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Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts

French fashion designer Pierre Cardin dies aged 98

French fashion designer Pierre Cardin dies aged 98


Legendary designer and fashion icon Pierre Cardin has passed away at 98 on Tuesday, his family confirmed to AFP. He passed away in a hospital in Neuilly, outside Paris.

The designer was born as Pietro Constante Cardin in Italy in 1924. His family soon relocated to France to escape Mussolini’s fascist regime.

Cardin first rose to prominence in the 1960s with his futuristic and avant-garde designs, and has since become one of the household names in high fashion. During the period, Cardin's simple, high-collared suits were a hit with the Beatles. It was one of many ways his work extended past fashion-show runways — he also designed uniforms for nurses and for Pakistan International Airlines.

Apart from creating clothes for women, Cardin spurred what Vogue magazine called a “revolution” in menswear, one of the highpoints of which was making the suits worn by the Beatles.

The French Académie des Beaux-Arts also issued several statements mourning his passing. "Immense sadness," the academy's secretary general Cyril Barthalois said via Twitter, adding, "Equally great joy of having known him" through the academy.

In the business world, Cardin is known for his eager embrace of brand licensing, putting his name on products that had nothing to do with high fashion – including frying pans, as NPR has reported.

Legendary designer and fashion icon Pierre Cardin has passed away at 98 on Tuesday, his family confirmed to AFP. He passed away in a hospital in Neuilly, outside Paris.

The designer was born as Pietro Constante Cardin in Italy in 1924. His family soon relocated to France to escape Mussolini’s fascist regime.

Cardin first rose to prominence in the 1960s with his futuristic and avant-garde designs, and has since become one of the household names in high fashion. During the period, Cardin's simple, high-collared suits were a hit with the Beatles. It was one of many ways his work extended past fashion-show runways — he also designed uniforms for nurses and for Pakistan International Airlines.

Apart from creating clothes for women, Cardin spurred what Vogue magazine called a “revolution” in menswear, one of the highpoints of which was making the suits worn by the Beatles.

The French Académie des Beaux-Arts also issued several statements mourning his passing. "Immense sadness," the academy's secretary general Cyril Barthalois said via Twitter, adding, "Equally great joy of having known him" through the academy.

In the business world, Cardin is known for his eager embrace of brand licensing, putting his name on products that had nothing to do with high fashion – including frying pans, as NPR has reported.

HOW shipwreck off Tunisia kill more than 50 migrants

HOW shipwreck off Tunisia kill more than 50 migrants

At least 52 people, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died when a boat carrying migrants bound for Italy sank off Tunisia, a health official said Thursday in an updated toll.

AFP  reported that another 17 bodies were recovered as one person is still missing. At least 24 women were among the victims.

After the authorities were alerted by fishermen near the port city of Sfax on Tuesday, the navy and coast guards used divers and a helicopter to search for bodies, most of which were found in the same area, a spokesman for a court in Sfax told AFP.

Some burials were held Thursday, Sfax region's health director Ali Ayadi said, with DNA samples taken in the hope of eventually identifying the bodies before they were lain to rest in numbered graves.

The boat's captain, a 48-year-old Tunisian, was among the dead, according to the authorities.

Council trucks were waiting in front of the hospital on Thursday evening to transfer bodies to a cemetery on the outskirts of Sfax.

Witnesses had told authorities the victims were believed to be passengers on a boat that set off for Italy a week ago with 53 people on board.

An investigation has been launched to identify the organisers of the journey.

UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement Wednesday that between January and May this year, "sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have been four times more than the ones recorded in the same period last year".

"A growing number of people engaging in sea crossing are from West African countries, followed by Tunisians, who constituted the majority until last year," it added.

According to Tunisia's interior ministry, 2,226 people have been intercepted trying to leave by sea over the first five months of this year.

Many sub-Saharan Africans arrived in Tunisia from Libya in the months after April last year, when strongman Khalifa Haftar launched a failed campaign to take the capital Tripoli.

"I am deeply saddened to hear of women and children losing their life in those perilous journeys", UNHCR's Tunisia representative Hanan Hamdan said in the statement, expressing concern about the new trend in departures.

"We need to provide people with meaningful alternatives that can prevent extreme choices in the search for a better life," Hamdan added.
At least 52 people, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died when a boat carrying migrants bound for Italy sank off Tunisia, a health official said Thursday in an updated toll.

AFP  reported that another 17 bodies were recovered as one person is still missing. At least 24 women were among the victims.

After the authorities were alerted by fishermen near the port city of Sfax on Tuesday, the navy and coast guards used divers and a helicopter to search for bodies, most of which were found in the same area, a spokesman for a court in Sfax told AFP.

Some burials were held Thursday, Sfax region's health director Ali Ayadi said, with DNA samples taken in the hope of eventually identifying the bodies before they were lain to rest in numbered graves.

The boat's captain, a 48-year-old Tunisian, was among the dead, according to the authorities.

Council trucks were waiting in front of the hospital on Thursday evening to transfer bodies to a cemetery on the outskirts of Sfax.

Witnesses had told authorities the victims were believed to be passengers on a boat that set off for Italy a week ago with 53 people on board.

An investigation has been launched to identify the organisers of the journey.

UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement Wednesday that between January and May this year, "sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have been four times more than the ones recorded in the same period last year".

"A growing number of people engaging in sea crossing are from West African countries, followed by Tunisians, who constituted the majority until last year," it added.

According to Tunisia's interior ministry, 2,226 people have been intercepted trying to leave by sea over the first five months of this year.

Many sub-Saharan Africans arrived in Tunisia from Libya in the months after April last year, when strongman Khalifa Haftar launched a failed campaign to take the capital Tripoli.

"I am deeply saddened to hear of women and children losing their life in those perilous journeys", UNHCR's Tunisia representative Hanan Hamdan said in the statement, expressing concern about the new trend in departures.

"We need to provide people with meaningful alternatives that can prevent extreme choices in the search for a better life," Hamdan added.

WHY an Italian lawmaker demands Bill Gates be ARRESTED for ‘crimes against humanity

WHY an Italian lawmaker demands Bill Gates be ARRESTED for ‘crimes against humanity

Bill Gate
An Italian lawmaker has managed to bring the conspiracy blame-game to an entirely new level, exercising her parliamentary chamber free speech to blast Bill Gates as a “vaccine criminal” and a globalist tool.

Bill Gates and his latest anti-coronavirus efforts have been at the center of the wildest theories that explore possible sinister motives behind the billionaire’s activities. In arguably the most high-profile outcry last week, an Italian MP for Rome Sara Cunial delivered a speech rarely (if ever at all) heard at any parliament.

In her passionate address, Cunial called upon fellow lawmakers to defy any plans of compulsory vaccination against Covid-19. Such endeavors are being pushed by the corrupt elites – the Deep State – she claimed, pointing the finger at Bill Gates as one of the main culprits behind the vaccination drive, if not the pandemic itself.

For decades, Gates has been working on depopulation policy and dictatorial control plans on global politics, aiming to obtain the primacy on agriculture, technology and energy.

Being a well-known anti-vax activist, Cunial singled-out Gates as the villain primarily because of the vaccination campaigns that his foundation has been conducting for years in less-developed countries. But while boldly accusing the billionaire of sterilizing millions of women in Africa and paralyzing hundreds of thousands of children in India, she also added a good pinch of GMOs and 5G tech to the dense conspiracy mix of his ‘sins.’

The Italian politician also harshly criticized the anti-coronavirus lockdown measures that her country was among the first to impose. According to Cunial, the isolation serves the globalist agenda too, while the Italians have been subjected to a “Holy Inquisition of false science.”

“It is our children who will lose more, who are ‘raped souls,’” Cunial said. “In this way, the right to school will be granted only with a bracelet to get them used to probation, to get them used to slavery and involuntary treatment.”

The real goal of all of this is total control. Absolute domination of human beings, transformed into guinea pigs and slaves, violating sovereignty and free will.

When hecklers attempted to interrupt her, the president of the chamber called to order – because in a “free parliament anyone has the right to express their opinion” – and scored a round of applause.

Allowed to finish her speech, Cunial raised the stakes even further, pleading to the Italian PM to submit Gates to international justice – unless of course Giuseppe Conte is himself part of the global Deep State conspiracy.

Next time you receive a phone call from the philanthropist Bill Gates forward it directly to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

While Bill Gates has often been a target of assorted conspiracy theories in the past, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has ramped up interest in his persona. His quest for a vaccine against the Covid-19, as well as a recent Microsoft patent vaguely describing a device that tracks ‘body activity’, caused a lot of fuss.

Despite the fact that Bill Gates has technically stepped down from Microsoft’s board and is no longer associated with the corporation, while the ‘sinister’ patent WO/2020/060606 never mentioned any implants, some deduced the billionaire might be planning to sneakily microchip humanity under the guise of coronavirus vaccination… for reasons.

While Cunial’s tirade might sound unprecedented, it’s not particularly shocking coming from a fierce anti-vax activist who was expelled from the 5 Star Movement party last year over her dissenting views.

She also wouldn't be the first high-profile figure to scapegoat Gates. Russian Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov made headlines earlier this month after he, just like Cunial, sounded alarm on national TV about the alleged plot to decimate and control the population of the planet.


(RT)
Bill Gate
An Italian lawmaker has managed to bring the conspiracy blame-game to an entirely new level, exercising her parliamentary chamber free speech to blast Bill Gates as a “vaccine criminal” and a globalist tool.

Bill Gates and his latest anti-coronavirus efforts have been at the center of the wildest theories that explore possible sinister motives behind the billionaire’s activities. In arguably the most high-profile outcry last week, an Italian MP for Rome Sara Cunial delivered a speech rarely (if ever at all) heard at any parliament.

In her passionate address, Cunial called upon fellow lawmakers to defy any plans of compulsory vaccination against Covid-19. Such endeavors are being pushed by the corrupt elites – the Deep State – she claimed, pointing the finger at Bill Gates as one of the main culprits behind the vaccination drive, if not the pandemic itself.

For decades, Gates has been working on depopulation policy and dictatorial control plans on global politics, aiming to obtain the primacy on agriculture, technology and energy.

Being a well-known anti-vax activist, Cunial singled-out Gates as the villain primarily because of the vaccination campaigns that his foundation has been conducting for years in less-developed countries. But while boldly accusing the billionaire of sterilizing millions of women in Africa and paralyzing hundreds of thousands of children in India, she also added a good pinch of GMOs and 5G tech to the dense conspiracy mix of his ‘sins.’

