U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNS IMMIGRATION ORDER CURBING GREEN CARDS

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order pausing immigration

for 60 days to protect the jobs of Americans laid off due to the Covid-19

pandemic.

The temporary suspension of immigration will affect those who are legally

seeking entry into the United States for employment purposes but not the

ones who are already living in the country, the order said.

Describing it as "a very powerful order" Trump told reporters during his

daily news briefing at the White House on Wednesday that he signed the order

before coming for the press briefing.

"By pausing immigration, we'll help put unemployed Americans first in line

for jobs as America reopens. It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid

off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from

abroad," he said.

It also applies to those foreign nationals who do not have an official

travel document other than a visa that is valid on the effective date of

proclamation or issued on any date thereafter that permits him or her to

travel to the US and seek entry or admission.

The suspension, the executive order said, does not apply to those foreign

nationals already inside the country on a green card. It provides exemptions

to healthcare workers, or seeking to enter the US as a legal permanent

resident under investment category.

Spouses of a US citizen, 21 years and younger kids of American nationals, or

those who are under the process of being adopted are also exempted from this

temporary suspension of immigration.

Trump said he was determined that, without this measure, the US faces a

potentially protracted economic recovery with persistently high unemployment

if labour supply outpaces labour demand.

"Excess labour supply affects all workers and potential workers, but it is

particularly harmful to workers at the margin between employment and

unemployment, who are typically 'last in' during an economic expansion and

'first out' during an economic contraction," he said in his executive order.

COVID-19 VACCINE TRIAL SET TO BEGIN IN UK; 4 OTHERS IN RACE TOO

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus

gathered pace this week, as clinical trials on humans were approved in

Germany and another one launched in the UK.

Though there are now around 150 development projects worldwide, the German

and British plans are among only five clinical trials on humans which have

been approved across the globe.

In Britain, volunteers in a trial at the University of Oxford are today set

to be given the first dose of a potential vaccine. Research director

Professor Sarah Gilbert estimated that it has around an 80 percent chance of

being successful. The institute aims to develop a million doses of the

vaccine by September, so as to distribute it as quickly as possible after

approval. Apparent taking a risk, the institute is going ahead with

production even as they await approvals.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, German regulatory body PEI green-lighted the

country's first trials on human volunteers for a vaccine developed by German

firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer.

Last week, UN Secy-Gen Antonio Guterres said a vaccine was the only thing to

return "normalcy" to the world, and called for development projects to be

accelerated.

Aside from Biontech and Oxford, three other clinical trials on humans have

been approved worldwide since mid-March, with Chinese and US developers

among the first to move.

COVID DEATHS COULD BE MUCH HIGHER THAN KNOWN: REPORTS

There may be tens of thousands of more deaths due to the coronavirus disease

(Covid-19) pandemic around the world than currently established, according

to reports by the New York Times and the Financial Times that analysed

cumulative mortality figures.

The estimation is based on the "all cause excess mortality", which looks at

the rise in deaths due to any cause compared with a historic average for

that particular period.

In the case of the UK, the total missing Covid-19 deaths could be more than

double the actual number, according to the FT, which cited official data

showing a 75% increase in deaths in the week ending April 10. The pandemic

has already caused as many as 41,000 deaths, the report claimed, on a day

when the official Covid-19 fatality figure was pegged at a little over

17,000.

The NYT said that the analysis of all cause mortality data from 11

countries, including the UK and the US, showed that 25,000 more deaths may

have taken place in the last month than acknowledged officially.

"In the last month, far more people died in these countries than in previous

years, the New York Times found. The totals include deaths from Covid-19 as

well as those from other causes, likely including people who could not be

treated as hospitals became overwhelmed, the report said.

Total death numbers offer a more complete portrait of the pandemic, the

report added citing experts, because most countries report only those

Covid-19 deaths that occur in hospitals.

IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS 'SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCH MILITARY SATELLITE'

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has successfully

launched a military satellite into orbit for the first time.

The satellite, named Nur (Light), reached an orbit of 425km (264 miles)

after being carried by a three-stage Qased launcher, a statement said.

The success of the launch has not been verified independently.

But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran had violated a UN resolution

and needed "to be held accountable".

He spoke shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that he had instructed

the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they

harass our ships at sea".

Mr Trump appeared to be referring to an incident in the Gulf a week ago, in

which the US said 11 IRGC Navy vessels repeatedly conducted "harassing"

approaches of six US Navy and Coast Guard ships.

