British nationals from virus-stricken Grand Princess ship fly home
British passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was stranded off the Californian coast for days due to an outbreak of coronavirus on board, are now on a U.S. flight back to Britain, the British government said on Wednesday.
Guatemala bans entry of European citizens to keep out coronavirus
Guatemalan Health Minister Hugo Monroy said on Wednesday that the country will ban the entry of European citizens in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
WHO says coronavirus is a pandemic, UK and Italy announce big war chests to fight it
The World Health Organization said for the first time on Wednesday that it now sees the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic.
Italy to ramp up spending on coronavirus as death toll soars to 827
Italy will ramp up spending to soften the blow from coronavirus and could restrict movement further to slow its spread, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday, as the death toll jumped by 196 in 24 hours to 827.
Green Party’s national government call complicates Irish talks
Ireland’s Green Party called on all parties to suspend talks on forming a new administration on Wednesday and instead build a temporary national government across parliament, complicating negotiations following an inconclusive Feb. 8 election.
World Health Organization describes coronavirus outbreak as pandemic
The World Health Organization is describing the new coronavirus as a pandemic, it said on Wednesday, adding that Italy and Iran were now in the frontline of the disease and other countries would soon join them.
Slovenia closes some Italy border crossings, performs coronavirus checks at others
Slovenia closed some border crossings with Italy on Wednesday afternoon and started making health checks at those remaining open in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the health minister said.
‘Come home,’ Chinese tell relatives in Spain as coronavirus cases jump
In a usually bustling Madrid street popular with the city’s growing Chinese community, 14 of 17 Chinese-owned shops were closed on Wednesday, their shutters pulled down or notes stuck to window fronts saying the owners were away.
Qatar and Bahrain record jump in coronavirus cases, Kuwait bans flights
Qatar reported 238 more coronavirus infections among individuals under quarantine in a residential compound on Wednesday, the latest Gulf state to record new cases in a regional outbreak that prompted Kuwait to cancel all commercial passenger flights.
Ten Katyusha rockets fall inside Iraq’s Taji camp: statement
Iraq’s Taji military camp north of Baghdad was targeted by Katyusha rockets on Wednesday, with no casualties reported, an Iraqi military statement said.
