Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will on Tuesday declare a state of emergency in parts of the country, including Tokyo, over a spike in coronavirus infections.
Abe announced the plan on Monday, citing "rapid increases of new infections, particularly in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka".
His government secured approval for the move Tuesday morning from a taskforce convened to oversee the declaration, which will empower governors of seven regions to ask people to stay inside and businesses to close their doors.
Abe is expected to formally declare the state of emergency later in the day and it will take effect from midnight.
The measure stops far short of the sort of lockdown seen in parts of Europe and the United States, with no enforcement mechanism to keep people inside or shutter business, nor penalties for those who fail to comply.
But experts and local leaders have pushed for the declaration, and 80 percent of people polled by public broadcaster TBS over the weekend said they ...

Japan to declare state of emergency over coronavirus

PTI Automatic

Airbnb on Monday announced it was taking a billion dollars in new investment to endure and, it hopes, thrive in a travel world transformed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners will invest the money into the home-sharing platform in the form of debt and equity, according to Airbnb.
"While the current environment is clearly a difficult one for the hospitality industry, the desire to travel and have authentic experiences is fundamental and enduring," Silver Lake managing partner Egon Durban said in a release.
"Airbnb's diverse, global, and resilient business model is particularly well suited to prosper as the world inevitably recovers and we all get back out to experience it."
The fresh resources will enable the San Francisco-based company to invest in its community of "hosts" as well as local experiences provided along with stays in homes, according to Airbnb co-founder and chief Brian Chesky.
Airbnb said it will focus particularly on long-term stays, from .

Airbnb gets $1bn investment for post-virus recovery

President Donald Trump on Monday announced a deal with US manufacturing giant 3M to provide millions of facemasks to combat the coronavirus pandemic after a dispute over foreign distribution.
"We have reached a very amicable agreement with 3M for the delivery of an additional 55.5 million high quality facemasks each month," he said.
"We're going to be getting over the next couple of months 166.5 million masks for our frontline healthcare workers, so the 3M saga ends very happily." Trump last week attacked the US company for not shifting all distribution back home and invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act against the company.
Some critics accused 3M of unpatriotic behavior because it continued to sell N95 respirator masks to other countries.
"We share the same goals of providing much-needed respirators to Americans across our country," said 3M chairman Mike Roman.
"Given the reality that demand for respirators outpaces supply, we are working around the clock to further ...

Trump announces 3M deal for millions of masks

Denmark is to gradually lift restrictions put in place to fight the new coronavirus, starting with the reopening of daycare nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools from April 15.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that according to health authorities "it is appropriate and justified to start a slow opening.
But on condition that everyone keeps their distance and washes their hands."
The reopening of schools will take place gradually, with kindergartens and primary schools opening from April 15 and middle and high schools waiting until May 10, she told a press conference on Monday.
Bars, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping centres, hairdressers and massage parlours will remain closed, and gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited.
"Daily life is not going to return as before for the moment. We will live with many restrictions for many more months," the prime minister warned.
Border closures remain in place and travel abroad is not recommended. Large gatherings are ...

Denmark to start easing coronavirus restrictions

Oil prices rebounded Tuesday on fresh hopes an OPEC-led meeting this week will reach an agreement to reduce oversupply and shore up the market.
Prices have fallen sharply since expectations for a quick deal to cut output levels were dashed, but the rescheduling to Thursday of a meeting of major crude producers boosted sentiment.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 3.83 per cent to USD 27.08 a barrel in Asian morning trade.
A barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading 2.81 percent higher at USD 33.98.
Prices fell to 18-year lows last week as the market wallowed in oversupply arising from a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have ramped up production.
"Prices recovered some of the early losses, as both Russia and Saudi Arabia suggested they would be willing to cut production but only if the rest of the world followed suit," ANZ Bank said in a note.
"The stumbling block appears to be the US, which is reluctant to join an agreement."
But with US .

Oil prices rebound on hopes for output cut deal

China on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January, the National Health Commission said.
Cases in mainland China have been dwindling since March, but the country faces a second wave of infections brought in from overseas, with health officials reporting nearly 1,000 imported cases in total.

China reports no new coronavirus deaths for first time

Cardinal George Pell said his acquittal on appeal against child sex charges on Tuesday remedied "a serious injustice", but that he held "no ill will" towards his accuser.
"I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough," the cleric said in a statement issued before his imminent release from prison.
Pell added that his trial "was not a referendum on the Catholic Church; nor a referendum on how Church authorities in Australia dealt with the crime of paedophilia in the Church".