The Italian politician also harshly criticized the anti-coronavirus lockdown measures that her country was among the first to impose. According to Cunial, the isolation serves the globalist agenda too, while the Italians have been subjected to a “Holy Inquisition of false science.”

“It is our children who will lose more, who are ‘raped souls,’” Cunial said. “In this way, the right to school will be granted only with a bracelet to get them used to probation, to get them used to slavery and involuntary treatment.”

The real goal of all of this is total control. Absolute domination of human beings, transformed into guinea pigs and slaves, violating sovereignty and free will.

When hecklers attempted to interrupt her, the president of the chamber called to order – because in a “free parliament anyone has the right to express their opinion” – and scored a round of applause.

Allowed to finish her speech, Cunial raised the stakes even further, pleading to the Italian PM to submit Gates to international justice – unless of course Giuseppe Conte is himself part of the global Deep State conspiracy.

Next time you receive a phone call from the philanthropist Bill Gates forward it directly to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

While Bill Gates has often been a target of assorted conspiracy theories in the past, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has ramped up interest in his persona. His quest for a vaccine against the Covid-19, as well as a recent Microsoft patent vaguely describing a device that tracks ‘body activity’, caused a lot of fuss.

Despite the fact that Bill Gates has technically stepped down from Microsoft’s board and is no longer associated with the corporation, while the ‘sinister’ patent WO/2020/060606 never mentioned any implants, some deduced the billionaire might be planning to sneakily microchip humanity under the guise of coronavirus vaccination… for reasons.

While Cunial’s tirade might sound unprecedented, it’s not particularly shocking coming from a fierce anti-vax activist who was expelled from the 5 Star Movement party last year over her dissenting views.

She also wouldn't be the first high-profile figure to scapegoat Gates. Russian Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov made headlines earlier this month after he, just like Cunial, sounded alarm on national TV about the alleged plot to decimate and control the population of the planet.


(RT)

NATO helicopter missing over sea between Greece and Italy, according to Greece air force

NATO helicopter missing over sea between Greece and Italy, according to Greece air force

A Canadian military helicopter operating as part of a NATO surveillance force has gone missing in international waters between Greece and Italy, the Greek air force said on Wednesday. According to an AFP report.

Initial reports said the helicopter had been 50 nautical miles off the Greek island of Kefalonia, it added.

The NATO helicopter was reported missing in the Ionian Sea, west of the Greek mainland, on Wednesday evening.

According to Greek Defense Ministry sources, the helicopter had taken off from a Canadian frigate. 

There were between three and six passengers in the helicopter.

The same reports suggest that the aircraft was participating in an Allied naval exercise of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, which is NATO’s standing maritime immediate reaction force.

The SNMG2 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability.

NATO search and rescue teams are searching the sea area west of Kefalonia island at this moment.

Greek authorities said they have not been asked to help as the area is far off the Greek mainland and outside the area where the country has responsibility for search and rescue operations. The source said.
A Canadian military helicopter operating as part of a NATO surveillance force has gone missing in international waters between Greece and Italy, the Greek air force said on Wednesday. According to an AFP report.

Initial reports said the helicopter had been 50 nautical miles off the Greek island of Kefalonia, it added.

The NATO helicopter was reported missing in the Ionian Sea, west of the Greek mainland, on Wednesday evening.

According to Greek Defense Ministry sources, the helicopter had taken off from a Canadian frigate. 

There were between three and six passengers in the helicopter.

The same reports suggest that the aircraft was participating in an Allied naval exercise of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, which is NATO’s standing maritime immediate reaction force.

The SNMG2 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability.

NATO search and rescue teams are searching the sea area west of Kefalonia island at this moment.

Greek authorities said they have not been asked to help as the area is far off the Greek mainland and outside the area where the country has responsibility for search and rescue operations. The source said.

Cristiano Ronaldo finally sets to fly back to Italy after spending more than SEVEN WEEKS at home during pandemic

Cristiano Ronaldo finally sets to fly back to Italy after spending more than SEVEN WEEKS at home during pandemic

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return to Italy today as he prepares to rejoin his Juventus teammates after almost two months in his native Portugal, where he has been supporting his fragile mother since Serie A was suspended. RT reported on Tuesday.

Ronaldo originally flew to Madeira at the start of March when his mother, Dolores Aveiro, suffered a stroke, briefly returning to help Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0 at home in their last match before sport in Italy was suspended due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

He headed back to the island in the aftermath of the club returning to the top of Serie A, watching Aveiro continue her recovery while Italy became the worst-hit country in Europe by Covid-19.

Reports suggested that Ronaldo had insisted he would stay in quarantine in Portugal after learning that teammate Daniele Rugani, who had been part of the Juve squad a few days earlier, had become one of the first players to test positive for the deadly disease.

No date has been confirmed for the return of professional football in a country where many matches initially continued behind closed doors in front of mask-wearing fans as the extent of the outbreak worsened, but Serie A sides are believed to be resuming individual training next week.

Major sporting events seem a distant prospect as the number of confirmed cases in the country nears 200,000, although strict lockdown measures are slowly being lifted by a government wary of a second outbreak that could risk substantially adding to the current toll of more than 26,000 estimated Covid-19 deaths.

Ronaldo pledged to equip Portuguese hospitals, joined fellow icon Lionel Messi in donating $1 million to healthcare and charitable causes and agreed to waive four months' wages to help Juve pay their staff last month, telling more than 215 million Instagram followers: "Never give up."

The world's most followed athlete on social media has used his profile to urge the public to follow health guidelines and stay fit during lockdowns around the world, as well as sticking to his usual style by regularly showing off his physique and sharing training tips.

Public health officials confirmed that Ronaldo was virus-free and could train outside in isolation after he was pictured working on his fitness at the home of local side CD Nacional and published a video of himself enduring hill sprints as part of a sweaty conditioning session with partner Georgina Rodriguez.
Aveiro posed by the home gym where Ronaldo had shown off his enviable stomach muscles in one of his social media posts, suggesting that his famed commitment to fitness had influenced her by saying: "I have no excuse for not recovering. I do not lack motivation, inspiration and a lot of desire."

Her son could enter quarantine for up to two weeks when he touches down in Turin, which is expected to be as early as Tuesday, according to reports. The man with the most shots in Serie A this season will also be subject to stringent measures as he prepares to add to his 21 goals in the division so far this campaign, aiming to avoid becoming the fourth Juve star to test positive after Rugani, Blaise Matuidi and Paulo Dybala recovered from the illness.

Teammate Douglas Costa and UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov have been among those keeping track of Ronaldo's progress and offering him words of encouragement during his enforced break from football.

As Ronaldo showed off his muscles again and went through his paces on an exercise bike yesterday, MMA fighter Peter Queally told him: "Stay ready so you don’t gotta get ready."

Juventus are a point clear of Lazio with 12 matches remaining in Serie A, and are 1-0 down from the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie with Lyon in France. A date for the return game in Italy is yet to be agreed.

(RT)
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return to Italy today as he prepares to rejoin his Juventus teammates after almost two months in his native Portugal, where he has been supporting his fragile mother since Serie A was suspended. RT reported on Tuesday.

Ronaldo originally flew to Madeira at the start of March when his mother, Dolores Aveiro, suffered a stroke, briefly returning to help Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0 at home in their last match before sport in Italy was suspended due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

He headed back to the island in the aftermath of the club returning to the top of Serie A, watching Aveiro continue her recovery while Italy became the worst-hit country in Europe by Covid-19.

Reports suggested that Ronaldo had insisted he would stay in quarantine in Portugal after learning that teammate Daniele Rugani, who had been part of the Juve squad a few days earlier, had become one of the first players to test positive for the deadly disease.

No date has been confirmed for the return of professional football in a country where many matches initially continued behind closed doors in front of mask-wearing fans as the extent of the outbreak worsened, but Serie A sides are believed to be resuming individual training next week.

Major sporting events seem a distant prospect as the number of confirmed cases in the country nears 200,000, although strict lockdown measures are slowly being lifted by a government wary of a second outbreak that could risk substantially adding to the current toll of more than 26,000 estimated Covid-19 deaths.

Ronaldo pledged to equip Portuguese hospitals, joined fellow icon Lionel Messi in donating $1 million to healthcare and charitable causes and agreed to waive four months' wages to help Juve pay their staff last month, telling more than 215 million Instagram followers: "Never give up."

The world's most followed athlete on social media has used his profile to urge the public to follow health guidelines and stay fit during lockdowns around the world, as well as sticking to his usual style by regularly showing off his physique and sharing training tips.

Public health officials confirmed that Ronaldo was virus-free and could train outside in isolation after he was pictured working on his fitness at the home of local side CD Nacional and published a video of himself enduring hill sprints as part of a sweaty conditioning session with partner Georgina Rodriguez.
Aveiro posed by the home gym where Ronaldo had shown off his enviable stomach muscles in one of his social media posts, suggesting that his famed commitment to fitness had influenced her by saying: "I have no excuse for not recovering. I do not lack motivation, inspiration and a lot of desire."

Her son could enter quarantine for up to two weeks when he touches down in Turin, which is expected to be as early as Tuesday, according to reports. The man with the most shots in Serie A this season will also be subject to stringent measures as he prepares to add to his 21 goals in the division so far this campaign, aiming to avoid becoming the fourth Juve star to test positive after Rugani, Blaise Matuidi and Paulo Dybala recovered from the illness.

Teammate Douglas Costa and UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov have been among those keeping track of Ronaldo's progress and offering him words of encouragement during his enforced break from football.

As Ronaldo showed off his muscles again and went through his paces on an exercise bike yesterday, MMA fighter Peter Queally told him: "Stay ready so you don’t gotta get ready."

Juventus are a point clear of Lazio with 12 matches remaining in Serie A, and are 1-0 down from the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie with Lyon in France. A date for the return game in Italy is yet to be agreed.

(RT)

Italian PM Conte: We’re opening businesses on May 4, but don’t expect ‘full freedom for all

Italian PM Conte: We’re opening businesses on May 4, but don’t expect ‘full freedom for all

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte 
In just over a week, Italy plans to reopen some of the previously closed export-oriented businesses, but Italians should not expect any major changes in terms of freedom of movement, the prime minister said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave an overview of how his country, the first in Europe to take a serious blow from the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to return to some level of normalcy. Starting May 4, his government will allow some of the businesses closed six weeks ago to curb the spread of the disease to reopen, he said.

