The White House announced Sunday that it has delivered two million doses of  hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ, to Brazil to help the South American country in its fight against the coronavirus. “HCQ will be used as a prophylactic to help defend Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals against the virus,” the White House said in a statement Sunday.  “It will also be used as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected.” HCQ is a widely used malaria drug.  Trump, in a controversial move, has ignored his public health advisers and has pushed for the use of the drug in the fight against the coronavirus even though there is no evidence that the drug is effective against the virus.  Trump recently announced that he has taken a round of HCQ. The statement also said the two countries have entered a joint “research effort that will include randomized controlled clinical trials.  These trials will help further evaluate the safety and efficacy of HCQ for both prophylaxis and the early treatment of the coronavirus.” There are more infections in the U.S. and Brazil than anywhere else. The U.S. has 1.7 million cases while Brazil, which is emerging as the world’s hotspot for the virus, has more than 514,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.Relatives are seen during a mass burial of people who passed away due to the coronavirus disease, at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, May 26, 2020.U.S. health officials say they are bracing for a surge in coronavirus infections, following  protests around the country over the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died after a police officer in Minneapolis was charged with  pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck as Floyd was handcuffed while lying on the ground.  Some protesters wore masks and some did not. Social distancing was almost impossible. The prime minister of Armenia has tested positive for the coronavirus. Nikol Pashinyan told Public Radio of Armenia that he and his family have tested positive, but all of them are asymptomatic.  Australia is continuing to ease coronavirus restrictions, allowing more people to gather in restaurants, public parks and other attractions.  Gatherings in the country’s largest state, New South Wales, had been limited to 10 people. That limit has been increased to 50.  Museums, libraries and zoos are reopening. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he hopes the easing of restrictions will help the economy rebound which, like so many other global economies, has been hit hard by the pandemic.Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison makes a joint statement with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at Parliament House Monday, Feb. 10, 2020.But Morrison said another government stimulus package may be necessary.  About 90,000 mosques across Saudi Arabia opened for the first time in more than two months Sunday, but some restrictions remain in place.  Worshippers 15 years old and younger are not allowed inside, and the elderly are being encouraged to stay home to pray. Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, remains closed, but Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque – Islam’s holiest site outside Saudi Arabia – was open again Sunday for the first time since mid-March. All who enter must have their temperatures checked.    With the U.S. Atlantic hurricane season officially starting Monday, the Associated Press reports many counties across the southern U.S. still do not have complete plans on how to open up public shelters if a storm strikes during the coronavirus outbreak.  “Our biggest change to our hurricane plan is sheltering. How are we going to shelter those that have to evacuate? How are going to shelter those that are positive COVID patients? There are multiple ideas that we are considering right now,” Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Greg Michel said. Vice President Mike Pence said last week that the federal government is ready should there be the twin disaster of a hurricane and COVID-19. The federal emergency plan includes urging people to stay in hotels. But some state officials say that may not be an option because of the current unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic.   U.S. forecasters say this will be an unusually busy hurricane season with as many as six major storms hitting the U.S. 
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In the wake of protests around the state and across the nation, California’s state Department of Human Resources sent a directive to close all state buildings “with offices in downtown city areas” on Monday, a sweeping mandate that covers everything from Department of Motor Vehicles offices to those that license workers and provide health care.“After consultation with the California Highway Patrol and Office of Emergency Services, the decision was made this evening to advise all state departments with offices in downtown city areas to close tomorrow, and to notify staff of the decision,” said Amy Palmer, a spokeswoman for the state Government Operations Agency.The directive was sent Sunday evening and it was left up to officials at individual agencies to determine which buildings should be closed.A state Department of Justice memo sent to employees said the attorney general’s offices in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego would be closed, though employees who can work from home should do so.“Staff assigned to these offices should not report to work for any reason. Staff who are able to telework should continue to do so despite the office closures,” the memo said.The move comes after armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of Los Angeles City Hall and cities across California declared curfews Sunday to head off more violence after unruly demonstrators at earlier protests burned police cars, broke into stores and skirmished with officers.In more than 20 cities, thieves smashed their way into businesses and ran off with as much as they could carry — boxes of sneakers, armloads of clothes and cellphones and TVs.Demonstrators march in San Francisco on Sunday, May 31, 2020, protesting the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.Nearly 400 people were arrested in Los Angeles from unrest Saturday as protests have become increasingly violent over several nights because of outrage over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, Police Chief Michel Moore said.In San Diego, a protest took an ominous turn after several hours when police said they fired tear gas to disperse a crowd pelting them with rocks and bottles.In Sacramento, where no curfew was imposed, nightfall brought more violence and destruction at businesses in the city’s midtown area and near the Capitol after a largely peaceful daytime protest. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at those who ignored orders to leave.
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Міжнародний валютний фонд підтримує ініціативи уряду в питанні тарифів на газ та електроенергію, повідомив міністр фінансів Сергій Марченко в інтерв’ю «РБК-Україна».

