The latest:  Eligible Canadians who lost income because of COVID-19 could start applying Monday for a new emergency benefit program as the government tries to keep people afloat during a pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives worldwide and prompted a frantic scramble to secure critical supplies.  Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, said in a statement…

The death toll in New York, the state hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, was “effectively flat” for the second day in a row, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in his daily news conference on Monday. The overall death toll climbed by 599 to 4,758, while Cuomo expressed cautious optimism in the daily increase of new…

Hakan Savllind ‘s coffee shop in Stockholm seems like a throwback to the way life used to be before the arrival of COVID-19. There’s a steady stream of customers entering the café, standing in a well spaced out line and waiting their turn to order cappuccinos or Americanos.  Afterward, some sit down, pull out their…

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday to bolster measures to fight the coronavirus, but that there will be no hard lockdowns. Abe also told reporters Monday that his government will launch a 108 trillion yen ($1.4 trillion…

Oil prices fell on Monday after Saudi Arabia and Russia delayed a meeting to discuss output cuts that could help to reduce global oversupply as the coronavirus pandemic pummels demand. Brent crude fell more than $3 US when Asian markets opened but recovered some ground, with traders hopeful a deal between the top producers was…

Emergency teams in Ukraine on Monday continued battling a forest fire in the contaminated area around the Chornobyl nuclear power plant that has raised radiation fears. Two blazes erupted Saturday in the zone around Chornobyl that was sealed after the 1986 explosion at the plant. Firefighters said they have managed to localize one of the…