Export-oriented manufacturing that risks being cut out of supply chains, construction businesses, and wholesalers are likely to be given the green light on week one, with others gradually following. Conte also described plans to support the economy through state-guaranteed loans, cutting through undue red tape, and other measures.

However, Italian citizens should not expect life to return to where it was before the outbreak, the prime minister told La Repubblica. While some social distancing restrictions may be revised as the country emerges out of the lockdown, it would be “a revision” and not “abandonment of the rules.”

“We are not yet in a position to restore full freedom of movement,” he said, adding that whatever relief is given, “it will not be full freedom for all.”

Schools will not be reopened in Italy until September, Conte said, adding that remote teaching has worked out well. He also said there will be government action to prevent shortages of masks and price gouging.

The Italian government is still discussing when to allow churches and cemeteries to hold religious services like masses and funerals. The fact that people cannot properly send off their deceased loved ones and get closure is “personally particularly painful,” Conte said.

Italy is among the nations most affected by Covid-19, with a death toll of over 26,000, which is surpassed only by that of the United States. Its healthcare system was overwhelmed by the outbreak, while other EU members dragged their feet on assisting Rome. The roadmap for lifting the lockdown will be revealed to the public early next week, the prime minister said in the interview.




Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte 
In just over a week, Italy plans to reopen some of the previously closed export-oriented businesses, but Italians should not expect any major changes in terms of freedom of movement, the prime minister said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave an overview of how his country, the first in Europe to take a serious blow from the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to return to some level of normalcy. Starting May 4, his government will allow some of the businesses closed six weeks ago to curb the spread of the disease to reopen, he said.

Export-oriented manufacturing that risks being cut out of supply chains, construction businesses, and wholesalers are likely to be given the green light on week one, with others gradually following. Conte also described plans to support the economy through state-guaranteed loans, cutting through undue red tape, and other measures.

However, Italian citizens should not expect life to return to where it was before the outbreak, the prime minister told La Repubblica. While some social distancing restrictions may be revised as the country emerges out of the lockdown, it would be “a revision” and not “abandonment of the rules.”

“We are not yet in a position to restore full freedom of movement,” he said, adding that whatever relief is given, “it will not be full freedom for all.”

Schools will not be reopened in Italy until September, Conte said, adding that remote teaching has worked out well. He also said there will be government action to prevent shortages of masks and price gouging.

The Italian government is still discussing when to allow churches and cemeteries to hold religious services like masses and funerals. The fact that people cannot properly send off their deceased loved ones and get closure is “personally particularly painful,” Conte said.

Italy is among the nations most affected by Covid-19, with a death toll of over 26,000, which is surpassed only by that of the United States. Its healthcare system was overwhelmed by the outbreak, while other EU members dragged their feet on assisting Rome. The roadmap for lifting the lockdown will be revealed to the public early next week, the prime minister said in the interview.




COVID-19: EU labs experiment with Russian-Japanese Coronavirus tests — Russian Direct Investment Fund

COVID-19: EU labs experiment with Russian-Japanese Coronavirus tests — Russian Direct Investment Fund

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Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany are conducting laboratory experiments to see in action COVID-19 identification solutions created by the Russian-Japanese company EMG with the participation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

"Four European countries - Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany - are conducting laboratory experiments to test the solutions for identifying COVID-19, created by the Russian-Japanese company Evotech-Mirai Genomix with the participation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund," the fund’s spokesman has told TASS. "Earlier the EMG’s virus diagnostics technologies drew favorable comments from virologists in the United Arab Emirates."

Earlier, Austria was one of the first to have granted permission to use EMG tests and is already using them for diagnostics.

The director of the company that makes the EMG’s COVID-19 tests, Lenar Valeyev, told TASS clinical tests at the research center Vektor operating under the consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor showed the EMG test systems’ 100% accuracy.


"Our method is the most sensitive one. In terms of accuracy we belong with the group of the world’s best knowhows. The accuracy rate of our test system is above 99.9%, while many isometric tests have an accuracy below 95%. In the current situation false negative results are absolute impermissible, because an infected person may escape observation. This is one of our system’s main advantages. It is one of the most accurate ones," Valeyev said.

In the middle of March the Russian Direct Investment Fund carried out investment into the Russian company OJSC Medpromresurs (currently Evotech-Mirai Genomix operating under the EMG brand name), created in order to promote a newly-developed Russian-Japanese diagnostic system of exposing the novel coronavirus. 

Japan’s K. R. Mirai Genomics and Genetic Technologies are the fund’s partners in the company. The system has obtained the health service watchdog Roszdravnadzor’s approval for use in Russia.


Profile picture
Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany are conducting laboratory experiments to see in action COVID-19 identification solutions created by the Russian-Japanese company EMG with the participation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

"Four European countries - Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany - are conducting laboratory experiments to test the solutions for identifying COVID-19, created by the Russian-Japanese company Evotech-Mirai Genomix with the participation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund," the fund’s spokesman has told TASS. "Earlier the EMG’s virus diagnostics technologies drew favorable comments from virologists in the United Arab Emirates."

Earlier, Austria was one of the first to have granted permission to use EMG tests and is already using them for diagnostics.

The director of the company that makes the EMG’s COVID-19 tests, Lenar Valeyev, told TASS clinical tests at the research center Vektor operating under the consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor showed the EMG test systems’ 100% accuracy.


"Our method is the most sensitive one. In terms of accuracy we belong with the group of the world’s best knowhows. The accuracy rate of our test system is above 99.9%, while many isometric tests have an accuracy below 95%. In the current situation false negative results are absolute impermissible, because an infected person may escape observation. This is one of our system’s main advantages. It is one of the most accurate ones," Valeyev said.

In the middle of March the Russian Direct Investment Fund carried out investment into the Russian company OJSC Medpromresurs (currently Evotech-Mirai Genomix operating under the EMG brand name), created in order to promote a newly-developed Russian-Japanese diagnostic system of exposing the novel coronavirus. 

Japan’s K. R. Mirai Genomics and Genetic Technologies are the fund’s partners in the company. The system has obtained the health service watchdog Roszdravnadzor’s approval for use in Russia.


COVID-19: At least one hundred Italian doctors have died of #coronavirus during pandemic: medics

COVID-19: At least one hundred Italian doctors have died of #coronavirus during pandemic: medics

Public Spaces Closed In 10 Italian Towns Over Coronavirus Fears
At least 100 medics have died in Italy since the initial coronavirus infections were reported in the country, according to data uploaded to the website of the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists on Thursday.

Meanwhile, ANSA reported on April 7 that the number of junior medical staff killed by the virus had amounted to 26, while more than 6,500 were infected.

The overall number of coronavirus fatalities has exceeded 17,600 since the pandemic hit Italy, and 139,400 people have been infected. Meanwhile, on Wednesday the country reported a record high number of single-day recoveries - 2,099 people. Overall, more than 26,000 patients have recovered as of now.

Late on Wednesday, Italian media announced the recovery of a newborn infected with coronavirus in Piedmont, and this is not the first recovery case among the babies. Cases of recoveries among coronavirus-infected centenarians are also not rare. There is a 102-years-old and a 104-year-old female patient among the recoveries, as well as a 101-year-old man. Several 90+ patients have also been discharged from hospitals in Italy.

On Tuesday, Giovanni Rezza, director of the infectious disease division of the national health institute, stated that the epidemiological curve in Italy had begun to move on the downward trajectory. He noted that in order to be sure of this trend, Italian researchers need to analyze the data coming in over the next few days.
Public Spaces Closed In 10 Italian Towns Over Coronavirus Fears
At least 100 medics have died in Italy since the initial coronavirus infections were reported in the country, according to data uploaded to the website of the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists on Thursday.

Meanwhile, ANSA reported on April 7 that the number of junior medical staff killed by the virus had amounted to 26, while more than 6,500 were infected.

The overall number of coronavirus fatalities has exceeded 17,600 since the pandemic hit Italy, and 139,400 people have been infected. Meanwhile, on Wednesday the country reported a record high number of single-day recoveries - 2,099 people. Overall, more than 26,000 patients have recovered as of now.

Late on Wednesday, Italian media announced the recovery of a newborn infected with coronavirus in Piedmont, and this is not the first recovery case among the babies. Cases of recoveries among coronavirus-infected centenarians are also not rare. There is a 102-years-old and a 104-year-old female patient among the recoveries, as well as a 101-year-old man. Several 90+ patients have also been discharged from hospitals in Italy.

On Tuesday, Giovanni Rezza, director of the infectious disease division of the national health institute, stated that the epidemiological curve in Italy had begun to move on the downward trajectory. He noted that in order to be sure of this trend, Italian researchers need to analyze the data coming in over the next few days.

COVID-19: Russia’s embassy to Italy receives messages thanking Moscow for help

COVID-19: Russia’s embassy to Italy receives messages thanking Moscow for help

Since the outbreak of the ravaging COVID-19 late last year, Russia has been sending tons of helps not only in terms of equipment and vaccines but also human resources specialists in virologists and specialists in epidemiology to many needing countries and nations around the globe including but not limited to Italy, US, Serbia, Iran and China where the outbreak was first discovered in 2019.

Most Italians are sincerely thankful to Russia for its help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s Ambassador to Italy Sergei Razov said in an exclusive interview with TASS, adding that both politicians and ordinary Italians convey their gratitude to Russia.

"We receive plenty of letters and calls from the country’s citizens, which contain sincere words of gratitude for Russia’s efforts amid this situation. A week ago, I received a long letter from the governor of the northern region of Lombardy (Attilio Fontana) who says thank you to the Russian leadership for their timely and generous assistance to that region, most affected by the virus outbreak in Italy. We have received similar letters of gratitude from the governors of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Let me recall a joint note by Italy’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministries, which discloses with gratitude the real essence of the aid and assistance provided by Russia," the ambassador said.

Speaking about certain Italian media outlets trying to discredit Russian assistance, the diplomat called not to turn facts into speculation.

"As for certain journalistic publications which, citing the freedom to expression, give another, let us be frank, unfriendly interpretation of the current events, certainly, every journalist has the right to their own point of view, to their interpretation of facts. I want to emphasize: facts, but not speculation. In the generally accepted sense, the freedom to expression should be intertwined with responsibility for this word, meant for the audience of thousands of readers," Razov said.

The ambassador recalled that Russian specialists had disinfected 33 communities, spraying antiseptic solutions on 226,000 square meters inside buildings and on 21,000 square meters of hard-surface roads, and disinfecting more than 4,500 units of equipment and instruments at medical institutions.

