"A return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future... What we will be seeking to do is find a new normal - a way of living alongside this virus but in a form that keeps it under control," she said. Sturgeon added that social distancing and limiting contact with others will be "a fact of life" until Covid-19 treatments and vaccines offer new solutions.

"I told the governor of Georgia that I disagree strongly with his decision to reopen certain facilities... which are in violation of the federal phase one guidelines," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Wednesday, adding that the state should "wait a little longer."

Although the president took issue with the Republican governor's decision, which has drawn major backlash from the opposition, he said he would not interfere, leaving the matter at Kemp's discretion. "I disagree with his decision but he has to do what he thinks is right."

It is precisely because the figures give rise to hope that I feel obliged to say that this interim result is fragile. We are on thin ice, the thinnest ice even. We are still far from out of the woods. We are not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning.

Founder of The Intercept and a long-time Assange supporter, Greenwald despaired at the apparent double standards and performative hyperbole of the US media establishment, which has long played up perceived persecution at the hands of US President Donald Trump.

And yet, journalists across the news media spectrum have been largely unwilling to openly defend the WikiLeaks founder, who faces extradition and judgement in the US courts.

He then singled out the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Executive Editor at The Washington Post Marty Baron as among the few voices in US media daring to raise their heads above the parapet and cry foul over the attempted extradition of Assange from the UK to the US, for exposing gross abuses of power and potential war crimes by the US military in its so-called 'War on Terror' in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Responding to claims that Assange had "offended Hillary" and that this was why he had been abandoned by the US media establishment, Greenwald responded that it was, in fact, Jeff Sessions and Mike Pompeo that were behind Assange's ongoing persecution, neither of whom could be considered a friend to Hillary Clinton.

Theorizing as to the apparent indifference to Assange's plight, Greenwald continued suggesting that "they hate Assange because of what he did in 2016 in reporting on Hillary and either don't care if he is imprisoned or want that to happen."

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Trump justified the measure by citing the record unemployment claims due to the lockdown measures imposed to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, and noting that without such an intervention the US "faces a potentially protracted economic recovery with persistently high unemployment if labor supply outpaces labor demand."

The order carves out a number of exemptions. Notably, it does not apply to anyone who is a permanent US resident ("green card" holder), spouses of US citizens, children of US citizens aged under 21, or members of the US armed forces and their spouses or children.

Also exempt are immigrant investors under the EB-5 program, children seeking adoption under IR-4 or IH-4 visas, anyone seeking admission under SI or SQ special visas, those whose entry would "further important United States law enforcement objectives," or be "in the national interest."

Any "physician, nurse, or other healthcare professional" or those who intend to perform medical or other research intended to alleviate the effects of Covid-19 or combat its spread are also exempted from the ban.

Although temporary farm workers (H-2A visa holders) were not specifically exempted in the order, Trump said he was "taking care" of American farmers.

The 60-day ban could be "modified" going forward to be tougher or "less tough," the president told reporters on Wednesday, without offering details.

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Iran will not hesitate to retaliate against the US Navy if it attacks any Iranian vessel, Tehran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has warned, responding to a similar threat by Trump.

"I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American naval force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran's military or non-military ships," Major-General Hossein Salami said on Thursday, as cited by Tasnim News Agency.

Salami was responding to US President Donald Trump, who said that he had issued an order on Wednesday to "destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea."

Last week, the US Navy accused Iranian warships of maneuvering in a "dangerous and provocative" manner near its own vessels in the Persian Gulf. Tehran rejected these claims, saying its patrol boats had to intercept and monitor the American ships because they were violating maritime protocols while navigating in the area.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents the US interests in the country in the absence of an American diplomatic mission, to lodge a protest against the most recent US threats against the Islamic Republic.

"He [the diplomat] was given a note for the US authorities with Iran's decisive protest against the threats of the US forces, including their illegal presence and actions, destabilisation of the naval navigation in the north of the Persian Gulf and next to Iran's coast", Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.

The ministry said that Iran strongly opposes all threats made by US President Donald Trump in his tweet on 22 April and will respond to any threats to the country.

Iran, in its message conveyed via the Swiss ambassador, also advised Trump to focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic right now because the US remains the leader in terms of the number of cases worldwide. Tehran additionally suggested that the American military would be of more use in helping Washington deal with the epidemic rather than patrolling the Gulf.

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