UN forecasts pandemic to shrink world economy by 3.2% this year
Most think Trump, Pence should wear masks, poll reveals
WASHINGTON – Most Americans say President Donald Trump should wear a mask in public, a protective measure he has yet to take since the coronavirus pandemic erupted. About 7 in 10 registered voters – including 58% of Republicans – surveyed in a Morning Consult/politico poll this month said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence should cover their faces in public places when they travel. “In the case of me, I’m not close to anybody,” Trump said Monday, the day West Wing aides were told they must wear a mask at the complex.
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations is forecasting that the coronavirus pandemic will shrink the world economy by 3.2% this year, the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The U.N.’S midyear report released Wednesday said COVID-19 is expected to slash global economic output by nearly $8.5 trillion over the next two years, wiping out nearly all gains of the past four years. The agency estimated that 34.3 million people are likely to fall below the extreme poverty line in 2020 – 56% of them in Africa.
New Zealand barber snips away at midnight as nation reopens
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The raggedy hairstyles and scruffy beards have been there for all to see on video calls, so barber Conrad Fitz-gerald decided to reopen his shop at midnight Wednesday – the moment New Zealand dropped most of its lockdown restrictions. Malls, retail stores and restaurants are reopening Thursday in the nation of 5 million. But most gatherings will be limited to 10 people, and social distancing guidelines will stay in place. The country reported no new cases of the virus Tuesday and Wednesday.
Warden, guards charged in riot that killed 47 Venezuelan inmates
CARACAS, Venezuela – Authorities in Venezuela said Wednesday that they’re filing criminal charges against a prison warden and five guards following a May 1 riot that left 47 inmates dead and injured 69 others. Prison guards could have used less lethal force to quell the riot, such as firing tear gas and warning shots, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a nationwide broadcast. He said four inmates accused of leading the uprising are also being held responsible. “This is reprehensible,” Saab said.