"Since April 6, eight teams of medical doctors alongside their Italian counterparts have been on round-the-clock duty at the field hospital where they are admitting and treating coronavirus patients. As we usually say in this case: do not muddy the waters," the ambassador concluded.

On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte agreed during a phone call that Russia would send aid required by Italy to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Between the evening of March 22 and the morning of March 25, Russia sent 15 jets, transporting around 100 Russian military virologists and defense ministry specialists in epidemiology, eight nursing brigades, and equipment for diagnostics and disinfection. The Russian specialists are working outside the city of Bergamo, Lombardy, one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the latest statistics, over 1,400,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 82,000 deaths have been reported, while over 300,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

Italy, Spain, US, France, Iran are among the most currently worst hit countries outside China.

(With Tass)
Since the outbreak of the ravaging COVID-19 late last year, Russia has been sending tons of helps not only in terms of equipment and vaccines but also human resources specialists in virologists and specialists in epidemiology to many needing countries and nations around the globe including but not limited to Italy, US, Serbia, Iran and China where the outbreak was first discovered in 2019.

Most Italians are sincerely thankful to Russia for its help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s Ambassador to Italy Sergei Razov said in an exclusive interview with TASS, adding that both politicians and ordinary Italians convey their gratitude to Russia.

"We receive plenty of letters and calls from the country’s citizens, which contain sincere words of gratitude for Russia’s efforts amid this situation. A week ago, I received a long letter from the governor of the northern region of Lombardy (Attilio Fontana) who says thank you to the Russian leadership for their timely and generous assistance to that region, most affected by the virus outbreak in Italy. We have received similar letters of gratitude from the governors of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Let me recall a joint note by Italy’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministries, which discloses with gratitude the real essence of the aid and assistance provided by Russia," the ambassador said.

Speaking about certain Italian media outlets trying to discredit Russian assistance, the diplomat called not to turn facts into speculation.

"As for certain journalistic publications which, citing the freedom to expression, give another, let us be frank, unfriendly interpretation of the current events, certainly, every journalist has the right to their own point of view, to their interpretation of facts. I want to emphasize: facts, but not speculation. In the generally accepted sense, the freedom to expression should be intertwined with responsibility for this word, meant for the audience of thousands of readers," Razov said.

The ambassador recalled that Russian specialists had disinfected 33 communities, spraying antiseptic solutions on 226,000 square meters inside buildings and on 21,000 square meters of hard-surface roads, and disinfecting more than 4,500 units of equipment and instruments at medical institutions.

"Since April 6, eight teams of medical doctors alongside their Italian counterparts have been on round-the-clock duty at the field hospital where they are admitting and treating coronavirus patients. As we usually say in this case: do not muddy the waters," the ambassador concluded.

On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte agreed during a phone call that Russia would send aid required by Italy to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Between the evening of March 22 and the morning of March 25, Russia sent 15 jets, transporting around 100 Russian military virologists and defense ministry specialists in epidemiology, eight nursing brigades, and equipment for diagnostics and disinfection. The Russian specialists are working outside the city of Bergamo, Lombardy, one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the latest statistics, over 1,400,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 82,000 deaths have been reported, while over 300,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

Italy, Spain, US, France, Iran are among the most currently worst hit countries outside China.

(With Tass)

Italy's intensive care virus cases drop for first time: officials

Italy's intensive care virus cases drop for first time: officials

Rome (AFP) - Italy saw its first drop Saturday in the number of patients intensive care treatment for the coronavirus that had stretched the Mediterranean country's world-class healthcare system to breaking point.

Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called the drop from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday in the number of critical patients an important moment in Italy's battle against COVID-19.

"This is a very important data point because the figure is decreasing for the first time," Borrelli told reporters.

"It is important because it allows our hospitals to breathe. This is the first time that this figure has fallen since we started managing the emergency."

Borrelli also cast figures showing Italy's death toll rising by 681 to 15,362 -- officially higher than in any other other country -- in a positive light.

"This figure is constantly decreasing," he said.

"I want to remind you that (on March 27), we almost had 1,000 dead."

Italy recorded 969 deaths that day -- a record that stood until the United States reported nearly 1,500 fatalities between Thursday and Friday.

The daily rise in new infections across Italy has also slowed to just four percent.

But Italian officials are still not declaring victory and instead are preparing the country for at least another month of life under a general lockdown.

The drop in critical care patients "is a strong signal but it should absolutely not be read as a sign that we have overcome the critical stage," the government's scientific council head Franco Locatelli said.

"It shows that the measures that we have been applying have had success."


Rome (AFP) - Italy saw its first drop Saturday in the number of patients intensive care treatment for the coronavirus that had stretched the Mediterranean country's world-class healthcare system to breaking point.

Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called the drop from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday in the number of critical patients an important moment in Italy's battle against COVID-19.

"This is a very important data point because the figure is decreasing for the first time," Borrelli told reporters.

"It is important because it allows our hospitals to breathe. This is the first time that this figure has fallen since we started managing the emergency."

Borrelli also cast figures showing Italy's death toll rising by 681 to 15,362 -- officially higher than in any other other country -- in a positive light.

"This figure is constantly decreasing," he said.

"I want to remind you that (on March 27), we almost had 1,000 dead."

Italy recorded 969 deaths that day -- a record that stood until the United States reported nearly 1,500 fatalities between Thursday and Friday.

The daily rise in new infections across Italy has also slowed to just four percent.

But Italian officials are still not declaring victory and instead are preparing the country for at least another month of life under a general lockdown.

The drop in critical care patients "is a strong signal but it should absolutely not be read as a sign that we have overcome the critical stage," the government's scientific council head Franco Locatelli said.

"It shows that the measures that we have been applying have had success."


Italy's Conte demands more 'courage' from EU to fight virus

Italy's Conte demands more 'courage' from EU to fight virus

Rome (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday extended his feud about coronavirus money with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in the pages of a newspaper.

"Dear Ursula," he wrote in a letter to La Repubblica, "I hear ideas (from you) not worthy of Europe. The decisions we make today will be remembered for years."

He called for "more ambition, more unity and more courage" from the EU, in response to a letter from von der Leyen in the same paper on Thursday where she had promised more support for Italy.

Conte wants the whole bloc to share the risk by issuing billions of euros in so-called coronabonds, helping Italy to borrow more cheaply to fight a pandemic that has killed nearly 14,000 people and shattered the country's economy.

Von der Leyen has sided with Germany and some other northern European countries, who argue that pooled risk could raise their borrowing costs.

She prefers an EU-wide guarantee that could raise 100 billion euros ($108 billion) for the specific purpose of helping national unemployment schemes.

Conte said he "welcomed" the EU's initiative but made it clear that he still wanted the coronabonds.

- 'Many more weeks' -

"When fighting a war, you must do everything possible to win and equip yourself with all the tools needed for the reconstruction," Conte wrote.

This required "innovative tools such as the European Recovery Bonds".

He said the bonds were "useful to finance the extraordinary efforts that Europe will have to put in place" and "are in no way aimed at sharing the debt that each of our countries has inherited from the past".

EU leaders failed to find a common response last week and gave their finance ministers until next Thursday to agree on something useful.

Von der Leyen's Latvian deputy Valdis Dombrovskis told La Repubblica newspaper Friday that nothing was being ruled.

"We are open to every option," Dombrovskis wrote. "We need an ambitious, coordinated and effective response."

Italy's toll from the new disease reached 13,915 on Thursday, more than any other country.

Its three-week lockdown to stop the spread has been extended through at least mid-April and its economy is expected to suffer its biggest peacetime shock since World War II.

Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli told RAI television Friday that Italians would probably "have to stay at home for many more weeks".

Conte is preparing a new economic response package after pledging 25 billion euros in assistance to affected families and businesses last month.

His proposals reportedly include guaranteed loans that could theoretically deliver up to 500 billion euros to struggling companies and households.

This would expand the 340 billion euros in guarantees announced last month.


Rome (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday extended his feud about coronavirus money with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in the pages of a newspaper.

"Dear Ursula," he wrote in a letter to La Repubblica, "I hear ideas (from you) not worthy of Europe. The decisions we make today will be remembered for years."

He called for "more ambition, more unity and more courage" from the EU, in response to a letter from von der Leyen in the same paper on Thursday where she had promised more support for Italy.

Conte wants the whole bloc to share the risk by issuing billions of euros in so-called coronabonds, helping Italy to borrow more cheaply to fight a pandemic that has killed nearly 14,000 people and shattered the country's economy.

Von der Leyen has sided with Germany and some other northern European countries, who argue that pooled risk could raise their borrowing costs.

She prefers an EU-wide guarantee that could raise 100 billion euros ($108 billion) for the specific purpose of helping national unemployment schemes.

Conte said he "welcomed" the EU's initiative but made it clear that he still wanted the coronabonds.

- 'Many more weeks' -

"When fighting a war, you must do everything possible to win and equip yourself with all the tools needed for the reconstruction," Conte wrote.

This required "innovative tools such as the European Recovery Bonds".

He said the bonds were "useful to finance the extraordinary efforts that Europe will have to put in place" and "are in no way aimed at sharing the debt that each of our countries has inherited from the past".

EU leaders failed to find a common response last week and gave their finance ministers until next Thursday to agree on something useful.

Von der Leyen's Latvian deputy Valdis Dombrovskis told La Repubblica newspaper Friday that nothing was being ruled.

"We are open to every option," Dombrovskis wrote. "We need an ambitious, coordinated and effective response."

Italy's toll from the new disease reached 13,915 on Thursday, more than any other country.

Its three-week lockdown to stop the spread has been extended through at least mid-April and its economy is expected to suffer its biggest peacetime shock since World War II.

Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli told RAI television Friday that Italians would probably "have to stay at home for many more weeks".

Conte is preparing a new economic response package after pledging 25 billion euros in assistance to affected families and businesses last month.

His proposals reportedly include guaranteed loans that could theoretically deliver up to 500 billion euros to struggling companies and households.

This would expand the 340 billion euros in guarantees announced last month.


More than 500,000 confirmed #coronavirus cases in Europe: AFP tally

More than 500,000 confirmed #coronavirus cases in Europe: AFP tally

Profile picture
According to an AFP tally, there are more than  500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Europe with more than 30,000 death toll.

The novel coronavirus that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December are being reported daily around the world.

More than 47,000 people have died from COVID-19, as the illness is officially known, while over 937,000 infections have been confirmed in at least 180 countries and territories. 

At least, more than 194,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus.

