Pope ‘slightly indisposed’, cancels one event, Vatican says
Pope Francis is slightly indisposed and has canceled an event at a Rome basilica but is carrying out the rest of his schedule in his residence, the Vatican said on Thursday.
Head of Italy’s Lombardy region in isolation after aide gets coronavirus
The governor of the region of Lombardy, at the epicenter of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak, has placed himself in quarantine after one of his staff came down with the disease.
French President Macron visits Paris hospital treating coronavirus
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday visited a hospital in Paris that has been treating coronavirus patients, as his government faces pressure to show the country it is dealing with the outbreak effectively.
Japan says China leader Xi’s visit still on despite coronavirus
Japan said on Thursday that preparations for a rare state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping planned for April were going ahead, even as it called for sports and cultural events to be scaled down to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
Malaysia’s parliament to decide next PM: Mahathir
Malaysia’s interim prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday said the king has decided to call on parliament to decide who has enough support to become the next prime minister.
UK receives highest number of non-EU immigrants in 15 years
Britain received the highest number of immigrants from outside the European Union since 2004 in the year to the end of September, driven by an increased number of Chinese and Indian students, official figures showed on Thursday.
U.N.’s Bachelet urges Saudi to release women activists, uphold rights
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged Saudi Arabia on Thursday to uphold freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly and review convictions of activists, religious leaders and journalists as it prepares to host a G20 summit this year.
Pakistan shuts schools, suspends Iran flights to curb coronavirus spread
Pakistan on Thursday shut schools in several areas and suspended flights to and from Iran to try to stop the spread of new coronavirus, after reporting its first cases of the infection, officials said.
U.N. asks world to fight virus-spawned discrimination
United Nations human rights guardian Michelle Bachelet urged the global community on Thursday to show solidarity with people of ethnic Asian origin subject to discrimination amid an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that started in China.
Swiss confirm three new coronavirus cases, now four in total
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Switzerland has risen to four, the country’s health authority said on Thursday.
