Disney closes US and Paris theme parks, delays 'Mulan' over virus

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Disney will close its giant theme parks in Florida, California and Paris and pull the releases of major blockbusters including "Mulan" over the coronavirus, it announced Thursday. The resorts are among the largest theme parks in the world, each drawing tens of thousands of visitors each day. They will remain shut at least until the end of March. "In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the

World NewsMarch 13, 2020

Global stocks suffer historic rout, shrugging of central bank steps

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Global equity markets plunged again Thursday, with some suffering their worst losses in decades, as emergency measures by central banks failed to douse fears over the mounting economic toll from the coronavirus. The Dow lost 10 percent, dropping around 2,350 points, to 21,200.62 in its worst session since 1987. London recorded its worst day since the 1987 crash and Frankfurt its blackest day since 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell. Paris suffered its worst one-day l

World NewsMarch 13, 2020

Man City player self-isolating over coronavirus fear

LONDON (AFP) -- Manchester City have revealed one of their players is self-isolating after a family member had tests for the coronavirus. The unnamed City star was reported to be France defender Benjamin Mendy by the British media, but the Premier League club have yet to confirm that. The player is taking the self-isolating precaution after the relative fell ill with symptoms of a respiratory illness at his Cheshire home. The family member is being treated in hospital and has undergone tests

World NewsMarch 13, 2020

Arsenal manager Arteta tests positive for coronavirus

LONDON (AFP) -- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the Premier League to announce they will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss future fixtures. Arsenal have closed their training ground as a result of Arteta's positive test, with Gunners players and club staff who had recent contact with the Spaniard now forced to self-isolate. "This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly," Arteta said in a statement

World NewsMarch 13, 2020

Poland confirms first coronavirus death

WARSAW -- Poland has recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus outbreak in the western city of Poznan, its deputy mayor said Thursday. The 57-year-old female teacher, who had recently been hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia, was put into an artificial coma and on a ventilator but "unfortunately she died not long ago," Poznan deputy mayor Jedrzej Solarski told reporters. Poland currently has 46 other confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the health min

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

[Graphic News] Huge locust outbreak in East Africa

　The worst locust outbreak that parts of East Africa have seen in 70 years has reached South Sudan, a country where roughly half the population already faces hunger after years of civil war, officials announced. Around 2,000 locusts were spotted inside the country. 　According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the locusts have been seen in Eastern Equatoria state near the borders with Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. All have been affected by the changing climate in the region. 　Swarms

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

Tom Hanks in Australian hospital after testing positive for coronavirus

GOLD COAST (AFP) -- Hollywood megastar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the new coronavirus while in Australia for a film project, the Oscar-winning US actor revealed Thursday. Hanks and Wilson, both 63, are in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital after being confirmed with the disease, Queensland state health officials said. Hanks is the first major Hollywood star to publicly state that he has the virus, which has sickened more than 125,000 people worldw

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

NBA suspends season until further notice, over coronavirus

MIAMI (AP) -- The NBA has suspended its season "until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas. Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press o

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

NBA to suspend games after Jazz player tests positive for coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The NBA will suspend play starting on Thursday after a Utah Jazz player preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19, the league said Wednesday. The test result was reported shortly before Utah's game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City was to begin, and that game was abruptly postponed. The league said the affected player was not at the arena. (AFP)

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Tom Hanks announces positive test for coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have both tested positive for coronavirus, the US actor said Wednesday. Hanks, 63, said he and Wilson came down with a fever while in Australia, where he is set to film a new movie about the life of Elvis Presley. "To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive," he wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. Hanks is the first major Hollywood star to

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

In battle against virus, Trump restricts travel from Europe

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Taking dramatic action, President Donald Trump sharply restricted passenger travel from 26 European nations to the US and moved to ease the economic cost of a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans. Trump, in a rare Oval Office address to the nation Wednesday night, said the monthlong restriction on travel would begin late Friday, at midnight. After days of playing down the coronavirus threat, he blamed Europe for

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

Will heat stop the spread of new virus? No one really knows

JAKARTA (AP) -- As outbreaks of the new coronavirus that first emerged in China continue to spread in more than 100 countries -- particularly those experiencing winter -- one of the biggest unanswered questions is how it will behave in warmer weather. Like influenza, the new disease is a respiratory infection belonging to a family of viruses that typically survive longer in colder environments. Most people experience only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, but older

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

Juventus defender Rugani tests positive for coronavirus

MILAN (AFP) -- Juventus and Italy defender Daniele Rugani on Wednesday became the first Serie A footballer to test positive for coronavirus, the Italian champions confirmed. The 25-year-old "is currently asymptomatic," the Turin giants said, but the club is "currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including those who have had contact with him." Rugani is the first top-flight footballer to fall victim to the virus which has killed 827 in Italy and

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

Trump to make primetime address on US coronavirus response

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump will make a primetime address Wednesday on the coronavirus crisis, his latest attempt to counter criticism of his response to the growing health and economic fallout from the pandemic. "I'll be making a statement later on tonight as to what I have decided to do," Trump told reporters at the White House. It was scheduled from the Oval Office for 9:00 pm (0100 GMT). Trump said he would explain his plan for tackling both the health crisis, as

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

US, UK troops among 3 dead in Iraq rocket attack as US-led coalition responds

BAGHDAD (AFP) -- An American soldier, a British soldier and one US contractor were killed Wednesday, a US official said, in the deadliest rocket attack in years on an Iraqi military base hosting foreign troops. The attack threatens a dangerous escalation, with suspected US-led coalition air strikes promptly targeting Iran-aligned Iraqi fighters in neighbouring Syria, a war monitor said. At least 18 fighters were reported killed. On Wednesday evening, a volley of 18 rockets hit the Taji

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

WHO labels coronavirus a 'pandemic' as Europe scrambles to contain it

GENEVA (AFP) -- The World Health Organization called the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday, issuing a grim warning that the global spread and severity of the illness was due to "alarming levels of inaction". The call came as Europe faced a mounting number of cases -- including a slew of new countries clocking first deaths -- prompting governments to roll out increasingly tough measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus. The number of cases across the globe has ris

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

Italy announces 25b euros package to fight coronavirus

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that Rome was allocating 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight  the novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed 631 people in Italy. "We have allocated an emergency sum of 25 billion euros," Conte told reporters during a break in a meeting on the government's response to the rapidly escalating health crisis. The entire sum "will not all be used immediately," Conte added.  Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said It

World NewsMarch 11, 2020

Biden racks up new primary wins over Sanders

DETROIT (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 from four more states,

World NewsMarch 11, 2020

China's Xi pays first visit to virus epicentre Wuhan

WUHAN (AFP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan Tuesday for the first time since the city emerged as the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic in January -- a major sign that officials believe the outbreak is under control. Xi's visit came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. China's progress stands in stark contrast

World NewsMarch 10, 2020

Coronavirus: latest developments worldwide

  PARIS (AFP) -- With new tolls and key developments, here is the latest in the coronavirus crisis. Nearly 4,000 deaths Since the novel coronavirus first emerged in late December 2019, 113,255 cases have been recorded in 101 countries and territories, killing 3,964 people, according to an AFP toll based on official sources on Monday around 1700 GMT. In mainland China, where the epidemic started, 80,735 cases have been registered, including 3,119 deaths, but with a decline in new cases

World NewsMarch 10, 2020