Here are the countries that have so far confirmed coronavirus cases:

United States - 216,721 cases, 5,138 deaths

Italy - 110,574 cases, 13,155 deaths

Spain - 104,118 cases, 9,387 deaths

China - 82,934 cases, 3,316 deaths . The total includes 41 cases in Macau and 765 cases - four deaths - in Hong Kong.

Germany - 77,981 cases, 931 deaths

France - 57,763 cases, 4,043 deaths

Iran - 47,593 cases, 3,036 deaths

United Kingdom - 29,865 cases, 2,357 deaths

Switzerland - 17,768 cases, 488 deaths

Turkey - 15,679 cases, 277 deaths

Belgium - 13,964 cases, 828 deaths

Netherlands - 13,696 cases, 1,175 deaths


Austria - 10,771 cases, 146 deaths

South Korea - 9,976 cases, 169 deaths

Canada - 9,731 cases, 112 deaths

Portugal - 8,251 cases, 187 deaths

Israel - 6,092 cases, 26 deaths

Brazil - 6,931 cases, 244 deaths

Sweden - 4,947 cases, 239 deaths

Norway - 4,877 cases, 44 deaths

Australia - 5,108 cases, 24 deaths

Czech Republic - 3,589 cases, 39 deaths

Ireland - 3,447 cases, 85 deaths

Denmark - 3,290 cases, 104 deaths

Chile - 3,031 cases, 16 deaths

Malaysia - 2,908 cases, 45 deaths

Russia - 2,777 cases, 24 deaths

Ecuador - 2,758 cases, 98 deaths

Poland - 2,554 cases, 43 deaths

Romania - 2,460 cases, 92 deaths

Japan - 2,384 cases, 57 deaths

Luxembourg - 2,319 cases, 29 deaths

Philippines - 2,311 cases, 96 deaths

Pakistan - 2,238 cases, 31 deaths

India - 2,038 cases, 58 deaths

Thailand - 1,771 cases, 12 deaths

Saudi Arabia - 1,720 cases, 16 deaths

Indonesia - 1,677 cases, 157 deaths

Finland - 1,446 cases, 17 deaths

Greece - 1,415 cases, 51 deaths

South Africa - 1,380 cases, 5 deaths

Peru - 1,32 cases, 47 deaths

Dominican Republic - 1,284 cases, 57 deaths

Iceland - 1,220 cases, 2 deaths

Mexico - 1,215 cases, 37 deaths

Panama - 1,181 cases, 30 deaths

Colombia - 1,065 cases, 17 deaths

Serbia - 1,060 cases, 28 deaths

Argentina - 1,133 cases, 33 deaths

Singapore - 1,000 cases, 4 deaths

Croatia - 963 cases, 6 deaths

Algeria - 847 cases, 58 deaths

Slovenia - 841 cases, 15 deaths

Qatar - 835 cases, 2 deaths

United Arab Emirates - 814 cases, 8 deaths

Ukraine - 794 cases, 20 deaths

Egypt - 779 cases, 52 deaths

Estonia - 779 cases, 5 deaths

Iraq - 728 cases, 52 deaths

New Zealand - 797 cases, 1 death

Morocco - 642 cases, 39 deaths

Lithuania - 581 cases, 8 deaths

Armenia - 571 cases, 4 deaths

Bahrain - 569 cases, 4 deaths

Hungary - 525 cases, 20 deaths

Lebanon - 479 cases, 14 deaths

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 457 cases, 13 deaths

Latvia - 446 cases

Moldova - 423 cases, 5 deaths

Tunisia - 423 cases, 12 deaths

Bulgaria - 422 cases, 10 deaths

Slovakia - 400 cases, 1 death

Andorra - 390 cases, 14 deaths

Kazakhstan - 402 cases, 3 deaths

Costa Rica - 375 cases, 2 deaths

Azerbaijan - 359 cases, 5 deaths

North Macedonia - 354 cases, 11 deaths

Uruguay - 338 cases, 2 deaths

Taiwan - 329 cases, 5 deaths

Cyprus - 320 cases, 9 deaths

Kuwait - 317 cases

Burkina Faso - 282 cases, 16 deaths

Jordan - 278 cases, 5 deaths

Albania - 259 cases, 15 deaths

Afghanistan - 239 cases, 4 deaths

San Marino - 236 cases, 26 deaths

Cameroon - 233 cases, 6 deaths

Vietnam - 218 cases

Cuba - 212 cases, 6 deaths

Oman - 210 cases, 1 death

Ghana - 195 cases, 5 deaths

Senegal - 190 cases, 1 death

Malta - 188 cases

Uzbekistan - 181 cases, 2 deaths

Ivory Coast - 179 cases, 1 death

Nigeria - 174 cases, 2 deaths

Honduras - 172 cases, 10 deaths

Belarus - 163 cases, 2 deaths

Mauritius - 161 cases, 6 deaths

Sri Lanka - 146 cases, 3 deaths

Venezuela - 143 cases, 3 deaths

Palestinian Territories - 134 cases, 1 death

Brunei - 131 cases, 1 death

Montenegro - 123 cases, 2 deaths

Georgia - 117 cases

Bolivia - 115 cases, 7 deaths

Kosovo - 112 cases, 1 death

Kyrgyzstan - 111 cases

Cambodia - 109 cases

Democratic Republic of the Congo - 109 cases, 9 deaths

Trinidad and Tobago - 89 cases, 5 deaths

Rwanda - 82 cases

Kenya - 81 cases, 1 death

Paraguay - 69 cases, 3 deaths

Liechtenstein - 68 cases

Madagascar - 57 cases

Monaco - 55 cases, 1 death

Bangladesh - 54 cases, 6 deaths

Uganda - 44 cases

Guatemala - 39 cases, 1 death

Jamaica - 38 cases, 2 deaths

Togo - 36 cases, 2 deaths

Zambia - 36 cases

Barbados - 34 cases

Niger - 34 cases, 3 deaths

Djibouti - 33 cases

El Salvador - 32 cases, 1 death

Mali - 31 cases, 3 deaths

Guinea - 30 cases

Ethiopia - 29 cases

Tanzania - 20 cases, 1 death

Republic of the Congo - 19 cases

Maldives - 19 cases

Gabon - 18 cases, 1 death

Haiti - 16 cases

Bahamas - 15 cases

Myanmar - 15 cases, 1 death

Equatorial Guinea - 15 cases

Eritrea - 15 cases

Mongolia - 14 cases

Namibia - 14 cases

Saint Lucia - 13 cases

Dominica - 12 cases

Guyana - 12 cases, 2 deaths

Laos - 10 cases

Libya - 10 cases

Mozambique - 10 cases

Seychelles - 10 cases

Suriname - 10 cases

Syria - 10 cases, 2 deaths

Benin - 9 cases

Eswatini - 9 cases

Grenada - 9 cases

Guinea-Bassau - 8 cases

Saint Kittis and Nevis - 8 cases

Zimbabwe - 8 cases, 1 death

Angola - 7 cases, 2 deaths

Antigua and Barbuda - 7 cases

Chad - 7 cases

Sudan - 7 cases, 2 deaths

Cape Verde - 6 cases, 1 death

Vatican - 6 cases

Liberia - 6 cases

Mauritania - 6 cases, 1 death

Fiji - 5 cases

Nepal - 5 cases

Nicaragua - 5 cases, 1 death

Somalia - 5 cases

Bhutan - 4 cases

Botswana - 4 cases 

Gambia - 4 cases, 1 death

Belize - 3 cases

Central African Republic - 3 cases

Burundi - 2 cases 

Papua New Guinea - 1 case

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 1 case

East Timor - 1 case

Sierra Leone - 1 case


Profile picture
According to an AFP tally, there are more than  500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Europe with more than 30,000 death toll.

The novel coronavirus that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December are being reported daily around the world.

More than 47,000 people have died from COVID-19, as the illness is officially known, while over 937,000 infections have been confirmed in at least 180 countries and territories. 

At least, more than 194,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus.

Here are the countries that have so far confirmed coronavirus cases:

United States - 216,721 cases, 5,138 deaths

Italy - 110,574 cases, 13,155 deaths

Spain - 104,118 cases, 9,387 deaths

China - 82,934 cases, 3,316 deaths . The total includes 41 cases in Macau and 765 cases - four deaths - in Hong Kong.

