Economic shock waves from the coronavirus outbreak have curbed carbon pollution from China and beyond, but hopes for climate benefits from the slowdown are likely to be dashed quickly, experts say.
As governments prepare to spend their way out of the crisis, including with large infrastructure projects, global warming concerns will be little more than an afterthought, dwarfed by a drive to prop up a stuttering world economy, they say.
Preparations for a make-or-break climate summit in November are already off track, with host Britain focused on its Brexit transition, and the challenge to its health system of the gathering epidemic.
Like an unintended lab experiment, the global health emergency demonstrates the cause-and-effect relationship that drives global warming.
In the four weeks up to March 1, China's discharge of CO2 fell 200 million tonnes, or 25 per cent, compared to the same period last year, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) -- equivalent ..

Climate crisis on back-burner as pandemic threat looms

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Thousands took to the streets across Asia for International Women's Day on Sunday even as the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of events in the region.
In China -- the epicentre of the epidemic that has killed more than 3,500 people and infected over 100,000 worldwide -- state broadcaster CCTV highlighted the work of female medical workers on the frontlines in the fight against the virus.
Despite growing fears over the worsening epidemic, marches went ahead in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines while women rallied in ultra-conservative Pakistan demanding "freedom".
A women's marathon planned in India was postponed over virus concerns as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said prominent women would run his social media accounts for the day.
In South Korea, where more than 7,000 virus infections make it the hardest hit country outside China, several events were cancelled.
"Although we can't be physically together, our minds for realising gender equality are stronger than ...

Thousands rally in Asia for International Women's Day despite virus fears

A US cruise ship hit by coronavirus was given permission late Saturday to dock, while New York announced a state of emergency as confirmed cases across the country surged past 400.
The fast-spreading virus has already spread to 30 US states, killing at least 19 people, while the American capital announced its first case Saturday and citizens were coming to terms with public events being canceled across the country.
The Grand Princess cruise ship has recorded 21 COVID-19 infections on board -- 19 crew and two American passengers -- out of 45 people tested.
Authorities ordered the vessel to remain at sea off the coast of San Francisco, where it was due to dock Saturday following a 14-day trip to Hawaii, after it emerged that a passenger on a previous voyage had contracted the virus and later died.
The vessel will instead go to nearby Oakland on Monday and begin disembarking passengers in need of "acute medical treatment," vessel owner Princess Cruises said in a statement.
The ship's ...

Virus-hit US cruise ship to dock as New York declares health emergency

Hundreds of churches across South Korea closed their doors Sunday and held online services as the country reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a week.
South Korea -- which has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases outside China with 7,313 -- added 272 new cases Sunday, far below daily increases of around 500 recently.
Two more people died, bringing the death toll to 50, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Despite the smaller rise in COVID-19 cases, we are not at a point where we can say the situation has improved," said health minister Park Neung-hoo.
"Small cluster infections can emerge at any time in closed spaces like group facilities or religious events," KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong told reporters.
Yoido Full Gospel Church -- the largest Protestant Church in South Korea with around 560,000 registered members -- was among hundreds of churches that held online services on Sunday.
"Although it is the rule to come .

South Korea reports lowest new virus infections in days

Shares in the energy-dependent Gulf plunged to multi-year lows on Sunday after OPEC and its allies failed to clinch a deal on production cuts to support prices that have been hit by the novel coronavirus.
The Saudi stock market, the largest in the region, dived by 7.7 per cent minutes from the opening bell after oil prices closed near a four-year low on Friday.
Shares in oil giant Saudi Aramco dropped below their IPO price of 32 riyals (USD 8.5) for the first time, losing some 6.0 per cent to 31.98 riyals.
The world's biggest company launched on the bourse to much fanfare in December in a record-breaking initial public offering, but since then, its value has slipped from USD 1.71 trillion to USD 1.65 trillion.
The slide on the Saudi market also came amid accounts of high level arrests among the ruling family.
Multiple sources told AFP that Saudi authorities have detained three princes, including King Salman's brother and nephew, for allegedly plotting a coup, in a move that signals ...

