International

Heavy rains kill dozens in Madagascar

  ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AFP) — At least 21 people have died in Madagascar following almost a week of torrential rains in the north-west of the island, the government said on Friday. The tropical Indian Ocean nation is in the midst of an intense six-month rainy season that often leads to casualties and widespread damage. Flooding in the districts of Mitsinjo and Maevatanana has claimed at least 21 lives since Sunday, and 20 more people are […]

‘See the doctor’: fever-hit patients fret in Wuhan as city is locked down

  by Sebastien Ricci and Leo Ramirez Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — Trapped in a Chinese city at the centre of a deadly viral outbreak, residents who should have been celebrating Lunar New Year lined up to have their temperatures taken by medical staff wearing full-body protective suits. At hospitals across Wuhan in central Hubei province, tense patients with high temperatures turned out in large numbers to get checked as the death toll […]

Thousands protest in Iraq to demand ouster of US troops

  by Ammar Karim and Ayman Henna Agence France Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Thousands of supporters of populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered in Baghdad on Friday for a rally to demand the ouster of US troops, putting the protest-hit capital on edge. The march rattled the separate, months-old protest movement that has gripped the capital and the Shiite-majority south since October, demanding a government overhaul, early elections and more accountability. In the early […]

China rushes to build new 1,000-bed hospital for coronavirus patients within 10 days

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported Friday. The facility in the central city of Wuhan is expected to be in use by February 3 to serve a rising number of patients infected by a coronavirus that has left at least 26 people dead […]

Shanghai Disneyland closes over China virus concerns

  SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Shanghai Disneyland will close until further notice this weekend due to a deadly virus outbreak that has infected hundreds of people in China, the amusement park said Friday. The closure comes as China entered its nearly week-long Lunar New Year holiday, and the home of Mickey Mouse had prepared special “Year of the Mouse” celebrations for its guests. But the park and resort said on its website it would temporarily […]

Updated: At least 13 cities in China under transport ban as coronavirus death toll rises to 26

  China has imposed a travel ban in more cities, including the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan, bringing the number affected by the shutdown to over 41 million as authorities scramble to control the disease that has killed 26 so far. Various reports said that 13 cities all in Hubei province where the virus first emerged are now under a transport ban. Aside from the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan, these […]

South Korea confirms second coronavirus case

  South Korea on Friday confirmed its second case of the SARS-like virus that has killed at least 25 in China, as concerns mount about a wider outbreak. Several nations including the US have stepped up checks on airport passengers to detect the coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has caused alarm in China and abroad because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which […]

Japan confirms second coronavirus case

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s health ministry said Friday it had confirmed the country’s second case of a novel coronavirus strain, in a man who travelled from the Chinese city of Wuhan. In a statement, the ministry said the man in his 40s was a resident of the Chinese city where the outbreak began and arrived in Japan on January 19. He reported having had a fever for several days before his arrival but […]

China virus toll jumps to 25 dead with 830 confirmed cases: govt

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll in China’s viral outbreak has risen to 25, with the number of confirmed cases also leaping to 830, the government said on Friday. The National Health Commission said authorities were also examining 1,072 suspected cases of the virus that first emerged in central city of Wuhan. The markedly higher numbers were released just hours after the World Health Organization stopped short of declaring the situation to be […]

China locks down two cities to curb virus outbreak

  by Hector RETAMAL and Sebastien RICCI Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — China locked down two major cities in a province at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak on Thursday, banning planes and trains from leaving in an unprecedented move aimed at containing the disease which has already spread to other countries. The respiratory virus has claimed 17 lives since emerging from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, infected hundreds of […]

China locks down city at centre of virus outbreak

  by Hector RETAMAL Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — China banned trains and planes from leaving a major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on Thursday, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed 17 lives, infected hundreds and spread to other countries. Authorities in Wuhan, a major transport hub, also suspended public buses and subways, and said residents should not leave “without […]

Hong Kong reports first ‘preliminary positive’ case of new virus

  Hong Kong reported its first suspected case of the new SARS-like virus Wednesday in a man who arrived in the city from Wuhan via the cross-border high-speed railway. Health secretary Sophia Chan said the 39-year-old man was “preliminarily positive”, but a final test result would only be known on Thursday. “We decided to announced the case (early) due to heavy public concern,” Chan said. The man and four family members had taken the high-speed […]