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US trade deficit widens in March on record export drop

US exports plunged 9.6 percent in March -- the biggest monthly decline on record -- increasing the trade deficit to $44.4 billion as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

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Your genes could determine whether the coronavirus puts you in the hospital – and we’re starting to unravel which ones matter

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

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Markets cheer 'light at end of tunnel' in virus crisis

Equities and crude rallied Tuesday as investors cheered a further easing of lockdowns in some countries, which offset fears of a renewed trade war between China and the United States.

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Meat eaters tend to have better psychological health than vegetarians

People who avoid meat consumption tend to have worse psychological health than those who eat meat, according to new research published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. The study, which did not draw any conclusions about causation, found that vegetarians/vegans were at a greater risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.“Dietary choices have been a powerful indicator of social class and subsequent mate selection (e.g., whom we marry) since antiquity. Consequently, ‘what we eat’ and ‘how we eat’ are integral parts of our identity and directly influence our health via physiolog...

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UK is Europe’s worst-hit country by Covid-19, as death toll surpasses 32,000

More than 32,000 people in the United Kingdom have died with suspected Covid-19, the highest official toll yet reported in Europe, according to data published on Tuesday.

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Hong Kong to lift major social restrictions as virus fades

Hong Kong on Tuesday announced plans to ease major social distancing measures, including reopening schools, cinemas, bars and beauty parlors after the Chinese territory largely halted local transmission of the deadly coronavirus.

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New psychology research uncovers a personality trait linked to nightmares

A recent study provides insight into the contributing factors behind nightmare distress. Findings suggest that individuals with heightened emotional reactivity — or neuroticism — experience more frequent nightmares and more nightmare distress. The study was published in Sleep Science.Although nightmares are fairly common in the general population, a clinical diagnosis of nightmare disorder is only met when nightmares are accompanied by a significant degree of distress. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders – Third Edition describes different ways that nightmares can affect the da...

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Born in a concentration camp: The Holocaust's youngest survivors

Holocaust survivor Florence Schulmann has always worried that if she went into schools to recount her experience, it would sound almost fantastical: "I'd be too scared that they wouldn't believe me."

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Does virus crisis stoke case for a united Ireland?

Dublin (AFP) - Ireland's coronavirus crisis is often described as an "all-island" emergency, shared with the British territory of Northern Ireland -- a sign, some say, that the pandemic has bolstered the long-fraught case for unification.As the crisis has unfolded, death counts have often been tallied on an all-island basis -- a figure that stood at 1,684 at the start of this week."It knows no borders and we are all in this together," Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said as the contagion took hold last month."It is essential we continue to do everything we can across the island to fight thi...

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Britain and US start post-Brexit trade talks

London (AFP) - Britain begins post-Brexit trade talks with the United States on Tuesday, with 100 negotiators on each side joining via videoconference.Many in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government hope for a free trade agreement with Washington as one of the biggest benefits of leaving the European Union.Officials said the first round of talks would last two weeks and cover issues such as goods and services trade, digital trade, investment and how to support small businesses.The US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, said the deal could "jumpstart the economy after we conque...

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Hong Kong penguins chill during pandemic while carers work overtime

Hong Kong (AFP) - Save for an absence of gawping crowds, life for the penguins of Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been much the same during the coronavirus pandemic -- but their carers have worked long shifts to keep the monochrome troupe healthy.Piles of fresh snow have been laid out as some 100 penguins excitedly gather for the mid-morning feeding session.Usually, this daily ritual at the South Pole Spectacular would be a major draw. But the park is still shut because of the coronavirus outbreak."If the guests are here, certainly they would be more interactive with the guests through the window, ...

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Virus deaths top 250,000 as billions pledged for vaccine push

Washington (AFP) - The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped a quarter of a million on Tuesday, with the US government predicting a further surge in fatalities as an international vaccine drive garnered $8 billion in pledges.The dire forecast from the United States came as much of the Western world emerged from weeks of lockdown, with hopes that the disease may have peaked in Europe, where deaths in the worst affected countries have dropped after nearly two months of confinement.But the global progress did little to cool a war of words between the US and China over responsibil...

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Venezuela arrests two Americans for failed 'invasion'

Two Americans were detained in Venezuela on Monday on suspicion of plotting to topple President Nicolas Maduro's government, which has accused US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido of bankrolling the scheme.

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