Germany - 77,981 cases, 931 deaths

France - 57,763 cases, 4,043 deaths

Iran - 47,593 cases, 3,036 deaths

United Kingdom - 29,865 cases, 2,357 deaths

Switzerland - 17,768 cases, 488 deaths

Turkey - 15,679 cases, 277 deaths

Belgium - 13,964 cases, 828 deaths

Netherlands - 13,696 cases, 1,175 deaths


Austria - 10,771 cases, 146 deaths

South Korea - 9,976 cases, 169 deaths

Canada - 9,731 cases, 112 deaths

Portugal - 8,251 cases, 187 deaths

Israel - 6,092 cases, 26 deaths

Brazil - 6,931 cases, 244 deaths

Sweden - 4,947 cases, 239 deaths

Norway - 4,877 cases, 44 deaths

Australia - 5,108 cases, 24 deaths

Czech Republic - 3,589 cases, 39 deaths

Ireland - 3,447 cases, 85 deaths

Denmark - 3,290 cases, 104 deaths

Chile - 3,031 cases, 16 deaths

Malaysia - 2,908 cases, 45 deaths

Russia - 2,777 cases, 24 deaths

Ecuador - 2,758 cases, 98 deaths

Poland - 2,554 cases, 43 deaths

Romania - 2,460 cases, 92 deaths

Japan - 2,384 cases, 57 deaths

Luxembourg - 2,319 cases, 29 deaths

Philippines - 2,311 cases, 96 deaths

Pakistan - 2,238 cases, 31 deaths

India - 2,038 cases, 58 deaths

Thailand - 1,771 cases, 12 deaths

Saudi Arabia - 1,720 cases, 16 deaths

Indonesia - 1,677 cases, 157 deaths

Finland - 1,446 cases, 17 deaths

Greece - 1,415 cases, 51 deaths

South Africa - 1,380 cases, 5 deaths

Peru - 1,32 cases, 47 deaths

Dominican Republic - 1,284 cases, 57 deaths

Iceland - 1,220 cases, 2 deaths

Mexico - 1,215 cases, 37 deaths

Panama - 1,181 cases, 30 deaths

Colombia - 1,065 cases, 17 deaths

Serbia - 1,060 cases, 28 deaths

Argentina - 1,133 cases, 33 deaths

Singapore - 1,000 cases, 4 deaths

Croatia - 963 cases, 6 deaths

Algeria - 847 cases, 58 deaths

Slovenia - 841 cases, 15 deaths

Qatar - 835 cases, 2 deaths

United Arab Emirates - 814 cases, 8 deaths

Ukraine - 794 cases, 20 deaths

Egypt - 779 cases, 52 deaths

Estonia - 779 cases, 5 deaths

Iraq - 728 cases, 52 deaths

New Zealand - 797 cases, 1 death

Morocco - 642 cases, 39 deaths

Lithuania - 581 cases, 8 deaths

Armenia - 571 cases, 4 deaths

Bahrain - 569 cases, 4 deaths

Hungary - 525 cases, 20 deaths

Lebanon - 479 cases, 14 deaths

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 457 cases, 13 deaths

Latvia - 446 cases

Moldova - 423 cases, 5 deaths

Tunisia - 423 cases, 12 deaths

Bulgaria - 422 cases, 10 deaths

Slovakia - 400 cases, 1 death

Andorra - 390 cases, 14 deaths

Kazakhstan - 402 cases, 3 deaths

Costa Rica - 375 cases, 2 deaths

Azerbaijan - 359 cases, 5 deaths

North Macedonia - 354 cases, 11 deaths

Uruguay - 338 cases, 2 deaths

Taiwan - 329 cases, 5 deaths

Cyprus - 320 cases, 9 deaths

Kuwait - 317 cases

Burkina Faso - 282 cases, 16 deaths

Jordan - 278 cases, 5 deaths

Albania - 259 cases, 15 deaths

Afghanistan - 239 cases, 4 deaths

San Marino - 236 cases, 26 deaths

Cameroon - 233 cases, 6 deaths

Vietnam - 218 cases

Cuba - 212 cases, 6 deaths

Oman - 210 cases, 1 death

Ghana - 195 cases, 5 deaths

Senegal - 190 cases, 1 death

Malta - 188 cases

Uzbekistan - 181 cases, 2 deaths

Ivory Coast - 179 cases, 1 death

Nigeria - 174 cases, 2 deaths

Honduras - 172 cases, 10 deaths

Belarus - 163 cases, 2 deaths

Mauritius - 161 cases, 6 deaths

Sri Lanka - 146 cases, 3 deaths

Venezuela - 143 cases, 3 deaths

Palestinian Territories - 134 cases, 1 death

Brunei - 131 cases, 1 death

Montenegro - 123 cases, 2 deaths

Georgia - 117 cases

Bolivia - 115 cases, 7 deaths

Kosovo - 112 cases, 1 death

Kyrgyzstan - 111 cases

Cambodia - 109 cases

Democratic Republic of the Congo - 109 cases, 9 deaths

Trinidad and Tobago - 89 cases, 5 deaths

Rwanda - 82 cases

Kenya - 81 cases, 1 death

Paraguay - 69 cases, 3 deaths

Liechtenstein - 68 cases

Madagascar - 57 cases

Monaco - 55 cases, 1 death

Bangladesh - 54 cases, 6 deaths

Uganda - 44 cases

Guatemala - 39 cases, 1 death

Jamaica - 38 cases, 2 deaths

Togo - 36 cases, 2 deaths

Zambia - 36 cases

Barbados - 34 cases

Niger - 34 cases, 3 deaths

Djibouti - 33 cases

El Salvador - 32 cases, 1 death

Mali - 31 cases, 3 deaths

Guinea - 30 cases

Ethiopia - 29 cases

Tanzania - 20 cases, 1 death

Republic of the Congo - 19 cases

Maldives - 19 cases

Gabon - 18 cases, 1 death

Haiti - 16 cases

Bahamas - 15 cases

Myanmar - 15 cases, 1 death

Equatorial Guinea - 15 cases

Eritrea - 15 cases

Mongolia - 14 cases

Namibia - 14 cases

Saint Lucia - 13 cases

Dominica - 12 cases

Guyana - 12 cases, 2 deaths

Laos - 10 cases

Libya - 10 cases

Mozambique - 10 cases

Seychelles - 10 cases

Suriname - 10 cases

Syria - 10 cases, 2 deaths

Benin - 9 cases

Eswatini - 9 cases

Grenada - 9 cases

Guinea-Bassau - 8 cases

Saint Kittis and Nevis - 8 cases

Zimbabwe - 8 cases, 1 death

Angola - 7 cases, 2 deaths

Antigua and Barbuda - 7 cases

Chad - 7 cases

Sudan - 7 cases, 2 deaths

Cape Verde - 6 cases, 1 death

Vatican - 6 cases

Liberia - 6 cases

Mauritania - 6 cases, 1 death

Fiji - 5 cases

Nepal - 5 cases

Nicaragua - 5 cases, 1 death

Somalia - 5 cases

Bhutan - 4 cases

Botswana - 4 cases 

Gambia - 4 cases, 1 death

Belize - 3 cases

Central African Republic - 3 cases

Burundi - 2 cases 

Papua New Guinea - 1 case

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 1 case

East Timor - 1 case

Sierra Leone - 1 case


COVID1-19: Russia to send medical equipment and disinfection systems, virologists and epidemiologists of eight medical teams to Italy

COVID1-19: Russia to send medical equipment and disinfection systems, virologists and epidemiologists of eight medical teams to Italy

Russian Embassy in the UK confirmed on Sunday that Russia federation is sets to send medical equipment and disinfection systems, virologists and epidemiologists of eight medical teams to Italy amidst the battle against the coronavirus epidemic which has all together claimed lives in europe that the Asia and in Italy than China.

Russia to send Italy eight medical teams of nearly 100 virologists and epidemiologists with medical equipment and disinfection systems to assist in combating #coronavirus.

Russia lends helping hands to China and Iran in their efforts to combat and contain the Virus, and as well as North Korea, in the country's efforts to prevent the outbreak.
Russian Embassy in the UK confirmed on Sunday that Russia federation is sets to send medical equipment and disinfection systems, virologists and epidemiologists of eight medical teams to Italy amidst the battle against the coronavirus epidemic which has all together claimed lives in europe that the Asia and in Italy than China.

Russia to send Italy eight medical teams of nearly 100 virologists and epidemiologists with medical equipment and disinfection systems to assist in combating #coronavirus.

Russia lends helping hands to China and Iran in their efforts to combat and contain the Virus, and as well as North Korea, in the country's efforts to prevent the outbreak.

Italy reports 349 new virus deaths, taking total to over 2,000

Italy reports 349 new virus deaths, taking total to over 2,000

ROME, (AFP) — Italy on Monday reported 349 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking its total from last month to 2,158, the most after China. The number of official COVID-19 fatalities has more than doubled since Thursday when Italy’s toll topped 1,000 for the first time. 

Italy now has 27,980 infections, compared to 15,113 four days ago. It has reported more than 700 deaths in two days.

Among specific regions, the overwhelming majority of the fatalities remained largely confined to northern regions, where the virus first started spreading around cities such as Milan.

The Italian financial capital’s Lombardy region recorded 1,420 deaths, of 66 percent of Italy’s total — about the same share it has had throughout the crisis. But the neighboring Piedmont region around Turin, which is home to the Italian auto industry, has seen its number of deaths and infections nearly doubled in two days.

Piedmont reported 111 deaths and 1,516 infections on Monday, compared to 59 deaths and 873 infections on Saturday.

The Lazio region around Rome has recoded 19 deaths and 523 infections.
ROME, (AFP) — Italy on Monday reported 349 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking its total from last month to 2,158, the most after China. The number of official COVID-19 fatalities has more than doubled since Thursday when Italy’s toll topped 1,000 for the first time. 

Italy now has 27,980 infections, compared to 15,113 four days ago. It has reported more than 700 deaths in two days.

Among specific regions, the overwhelming majority of the fatalities remained largely confined to northern regions, where the virus first started spreading around cities such as Milan.

The Italian financial capital’s Lombardy region recorded 1,420 deaths, of 66 percent of Italy’s total — about the same share it has had throughout the crisis. But the neighboring Piedmont region around Turin, which is home to the Italian auto industry, has seen its number of deaths and infections nearly doubled in two days.

Piedmont reported 111 deaths and 1,516 infections on Monday, compared to 59 deaths and 873 infections on Saturday.

The Lazio region around Rome has recoded 19 deaths and 523 infections.

Pope Francis prays at Great Plague church as Italy toll mounts

Pope Francis prays at Great Plague church as Italy toll mounts

Rome (AFP) - Pope Francis left Vatican City on Sunday to pray in a Rome cathedral for coronavirus victims as Italy's death toll hit a one-day high of 368.

The 83-year-old pontiff's unannounced visit to a church with a crucifix from the times of the Great Plague came with Italy's hospitals running out beds and the entire nation of 60 million under effective lockdown.

Only occasional joggers and a few locals carrying grocery bags could be seen on the streets of Rome in what has fast become Italy's biggest crisis in several generations.

Official data showed the number of fatalities in the Mediterranean country shooting up by 368 to 1,809 -- more than half of all the fatal cases recorded outside China.

The Vatican took the drastic step of cancelling Easter week celebrations that were set to begin on April 5 as the country braced for the worst.

Pope Francis has been suffering from a cold for more than two weeks and communicating with the world's 1.3 billion Catholics via livestream.

But the Vatican said the pontiff appeared at Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica and then walked "on foot, as if on a pilgrimage" to the San Marcello al Corso church.

It explained that the pope selected the church because it holds a "miraculous crucifix which, in 1522, was carried in procession through city districts" to mark the end of the Great Plague.

The pope prayed for "the end of the pandemic that affects Italy and the world, imploring for the healing of the many sick, and remembering the many victims," the Vatican said.

- 'Getting worse' -

Milan's Lombardy region governor Attilio Fontana said the situation in areas around the Italian financial hub was only "getting worse".

"We are close to the point where we will no longer be able to resuscitate people because we will be out of intensive care unit beds," Fontana told Italy's Sky TG24 channel.

"We need those machines (doctors) use to ventilate lungs, artificial respirators that unfortunately we cannot find," Fontana said.

The Lombardy region has recorded 1,218 of the Italian deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 over the past three weeks -- more than the rest of Europe combined.

The region of 10 million -- slightly smaller but more economically productive than neighbouring Switzerland to the north -- also has 13,272 reported infections and 767 people in intensive care.

Milan mayor Beppe Sala said he had managed to secure shipments of surgical masks from China to help cover a growing shortage.