Pell says acquittal remedies 'a serious injustice'

A UN board of inquiry investigating attacks on civilian establishments in Syria, including hospitals, has refrained from directly holding Russia responsible, according to a summary of its report published Monday.
The coordinates of the sites had been communicated to the belligerents by the United Nations to protect them from air strikes.
Without mentioning Russia, the investigation concluded that in four out of the seven cases studied by the board -- a school, a health center, a surgical hospital and a protection center -- "the government of Syria and/or its allies had carried out the airstrike."
In 2019, The New York Times published an exhaustive investigation, notably including recordings of Russian pilots, that directly incriminated Russia in attacks on hospitals in Syria.
"The refusal to explicitly name Russia as a responsible party working alongside the Syrian government... is deeply disappointing," Human Rights Watch said after the summary was published.
The UN commission chose .

UN refrains from directly blaming Russia for Syria hospital attacks

Cardinal George Pell will walk free from jail after winning a long-running battle to overturn his child sex abuse convictions in Australia's High Court on Tuesday.
The 78-year-old was acquitted on all five counts of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s, when the court overturned earlier decisions of a jury and lower appeals court.
The verdict is a major victory for Pell, who had steadfastly maintained his innocence.

Cardinal Pell to walk free from Australian jail after winning appeal

Eight civilians were killed when two suicide bombers, suspected to be members of Nigeria's Boko Haram jihadist group, attacked a village in northern Cameroon on Sunday, the government said.
The suicide bombers were "two young boys" carrying explosives which they "immediately activated" in Amchide village near the Nigerian border, Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said in a statement.
As well as the two boys and the eight killed, 14 people were injured, 10 seriously.
"Two Boko Haram bombers blew themselves up at around 8:00 pm" in the attack, a policeman said, while a local official said a village chief and two teenagers were among the dead.
The attack took place as the villagers were returning home though a zone that the authorities have said is dangerous after 6:00 pm, the official said.
Amchide is a small trading village in Cameroon's Far North province, a tongue of land that lies between Chad to the east and Nigeria to the west.
The province has been hit since 2014 by Boko Haram .

Suspected Boko Haram bombers kill eight in Cameroon

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's admission to intensive care with coronavirus prompted an outpouring of well-wishes from world leaders on Monday.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wished Johnson "a speedy and full recovery".
"My thoughts are with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his family this evening," she tweeted.
Her reaction was echoed by the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who is recovering in quarantine after also testing positive.
"Wishing Boris Johnson all the best and a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with you and your family," Barnier tweeted.
The best wishes from two of the European Union's top officials underlined the setting aside of political tussling after Johnson took Britain out of the bloc in January.
French President Emmanuel Macron gave his "full support to Boris Johnson, his family and the British people at this difficult time".
"I hope he will rapidly overcome this ordeal," tweeted.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had ...

World leaders wish UK PM Johnson a quick recovery

US President Donald Trump on Monday sent his best wishes to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying Americans were praying for him after he was admitted to intensive care with worsening COVID-19 symptoms.
"I also want to send best wishes to a very good friend of mine and a friend to our nation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson," Trump said at a press conference.
"We're very saddened to hear he was taken into intensive care this afternoon, a little while ago. Americans are all praying for his recovery."
Trump said that Washington had offered to provide medical assistance if needed.

Trump wishes 'friend' Johnson well, says US 'praying for his recovery'

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent his best wishes Monday to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was moved into intensive care after his COVID-19 condition worsened.
"I am thinking of my friend Boris Johnson tonight, and sending my and WHO's heartfelt good wishes as he battles the coronavirus," the UN health agency's director-general said on Twitter.
"I know the NHS and its dedicated health workers will be looking after you."
Johnson has been suffering with COVID-19 and was taken to a National Health Service hospital in London on Sunday. His condition worsened on Monday and he was moved to the intensive care unit.
Earlier Tedros gave a virtual press conference in which he spoke about the pandemic, which has infected more than 1.3 million people and killed more than 70,000.
"The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on families, communities and nations the world over," he said.
"But it's also giving rise to incredible acts of generosity, ...

WHO chief sends best wishes to British PM

Facebook on Monday said it is providing anonymous data about users' movements and relationships to help researchers better anticipate where the coronavirus might spread.
The leading online social network is augmenting maps on "population movement" with tools to glean insights in ways that still protect people's privacy, according to a post by Facebook head of health KX Jin and Laura McGorman of its Data for Good arm.
"Hospitals are working to get the right resources, and public health systems are looking to put the right guidelines in place," Jin and McGorman said.
"To do that, they need better information on whether preventive measures are working and how the virus may spread."
Google last week announced a similar move, saying it would provide a snapshot of users' location data around the world to help governments gauge the effectiveness of social distancing measures, implemented to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tools that Facebook is providing for researchers include "co-location ...

