New York

NEW YORK, March 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US state of New York surged to 105 on Sunday, or 16 more than the day before, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Sixteen overnight,” said the governor, who declared a state of emergency Saturday over the deadly virus. “We did more tests overnight.”

Cuomo called on the U.S. federal government to expedite their approval of private labs and automated and manual testing to expand New York State’s testing capacity, according to an announcement from the governor’s press office.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 09 (APP): The world will not be able to achieve the anti-poverty Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if half the planet is left behind, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on Sunday, the International Women’s Day.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are plunging amid concern a dispute among producers could lead a global economy weakened by COVID-19 to be awash in an oversupply of crude.

Brent crude, the international standard, lost $11.44, or 25.3%, to $33.83 per barrel in electronic trading in London. Benchmark U.S. crude fell $10.77, or 26.1%, to $30.49.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 08 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s deadly attack in Kabul and expressed solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

More than 30 people were killed when gunmen opened fire during a commemorative event attended by the country’s Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, and former President Hamid Karzai.

“The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against civilians are unacceptable and those who carry out such crimes must be held accountable”, it said.

NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Governor of the U.S. state of New York declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the northeastern state rose to 76.

At a press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that New York City, the most populous metropolis in the country, has seen 11 cases, and Westchester County now has 57, an increase of 23 overnight.

Long Island's Nassau County has four, Rockland County has two and Saratoga County has two new cases.

NEW YORK (AP) — The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press.

NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi officials arrested two members of the royal family early Friday for allegedly plotting to oust King Salman and the son he has designated to succeed him, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Quoting unidentified sources, the Journal said guards from the royal court detained one of the king’s brothers, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, and one of his nephews, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Both men were arrested at their homes and charged with treason, it said.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 05 (APP): Pakistan has called for ensuring fair regional representation on a reformed UN Security Council by adding more non-permanent seats to the 15-member body.

“Equitable representation has been the primary impulse behind all Security Council reform efforts,” Ambassador Munir Akram said while taking part in the long-running Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) aimed at restructuring the Council to make it more representative, transparent, effective and accountable.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 05 (APP): Repressive measures against minorities and protesters in India have been sharply criticized by Freedom House, a key US watchdog of democracy, in a report warning of democratic decline worldwide.

Its Freedom in the World report 2020 targets India, which claims to be the world’s largest democracy, for a “harsh crackdown on political rights and civil liberties” including seven months of military lockdown and internet shutdown in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir.

NEW YORK (AP) — In just over 100 days, Mike Bloomberg spent over $500 million of his own fortune in a quixotic bid for the presidency that collapsed in stunning fashion on Super Tuesday, when he won just one U.S. territory, American Samoa.

By Wednesday morning, he quit the race and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, saying his continued presence in the rapidly shrinking field would make it harder for the party to defeat President Donald Trump in November, his ultimate priority. The businessman, worth an estimated $61 billion, pledged to keep spending to defeat Trump.