World News Hits on Wednesday

SEENews reviews the most dominating headlines of the daily world news.

Impossible dilemma? World watches Italy as businesses plead to return to work

Many Italian companies and academics are pressing the government to reopen factories to prevent an economic catastrophe, as the world watches how the first Western country to impose a lockdown can extricate itself from the unprecedented measures. (Reuters)

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson spends second night in intensive care

Boris Johnson is spending a second night in intensive care as he continues to receive treatment for coronavirus. The PM is being kept at St Thomas' Hospital in London "for close monitoring", Downing Street said. (BBC)

Passengers to be evacuated from Antarctic cruise ship after almost 60% test positive for coronavirus

Australian and New Zealand passengers will be evacuated from a stricken Antarctic cruise ship Thursday after almost 60% of those on board tested positive for the coronavirus. (CNN news)

France’s COVID-19 death toll passes 10,000 mark

France’s COVID-19 death toll jumped by more than 1,400 and passed the 10,000 mark on Tuesday. French authorities said that 597 people have died in hospital in one day, bringing the total of deaths in hospital to 7,091, while 3,237 have died in nursing home, with 820 new deaths in the last 24 hours. (Euro news)

Trump vows to put ‘very powerful hold’ on US funding to WHO over response to Covid-19

US President Donald Trump has threatened to hold back funding to the World Health Organization, potentially leaving the agency without support from its largest donor as many of its 194 members are being ravaged by the coronavirus. (Russia Today)

Drugs offered to Johnson by Trump have not been clinically tested

The drugs that US President Donald Trump earlier offered to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have not undergone clinical tests and are not available on the market, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. (Sputnik)

The virus is infecting and killing black Americans at an alarmingly high rate, a Post analysis shows

A Post analysis shows that counties that are majority-black have three times the number of infections and almost six times the number of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority. (The Washington Post)

Wuhan, where coronavirus emerged, lifts lockdown after 11 weeks

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care, and President Trump threatened to cut funding for the World Health Organization. (The New York Times)

Fear lingers in Wuhan as China eases lockdown

Epidemiologists, U.S. intelligence sources and residents suspect Chinese authorities substantially undercounted coronavirus infections and deaths over the past several months. In recent days, Wuhan has reimposed many residential restrictions after confirming dozens of new asymptomatic cases. (The Wall Street Journal)