Gulf shares slump after OPEC disagrees on virus response

Sumo's spring tournament began behind closed doors on Sunday, the latest big event in Japan to be hit by the coronavirus less than five months before the Tokyo Olympics.
The Japan Sumo Association said last week spectators would be barred the tournament in Osaka from Sunday until March 22, as the virus has infected at least 454 people across Japan and been linked to seven deaths.
On Sunday, public broadcaster NHK carried two hours of live programing from the tournament.
"This tournament without spectators would be an extremely hard one for sumo wrestlers as they struggle to focus their minds," Sumo Association chairman Hakkaku said in his welcoming address.
"Even so, all wrestlers I'm sure will perform their best," he added.
Viewers could hear sounds usually drowned out by spectators, including that of the wresters slapping their bellies and wiping their feet in the ring.
Some sumo rituals were also amended, including the traditional ladle of water that a winning wrestler offers to ...

Sumo tournament begins in empty arena amid virus fears

Bahrain's Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for March 20-22 will be held without spectators, the organisers said Sunday in the latest sporting event to be hit by measures to contain the new coronavirus.
One of the other early races in the Formula One season, the Shanghai Grand Prix on April 19, has been postponed although organisers say the season-opening race in Australia on March 15 will go ahead as planned.
"In consultation with our international partners and the kingdom's national health taskforce, Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year's Bahrain Grand Prix as a participants-only event," the Bahrain International Circuit said in a statement.
Bahrain has reported more than 80 cases of the disease, mostly among pilgrims returning from Iran.
The organisers said that social distancing measures which have been effective in preventing the spread of the virus would be "near impossible to maintain" if the race proceeded as originally planned.
"Convening a major sporting event, which 

Virus forces Bahrain to hold Formula 1 GP without spectators

Bahrain's Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for March 20-22 will be held without spectators, the organisers said Sunday in the latest sporting event to be hit by measures to contain the new coronavirus.
"In consultation with our international partners and the kingdom's national health task force, Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year's Bahrain Grand Prix as a participants-only event," the Bahrain International Circuit said in a statement.
Bahrain has reported more than 80 cases of the disease, mostly among pilgrims returning from Iran.

Bahrain to hold Formula 1 GP without spectators due to virus

A quarter of the Italian population was locked down on Sunday as the government takes drastic steps to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that is sweeping the globe, with Latin America recording its first fatality.
Italy has seen the most deaths from the COVID-19 disease of any country outside China, where the outbreak that has now killed more than 3,500 people and infected over 100,000 worldwide began in December.
The measures in place until April 3 bar people from entering or leaving vast areas of northern Italy without good reason, according to a decree signed by the prime minister and published online.
The quarantine zones are home to more than 15 million people and include the regions around Venice and financial capital Milan, while cinemas, theatres and museums will be closed nationwide.
It comes as Argentina on Saturday became the first Latin American country to report a fatality from the virus that has affected 95 nations and territories.
Anxious passengers aboard a 

Quarter of Italians on lockdown as virus sweeps globe

Saudi's stock exchange fell 6.5 per cent and other Gulf markets tumbled to multi-year lows at the start of trading Sunday after OPEC and its allies failed to clinch a deal over oil production cuts.
Shares in oil giant Saudi Aramco dropped below their IPO price for their first time. The Dubai Financial Market dived 8.5 per cent and the Kuwait and Abu Dhabi markets dropped more than 7.0 per cent.

Saudi, Gulf shares slump after OPEC deal fails

A US cruise ship stranded by a coronavirus outbreak off the coast of San Francisco will dock in Oakland, the vessel's owner said Saturday.
The Grand Princess cruise ship has recorded 21 COVID-19 infections on board -- 19 crew and two American passengers -- out of 45 people tested.
The vessel will begin disembarking guests in need of "acute medical treatment and hospitalization" from Monday, the Princess Cruises tour company said.
Instructions from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had delayed earlier plans for the ship's arrival on Sunday, the company added.
"Guests who are California residents will go to a federally operated facility within California for testing and isolation, while non-Californians will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states," Princess Cruises said.
The ship's crew will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, the company added.
"It will take several days to disembark," Carolyn Wright, an American passenger on the .

