International

China slightly eases Wuhan’s virus quarantine measures

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese authorities on Monday slightly relaxed their month-long quarantine measures in Wuhan, allowing some people to leave the epicenter of the country’s virus epidemic under certain conditions. The city of 11 million has been under lockdown since January 23 after authorities shut down transport links into and out of the city in an effort to contain the new coronavirus outbreak. The decision comes as the official number of new cases has […]

JUST IN: Kuwait, Bahrain announce first coronavirus cases

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed on Monday their first novel coronavirus cases, health ministries in the two Gulf states announced, adding all had come from Iran. Kuwait reported three infections and Bahrain one. “Tests conducted on those coming from the Iranian city of Mashhad showed there were three confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19),” the Kuwaiti health ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter. It said the cases were […]

China considers ‘complete ban’ on wildlife trade

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s top legislative committee on Monday began deliberating a proposal to ban all trade and consumption of wild animals, a practice believed responsible for the country’s deadly coronavirus outbreak. The official Xinhua news agency said the proposal was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC). “It aims to completely ban the eating of wild animals and crackdown on illegal wildlife trade,” it said. The report added that […]

Armani holds closed-door runway show as virus cases spike in Italy

MILAN, Italy (AFP) — Giorgio Armani held its Milan Fashion Week show behind closed doors Sunday after Italy announced a spike in coronavirus cases and imposed lockdown measures in some areas. Italy has confirmed 152 cases of the virus, including three deaths linked to it, and has imposed travel and movement restrictions for tens of thousands of residents in several northern towns. Most of Italy’s cases are centered around Codogno, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) […]

China reports 150 more virus deaths

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s death toll from the new coronavirus rose to 2,592 on Monday, after the National Health Commission reported 150 more fatalities, all but one in the epicenter of Hubei province. Monday’s death toll was a jump on the 97 deaths reported Sunday. The commission also confirmed a total of 409 new cases in China, with all but 11 in Hubei. Multiple provinces have reported zero new infections for several days in […]

S. Korea becomes biggest coronavirus center outside China

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 161 more coronavirus cases Monday, taking the nationwide total to 763 and making it the world’s largest total outside China. The country has seen a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases since a cluster of infections emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu last week. Most of the country’s cases are connected to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern […]

Sanders would ‘absolutely’ use military if needed

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has said that if elected president he would “absolutely” use the military if warranted, both to protect US interests and to support its allies. He also said he would be willing to meet with the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, as President Donald Trump has done. Sanders has emerged with an early lead in the Democratic nominating process, and as a self-declared democratic socialist his […]

Israeli warplanes hit Gaza, Syria after Palestinian rocket barrage

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli aircraft hit what the military said were Islamic Jihad sites in the Gaza Strip and Syria late Sunday, after the Palestinian militant group fired a barrage of rockets at Israel. In a new flareup a week ahead of a fresh general election in the Jewish state, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on “Islamic Jihad terror sites” throughout Gaza and near the Syrian capital Damascus, a military statement said. […]

Italy announces three deaths linked to coronavirus

ROME, Italy (AFP) — An elderly cancer patient became the third person known to be infected with the coronavirus to die in Italy, health officials said on Sunday, as the number of people contracting the virus continued to mount. The death of the woman in a hospital in the small city of Crema in Lombardy, the center of Italy’s coronavirus scare, followed that of a 77-year-old woman on Saturday and a 78-year-old man on Friday, […]

Israel confirms second coronavirus case among cruise returnees

by Jonah MANDEL JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel confirmed its second case of the new coronavirus Sunday — a second returned citizen from the stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess. “Another passenger who returned from the cruise ship in Japan has tested positive,” a health ministry statement said. “The patient is in isolation and under the supervision and was not infected in Israel,” it said. The first case was announced on Friday. The two were among […]

Spread of coronavirus confirms WHO fears, say experts

by Stéphane ORJOLLET PARIS, France (AFP) — The sharp rise in cases and the geographical spread of the coronavirus outside China confirm WHO fears over dealing with the crisis, experts warned Sunday as they appealed for ever-greater vigilance. “There has been a profound shift in the direction that COVID-19 (new coronavirus) is taking over the past 48 hours,” said Professor Devi Sridhar, Director of the Global Health Governance Programme at the University of Edinburgh Medical […]

Mega rally to kick off Trump’s first official visit to India

by Jérôme CARTILLIER / Bhuvan BAGGA AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to welcome his US counterpart Donald Trump to India with a massive rally on Monday, kicking off a two-day visit likely to be more about pomp and ceremony than concrete agreements. The American president, in his first official visit to India, will deliver a speech at the world’s biggest cricket stadium at a “Namaste Trump” rally watched by at […]