«Питання прозорого тарифоутворення завжди були предметом інтересу МВФ. Але зараз ми бачимо з боку МВФ підтримку ініціатив уряду у цьому питанні», – сказав Марченко.

Він уточнив, що в межах програми Stand-by питання тарифів не підіймають.

22 травня стало відомо, що Міжнародний валютний фонд (МВФ) домовився із владою України на рівні персоналу про нову угоду на суму 5 мільярдів доларів, щоб допомогти Києву впоратися з економічними наслідками від пандемії коронавірусу.

За словами міністра фінансів, засідання Ради директорів Міжнародного валютного фонду очікується 5 червня. Після цього мають надати транш.
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Засідання Ради директорів Міжнародного валютного фонду очікується 5 червня, повідомив міністр фінансів України Сергій Марченко в інтерв’ю виданню «РБК-Україна».

«За інформацією, отриманою з Фонду, засідання очікується орієнтовно 5 червня. Це – попередня інформація. Точніше можна буде сказати наступного тижня (інтерв’ю записане 28 травня – ред.). Чому не цього місяця? Є внутрішні процедури МВФ. Плюс Memorial Day – у США вихідний, він забрав у нас один день. І, напевно, деякі нюанси там не встигають узгодити», – сказав Марченко.

Він розповів, що після засідання Ради директорів мають виділити транш.

Міністр пояснив, що Міжнародний валютний фонд вирішив змінити програму співпраці з Україною, оскільки ні для кого не відкриває зараз програми розширеного фінансування (Extended Fund Facility).

«Основний аргумент: МВФ каже, що ми – в економічній кризі і ми не можемо спланувати програму на три роки. Адже EFF – трирічна програма. Це був єдиний аргумент. Ми довго боролися за EFF, оскільки пройшли по ній 99% шляху. Для нас це була досить несподівана історія», – заявив Марченко.

