TRUMP SAYS US CONDUCTING 'SERIOUS INVESTIGATIONS' INTO CHINA'S ROLE IN

COVID-19

The US is carrying out a "very serious" investigation against China,

President Donald Trump has said, indicating that his administration is

looking at a bigger compensation from Beijing than the USD 140 billion being

sought by Germany over the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadly contagion, which originated in China in mid-November, has so far

killed more than two lakh people and infected over three million globally.

The largest number of them is in the US: more than 56,000 deaths and over

one million infections.

Leaders of the US, the UK and Germany increasingly believe that the

unfortunate deaths of so many people and destruction of the global economy

could have been avoided, if China had shown transparency and shared the

information about the virus in its early phases.

Many countries have started talking about claiming compensation from China.

Trump, during the Rose Garden press conference on Monday, was asked about

Germany planning to send a bill to China for euro 130 billion (USD 140

billion) for the damages. "Would your administration look at doing the

same?"

"Well, we can do something much easier than that. We have ways of doing

things a lot easier than that," the President replied.

"We haven't determined the final amount yet," but "it is very substantial,"

Trump said.

UK EXPLORE POSSIBLE COVID-19 LINK TO CHILD INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

LONDON: Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out

for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the

new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Britain's paediatric intensive care society issued an

alert to doctors noting that there has been an increase in the number of

children with "a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care".

The group said there was "growing concern" that either a Covid-19 related

syndrome was emerging in kids or that a different, unidentified disease

might be responsible.

The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or

Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children

tested positive for Covid-19, so scientists are unsure if these symptoms are

caused by the new coronavirus or by something else.

Kawasaki symptoms include a high temperature that lasts for 5 days or more,

a rash and swollen glands in the neck.

Spain's Association of Pediatrics recently made a similar warning, telling

doctors that a number of children are suffering from "an unusual picture of

abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms" that could lead to

shock, low BP and heart problems. In Italy, a note was sent to 10,000

doctors with related concerns.

SOUTH ASIA FACES HEALTH CRISIS AS CHILDREN MISS VACCINATION

South Asia could face a further public health crisis as children miss

routine vaccinations, the UN warned on Tuesday, spurring fears that the

fallout from the pandemic might reverse hard-earned gains in the region.

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF said hundreds of thousands were

at risk as lockdowns across South Asia halted immunisation drives and

parents refrained from taking their children to doctors to be inoculated.

"While the COVID-19 virus does not appear to make many children seriously

ill, the health of hundreds of thousands of children could be impacted by

this disruption of regular immunisation services," said Jean Gough, director

of UNICEF's South Asia office.

"This is a very serious threat. Early action is key."

Bangladesh and Nepal have halted their measles and rubella campaigns while

Pakistan and Afghanistan have suspended their polio drives since the

COVID-19 pandemic.

UNICEF noted that "sporadic" outbreaks of preventable diseases that can be

cured with vaccines, including the measles and diphtheria, have emerged in

Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

Vaccine stocks were also running low in some countries in the region thanks

to lockdowns and travel bans which have disrupted supply chains.

"UNICEF strongly recommends that, where immunisation campaigns are

suspended, governments begin rigorous planning now to intensify immunisation

activities once the COVID -19 pandemic is under control," the agency said in

a statement.

It added that as long as health workers take hygiene precautions, there was

no reason for vaccinations not to continue.

OXFORD VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE IN ANIMAL TEST

There is hope in the scientific community after initial results showed that

the vaccine produced by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group showed

promising results when tested on monkeys in a laboratory in the US.

ChAdOx1 MERS vaccine is currently undergoing human trials in the UK since

last week. The trial covering thousands of volunteers in Bristol, London,

Southampton and Oxford is seen to be ahead of the nearly 80 similar projects

across the globe.

Reporting the data that's yet to be peer-reviewed, the National Institute of

Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Montana said, "An investigational vaccine

called ChAdOx1 MERS protected two groups of rhesus macaques from disease

caused by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS-CoV

is a relative of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2

(SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)."

"The rhesus macaque is pretty much the closest thing we have to humans,"

Vincent Munster, who conducted the test on monkeys, told The New York Times,

noting that scientists were still analysing the result.

CORONAVIRUS: FRANCE MANDATES MASKS FOR SCHOOLS AND TRANSPORT

France will make face masks compulsory on public transport and in secondary

schools when it starts easing its coronavirus lockdown on 11 May, Prime

Minister Edouard Philippe has said.

Schools will reopen gradually, starting with kindergartens and primary

schools.

Pupils aged 11-15 will be expected to wear face masks.

It comes as hard-hit Spain also outlined its lockdown exit plan, aiming for

what its prime minister called "a new normality" by the end of June.

HILLARY CLINTON ENDORSES JOE BIDEN'S WHITE HOUSE BID

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton endorsed Joe

Biden's White House bid on Tuesday.

"I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our

president," Ms. Clinton said during a live video conference with the former

vice president.

"I wsh you were president right now," the former First Lady and Secretary of

State said.

"Think of what it would mean if we had a real president not just somebody

who plays one on TV," she added in a jab at President Donald Trump, Mr.

Biden's expected opponent in November.

BRAZIL'S TOP COURT AUTHORISES INVESTIGATION INTO BOLSONARO

Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday night authorised an investigation into

whether President Jair Bolsonaro committed crimes by allegedly attempting to

interfere with the country's federal police.

Justice Celso de Mello said in his decision, a copy of which was published

by local newspaper Estado de S.Paulo, that the federal police have 60 days

to question Ssrgio Moro, Mr. Bolsonaro's former Justice Minister whose

resignation last week pitched the administration into turmoil. The Justice's

authorisation was also reported by several other local media.

During Mr. Moro's announcement of his resignation on April 24, he said Mr.

Bolsonaro had told him on multiple occasions that he wanted to replace the

head of the federal police with someone who could facilitate access to

investigations and intelligence reports.

Brazil's Prosecutor-General, Augusto Aras, last week asked the Supreme Court

to open an investigation into the allegations made by Mr. Moro, who made a

name for himself as the top judge in the sprawling Car Wash corruption

investigation.

He was by far Mr. Bolsonaro's most popular Minister and, throughout a series

of crises in the Bolsonaro administration, his place in Cabinet helped

secure the administration's base of support and appearance of respect for

the rule of law.

The Prosecutor-General in his request said Mr. Moro's speech implied Mr.

Bolsonaro had committed several possible crimes, including obstruction of

justice, and asked for the former Minister to be questioned and provide

evidence to substantiate his claims.

VENEZUELA NAMES OFFICIAL INDICTED BY U.S. AS OIL MINISTER

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday named a top official targeted

by U.S. sanctions as Oil Minister as the market for the country's vital

export is in tumult.

Mr. Maduro tasked Tareck El Aissami - a Vice-President for the economy who

has been indicted in the U.S. on drugs trafficking charges - with

"restructuring and reorganization" of the OPEC member's crippled oil

industry.

Mr. Maduro also named Asdrubal Chavez, cousin of the late President Hugo

Chavez, as interim President of the state oil firm PDVSA.

The U.S. in 2017 designated El Aissami as having played "a significant role

in international narcotics trafficking" and placed him on a most-wanted

fugitives list in August last year.

"In his previous positions, he oversaw or partially owned narcotics

shipments of more than 1,000 kg from Venezuela on multiple occasions,

including those with the final destinations of Mexico and the United

States," the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) said on its

website.

Mr. El Aissami declared his innocence and said the move was "a dirty trick."

The U.S. has been seeking for more than a year to oust Mr. Maduro. More than

60 countries recognises opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim President.