COVID-19: TRUMP SAYS WOULD LIKE TO REOPEN US ECONOMY WITH A 'BIG BANG'

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would like to reopen the US

economy with a "big bang" but that the death toll from the coronavirus needs

to be on the down slope before that can happen.

Trump did not give a timeframe on when he would like to reopen the economy,

but his chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said on Tuesday it was

possible this could happen in four to eight weeks.

Trump, seeking re-election on Nov. 3, wants to get the economy going again

as soon as possible, but his medical advisers are urging caution out of

concern that trying to return to some sense of normalcy too early could lead

to a renewed outbreak.

Trump and his team have been heartened by signs that the death toll among

Americans may fall far short of projections that he outlined last week

indicating between 100,000 and 240,000 could die.

"We're ahead of schedule," Trump said at a White House news briefing.He said

the economy could be reopened in phases but that "it would be nice to open

with a big bang." But he said, "We have to be on the down side of the slope"

of infections and that he will rely heavily on experts in determining how to

proceed.

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RACE | BERNIE SANDERS DROPS OUT; JOE BIDEN SET TO BE

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign on

Wednesday, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive nominee to

face Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.

"The path toward victory is virtually impossible," Mr. Sanders said in a

livestreamed speech to supporters from his hometown of Burlington, Vermont.

"I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be

successful. And so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."

The U.S. senator from Vermont, a democratic socialist whose progressive

agenda pulled the party sharply to the left, shot to an early lead in the

Democratic race but faded quickly after losing South Carolina in late

February as moderate Democrats consolidated their support behind Mr. Biden's

campaign.

The departure of Mr. Sanders, the last remaining rival to Biden, sets up a

battle between the 77-year-old former vice president and Mr. Trump, 73, who

is seeking a second four-year term in office.

Mr. Sanders' decision to step aside came with the country in the grip of the

coronavirus outbreak that upended the nominating elections schedule, with

some primaries postponed and others up in the air. Mr. Sanders had been his

party's front-runner just a month ago.

WHO URGES VIRUS UNITY AFTER TRUMP ATTACK

GENEVA, Switzerland - The World Health Organization on Wednesday pleaded for

global unity in fighting the coronavirus, following US President Donald

Trump's stinging attack on its handling of the pandemic.

As the WHO prepares to mark 100 days on Thursday since it was first notified

of the outbreak in China, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hit

back at accusations that it had been too close to Beijing.

The UN's health agency has faced criticism in the past both for overreacting

and for moving too slowly in fighting epidemics, but it has rarely faced as

much scrutiny as with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tedros urged the United States to join with China in combating the disease

rather than indulging in a blame game, as he issued a stern defence of the

WHO's management of the pandemic.

"The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous

enemy," Tedros told a virtual press briefing in Geneva.

"The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please

don't politicise this virus.

"If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicising

it," the WHO chief argued, before adding later: "It's like playing with

fire."

Citing the death toll and number of infections, Tedros implored: "For God's

sake... is this not enough?"

EU FAILS TO AGREE ON ECONOMIC DEAL

The European Union Economy and Finance ministers have failed to reach an

agreement on a set of measures to mitigate the economic impact of the

covid-19 pandemic on the worst-affected member states despite more than 16

hours of negotiation.

The Eurogroup said it would meet again on Thursday to resume talks and reach

a consensus, Efe news reported.

"After 16h of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet.

I suspended the Eurogroup & continue tomorrow, Thursday," Mario Centeno,

president of the Eurogroup, tweeted.

"My goal remains: A strong EU safety net against the fallout of Covid-19 (to

shield workers, firms & countries) and commit to a sizeable recovery plan,"

the Portuguese finance minister added.

In a bid to unblock the situation, Germany and France rallied on Wednesday

and presented a plan for a recovery fund based on the issuance of debt

backed by guarantees from the member states.

"With Olaf Scholz, we call on all European states to be equal to the

exceptional stakes and secure an ambitious deal," French minister Bruno Le

Maire said after the meeting.

The German Finance Minister echoed Le Mair's commitment to resolving the

deadlock.

A third point that remains to be agreed upon is the Commission's proposal to

establish a temporary fund to deal with rising unemployment levels under the

SURE instrument which is designed to mitigate the risks of unemployment in

the case of an emergency.

