US

Beijing has warned the US that it will take “every necessary measure” to protect its interests after a top White House advisor warned that Washington might revoke Hong Kong’s special trading privileges if China enacts a tough new security law.

China’s parliament said it will introduce a proposal Friday for a national security law in Hong Kong at its annual session, in a move the US warned would “highly destabilising” for the financial hub.

US biotech firm Moderna reported promising early results on Monday from the first clinical tests of an experimental vaccine against the novel coronavirus performed on a small number of volunteers.

“We must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control: there was a failure by this organisation to obtain the information that the world needed, and that failure cost many lives,” US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said in a video address to the WHO’s main annual meeting.

Beijing has urged the United States to stop the “unreasonable suppression of Huawei and Chinese enterprises” after Washington announced new export controls to restrict the tech giant’s access to semiconductor technology.

The coronavirus could infect a quarter of a billion Africans and put intolerable pressure on the continent’s fragile health system, a new report said Friday, as the pandemic’s global death toll topped 300,000.

Global satellite operator Intelsat filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, citing disruption from to its business from the virus pandemic, in a move aimed at restructuring its operations.

The French government warned Thursday that it would be “unacceptable” for pharmaceutical giant Sanofi to reserve any COVID-19 vaccine for the United States (US) first, after the firm’s chief said he would give preference to the American market.

Authorities in the Chinese city where the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began were moving forward Wednesday with efforts to test all 11 million residents for the virus within 10 days after a handful of fresh infections were found there.

US superstar Serena Williams says she’s ready to play “real tennis” after the enforced rest of coronavirus quarantine.

“I’m not interested in that,” Trump told reporters when asked about reports that China was looking to reopen talks about the trade deal signed in January.

The Democratic Party could adopt rules Tuesday allowing delegates to vote remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic to nominate Joe Biden for 2020 US presidential race, a party official said.

An Iranian warship was hit by a friendly fire missile during naval exercises, killing 19 sailors, state media and the army said Monday, amid tensions with the US in Gulf waters.

Britain plans to introduce a 14-day mandatory quarantine for most international arrivals, reports said Saturday, despite growing pressure on the government to relax virus lockdown measures.

The United Nations on Thursday more than tripled its appeal to help vulnerable countries combat the spread and destabilising effects of the coronavirus pandemic, asking for $6.7bn to help 63 nations, mainly in Africa and Latin America.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has clashed with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the latter’s allegation that the Federal Government plans to loot the recovered $311 million repatriated funds from United States (U.S.) and the Island of Jersey.

Chinese and US trade representatives agreed on Friday to “create favourable conditions” for the phase one trade deal signed in January, officials said, despite recent tensions over the coronavirus pandemic.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Wednesday, defended his labelling of the returned $311 million looted by a former Nigeria military leader, Sani Abacha, as “Abacha assets.”