New York

NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus is poised to reshape the political map, pummeling battleground states and alarming Republicans who see early signs of an election that could be a referendum on President Donald Trump’s management of the crisis.

The pandemic, which has killed more than 30,000 Americans and left millions out of work, has eviscerated Trump’s hope to run for reelection on a strong economy. A series of states he won in 2016 could tilt toward Democrats.

NEW YORK (AP) — Hopeful talk about getting people out of their homes and back to work in some parts of the country seems a far cry from the harsh reality in New York and its suburbs: Thousands of people infected with the coronavirus are still streaming into hospitals every day. Hundreds are still dying.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted the lack of major improvement Thursday as he announced another 606 deaths in the state and said current social isolation rules will stay in place through at least May 15. The number dying was down from a day earlier, but remains alarmingly high.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 16 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that debt relief must be an important part of Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, while cautioning that the African continent could end up suffering the greatest impacts.

“The crisis has wide-ranging implications”, said the UN Chief, delivering remarks at a meeting with leaders of the African Group of countries on Wednesday. “This is in no way of Africa’s making. But as with the climate crisis, the African continent could end up suffering the greatest impacts.”

UNITED NATIONS, April 15 (Xinhua) -- It is up to the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO) to decide where to seek funds in its COVID-19 fight, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.

Stephane Dujarric said it was up to the World Health Assembly, the 194-member state governing body, to decide where to look for funding in the face of the United States withdrawing from WHO financing.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 15 (APP): The world is facing “a dangerous epidemic of misinformation” about coronavirus — and the only vaccine is to reestablish public trust, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.

“Around the world, people are scared. They want to know what to do and where to turn for advice,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

The distortion and willful ignorance of scientific facts is a “poison that is putting even more lives at risk” during the most challenging crisis since World War II, Guterres said.

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN envoy for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, on Tuesday told the Security Council that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on the country, but it is encouraging to see Colombians finding creative responses to the pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on Colombia, and the peace process will undoubtedly feel its effects," Massieu told the virtual council meeting on the situation in the country.

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the World Health Organization must be supported, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump' announcement of halting the nation's funding to the organization.

"It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19," the secretary-general said in a statement issued by his spokesman.

NEW YORK, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 600,000 Tuesday evening, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The country has seen 602,989 cases with 25,575 deaths by 6:50 p.m. (2250 GMT), according to the CSSE.

NEW YORK (AP) — The official death toll from the coronavirus soared in New York City on Tuesday after health authorities began including people who probably had COVID-19, but died without ever being tested.

Officials reported 3,778 “probable” deaths, where doctors were certain enough of the cause of death to list it on the death certificate, and 6,589 confirmed by a lab test. Combined, that would put the total fatalities in the city over 10,000.

NEW YORK, Apr 14 (APP): The outbreak of coronavirus in India has setoff a series of attacks against Muslims across the country, with the health ministry of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that Muslims are spreading the virus, according to a leading U.S. newspaper.

“Young Muslim men who were passing out food to the poor were assaulted with cricket bats,” The New York Times said in a New Delhi-datelined report.