【常速英语广播5分钟】英语新闻20200314

VOA NEWS

March 14, 2020

This is VOA news. I'm David Byrd.

President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. We get the details from AP's Sagar Meghani.

"Too very big words ...."

At a Rose Garden news conference, the president said the declaration will free up to $50 billion for state and local governments virus response. He's also waiving interest on federally held student loans among other moves.

The administration's been criticized for a slow virus testing rollout.

"No, I don't take responsibility at all," blaming at an old system, not equipped for this size outbreak.

The president says more tests are being made available but urged people not to rush forward without certain symptoms.

"It's totally unnecessary," but says he will most likely be tested after being near a Brazilian spokesman last week who tested positive days later.

"Not for that reason, but because I think I will do it anyway."

Sagar Meghani, at the White House.

The World Health Organization Friday reported that Europe has now replaced CN as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Europe is now reporting more cases and more deaths than the rest of the world combined with exception of CN.

He says steps such as testing, tracing contacts, quarantining infected people and social distancing must all be done together, not in isolation.

"Any country that looks at the experience of other countries with large epidemics and thinks that won't happen to us is making a deadly mistake ...."

The executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Mike Ryan, says the main focus in fighting the coronavirus has to be on the implementation of public health measures, including case detection, isolation and getting increasing numbers of tests done.

That's Lisa Schlein reporting.

This is VOA news.

Iraqi officials condemned overnight U.S. airstrikes on Friday, saying that they killed six people and warning of dangerous consequences for what he called a violation of sovereignty. But as Matthew Larotonda reports, the overseas U.S. commander of operations in the Middle East warned the threat from Iran and its proxies remains high.

The airstrikes were targeting Kataib Hezbollah which Washington says is responsible for many attacks on U.S.-led forces most recently the massive rocket attack on Wednesday that killed two American soldiers and a British soldier at an Iraqi base although no group has claimed responsibility.

This was American general Kenneth McKenzie on Friday.

"We believe that the -- the collateral damage is gonna be very low. We expect there are gonna be fatalities on the objective. But I don't have those numbers for you right now. We'll work to get those out here in the -- in the future, in the near future, as we continue."

This was the third time in recent months that the U.S. has targeted Kataib Hezbollah, most notably the airstrike at Baghdad Airport that killed Iran's Major General Qasem Soleimani in January. He was the second most powerful man in Iran at the time.

That's Matthew Larotonda of Reuters.

Hundreds of people gathered in Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday to honor the 51 lives lost in an attack on two mosques in the city last year. Gloria Tso reports.

In an emotional press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the country has "fundamentally changed" since the shooting but that there is much more work to be done.

"The challenge for us will be ensuring that in our everyday actions, and in every opportunity where we see bullying, harassment, racism, discrimination - calling it out as a nation."

Ardern said at a Sunday memorial marking the anniversary of the attacks is still supposed to go ahead as scheduled. But she acknowledged that could change if the coronavirus situation in New Zealand gets worse.

That's Gloria Tso.

President Trump's declaration of a state of emergency sent stocks higher Friday. AP's Mike Gracia reports.

Stocks rebounded on Wall Street Friday to close a tumultuous trading week as President Donald Trump announced new measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Stock doubled gains in the last half hour as Trump made his announcement.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its biggest gain since October, 2008, rocketing 1,985 points or 9.4 percent to close at 23,186. The broader S&P 500 clawed back 230 points, a gain of 9.29 percent to close at 2,711. The NASDAQ Composite showed up 672 points or 9.34 percent to close at 7,974.

Friday's gains followed by one day what was the worst drop for the markets since the Black Monday crash of 1987.

I'm Mike Gracia.

For more, visit our website. I'm David Byrd, VOA news.