Emergency declared in Japan for Tokyo, Osaka and five other virus hot spots
Basic infrastructure — electricity, water supply and gas — as well as businesses such as supermarkets, banks and public transportation, will not be impacted by the declaration.
Tokyo confirmed 80 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, metropolitan government sources told public broadcaster NHK. The figure would mark the lowest number of cases in Tokyo since April 1, when it reported 66, according to metropolitan government data. Today's 80 new cases would raise the total ...
A city traumatized: As lockdown eases, Wuhan residents fret over future
Li Xiaoli has been hard at work in recent days at the car dealership she owns in Wuhan, making sure she has enough sanitizer and protective gear for the company's long-awaited reopening. The 49-year-old's home city was on Wednesday finally set to start lifting the ...
WhatsApp limits message forwarding to slow spread of fake virus news
Facebook Inc.'s WhatsApp tightened message forwarding limits Tuesday, restricting users to sharing forwarded content one chat at a time after a jump in messages touting bogus medical advice since the start of the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic, which has killed more than 70,000 people worldwide, ...
Seafarers grounded in pandemic add to strain on supply chains
Port restrictions and canceled flights are straining the ability for shipping firms to replace seafarers, further weakening global supply chains already snarled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hubs like Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai have halted most crew transfers, while global lockdowns have complicated travel from ...
Mideast bereaved clash with authorities over burials amid virus fears
Mohammed al-Dulfi's 67-year-old father died on March 21 after a brief struggle against the new virus, but it would take nine days for his body to find a final resting place in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in southern Iraq. On two occasions the ...
After Trump threat, India lifts export ban on COVID-19 treatment drug
India has partially lifted a ban on the exports of a malaria drug after U.S. President Donald Trump sought supplies for the United States, according to government officials with knowledge of the matter. Exports of hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol will be allowed depending on availability of ...
Japan to offer anti-flu Avigan drug to 20 virus-hit nations for free
Japan plans to provide the anti-flu drug Avigan for free to 20 countries hoping to use it to treat coronavirus patients, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday. The 20 countries receiving the drug, which is currently undergoing clinical tests, include Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, ...
The EU’s latest existential crisis might be its biggest one yet
When the European Union’s 27 leaders last managed to gather in person, they didn’t even talk about the coronavirus. It was Feb. 21, the day Italy recorded its first fatality from the disease. They haggled unsuccessfully for 28 hours over the EU’s notoriously complicated budget. ...
Poland moves to hold Europe’s only national vote in lockdown
Poland’s ruling party is pressing forward with conducting Europe’s only national election during the COVID-19 crisis. The Law and Justice party muscled its measure to hold the May 10 presidential election only via mail-in ballots through the lower house of parliament late Monday. Poland’s human ...
Mild virus patients moved to hotel as Tokyo prepares for emergency
Tokyo began transferring a handful of coronavirus patients with mild or no symptoms to a hotel Tuesday as the capital prepares additional measures to be executed in tandem with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s declaration of a state of emergency. As hospitals in Tokyo continue to ...
As COVID-19 captures global headlines, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the world needs nearly 6 million nurses. The U.N.'s health agency along with partners Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses underscored in a report the crucial role played by nurses, who ...