WHO EUROPE WARNS AGAINST RELAXING CURBS

The World Health Organization's European office said on Wednesday that

despite seeing "positive signs" from some countries, it was too early to

scale back measures aimed at containing the coronavirus. "Now is not the

time to relax measures. It is the time to double and triple our collective

efforts," WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told a press

conference.

MUJIBUR RAHMAN'S KILLER FACES THE GALLOWS AFTER 45 YEARS

A Bangladesh military captain arrested after nearly 25 years on the run over

the assassination of the country's founding leader will be executed,

officials said Wednesday.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was

killed along with most of his family in a military coup on August 15, 1975,

nearly four years after he led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan.

In 1998, Abdul Majed was sentenced to death along with a dozen other Army

officers over the murders.

Bangladesh's Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2009 and five of the

killers were executed several months later.

Majed is believed to have fled to India in 1996. He returned to Bangladesh

last month, a prosecutor told reporters.

Acting on a tip-off, counter-terrorism police arrested Majed on Tuesday as

he rode in a rickshaw in the capital Dhaka, said police inspector Johurul

Haque.

"The formalities to execute him have already begun," Justice Minister Anisul

Huq told AFP, adding that the former officer will not be able to appeal his

sentence.

Mr. Huq said Majed's only option to avoid the gallows was to appeal to the

President for clemency.

TAIWAN CONDEMNS 'GROUNDLESS' ACCUSATIONS IT ATTACKED WHO CHIEF

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry on Thursday has condemned accusations from the

head of the World Health Organization (WHO) that it had used racist slurs

against him as "groundless".

On Wednesday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "racist

slurs" had been made against him, which he said had originated in Taiwan.

The island's Foreign Ministry labelled the accusations "imaginary".

"We are a mature and highly-accomplished advanced democratic country, and

have absolutely not instigated our people to personally attack the WHO's

Director General, and have absolutely not made any racist comments," it

said.

Tedros' comments were irresponsible and he should clarify them and apologise

to Taiwan, it said.

Taiwan is not a member of the WHO.

AUSTRALIAN POLICE TAKE 'BLACK BOX' FROM RUBY PRINCESS

Ruby Princess cruise ship has been linked to 15 deaths since it docked in

Sydney on 19 March. With more than 600 confirmed cases, it is Australia's

largest single source of infections.

Police have begun a criminal investigation into how 2,700 passengers were

allowed to disembark. This morning, they confirmed the ship's black box had

been seized.

"Ships have a black box very similar to that of international planes and

that and other evidence has been seized for further investigation," said New

South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller.

The investigation will look into "discrepancies" in information provided by

ship's operator, Carnival Australia. There are questions, too, over how much

blame should fall on state and federal authorities.

More than 1,000 crew members remain aboard - 200 have flu-like symptoms, and

18 have tested positive for the virus.

SAUDI-UAE COALITION DECLARES 2-WEEK UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE IN YEMEN

The Saudi-UAE coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels has declared a

unilateral ceasefire.

The suspension of the coalition's military operations is expected to go into

effect at 12pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Thursday and last for two weeks,

Saudi Arabia's state-run news agency SPA quoted coalition spokesperson

Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying.

The announcement came days after the United Nations called for a halt in

hostilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

SPA said on Wednesday that the ceasefire is intended to help prevent a

coronavirus outbreak in Yemen, while also allowing for a de-escalation in

the fighting. It was also aimed at giving the Houthis an opportunity to join

UN-sponsored talks on a settlement to the conflict.

There was no immediate comment by the Houthis.

AFGHAN GOVERNMENT RELEASES 100 TALIBAN PRISONERS

The Afghan government released 100 low-risk Taliban prisoners on Wednesday,

officials said, a day after the insurgents announced they were walking out

of talks with Kabul.

The two foes have been negotiating in the Afghan capital since last week to

try to finalise a prisoner swap that was originally supposed to have

happened by March 10 and pave the way for "intra-Afghan" peace talks.

But the exchange has been beset with problems, with Kabul claiming the

Taliban want 15 of their "top commanders" to be released, while the

insurgents have accused Afghan authorities of needlessly wasting time.

In a statement, Afghanistan''s Office of the National Security Council (NSC)

said the 100 prisoners freed on Wednesday were "thoroughly vetted" and had

all taken an oath never to return to the battlefield.

The government "has received the same assurance from the (Taliban''s)

leadership in Doha," the statement read.