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Whales face more fatal ship collisions as waters warm

Climate change is imperiling the world's largest animals by increasing the likelihood of fatal collisions between whales and big ships that ply the same waters. Warming ocean temperatures are causing some species of whales in pursuit of food to stray more frequently into shipping lanes, scientists say. The phenomenon already has increased ship strikes involving rare North Atlantic right whales on the East Coast and giant blue whales on the West Coast, researchers say.

Coronavirus forces cancellation of Paris fashion weeks: statement

Organizers have canceled the men's and haute couture fashion weeks in Paris because of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers said. "In light of the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic worldwide, strong decisions are required to ensure the safety and health of (fashion) houses, their employees and everyone working in our industry," the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode said in a statement.

Coronavirus live updates: Nearly 200 US cities lack face masks; Global cases top 600,000

Nearly 200 cities in the United States do not have an adequate supply of tests kits or face masks for medical personnel and first responders, including police, fire, and EMTs, according to a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. About 88% of cities of the cities surveyed, or 186 cities, don't have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) other than face masks to protect the front-line workers, according to the report.

Cast of 'Contagion' issues PSA on coronavirus pandemic

The cast of the 2011 global outbreak thriller "Contagion" banded together to create a public service announcement on the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected hundreds of thousands across the globe.Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Ehle were featured in the video, published Friday in partnership with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Each actor filmed themselves speaking about the importance of staying home, practicing social distancing when you do go out for essentials and listening to scientists. ...

Rhode Island's governor calls to quarantine New Yorkers to prevent the spread of COVID-19

The governor of Rhode Island is taking extreme measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in her state by sending law enforcement officers door-to-door to quarantine New York residents. The effort is to stop the spread of the coronavirus to Rhode Island residents by people who were in the epicenter of the viral disease. The number of confirmed cases in the Ocean State reached over 200 as of Friday which pales in comparison to the over 26,000 in New York City.

In the coronavirus pandemic, carbon emissions have fallen, but climate change remains an existential threat

In a world desperate for good news about the coronavirus, a dip in global carbon emissions caused by the outbreak’s economic downturn might be seen as a silver lining. But climate scientists and policy experts aren’t encouraged.   

Beating lockdown inertia: French city-dwellers keep fit on balconies

As dusk fell over Nantes in western France, dozens of residents of an apartment block came out onto their balconies for a half-hour fitness session to beat the inertia of life under lockdown while the coronavirus sweeps across the country. The workout caught on after Pierre Planchenaud began exercising alone. France has been under virtual lockdown since March 17 and on Friday Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the unprecedented peacetime restrictions on public life would remain in place until at least April 15.

As virus threatens, U.S. embraces big government, for now

It may, as House Majority Leader and Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer said on Friday, be out of love that the United States agreed to shut down much of its economy to stop a viral epidemic and save lives. It may, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, be out of necessity that the federal government agreed to foot the bill. Whatever the motivation, in the scope of two frantic weeks, U.S. elected officials and central bankers have engineered an economic intervention unparalleled outside of wartime.

Cheers! Distillers do their part to fight coronavirus by bottling hand sanitizer, not gin

Distilleries of all shapes and sizes are now joining the fight against Covid-19, from local craft ones like Steven’s to large manufacturers like Woodford Reserve.

Chicago prepares for the coronavirus storm, hoping to stay above the surge

Chicago health care providers have been preparing since January for a potential surge of patients due to the increasingly wide spread of COVID-19.

Website allows people to report coronavirus symptoms, track spread

As health experts and public officials have warned that confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus are likely nowhere near the actual number of people infected, medical professionals in Boston have created a website to help close the gap. Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital who helped develop the website, said that with more data it would be easier to identify emerging hotspots. "It's so important to understand the mild illness," said Brownstein, an ABC News Medical Unit contributor.

What we don’t yet know about the coronavirus

There is some evidence that virus particles in the feces of an infected person can transmit the disease through contact, but that remains unconfirmed. Several academic laboratories and medical companies are looking to produce blood tests to figure out who has been exposed to the virus and whether some people have developed immunity.

Guinea voters back change that could extend president's rule

Guinea has voted to change its constitution, according to provisional results from a referendum that could see the West African country's president remain in power for two more terms. Nearly 92% of voters on March 22 supported the change, according to the head of Guinea’s electoral commission, Amadou Salifou Kebe, who gave the results late Friday. President Alpha Conde, whose second and final term ends in December, has implied that his previous terms served would not count, meaning the 82-year-old could remain in office for another 12 years.

With eye on election, Trump in high-stakes balancing act over coronavirus response

President Donald Trump offered a preview of his re-election campaign playbook last year when he visited the building site of a multi-billion-dollar cracking unit in western Pennsylvania, hailed as one of the largest construction projects in the country. Except today, the site sits largely empty, after the coronavirus outbreak forced oil company Royal Dutch Shell to halt construction. The project's thousands of workers are now unemployed, adding to the nearly 3.6 million Americans who filed for jobless benefits in the last two weeks.

New York presidential primary still on as state grapples with record numbers of coronavirus cases

New York -- which has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic's spread in the U.S.-- is also, so far, the only state that hasn't moved to postpone or drastically change the status of its April 28 presidential primary. Five of the six total states slated to vote that day have delayed or moved to expand absentee voting to continue on with their elections in the midst of the health emergency. The New York State Election Commissioners Association, along with other voting access groups, have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to consolidate the state’s presidential primary election with another primary set for June 23, arguing that the additional time will allow counties to properly prepare and organize around a potentially very different method of voting.