Facebook draws on user data to help battle coronavirus

As COVID-19 captures global headlines, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned Tuesday that the world needs nearly six million nurses.
The UN's health agency along with partners Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) underscored in a report the crucial role played by nurses, who make up more than half of all health workers worldwide.
"Nurses are the backbone of any health system," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
"Today, many nurses find themselves on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19," he noted, adding that it was vital they "get the support they need to keep the world healthy."
The report said that there are just under 28 million nurses on the planet.
In the five years leading up to 2018, the number grew by 4.7 million.
"But this still leaves a global shortfall of 5.9 million," the WHO said, pointing out that the greatest gaps were in poorer countries in Africa, southeast Asia, the Middle East and parts of South America.
The .

World short of six million nurses, WHO says

The UN Security Council will hold its first meeting on the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, after weeks of divisions among its five permanent members, diplomats said Monday.
Last week, exasperated by the back-and-forth that has paralysed the Council, including between China and the United States, nine of the 10 non-permanent members formally requested a meeting featuring a presentation by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UN Security Council to hold first coronavirus talks Thursday: diplomats

Israeli police released the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem on Monday after he spent 24 hours in detention for "illegal" political activities that he said was connected to the coronavirus fight.
"If we must pay to protect our people and their security and to limit the spread of coronavirus, then this is the least evil," Adnan Ghaith said in a video posted on social media shortly after his release.
He was detained over efforts by his office to curb the epidemic, which has contaminated 250 people in the Palestinian territories, according to his lawyer, Rami Othman, who did not elaborate.
The governor's deputy, Abdullah Siyam, told AFP that Ghaith was freed on bail payment of 15,000 shekels (USD 4,200).
Israel detained Ghaith on Sunday for the seventh time in 18 months, over what police said was "Palestinian activity in Jerusalem, which is illegal".
A video on social media showed Ghaith, wearing rubber gloves and smoking a cigarette, being escorted by police out of his east Jerusalem ..

Israel frees Palestinian governor of Jerusalem

The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Latin America, Brazil's Sao Paulo state, has said it expects 111,000 deaths in the next six months, and extended its stay-at-home measures another two weeks.
The forecast -- an official projection, the state government said -- would appear to put Brazil on track to become one of the worst-hit countries in the world.
The global death toll from the virus currently stands at 70,000, according to a tally compiled by AFP.
Sao Paulo, the teeming industrial hub where the new coronavirus first appeared in Latin America, has confirmed 4,620 cases and 275 deaths so far.
Governor Joao Doria, who closed non-essential businesses on March 24 and advised people to stay home, said containment measures would be needed for at least two more weeks or the situation would get far worse.
"If we continue seeing people in the streets and gathering unnecessarily, we will go to more restrictive measures," he told a news conference.
Police are already authorised to ..

Sao Paulo expects 100,000 COVID-19 deaths

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he hoped that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been admitted to intensive care with the coronavirus, would quickly overcome the "ordeal".
"My full support to Boris Johnson, his family and the British people at this difficult time. I hope he will rapidly overcome this ordeal," Macron tweeted.

Macron says he hopes Johnson will 'rapidly overcome this ordeal'

Italy has unveiled a record 400 billion euro ( USD 430 billion) stimulus to help businesses hurt by a month-long national lockdown that is like to run on for many more weeks.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday told the nation to be patient in the face of a pandemic that has now officially claimed 16,523 lives in the Mediterranean country and left millions at least temporarily unemployed "We will soon see a new spring for Italy but for the moment we must stay at home," the Italian leader said in a television address.
The programme will add to the 340 billion euros in government-backed loans announced last month.
Conte said it represented "the most powerful intervention in the country's history".
Half of the new package will be earmarked for export-oriented companies whose turnover has imploded over the past month.
Italy's health "emergency is also an economic and social one," Conte said.
The government also announced that it will take steps to protect Italian companies weakened by 

Italy injects record 400 bn euros into pandemic-hit economy

Kinshasa on Monday closed off its upmarket business district for two weeks and began large-scale disinfection in a bid to root out DR Congo's main suspected source of coronavirus, while Kenya isolated its capital Nairobi and other key cities from the rest of the country.
Access to Gombe, which houses the country's main institutions, banks and foreign embassies as well as upscale homes, was barricaded off to everyone except local residents and key workers, an AFP journalist saw.
"The choice of this district is linked to the fact that it's from Gombe that the virus is spreading little by little to other districts," the health authorities said in a daily statement.
After "massive disinfection of the offices and main buildings in Gombe... other areas will be targeted," it said.
Gombe was put under quarantine from April 6 to 20, with Kinshasa Governor Gentiny Ngobila saying the district "is considered to be the epicentre of the epidemic in the city."
According to the Democratic Republic of 

AFP

AFP

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