22 травня стало відомо, що Міжнародний валютний фонд (МВФ) домовився із владою України на рівні персоналу про нову угоду на суму 5 мільярдів доларів, щоб допомогти Києву впоратися з економічними наслідками від пандемії коронавірусу.
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A Sunday afternoon of mostly peaceful protests in Boston broke at nightfall when protesters clashed with officers, throwing rocks and lighting a police vehicle on fire.Thousands of mostly mask-wearing demonstrators marched peacefully through Boston in several protests during the day, lending their voices to the nationwide anger over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis custody.The largest protest of several thousand started Sunday night in the historically black neighborhood of Roxbury. Protesters, carrying “Black Lives Matter” signs and chanting, “The people united will never be defeated,” made their way slowly for several miles to the Massachusetts Statehouse. The diverse crowd was flanked by police officers on bikes and were peaceful.But as the march ended around 9 p.m., protesters clashed with police in downtown Boston. At least two police cruisers were heavily damaged — including one whose rear window was smashed by a skateboarder. Police also tweeted that their officers were pelted with bricks, rocks, and glass bottles. Several storefronts, including a bank, were damaged.Protesters demonstrate May 31, 2020, in Boston, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.Earlier in the day, hundreds of people, including several families, marched through downtown Boston on Sunday carrying signs including “Justice For George” and “Silence is Betrayal” and chanting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” Orderly but energized and angry an times, the crowd took over one side of a city street as they passed City Hall, the State House, and the Public Garden.Some passing motorists honked in support, and in one case, several bikers revved their motorcycles prompting cheers from the crowd. It was also peaceful. The demonstration then gathered in Boston Common, an iconic park in the heart of Boston, some kneeling for several minutes in memory of Floyd and raising their fists in the air.The earlier peaceful nature of the protests were in stark contrast to violence and looting that has rocked cities across the country in recent days in response to the death of Floyd, a black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing.People robbed stores Sunday in broad daylight in Philadelphia and Santa Monica, California, and a semitruck drove into a massive crowd of people that took over a portion of a highway in Minneapolis.”They keep killing our people. I’m so sick and tired of it,” said Mahira Louis, 15, who was at the afternoon protest with her mother and was leading chants of “George Floyd, Say His Name.” “On the news, every time we say black lives matter they keep silencing us. Things are going to change. It’s going to change around here. They’re not going to kill black people for no reason.”Others said the killing of Floyd on top of the coronavirus that has disproportionately hit minority communities as well as the job losses made it imperative they come out and protest.”The recent events between COVID, the killing of George Floyd, the injustices this society is sort of predicated on are just surfacing in a very undeniable way,” said Silvian Castaneda, a 62-year-old social worker from Medford who came to the rally with several family members and friends. “We’ve got to do something.”The safety concerns of the coronavirus were also on the minds of protesters, many who wore masks but rarely practiced social distancing. They were packed shoulder to shoulder as they marched which had several of them a little anxious.”It isn’t comfortable to be at home but it’s really uncomfortable to be here, too, and know you’re doing this in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Vivian Lee, 22, who participated with her sister and parents. “But it requires some discomfort for change,” she said.A third protest featured church leaders who rallied outside Boston Police Headquarters, according to The Boston Globe. After speaking out against police brutality as well as income inequality and lack of coronavirus testing, the crowd observed a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 49 seconds — the amount of time that an officer’s knee was on Floyd’s neck.
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Australia is continuing to ease coronavirus restrictions, allowing more people to gather in restaurants, public parks and other attractions.Gatherings in the country’s largest state, New South Wales, had been limited to 10 people. That limit has been increased to 50.Museums, libraries and zoos are reopening.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he hopes the easing of restrictions will help the economy rebound after, like so many other global economies, being hit hard by the pandemic.But Morrison said another government stimulus package may be necessary.About 90,000 mosques across Saudi Arabia opened for the first time in more than two months Sunday, but some restrictions remain in place.Worshippers 15 years old and younger are not allowed inside, and the elderly are being encouraged to stay home to pray. Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, remains closed, but Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque – Islam’s holiest site outside Saudi Arabia – was open again Sunday for the first time since mid-March. All who enter must have their temperatures checked.With the U.S. Atlantic hurricane season officially starting Monday, the Associated Press reports many counties across the southern U.S. still do not have complete plans on how to open up public shelters if a storm strikes during the coronavirus outbreak.“Our biggest change to our hurricane plan is sheltering. How are we going to shelter those that have to evacuate? How are going to shelter those that are positive COVID patients? There are multiple ideas that we are considering right now,” Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Greg Michel said.Vice President Mike Pence said last week that the federal government is ready should there be the twin disaster of a hurricane and COVID-19.The federal emergency plan includes urging people to stay in hotels. But some state officials say that may not be an option because of the current unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic.U.S. forecasters say this will be an unusually busy hurricane season with as many as six major storms hitting the U.S.
