to visit family members in neighbouring countries from Saturday, in a slight easing of travel restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus, the Interior Minister said on Friday.

The decision of Minneapolis prosecutors to criminally charge a police officer four days after the death of George Floyd shows how efforts to hold officers accountable often hinge on the level of public protest and whether the incident was caught on video.

Coronavirus deaths in Brazil reached 27 878, the Health Ministry said on Friday, surpassing Spain to become the fifth ranking nation in the number of dead.

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he is terminating the US relationship with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus, saying the WHO had essentially become a puppet organization of China.

The police officer who allegedly killed George Floyd by placing a knee on his neck has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder.

European Union (EU) foreign ministers sought to toughen their strategy on China on Friday to counter Beijing’s increasingly assertive diplomacy and accelerate efforts to end unfettered access for Chinese business in Europe.

This week we look at: SA’s liquor operating hours under coronavirus ( COVID-19) lockdown Level 3, the number of people predicted to end up in intensive care when infected by COVID-19 and other numbers that dominated the news this week.

Protesters clashed with riot police firing tear gas for a second night in Minneapolis on Wednesday in an outpouring of rage over the death of a black man seen in a widely circulated video gasping for breath as a white officer knelt on his neck.

Twitter has flagged a tweet written in March by a Chinese government spokesperson that suggested the US military brought the novel coronavirus to China, as the social media platform ramps up fact-checking of posts.

Australia’s biggest state in economic terms said on Friday the coronavirus pandemic could cost it as much A$20 billion ($13.3 billion) in lost revenues over the next four years, underscoring the urgency to revive the country’s stuttering economy.

Brazil reported a daily record of 26 417 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, according to the Health Ministry, bringing its total tally to 438 238, second only to the United States in confirmed cases.

China reported no new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland as of the end of May 28, down from two a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Friday.

The coronavirus lockdown will ease next week for most of Britain’s population, Boris Johnson announced on Thursday, as a row persisted over the Prime Minister’s closest adviser taking a long-distance journey during lockdown.

The United Nations has delayed until late 2021 a crucial climate summit that had been scheduled for Britain this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Thursday.

Protests over the latest death of a black man in the United States (US) at the hands of the police turned violent overnight, including the looting of shops with multiple fires to building premises.

The Philippines’ coronavirus task force has recommended President Rodrigo Duterte ease one of the toughest and longest lockdowns in the world for residents in the capital who have endured nearly 11 weeks of restrictions on activity.

South Korea reported 79 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, the largest one day increase since April 5.