DUBAI (AFP) -- One pixel at a time, Dubai will light up the facade of the world's tallest building to represent each donation made to relieve coronavirus-hit communities across the United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 metres (2,717 feet) high, will be transformed into the "world's tallest donation box" as part of a campaign to provide 10 million meals to low-income people. The appeal comes during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of self-reflectio

LONDON (AFP) -- European leaders are backing an initiative from Brussels to raise 7.5 billion euros ($8.3 billion) to tackle the global coronavirus pandemic. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, outlined the fund-raising plan for an international effort to find a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19 on Friday. An online pledging conference will take place on Monday to plug gaps in financing of research. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, French President Emm

ROME (AFP) -- Europe on Sunday prepared for a further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing, with hard-hit Italy set to follow Spain in allowing people outside. More than 243,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown and pushed the global economy towards its worst downturn since the Great Depression. With signs that the spread of the contagion h

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to extend a nationwide state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus, possibly by another month, local media reported on Thursday. The measure was initially declared on April 7 across seven regions experiencing a spike in infections, but was later expanded to cover the entire country. With the initial month-long period coming to an end next week after the country's annual Golden Week holidays, local media reported that Abe was now e

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, missing commemorations for a key political anniversary, and reports he underwent a cardiovascular procedure have spiralled into speculation he could be incapacitated or even dead. Both Seoul and Washington have played them down, but there has been no concrete proof of life in Pyongyang's state media, beyond reports of messages sent in his name. AFP looks at some questions and answers on what could happen if Ki

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was ailing, criticizing his frequent nemesis CNN for running the story. "I think the report was incorrect, let me just put it that way," Trump told reporters. "I'm hearing they used old documents." Trump declined to say if he had direct knowledge from North Korea that Kim was fine. He instead attacked cable news network CNN, with which the US leader has an acri

GENEVA (AFP) -- The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that the coronavirus crisis will not end any time soon, with many countries only in the early stages of the fight, as the global death toll surpassed 180,000. The pandemic has sparked not only a health emergency, but a global economic rout, with businesses struggling to survive, millions left jobless, and millions more facing starvation. US President Donald Trump -- with an eye on widespread unemployment and his re-election pro

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump vowed to temporarily ban immigration to the United States to combat the "invisible enemy" of coronavirus, claiming it would save American jobs as the world economy plunges into meltdown. The announcement, a drastic new step in the US President's anti-immigration crusade, comes as the globe tries to chart its way out of an unprecedented health and economic crisis. In just four months, the novel coronavirus has touched almost every nation on the planet

PARIS (AFP) -- The coronavirus pandemic could nearly double the number of people around the world facing acute hunger, the UN's World Food Programme warned Tuesday. "The number of people facing acute food insecurity stands to rise to 265 million in 2020, up by 130 million from the 135 million in 2019, as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19," the WFP said its projections had shown. The warning came as the WFP and other partners released a new report on food crises around the

ZURICH (AFP) -- Swiss watch exports plunged by more than a fifth in March, the Swiss watch industry federation, FH, said Tuesday, warning it expected the situation to deteriorate further in April. Overall, Swiss watch exports fell 21.9 percent in March compared to a year earlier, to 1.4 billion Swiss francs ($1.4 billion, 1.3 billion euros) -- with a range of markets seeing devastating declines, as economies worldwide have basically ground to a halt in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Expor

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- Singapore on Tuesday extended restrictions to fight the coronavirus until early June, the city-state's leader said, as cases surged past 9,000 due to a growing number of infections among migrant workers. The city-state managed to keep its outbreak in check in the early stages due to widespread testing and contact-tracing, but is facing a fast-moving second wave of infections. Health authorities reported 1,111 cases Tuesday taking the total to 9,125, with the vast majority

PARIS (AFP) -- The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating threats to press freedom around the world, with authoritarian states including China and Iran suppressing details of the outbreak, activists said on Tuesday. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom rankings that the pandemic was "highlighting and amplifying the many crises" already casting a shadow on press freedom. The outbreak had encouraged some regimes to "take advantage of the fact

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump said he would temporarily ban immigration to the United States because of the "Invisible Enemy" of the coronavirus, as angry Americans took to the streets to demand an end to crippling lockdowns. In just four months, the virus has turned the world upside down, confining half the planet indoors and killing nearly 170,000 on its march through virtually every country. Drastic measures never before seen in peacetime have shredded the global economy, resu

NEW YORK (AFP) -- US oil prices crashed to unprecedented lows Monday as futures in New York ended in negative territory for the first time amid a devastating supply glut that has forced traders to pay others to take the crude off their hands. With space to store oil scarce, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for May delivery closed at -$37.63 a barrel. The futures contract for May closes Tuesday, meaning traders who buy and sell the commodity for profit needed to find someone to take physi

TOKYO (AFP) -- Struggling Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group on Monday forecast a $7-billion net loss for the year ended March due to the negative impact of coronavirus and losses related to WeWork. The telecoms and investment giant, led by flamboyant entrepreneur Masayoshi Son, also said in a surprise press release it expected to suffer an operating loss of 1.35 trillion yen or $12.5 billion. The firm cited a 1.8-trillion yen loss at its SoftBank Vision Fund, blaming “the deteriorati