Iran accused the US of giving a "Hollywood version of events" and said the

US Navy had blocked the path of an Iranian ship earlier this month.

A spokesman for the Iranian armed forces criticised Mr Trump's tweet, saying

that "instead of bullying others" the US should focus on "saving the

contingent of their [armed] forces that has been infected with coronavirus".

MAKE NO MISTAKE, CORONAVIRUS WILL BE WITH US FOR A LONG TIME: WHO CHIEF

WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some countries that thought they

had the new coronavirus under control were witnessing a resurgence in cases,

while there were troubling upward trends in Africa and the Americas.

He also insisted that the UN health agency had declared a global emergency

in good time on January 30 for countries to prepare and plan their response.

The body has been heavily criticised by the United States for its handling

of the pandemic but Tedros brushed off calls for him to resign.

WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some countries that thought they

had the new coronavirus under control were witnessing a resurgence in cases,

while there were troubling upward trends in Africa and the Americas.

He also insisted that the UN health agency had declared a global emergency

in good time on January 30 for countries to prepare and plan their response.

The body has been heavily criticised by the United States for its handling

of the pandemic but Tedros brushed off calls for him to resign.

"Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a

long time."

The global death toll has passed 175,000, according to a tally from official

sources compiled by AFP, while more than 2.5 million declared cases have

been registered since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

Tedros was pressed on whether the WHO had acted swiftly enough.

"Looking back, I think we declared the emergency at the right time" on

January 30, he said, adding that the world "had enough time to respond".

CORONAVIRUS | CHINA TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS IN HARBIN AS CASES SPIRAL

A northeastern city of 10 million people, grappling with what is now China's

biggest COVID-19 outbreak, further restricted inbound traffic on Wednesday

to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease.

Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang and its biggest city, has

banned entry to residential zones by non-locals and vehicles registered

elsewhere, state media said. It had already ordered isolation for those

arriving from outside China or key epidemic areas.

Heilongjiang has been in the forefront of China's latest efforts to identify

infected citizens arriving from Russia, with which it shares a border, to

curb the spread of the virus. "All confirmed cases, suspected cases, close

contacts of asymptomatic people, and close contacts of close contacts should

be quarantined and tested," state media cited the city government as saying.

Harbin said this month it was ordering 28 days of quarantine for all

arrivals from abroad, with two nucleic acid tests and an antibody test for

each. It also set 14-day lockdowns for residences where confirmed and

asymptomatic cases are found.

Harbin, which has air links with Russia, reported seven new confirmed cases

on Tuesday, taking its local infections to 52.

By Tuesday, Heilongjiang reported 537 local confirmed cases, including 470

discharged from hospital.

TERROR THREAT TO U.K. HOSPITALS DURING CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN, SAYS SCOTLAND

YARD OFFICER

There are fears that terrorists may be looking to target hospitals and other

places on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic frontline in the U.K.,

according to a counter-terrorism officer who said that additional security

advice is being issued to the country's National Health Service (NHS)

Trusts.

Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent Nik Adams, the National Coordinator for

the U.K.'s Prevent Counter-Extremism programme, said the force is closely

monitoring if terror outfits such as Islamic State (ISIS) could be looking

to exploit the crisis to find new recruits to target the places currently

busiest given the social-distancing lockdown in place to curb the spread of

the virus.

We're seeing the exploitation of the circumstances to encourage acts of

violence, Mr. Adams was quoted as saying by The Independent.

"The reality is we're very prepared for any such eventuality and monitoring

any literature being disseminated around the world.

CORONAVIRUS: SOUTH AFRICA DEPLOYS 70,000 TROOPS TO ENFORCE LOCKDOWN

More than 70,000 extra troops will be deployed in South Africa to help

enforce a lockdown intended to stop the spread of coronavirus, President

Cyril Ramaphosa has announced.

South Africa has had 3,465 confirmed coronavirus cases - second only to

Egypt in Africa - and 58 deaths.

The country has some of the most stringent coronavirus lockdown restrictions

in the world.

But security forces have struggled to enforce them.

Since 27 March only essential service providers, such as health workers,

financial services providers, journalists and retail workers, are allowed to

continue going to work.

Businesses that provide essential services have been applying for a special

permit from the government that allows their members of staff to go outside.

The restrictions include no jogging outside, no sales of alcohol or

cigarettes, no dog-walking, no leaving home except for essential trips and

prison or heavy fines for law-breaking.