Virus-hit US cruise ship to dock in Oakland: operator

A US cruise ship stranded by a coronavirus outbreak off the coast of San Francisco will dock in Oakland, a passenger on board the vessel and US media reports said Saturday.
"We are docking in Oakland tomorrow (Sunday)," Grand Princess passenger Carolyn Wright told AFP. "We will arrive sometime in the afternoon. It will take several days to disembark." California governor Gavin Newsom had given the vessel permission to dock, the San Jose-based Mercury News reported, citing comments by Oakland councilman Larry Reid.

Virus-hit US cruise ship to dock in Oakland: reports

Ricky, a larger than life golden retriever, wags his tail as he nestles his head on Vasyl's lap. But still the war veteran looks tense.
Then the dog throws his front paws onto the shoulders of the 47-year-old suffering from post-war trauma, and a smile forms across his face.
"This is probably the most soothing thing," says Vasyl in the corridor of a large medical centre for veterans in Kiev.
Vasyl, who along with other interviewees declined to give his full name due to the stigma around mental health in the country, was wounded fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Now, he is one of the participants in an initiative to help soldiers overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the help of therapy dogs.
In it's sixth year, Kiev's conflict with separatists in the breakaway areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions has claimed more than 13,000 lives, including 4,000 Ukranian troops.
With some 10,000 soldiers injured in the conflict, one group of volunteers hopes dog ..

Therapy dogs bring respite to Ukraine war veterans

Malaysia and Thailand have barred a cruise ship carrying about 2,000 people, including dozens of Italians, from docking due to fears about the new coronavirus, an official said Sunday.
The Costa Fortuna was first turned away from the popular Thai holiday island of Phuket Friday, despite there being no suspected virus cases aboard, according to its operator.
Thai authorities had imposed restrictions "on Italians that have transited in Italy in the last 14 days", Costa Cruises said on Twitter.
The ship is carrying 64 Italians, according to Malaysian officials.  Italy has been hard hit by the virus with more than 230 fatalities, the most deaths from the disease of any country outside China, where the outbreak began in December.
On Saturday the vessel tried to dock in the northern Malaysian state of Penang but was also refused entry, local politician Phee Boon Poh told AFP.
The decision was taken as Malaysia had decided to restrict entry of all cruise ships to the country's ports, he ...

Malaysia, Thailand bar cruise ship over virus fears

Italy has closed museums, theatres, cinemas and other entertainment venues nationwide to fight the spread of the coronavirus, said a decree signed Sunday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
On top of the forced quarantine of 15 million people in vast areas of northern Italy until April 3, the government has also closed schools, nightclubs and casinos throughout the country, according to the text of the decree published on the government website.
With more than 230 fatalities, Italy has recorded the most deaths from the COVID-19 disease of any country outside China, where the outbreak began in December.

Italy closes cinemas, theatres, museums nationwide in virus lockdown: govt

A 32-year-old Paraguayan who arrived from Ecuador is the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Paraguay, the country's health minister said Saturday.
The patient was in "very good" general health and authorities were monitoring people who had contact with him since he arrived in Asuncion on March 3, Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni told reporters.
In Ecuador there are 14 confirmed cases of people infected with COVID-19 and 122 suspected cases, according to official figures.
The central laboratory of Paraguay's Ministry of Public Health confirmed the COVID-19 case on Saturday afternoon, Mazzoleni tweeted earlier.
"Protocols already tested and approved by the WHO are being applied," he wrote, referring to the World Health Organization.
Health authorities were continuing to monitor 70 others who had arrived from abroad.

