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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Thursday on schools to close nationwide from March 2 for several weeks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. “The government considers the health and safety of children above anything else,” Abe said. “We request all primary, junior high and high schools… across the nation to close temporarily from March 2 next week until their spring break.” The spring break for public schools […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China would have seen far fewer infections from the new coronavirus if it had been quicker to adopt strict control measures, a top Chinese scientist said Thursday, in apparent criticism of the way the outbreak was handled. The government has been slammed for not acting fast enough and for reprimanding those who tried to warn early on about the epidemic, which has killed more than 2,700 people and infected over […]
by Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The US and South Korean militaries on Thursday postponed forthcoming joint exercises due to the coronavirus outbreak in the Asian country as the number of cases surged by a quarter. The decision to delay the training was made after Seoul declared its highest “severe” alert level over the virus, Combined Forces Command said, adding the postponement was “until further notice”. The United States has 28,500 troops in […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China reported 29 more deaths on Thursday from the new coronavirus epidemic, the lowest daily figure in almost a month, and the number of fresh infections rose slightly. The death toll now stands at 2,744 in mainland China, according to the National Health Commission. The daily tally of fatalities has fallen for three straight days now, hitting the lowest mark since January 29, when 26 new deaths were reported. The commission […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 334 new coronavirus cases Thursday, taking its total to 1,595, still the largest in the world outside China, where the disease first emerged. No new deaths had occurred, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement, with the toll remaining at 12. © Agence France-Presse
KARACHI, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan has detected its first two cases of novel coronavirus, a public health advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted Wednesday, days after Islamabad closed its land border with Iran, where 19 people have died from the virus. “I can confirm the first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable. No need to panic, […]
by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — More than 200,000 members of a religious sect were being checked for coronavirus symptoms by South Korean authorities Wednesday, as US commanders reported the first case among American forces in the country. Most of South Korea’s novel coronavirus are linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, an entity often accused of being a cult. After days of mounting public anger, the secretive Shincheonji […]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for calm Wednesday, Feb. 26, after Delhi’s worst sectarian violence in decades that left at least 20 people dead. “Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important that there is calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest,” Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet on Wednesday. He said […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Wednesday reported four more novel coronavirus deaths among 44 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 19 and infections to 139. Fifteen new COVID-19 cases surfaced in the Shiite holy city of Qom, nine in Gilan, four in Tehran, three in Khuzestan, two each in Sistan and Baluchistan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad, and Fars, and one in Markazi, Kermanshah, Ardebil, Mazandaran, Lorestan, Semnan […]
by Ina FASSBENDER with Tom BARFIELD in Frankfurt VOLKMARSEN, Germany (AFP) — German authorities scrambled Tuesday to determine the motives of a man who ploughed his car into a carnival procession, injuring dozens and further unsettling a country rocked by a fatal mass shooting last week. In an afternoon statement, police said the number injured had now reached around 60 and asked those hurt in the incident or with possible evidence to come forward. The […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An American soldier stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, commanders said Wednesday, as the country’s case total jumped again. The soldier, a 23-year-old man, is the first infection among the 28,500 troops Washington stations in the South to defend it against the nuclear-armed North. Based at Camp Carroll 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Daegu, the serviceman has been put in self-quarantine at his home, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Dozens of passengers who were allowed off a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship have developed symptoms including fever and will be asked to take tests for the virus, Japan’s health minister said Wednesday. The government has contacted 813 former passengers of the Diamond Princess. Around 970 were allowed off the boat last week after testing negative for the virus, but several have subsequently been found to be carrying the disease. The ministry found […]