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Along the miles-long Minneapolis street where more than a century of migrants have found their American footholds – Germans, Swedes, Vietnamese, Somalis, Mexicans – a new history can be traced.There’s the smoldering police station torched early Thursday morning by protesters enraged by the death of George Floyd while in custody. There’s the Wells Fargo bank branch a couple of blocks away that mobs stormed through the next night, leaving behind a carpet of shattered glass and strewn paperwork. “Kill Bankers” reads the graffiti now spray-painted on an outside wall.  Go further up Lake Street and there’s more fresh history: the Somali restaurant with the broken windows, the empty hulk of a burned sneaker store, the boarded-up party supply store owned by a Mexican immigrant who had been praying for the coronavirus lockdown to end to so he could reopen.The protests that have roiled Minneapolis night after night didn’t inflame just a single neighborhood: Much of the violence raged up Lake Street, an artery of commerce and culture that cuts across a broad swath of the city.  For residents, for business people, for artists, the Lake Street corridor has long been a symbol of the city’s complex history, a block-by-block study in immigration, economic revitalization and persistent inequality.  On one end is a trendy district of bars and shopping. On the other are quiet neighborhoods atop the Mississippi River bluff. Between the two is a timeline that spans almost five miles marking each wave of arrivals, along with a tangle of languages spoken in each group’s markets, restaurants, churches and community groups.The Lake Street businesses owned by Suad Hassan’s family are now boarded up, bearing messages like “black owned – solidarity.” Each night, the family has stood guard, successfully begging the mobs to pass them by.  The 35-year-old was born in Somalia, but her family fled the country to escape war when she was a child.”When I saw the fire two nights ago, it was like a trauma that was triggered again for me,” she said. “I had put that away in my life a long, long time ago … I told my mom ‘This is a war zone.'”  A former Sears building, now known as the Midtown Market place, stands behind buildings destroyed in a fire from riots, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis.It’s Lake Street’s minority-owned small businesses that may suffer the most from the racial firestorm that hit the city this week. As thousands of people protested a police force with a history of violence against people of color, the collateral damage spread wide — from immigrant-owned restaurants to a center for Native American youth to an affordable housing complex under construction.”What happened with Mr. Floyd is a horror,” said Eduardo Barrera, the general manager of Mercado Central, a cooperative of largely Latino-owned businesses that help spark economic revitalization along the street when it opened 20 years ago. The muraled corner building was broken into twice during the unrest, with some of its goods stolen.  “Nothing changes and people feel they’ve lost everything,” Barrera said. “There’s nothing to lose for them anymore. When there’s no justice, no fairness and no equity, they lose hope.””But we are hurting ourselves,” he said.  Many speculate that Lake Street was hit so hard because its eastern stretch includes the station associated with the white officer now charged with murdering Floyd. The destruction is particularly painful because Lake Street had become a success story, an achievement people took pride in.  Residents and business owners say they’ve spent the last 20 years working to revive its chain of neighborhoods — many blighted by years of neglect, suburban flight and disinvestment.Deb Frank moved into the Longfellow neighborhood just off East Lake Street 25 years ago, buying a two-bedroom, 100-year-old home for $40,000. The mail carrier and her neighbors teamed up to rid the area of two brothels by calling in license plates to the police and embarrassing the patrons.Frank and her husband became used to walking to restaurants and coffee shops. “It was a really big transformation,” she said,Today, she wonders: Is it all fleeting?”It took years to get where we were and here we’re back in square one,” she said, noting even the local post office had been damaged enough to disrupt mail service. “No, we’re worse than square one.”By all accounts, immigrant entrepreneurs have been the engine of Lake Street’s repeated resurgences. The stretch, which runs east-west through the city’s south side, has long been a landing pad for recent arrivals to the city.  Early in the last century, it was Germans like Emil Schatzlein, who opened a saddle shop on West Lake Street in 1907 that still sells cowboy boots today. And the Scandinavians whose imprint is still visible in the nearly 100-year-old Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace, a local institution known for its lefse and herring.  Today, within a couple blocks of Ingebretsen’s, you can buy a bottle of fresh camel milk in an East African grocery and fried tortillas at Taqueria La Poblanita.A man looks at the destruction aftermath of businesses along Lake Street, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis.Just like many American cities, the 1960s saw a stream of white residents and businesses leave Lake Street for the suburbs. Buildings emptied out. By the time the Sears department store abandoned its towering building in the mid-1990s, much of the corridor was desperate for an economic infusion.  “It reinvented itself as an immigrant gateway,” said Bill Convery, director of research at the Minnesota Historical Society. “The economic blight led to opportunity.”Somali immigrants fleeing war were among those who soon took advantage of the affordable rents to build businesses. Community organizations reopened the Sears building as the Midtown Global Marketplace, a showcase for food and crafts.  Still, the economic progress did not erase the stubborn poverty, the racism or the striking inequality.The corridor’s neighborhoods, along with city’s north side and core, know about police tensions all too well. An ACLU study of city arrests from 2012-2014 found black and Native American people more than eight times more likely than white people to be arrested for low-level offenses.  Minneapolis also has wrestled with its growing racial segregation — a division uncomfortably illustrated by driving east on Lake Street, which begins in the overwhelmingly white, quiet and leafy neighborhoods near Uptown before shifting into largely black or mixed neighborhoods.Business already were suffering from the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders when the protests started.  Gregorio De La Cruz a Mexican immigrant, was just starting to reopen his two East Lake Street businesses — a party supply and candy store, and a commercial cleaning business — when the violence erupted. Less than a mile from the torched police precinct, he has closed shop again.  “I never imagined there would be so much violence in this neighborhood,” he said, his eyes welling up as his 19-year-old daughter translated his Spanish words into English.  “We understand what’s going on and we get that this is important. They have a right to protest. I wish they’d do it peacefully,” he said.  De La Cruz hung a sign on his boarded-up door — “Justicia Por Georrge Floyd” — one of scores of pleas emblazoned on Lake Street’s plywood-lined storefronts. Two doors down, Ingebretsen’s offered another: “One Human Family.”
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Using their virtual paint brushes, two Chinese-American artists are honoring frontline fighters in the battle against COVID-19.  And as VOA’s Jiu Dao reports, they are also documenting what New York City’s Chinatown is going through during these challenging times. Lin Yang narrates. 
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