Paraguay reports first coronavirus case

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders on Saturday began what amounts to a fresh campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, as the septuagenarians prepare to go head-to-head at the polls for the first time since the field narrowed to two credible candidates.
Biden, the 77-year-old former vice president, spoke to a large crowd of supporters in Missouri, one of six states that will hold Democratic primaries on Tuesday, one week after the "Super Tuesday" elections brought about a dramatic reversal of fortunes in his favor.
Standing on an outdoor stage on a sunny day in St Louis, at times wearing his signature aviator sunglasses, the politically moderate Biden savored his spectacular revival in the race for the White House.
"What a difference a day makes," he exulted. "This time last week I was in South Carolina and the press and the pundits had declared Biden's campaign dead." "But South Carolina had something to say about that, and then came Super Tuesday.
And today there are 11 ...

Biden and Sanders enter key phase in Democrats' race

North Korea has released more than 3,600 people quarantined over the new coronavirus, reports said Sunday, as the disease spread to 95 countries with over 100,000 cases worldwide.
Pyongyang has imposed strict restrictions and closed its borders to try to prevent an outbreak -- and insists it has not had a single case of COVID-19.
Around 3,650 people quarantined in Kangwon and Chagang provinces were released as of Thursday, North Korea's state radio reported according to Yonhap news agency.
It follows official KCNA news agency stating on Friday 221 out of 380 foreigners who were under "strict medical monitoring" had been discharged from isolation.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned last month of "serious consequences" if the virus reaches his country, which has banned tourists and suspended international trains and flights.
Pyongyang, subject to multiple international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, has a weak medical infrastructure and analysts say ...

North Korea releases 3,600 quarantined over virus: reports

In a poor farming village in Ivory Coast, women are celebrating a new development that is allowing them to send their children to school instead of working in the country's cocoa plantations.
Until now, many families earning less than a dollar (a euro) a day had no choice but to send their offspring to work beside adults in the fields.
Crippling poverty is a major factor in the widespread use of child labour in Ivory Coast, which is the world's top cocoa producer.
But now with the help of a Swiss-based foundation, women in plantations around Kokoti-Kouamekro are turning to a network of small savings banks with the goal of protecting children.
The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) has been working since 2007 towards the goal of ending child labour in Ivory Coast and neighbouring Ghana.
The ICI identified 200 child workers out of 900 people on the plantations of Kokoti-Kouamekro, a village of some 2,000 people in the Taabo region, 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Abidjan.
The ...

Women's bank helps Ivorian children to swap labour for class

For a generation, Roya Sadat has been a voice for Afghan women in one of the world's worst places to be one.
One of the first female filmmakers to make her name after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, she has won plaudits at home and abroad for works such as "A Letter to the President", and "Three Dots", and "Playing the Taar".
She has lived through the Soviet occupation -- fleeing with her family for their lives at times -- endured the brutality of civil war, and then the violent oppression of Taliban rule, where women existed only in the shadows and basic freedoms were lost.
Her great fear is a return to that kind of fundamentalism: The February 29, US-Taliban deal may be a potential first step for peace in a nation that for decades has only known war, but it offers no guarantees the few women's rights set out in the current constitution will be upheld.
"I feel concerned when I remember how we had simply been forgotten during the five-year Taliban rule until 9/11 happened," says the .

Voice of the unknown woman: Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat

For people hunkering down due to the coronavirus epidemic, the tech sector has become their new best friend with an array of lifestyle solutions making "social distancing" easier.
Those wanting to avoid crowds can have meals delivered from restaurants, stream blockbuster films, socialize online with friends, and work remotely.
The latest tech-inspired lifestyle solutions are gaining traction as more people are advised to work from home, and many conferences and gatherings are cancelled.
Anyone with an internet connection can use Amazon or e-commerce rivals to deliver provisions from groceries to toilet paper and over-the-counter medicine.
"We can have anything and everything delivered to our homes including hard and soft goods, doctor visits, laundry services, and even pet services," said Moor Insights and Strategy principal analyst Patrick Moorhead.
"The irony is that many of the items criticized about technology have become a 'safe' place to escape to in the wake of coronavirus." ...

AFP

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