International

China reports 22 new virus deaths as imported cases rise

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China reported an increase in imported coronavirus cases Wednesday, fuelling concerns that infections from overseas could undermine progress in halting the spread of the virus. There were 22 more deaths and 24 new cases nationwide, according to the National Health Commission. China has made massive progress in its battle against the virus, prompting President Xi Jinping to visit Wuhan, the central city at the heart of the global epidemic, on Tuesday […]

South Korea coronavirus cases rise for first time in 5 days

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea announced its first rise in new coronavirus cases for five days on Wednesday, following a run of declines that have raised hopes the outbreak is coming under control. The South was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the disease first emerged and remains one of the world’s worst-affected countries despite being overtaken by both Italy and Iran in declared cases. A total of […]

Italy plans financial help for families caught in virus crisis

by Dmitry ZAKS ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy prepared Tuesday to let families skip mortgage and some tax payments to help deal with a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 631 people and forced the government to restrict movement for its 60 million citizens. Ministers said they would also ask the European Union to allow Rome to raise its deficit spending to 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) to help businesses hurt by a precipitous drop in […]

Tunisia arrests 5 over attack near US embassy

TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — Five people have been arrested in Tunisia over a double suicide attack that killed a police officer near the US embassy in Tunis last week, the prosecution said Tuesday. Two suicide bombers struck outside the embassy on Friday, wounding six other people and again shaking a city repeatedly hit by jihadist violence. The five detainees were arrested on Saturday and are being held at a police station in the capital’s El […]

Italy prison riots over virus leave 12 dead

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy reported five more deaths Tuesday from prison riots linked to the new coronavirus that have now officially claimed 12 lives over three days. The justice ministry has blamed all the deaths on drug overdoses that occurred after prisoners broke into medical storage rooms. The claim was impossible to immediately verify through independent sources. Jails have been ordered to stop visits and limit day releases as part of broad government response […]

Panama records Central America’s first coronavirus death

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — Panama’s health minister on Tuesday confirmed eight cases of the new coronavirus in the country, including one death, the first virus-linked death in Central America. “Of the eight patients we are reporting, one person is in intensive care, another unfortunately died,” Minister Rosario Turner said during a press conference in Panama City. According to the ministry, a 64-year-old man who was already suffering from diabetes complications associated with bacterial pneumonia […]

EU to use ‘all tools’ to protect economy from virus impact

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday pledged to mobilize “all the tools” available to the bloc to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which has roiled markets across the globe. After EU leaders held crisis talks by videoconference to try to coordinate their response to the epidemic, Von der Leyen sought to reassure businesses and governments spooked by the spread of the disease. Among the measures is […]

Contact tracing for those who had interaction with UK health official begins after positive COVID-19 test

(Eagle News) — Health officials in the UK are now tracing all those who may have had interacted with British MP Nadine Dorries, a minister in the health department, who has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently on self quarantine. Dorries herself confirmed in a statement released on Tuesday that she had tested positive for the highly infectious coronavirus. “I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus… and have been self-isolating at home,” […]

Biden racks up new primary wins over Sanders

by Michael Mathes DETRIOT, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden took another big step closer to clinching the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump, with wins projected Tuesday over leftist rival Bernie Sanders in Mississippi and Missouri, two of six states holding primaries. The Mississippi win, projected by US networks, confirmed crucial and overwhelming support from African American voters for Biden, the former vice president under the first black US president, Barack Obama. Results […]

UK health official tests positive for coronavirus

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British MP Nadine Dorries, a minister in the health department, has tested positive for coronavirus, she said in a statement on Tuesday, raising concerns about whether senior government figures have been infected. “I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus… and have been self-isolating at home,” said the Conservative MP. Health officials are now trying to trace where she contracted the virus and who she has been in contact […]

Turkey announces first coronavirus case

  ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey announced Wednesday, March 11, its first coronavirus case, a man who had recently travelled to Europe and is in good health. “The test of a patient suspected of carrying the coronavirus returned positive,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a television broadcast. He added that the man was likely to have contracted COVID-19 while travelling in Europe, but declined to say which country or where in Turkey the patient […]

Cyprus shutters schools, locks down hospitals over coronavirus

by Charlie Charalambous NICOSIA, Cyprus (AFP) — Cyprus said Tuesday it was closing schools in the capital, banning mass gatherings and locking down two major hospitals to combat novel coronavirus, after three people on the Mediterranean island tested positive for the illness. The Republic of Cyprus had on Monday reported its first two cases of the disease, including the chief heart surgeon at its biggest hospital. And on Tuesday, the Turkish-controlled north of the island […]