"Milan has always had excellent relations with the main Chinese cities and I made a few phone calls over the past few days in search of masks," the Milan mayor said.

"The first shipment arrived (Friday) and we will now distribute them to doctors, to our staff."

The European Commission also announced the imminent delivery of one million masks from Germany.

Yet the situation remained critical despite Lombardy enjoying a world-class healthcare system that has been praised by the World Health Organization for years.

- Curfew warning -

The governor of Venice's Veneto region to the east also called on "everyone to remain in isolation" to avoid putting hospitals under further strain.

"If you do not follow the rules, the healthcare system will crash and I will have to impose a curfew," Veneto governor Luca Zaia warned.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted on Sunday that his government was paying "maximum attention" to the situation in the north.

His government put the finishing touches to a new crisis plan that reportedly includes family relief measures such as parental leave pay and help for the self-employed.

The government said it was also in discussion with banks about a suspension of some family mortgage payments.


Rome (AFP) - Pope Francis left Vatican City on Sunday to pray in a Rome cathedral for coronavirus victims as Italy's death toll hit a one-day high of 368.

The 83-year-old pontiff's unannounced visit to a church with a crucifix from the times of the Great Plague came with Italy's hospitals running out beds and the entire nation of 60 million under effective lockdown.

Only occasional joggers and a few locals carrying grocery bags could be seen on the streets of Rome in what has fast become Italy's biggest crisis in several generations.

Official data showed the number of fatalities in the Mediterranean country shooting up by 368 to 1,809 -- more than half of all the fatal cases recorded outside China.

The Vatican took the drastic step of cancelling Easter week celebrations that were set to begin on April 5 as the country braced for the worst.

Pope Francis has been suffering from a cold for more than two weeks and communicating with the world's 1.3 billion Catholics via livestream.

But the Vatican said the pontiff appeared at Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica and then walked "on foot, as if on a pilgrimage" to the San Marcello al Corso church.

It explained that the pope selected the church because it holds a "miraculous crucifix which, in 1522, was carried in procession through city districts" to mark the end of the Great Plague.

The pope prayed for "the end of the pandemic that affects Italy and the world, imploring for the healing of the many sick, and remembering the many victims," the Vatican said.

- 'Getting worse' -

Milan's Lombardy region governor Attilio Fontana said the situation in areas around the Italian financial hub was only "getting worse".

"We are close to the point where we will no longer be able to resuscitate people because we will be out of intensive care unit beds," Fontana told Italy's Sky TG24 channel.

"We need those machines (doctors) use to ventilate lungs, artificial respirators that unfortunately we cannot find," Fontana said.

The Lombardy region has recorded 1,218 of the Italian deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 over the past three weeks -- more than the rest of Europe combined.

The region of 10 million -- slightly smaller but more economically productive than neighbouring Switzerland to the north -- also has 13,272 reported infections and 767 people in intensive care.

Milan mayor Beppe Sala said he had managed to secure shipments of surgical masks from China to help cover a growing shortage.

"Milan has always had excellent relations with the main Chinese cities and I made a few phone calls over the past few days in search of masks," the Milan mayor said.

"The first shipment arrived (Friday) and we will now distribute them to doctors, to our staff."

The European Commission also announced the imminent delivery of one million masks from Germany.

Yet the situation remained critical despite Lombardy enjoying a world-class healthcare system that has been praised by the World Health Organization for years.

- Curfew warning -

The governor of Venice's Veneto region to the east also called on "everyone to remain in isolation" to avoid putting hospitals under further strain.

"If you do not follow the rules, the healthcare system will crash and I will have to impose a curfew," Veneto governor Luca Zaia warned.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted on Sunday that his government was paying "maximum attention" to the situation in the north.

His government put the finishing touches to a new crisis plan that reportedly includes family relief measures such as parental leave pay and help for the self-employed.

The government said it was also in discussion with banks about a suspension of some family mortgage payments.


COVID-19: Italy's death toll surpasses 1,000 as US official acknowledges strategy is 'failing'

COVID-19: Italy's death toll surpasses 1,000 as US official acknowledges strategy is 'failing'

The world’s battle to manage the coronavirus’ spread entered a delicate phase on Thursday, as Italy’s death toll passed a grim milestone and U.S. officials acknowledged that the world’s largest economy was “failing” in its effort to identify and prevent new infections.

Italy's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic shot past 1,000 on Thursday as the economic impact worsened, with much of the country at a standstill and the Milan bourse posting its largest ever one-day fall.

The World Health Organization’s decision on Wednesday to formally declare a pandemic has underscored the growing severity of the crisis, with global infections nearing 130,000 across more than 100 countries — with cases outside of China having multiplied rapidly.

The financial and economic toll also grew, with investors hammering major benchmarks deeper into correction territory. Fears were growing inside the world’s largest economy, after President Donald Trump announced narrow travel restrictions on Europe that failed to ease an angst-ridden market.

Multiple professional sports leagues moved to suspend their schedules, while numerous businesses encouraged employees to work from home in order to prevent more community spreading of the disease. In New York — which is now the largest coronavirus hot zone in the U.S. — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on gatherings of 500 people or more amid a state of emergency.

“Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general, said on Thursday.

Despite the “speed and scale” of new COVID-19 transmissions, Ghebreyesus stated that the coronavirus was “controllable” if governments got themselves ready. “The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous. On the contrary, we have to double down.”

While containment efforts in China and South Korea have been encouraging, Italy and the U.S. are now locked in a race against time as new cases skyrocket in both countries. Italy — which on Thursday saw its death toll hit 1,000 in the wake of implementing a rigid quarantine protocol — now has the distinction of having Europe’s worst cluster of infections, and the second-highest outside of China.

In America, new cases are surfacing rapidly amid concerns that testing and treatment for the disease aren’t up to the growing challenge. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. official on infectious diseases, said as much in a sobering assessment of the state of play to Congress.

"The system is not really geared to what we need right now... That is a failing. Let's admit it," Fauci said.

While faulty testing kits from the Centers for Disease Control slowed down the U.S. response, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Labcorp (LH) have begun offering tests for doctor’s offices. The country’s top health officials anticipate a clearer picture of where the virus has spread as more tests are completed.

"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that,” he added. “Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
‘We have to assume the worst’


U.S. stocks tumbled by more than 7%, with Wall Street locked in a wave of panicky selling as the virus’ human and economic toll widened.

The New York Federal Reserve stepped in midday Thursday and announced a major asset purchase program, offering $500 billion in a three-month rep operation that will repeat tomorrow. The New York Fed also said its securities purchases would be along a range of maturities, to match the composition of the Treasury market.

However, few analysts believe the problem will be resolved with more Fed easing — especially as the jitters lay waste to specific sectors like travel, leisure and entertainment. And social distancing and self-quarantine efforts being encouraged by governments to prevent more spreading are a drag on companies that rely on consumer traffic, like Starbucks (SBUX) and Uber (UBER).

Carnival Cruises (CCL) announced it would halt its Princess Cruises globally for 60 days. The cruise line has seen multiple ships affected by the outbreak, including widespread infection from the Diamond Princess quarantined in Japan for two weeks with 3,700 on board.

As global diffusion of the virus goes unchecked, hopes have been pinned on the development of treatment and vaccine regimens that can ameliorate the crisis — yet drugs currently in development are unlikely to be publicly available for months, if not years.

Gregory Glenn, president of clinical-stage pharmaceutical company Novavax (NVAX), told Yahoo Finance on Thursday that the normal time frame for developing vaccines can be as high as a decade. However, Glenn added there were exceptions to that rule.

“We know from Ebola that [timeline] was shortened quite a bit,” Glenn told “On the Move” — especially as the federal government put pressure on pharma firms to speed up operations in the coronavirus fight.

“It’s my expectation that we can shorten some time, so we’re a little bit in unknown territory” he said — adding that testing could begin this spring and a vaccine could be ready within 18 months.

Yet Glenn warned that countries “have to assume the worst” about the virus’ ability to be controlled.

“The more worrisome thing for me is not today, but what we call a ‘second wave’ where the virus has now gotten into the community...and comes back,” he told Yahoo Finance. “We want to try to be ready and able to address that, if at all possible.”

Anjalee Khemlani is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @AnjKhem

Javier David is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter: @TeflonGeek

The world’s battle to manage the coronavirus’ spread entered a delicate phase on Thursday, as Italy’s death toll passed a grim milestone and U.S. officials acknowledged that the world’s largest economy was “failing” in its effort to identify and prevent new infections.

Italy's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic shot past 1,000 on Thursday as the economic impact worsened, with much of the country at a standstill and the Milan bourse posting its largest ever one-day fall.

The World Health Organization’s decision on Wednesday to formally declare a pandemic has underscored the growing severity of the crisis, with global infections nearing 130,000 across more than 100 countries — with cases outside of China having multiplied rapidly.

The financial and economic toll also grew, with investors hammering major benchmarks deeper into correction territory. Fears were growing inside the world’s largest economy, after President Donald Trump announced narrow travel restrictions on Europe that failed to ease an angst-ridden market.

Multiple professional sports leagues moved to suspend their schedules, while numerous businesses encouraged employees to work from home in order to prevent more community spreading of the disease. In New York — which is now the largest coronavirus hot zone in the U.S. — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on gatherings of 500 people or more amid a state of emergency.

“Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general, said on Thursday.

Despite the “speed and scale” of new COVID-19 transmissions, Ghebreyesus stated that the coronavirus was “controllable” if governments got themselves ready. “The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous. On the contrary, we have to double down.”

While containment efforts in China and South Korea have been encouraging, Italy and the U.S. are now locked in a race against time as new cases skyrocket in both countries. Italy — which on Thursday saw its death toll hit 1,000 in the wake of implementing a rigid quarantine protocol — now has the distinction of having Europe’s worst cluster of infections, and the second-highest outside of China.

In America, new cases are surfacing rapidly amid concerns that testing and treatment for the disease aren’t up to the growing challenge. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. official on infectious diseases, said as much in a sobering assessment of the state of play to Congress.

"The system is not really geared to what we need right now... That is a failing. Let's admit it," Fauci said.

While faulty testing kits from the Centers for Disease Control slowed down the U.S. response, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Labcorp (LH) have begun offering tests for doctor’s offices. The country’s top health officials anticipate a clearer picture of where the virus has spread as more tests are completed.

"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that,” he added. “Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
‘We have to assume the worst’


U.S. stocks tumbled by more than 7%, with Wall Street locked in a wave of panicky selling as the virus’ human and economic toll widened.

