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Lombardy coronavirus deaths near 6,000 as Italy mulls extending lockdown
Italy's Lombardy region, which has borne the worst of the coronavirus contagion, recorded 542 new deaths on Saturday as the national government was said to be mulling plans to extend a country-wide lockdown to mid-April. The number of confirmed deaths in Lombardy, an industrial and financial powerhouse
NewsAFP NewsTaliban says no to Afghan negotiators
The Taliban on Saturday rejected an Afghan government negotiation team set up to hold talks with the insurgent group in a bid to end the country's 18-year-old conflict. After months of delays, the government on Friday announced a 21-member team -- including five women -- to take part in the upcoming
- NewsReuters
Trump said he may quarantine New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
President Trump said Saturday he was considering imposing a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Trump said he was mulling the quarantine, while at the same walking back urging to quickly reopen the economy. Trump said he was unsure about whether the United States will reopen for business
- NewsReuters
Italy small town priest deals with death on industrial scale
When he became a priest 40 years ago, Father Mario Carminati knew he would be dealing with death - but not on an industrial scale. "Authorities didn't know where to put the coffins," said Carminati, 64, the senior priest in Seriate, a tranquil, middle-class riverside town of 25,000 people
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'Just one case': fears coronavirus may spread like wildfire in world's refugee camps
Bangladesh, which has reported 48 cases of the virus and five deaths, imposed a lockdown on Tuesday, the same day it confirmed the first case in Cox’s Bazar, the coastal district where the Rohingya camps are located. As the coronavirus forces the world’s big cities and wealthiest countries into lockdown
SportAFP NewsCancel County Championship if it can't be played in full, says Cook
Former England captain Alastair Cook on Saturday called on cricket chiefs to cancel the English County Championship if the season cannot be played in full due to the coronavirus. The England and Wales Cricket Board have postponed all domestic action until at least May 28 because of the pandemic. The
SportAFP News'Today it's our turn' - French rugby clubs raise funds to help coronavirus victims, carers
French rugby clubs are taking the shirts off their backs as a way of displaying the "solidarity" they cherish in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. La Rochelle hooker Jean-Charles Orioli was one of the first to get involved on 17 March, the day restrictions on movement were announced in
NewsAFP NewsEurope mulls finishing football season at end of year
Europe's football bosses have not given up hope of finishing this pandemic-hit season -- even if it might have to be done at the start of the next one. Europe's football leagues are the planet's richest and can afford to pay the most money to the biggest stars. Cristian Ronaldo has not
SportAFP NewsNHL looks to possible Stanley Cup playoff run into August
National Hockey League officials still want to finish the regular season and stage a full playoffs despite a coronavirus pandemic shutdown, even if a Stanley Cup winner comes in August. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league has asked arenas about availability to the end of August, aided
NewsAFP NewsEurope's virus toll surges but Wuhan cautiously reopens
The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in Europe surged past 20,000 on Saturday, even as the Chinese city where the outbreak began cautiously returned to life. Europe and the United States are facing a staggering increase in new cases of COVID-19 -- despite perhaps a third of humanity now living
NewsAFP NewsAsia virus latest: People return to China epicentre, security talks off
Here are the latest developments from Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: - Wuhan eases travel rules - Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, partly reopened on Saturday after more than two months of near total isolation for its population of 11 million
SportAFP NewsMLB, players union set terms for shortened season
Major League Baseball and its players union have reached a deal on business issues ahead of a likely shortened 2020 season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The MLB Players Association and team owners agreed upon salary terms and rescheduling plans but no start date has been set for this year
NewsAFP RelaxStop sending memes, Russian telecoms firm pleads
Russia's biggest telecoms provider on Friday pleaded with clients to stop sending coronavirus memes and viral videos, as networks began to overload as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Memes and keeping in good spirits are important, but it is important to be responsible about using content
NewsAFP NewsMoody's cuts South Africa's credit ratings to junk
Moody's has downgraded South Africa's credit rating to junk status, piling more anguish on an economy already in recession and battered by Africa's worst coronavirus outbreak. Moody's move "could not have come at a worse time", the South African government said, as it would
SportAFP NewsFleetwood wants Ryder Cup to be 'shining light' after virus
Tommy Fleetwood on Saturday said he wants the Ryder Cup to provide a "shining light" for sports fans after the coronavirus. Europe's clash with the United States is scheduled to be played at Whistling Straits in September. "I think there are certain events that would be an amazing
- NewsReuters
Pentagon to accelerate process for National Guard funding amid coronavirus fight
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has authorized an accelerated process for providing funding to the National Guard being used by states in efforts to combat the coronavirus, the Pentagon said on Saturday. In a statement, the Pentagon said Esper had sent a letter to each governor on Friday when the authorization
NewsAFP NewsSouth Korea virus test-kit makers approved to export to US
The companies won pre-approval under emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration that allows for the products to be sold in America, South Korea's foreign ministry said, without naming the firms. The US has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than anywhere else in the
NewsAFP NewsUN panel urges halt to Syria fighting as virus strikes
Warring parties in Syria must stop fighting "to avoid further catastrophe", UN investigators said on Saturday, as the first cases of the COVID-19 epidemic are recorded in a country already torn apart by nine years of war. The UN fears large numbers of preventable deaths may follow although
SportAFP NewsPedro reveals angst of separation from children due to virus
Chelsea winger Pedro admits he is finding it hard separated from his children due to the coronavirus lockdown. Pedro's kids are back in Spain and the 32-year-old is unable to go home to see his family because of the travel restrictions imposed around the pandemic. "It's hard not to be
- NewsReuters
Portugal to treat migrants as residents during coronavirus crisis
All foreigners in Portugal with pending applications will be treated as permanent residents from Monday until at least July 1, authorities said on Saturday, to ensure migrants have access to public services during the coronavirus outbreak. Applicants including asylum seekers need only provide evidence
NewsAFP NewsLausanne rings 16th-century warning bell for virus
Renato Hausler shouts out the hour from the top of Lausanne Cathedral then sounds a centuries-old warning bell, rung only when the normally-tranquil Swiss city is facing peril. The nightwatchman is ringing La Clemence, a bell made in 1518, to call for mutual solidarity among the Lausannois in the face
NewsAFP NewsEpidemic infects Europe with 'germ of division'
The European Union has faced and survived a series of existential threats over the years but the coronavirus epidemic has exposed old wounds that could yet prove fatal. A debt crisis in Mediterranean countries, a series of refugee influxes and the ongoing saga on Brexit all rattled the European project
- NewsReuters
Russia prepares to shut all borders as coronavirus cases soar
Russia will close all border crossings on March 30, the government said on Saturday, tightening restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus cases. Russia has already grounded all international flights and declared next week a non-working week - which does not
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Coronavirus: Chinese scientist advises people in Europe, US to wear face masks in public
South China Morning Post