The New York Federal Reserve stepped in midday Thursday and announced a major asset purchase program, offering $500 billion in a three-month rep operation that will repeat tomorrow. The New York Fed also said its securities purchases would be along a range of maturities, to match the composition of the Treasury market.

However, few analysts believe the problem will be resolved with more Fed easing — especially as the jitters lay waste to specific sectors like travel, leisure and entertainment. And social distancing and self-quarantine efforts being encouraged by governments to prevent more spreading are a drag on companies that rely on consumer traffic, like Starbucks (SBUX) and Uber (UBER).

Carnival Cruises (CCL) announced it would halt its Princess Cruises globally for 60 days. The cruise line has seen multiple ships affected by the outbreak, including widespread infection from the Diamond Princess quarantined in Japan for two weeks with 3,700 on board.

As global diffusion of the virus goes unchecked, hopes have been pinned on the development of treatment and vaccine regimens that can ameliorate the crisis — yet drugs currently in development are unlikely to be publicly available for months, if not years.

Gregory Glenn, president of clinical-stage pharmaceutical company Novavax (NVAX), told Yahoo Finance on Thursday that the normal time frame for developing vaccines can be as high as a decade. However, Glenn added there were exceptions to that rule.

“We know from Ebola that [timeline] was shortened quite a bit,” Glenn told “On the Move” — especially as the federal government put pressure on pharma firms to speed up operations in the coronavirus fight.

“It’s my expectation that we can shorten some time, so we’re a little bit in unknown territory” he said — adding that testing could begin this spring and a vaccine could be ready within 18 months.

Yet Glenn warned that countries “have to assume the worst” about the virus’ ability to be controlled.

“The more worrisome thing for me is not today, but what we call a ‘second wave’ where the virus has now gotten into the community...and comes back,” he told Yahoo Finance. “We want to try to be ready and able to address that, if at all possible.”

Anjalee Khemlani is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @AnjKhem

Javier David is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter: @TeflonGeek

Italy PM announces additional 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight #coronavirus epidemic

Italy PM announces additional 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight #coronavirus epidemic

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that Rome is allocating an additional 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight the novel coronavirus that has killed 631 people in Italy.

"We have allocated emergency resources amounting to 25 billion euros," Conte told reporters after a meeting on the government response to the health crisis. afp
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that Rome is allocating an additional 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight the novel coronavirus that has killed 631 people in Italy.

"We have allocated emergency resources amounting to 25 billion euros," Conte told reporters after a meeting on the government response to the health crisis. afp

Virus deaths soar in Italy, US deploys national guard

Virus deaths soar in Italy, US deploys national guard

Profile picture
(AFP) Italians braced for a second day of national lockdown Wednesday after a sharp spike in coronavirus-related deaths, as New York deployed the National Guard to contain a disease that has sown worldwide panic.

Europe's hardest-hit country said the death toll from the COVID-19 virus had risen Tuesday by a third to 631, with the surging epidemic playing havoc with global sporting, cultural and political events.

While authorities in China, where the outbreak began, have declared it "basically curbed", cases are multiplying around the world, sparking panic buying in shops, and wild swings on financial markets.

Its seemingly relentless march has now claimed its first victim in Central America, with a 64-year-old man dying in Panama on Tuesday. Indonesia also reported its first death.

China remains the hardest-hit overall with more than 80,000 cases and 3,000 deaths, out of a global total of 117,339 cases and 4,251 fatalities in 107 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

Beijing reported an increase in imported cases Wednesday, fuelling concerns that infections from overseas could undermine its progress in halting the spread of the virus.

Nevertheless, some companies in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus emerged late last year, are to be allowed to return to work -- a sign things are gradually returning to normal.

Coronavirus is infecting all walks of life, including politics, with US Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both cancelling campaign rallies and British health minister Nadine Dorries saying she had tested positive.

And amid criticism of the US authorities' response, New York deployed the National Guard for the first time during the crisis to help contain the spread of the disease from an infection-hit suburb.

"It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. This is literally a matter of life and death," said state governor Andrew Cuomo.

"People are scared, it's an unusual situation to be in," Miles Goldberg, who runs a New Rochelle bar, told AFP.

"It makes people nervous to be around others, it makes people nervous to get inside into businesses and such," he said.

At least 28 people have died in the US with 1,025 infected, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University -- nearly double the 550 total confirmed cases the day before.

- Urgent work only -

In an unprecedented move, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has told the 60 million residents of his country they should travel only for the most urgent work or health reasons.

And while squares in Milan and Rome were emptied of their usual bustle and traffic, some residents appeared uncertain if they could leave their homes for everyday tasks like shopping.

"I don't know if we can actually get out of Milan. Nobody really seems to know what's going on," said Texan Nick Manage, looking lost as he wandered around the northern city's central train station.

Pope Francis also seemed to muddy the waters, holding a mass in which he urged priests to go out and visit the sick -- something Conte has specifically discouraged.

Sporting events continued to fall victim to the virus as authorities urge people to avoid large gatherings.

Arsenal's game at Manchester City was postponed after players from the London club were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier League fixture to be called off because of the virus.

The virus has sparked doubts about the Olympics due to open in Tokyo on July 24, with the traditional flame lighting ceremony in Greece set to be held without spectators.

In the United States, organisers rescheduled the two-week Coachella music festival for October. And Disneyland Tokyo parks will be closed until early April as Japan seeks to clamp down on the virus before the Games.

- 'End of the World' -

The virus and the response to the crisis has prompted pandemonium on global markets with volatility not seen since the world financial crisis in 2008.

After suffering its worst session in more than 11 years earlier this week, the Dow Jones Index in New York bounced back significantly, rising five percent on Tuesday.

Politicians around the world have scrambled to put together emergency packages to ease the significant financial hardships the virus is expected to cause for households and businesses.

Asian markets were mostly down Wednesday and analysts warned of further volatility ahead.

"It's like winding up a rubber band. The more you wind it, when you let go, the more it pops," said LBBW's Karl Haeling.

But the coronavirus was not dampening spirits everywhere.

Celia, a 39-year-old Parisian who did not give her full name, said the outbreak did nothing to dampen her excitement about meeting up with the man she had been flirting with online.

"There is an element of 'the end of the world' to this virus, it... makes me want to live a little more intensely, and not necessarily in a wholesome way," she told AFP.

burs-ric/sah/fox

Profile picture
(AFP) Italians braced for a second day of national lockdown Wednesday after a sharp spike in coronavirus-related deaths, as New York deployed the National Guard to contain a disease that has sown worldwide panic.

Europe's hardest-hit country said the death toll from the COVID-19 virus had risen Tuesday by a third to 631, with the surging epidemic playing havoc with global sporting, cultural and political events.

While authorities in China, where the outbreak began, have declared it "basically curbed", cases are multiplying around the world, sparking panic buying in shops, and wild swings on financial markets.

Its seemingly relentless march has now claimed its first victim in Central America, with a 64-year-old man dying in Panama on Tuesday. Indonesia also reported its first death.

China remains the hardest-hit overall with more than 80,000 cases and 3,000 deaths, out of a global total of 117,339 cases and 4,251 fatalities in 107 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

Beijing reported an increase in imported cases Wednesday, fuelling concerns that infections from overseas could undermine its progress in halting the spread of the virus.

Nevertheless, some companies in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus emerged late last year, are to be allowed to return to work -- a sign things are gradually returning to normal.

Coronavirus is infecting all walks of life, including politics, with US Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both cancelling campaign rallies and British health minister Nadine Dorries saying she had tested positive.

And amid criticism of the US authorities' response, New York deployed the National Guard for the first time during the crisis to help contain the spread of the disease from an infection-hit suburb.

"It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. This is literally a matter of life and death," said state governor Andrew Cuomo.

"People are scared, it's an unusual situation to be in," Miles Goldberg, who runs a New Rochelle bar, told AFP.

"It makes people nervous to be around others, it makes people nervous to get inside into businesses and such," he said.

At least 28 people have died in the US with 1,025 infected, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University -- nearly double the 550 total confirmed cases the day before.

- Urgent work only -

In an unprecedented move, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has told the 60 million residents of his country they should travel only for the most urgent work or health reasons.

And while squares in Milan and Rome were emptied of their usual bustle and traffic, some residents appeared uncertain if they could leave their homes for everyday tasks like shopping.

"I don't know if we can actually get out of Milan. Nobody really seems to know what's going on," said Texan Nick Manage, looking lost as he wandered around the northern city's central train station.

Pope Francis also seemed to muddy the waters, holding a mass in which he urged priests to go out and visit the sick -- something Conte has specifically discouraged.

Sporting events continued to fall victim to the virus as authorities urge people to avoid large gatherings.

Arsenal's game at Manchester City was postponed after players from the London club were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier League fixture to be called off because of the virus.

The virus has sparked doubts about the Olympics due to open in Tokyo on July 24, with the traditional flame lighting ceremony in Greece set to be held without spectators.

In the United States, organisers rescheduled the two-week Coachella music festival for October. And Disneyland Tokyo parks will be closed until early April as Japan seeks to clamp down on the virus before the Games.

- 'End of the World' -

The virus and the response to the crisis has prompted pandemonium on global markets with volatility not seen since the world financial crisis in 2008.

After suffering its worst session in more than 11 years earlier this week, the Dow Jones Index in New York bounced back significantly, rising five percent on Tuesday.

Politicians around the world have scrambled to put together emergency packages to ease the significant financial hardships the virus is expected to cause for households and businesses.

Asian markets were mostly down Wednesday and analysts warned of further volatility ahead.

"It's like winding up a rubber band. The more you wind it, when you let go, the more it pops," said LBBW's Karl Haeling.

But the coronavirus was not dampening spirits everywhere.

Celia, a 39-year-old Parisian who did not give her full name, said the outbreak did nothing to dampen her excitement about meeting up with the man she had been flirting with online.

"There is an element of 'the end of the world' to this virus, it... makes me want to live a little more intensely, and not necessarily in a wholesome way," she told AFP.

burs-ric/sah/fox

Slovenia closes border with Italy: government

Slovenia closes border with Italy: government

Macron says Slovenia closing border with Italy "a bad decision"

Macron says Slovenia closing border with Italy "a bad decision"

Air France says suspending all flights to Italy from March 14 to April 3

Air France says suspending all flights to Italy from March 14 to April 3

Air Canada halts flights to Italy over coronavirus
Air Canada halts flights to Italy over coronavirus

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