Ugandan police said on Friday that two men were in hospital after being shot for violating restrictions on transport in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged people to stay home but has stopped short of ordering a lockdown.
Schools, places of entertainment and worship and some agricultural markets have been shut for a month and people have been banned from using public transport, and being more than three to a car, or one on a private motorbike.
"Police officers on duty to enforce a presidential directive stopped two men on a motorbike in Mukono (near Kampala) on Thursday," Uganda metropolitan police spokesman, Patrick Onyango told AFP.
"They attacked one of the officers, he fired the warning shot in the air but they charged at him and he shot one of them in the leg and another in the stomach."
Onyango said the men, who were in hospital, had said they were not aware of the directive banning public transport and private motorbikes carrying 

Uganda police shoot 2 for violating movement ban

PTI Automatic

The number of international tourist arrivals will fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus, the World Tourism Organization said Friday.
It was revising lower a previous forecast of a 1.0-3.0 percent drop.
This would lead to an estimated loss of $300-450 billion (272-408 billion euros) in international tourism receipts, the Madrid-based UN body said in a statement.

International tourism to plunge up to 30% due to virus: UN

The death toll in Spain soared over 4,800 Friday after 769 people died in 24 hours, in what was a record one-day figure for fatalities, the government said.
Health ministry figures showed the number of deaths reaching 4,858, while cases jumped to 64,059, although the rate of new infections appeared to be slowing, registering a 14 percent increase compared with 18 percent a day earlier.

Spain death toll hits 4,858 as 769 die in 24 hours

In her sun-soaked Berlin living room, Ingrid Ihnen-Haas belted out Edith Piaf songs into a microphone -- part of a collective effort to help entertain a country confined to their homes by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Especially for elderly people who have to stay at home, the concept of 'concerts in your living room' is brilliant," said Ihnen-Haas, 71.
With concert halls, restaurants and most shops shut, public life in Germany has ground to a halt as the population is urged to stay home to help contain the spread of the virus.
Ihnen-Haas and fellow residents of an "artists' colony" in southwest Berlin have joined voices to record albums, audiobooks or readings to share online.
The former social worker who sings regularly in small venues across the capital has now turned her living room into a recording studio.
Outside in a common area, comedian Cornelia Schoenwald is sitting on a bench, reading aloud from a short story by Erich Kaestner, a classic of German children's literature.
Her ...

Berlin artists' colony finds creative answer to shutdown

France's prime minister raised the alarm Friday over an "extremely high" surge in coronavirus cases in the country and warned things will be "difficult" in the coming days.
"We find ourselves in a crisis that will last, in a health situation that will not improve any time soon," Edouard Philippe said after a cabinet meeting held by videoconference, as 365 deaths were reported in France in a single day.
The premier warned the country must "remain extremely mobilised" in the fight against the epidemic that has now killed 1,696 people on French soil.
Having started in the country's east, the epidemic is now spreading in the northernmost Hautes-de-France region, the Paris region and other areas with "an extremely high surge that puts the entire healthcare system, the entire hospital system, under enormous pressure," Philippe said.
"The situation will be difficult in the days to come," he added.
He said he would announce more details of the government's response Saturday with Health ...

French PM warns 'difficult' days ahead over coronavirus

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday ordered a nationwide lockdown for two weeks to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.
"We are introducing curfew restrictions throughout Hungary between March 28 and April 11," he told public radio.
"For two weeks we can all leave our homes or places of residence only for work or for managing basic needs."
Exemptions include trips to shops and pharmacies for necessities, with infringements liable to police fines of up to 500,000 forints (1,400 euros, USD 1,550).
Shops will be open exclusively for those aged over 65 between 9 am and 12 noon to "separate youth from elderly in a bearable way," said Orban.
The move is the latest in a series of government decrees including school closures introduced after a state of emergency was announced March 11.
Hungary closed its borders to non-nationals from March 17, which led to chaos for travellers and freight hauliers at border crossings and Budapest airport.
Parliament is set Tuesday to grant ...

Hungary orders two-week lockdown to fight virus

Every cloud has a silver lining and the devastating postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics could hand organisers a heaven-sent opportunity to solve their other massive problem: the summer heat.
The historic decision to delay the Games due to the coronavirus pandemic gave Tokyo a wide range of options when rescheduling: the Games will be held "beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021."
This leaves open the possibility of a spring Olympics when the weather in Tokyo is at its finest and removes at a stroke the worries about athletes and fans suffering in the brutal heat and humidity of Japan's summer.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike confirmed the postponement had opened up this tantalising option -- that would also give her the opportunity of reclaiming the marathon which before the postponement was shifted to the northern city of Sapporo over heat fears.
"Since we are in this situation, one idea is to have (the IOC) move the date to a time that is not hot," she said.
She later added ...

Cherry blossom Olympics: could Tokyo 2020 delay beat the heat?

Iran on Friday announced 144 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the official number of fatalities to 2,378 in one of the world's worst-hit countries.
"In the past 24 hours, we've had 2,926 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections across the country," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference.
"This brings the overall confirmed cases to at least 32,332," he added, noting that 11,133 of those hospitalised so far have recovered.  Jahanpour said nearly 2,900 of those infected are in a "severe" condition.
He said that the rising number of confirmed cases was due to Iranians increasingly "self-declaring" symptoms and undergoing testing.
The ministry has repeatedly called on citizens to visit a website and report potential symptoms.
The data, together with their phone number and ID, is used to identify potential cases.
Iran has imposed strict new containment measures, after weeks of public appeals largely failed to deter hundreds of ...

Iran says coronavirus death toll rises to 2,378

The "nut rage" heiress who forced a plane to turn back over her macadamias failed Friday to wrest control of the family airline from her brother, in what analysts said illustrated the power of incumbents at South Korea's chaebols.
Cho Hyun-ah, 45, whose family control the Hanjin group that includes flag-carrier Korean Air, made headlines worldwide with her furious reaction over an improperly served bag of nuts in first class.
The airline is now in the throes of a corporate crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic, with hundreds of flights cancelled, staff going on unpaid leave, and executives taking pay cuts.
A months-long battle for control came to a head Friday at the annual meeting of Hanjin Kal, the holding company for the conglomerate, when Cho and an activist investment fund, Korea Corporate Governance Improvement (KCGI), sought to oust her younger brother Cho Won-tae from the chairmanship.
Cho Won-tae, backed by other family members and Korean Air's US alliance partner Delta .

Korean Air chief defeats 'nut rage' sister's challenge

South Africa recorded its first two deaths from the novel coronavirus on Friday as the number of confirmed cases breached the 1,000 mark just hours after a three-week nationwide lockdown swung into action.
"This morning we wake South Africans up with sad news that we now have our first deaths resulting from COVID-19," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the 57-strong population of Africa's most industrialised nation to stay at home for 21 days, joining other countries across the continent which have imposed strict measures to halt the spread of the disease.
But many people defied the order which came into effect at midnight Thursday, lining up outside food stores or at bus terminals.  Police appeared overwhelmed in downtown Johannesburg on Friday where hundreds of shoppers pushed and shoved trying to force their way into a supermarket.
"The lockdown is a good thing for the country, even though I feel that a lot of people and taking ..

S Africa reports first two virus deaths as lockdown starts

A Fox News host has sparked a firestorm of outrage by voicing concern over how women are going to get their hair and nails done during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ainsley Earhardt was absolutely clear that she was talking about trivial everyday worries rather than the life-or-death issues which are of much larger import.
But that didn't stop a social media pile-on from critics who described her complaint about the frustrating side of lockdowns and social distancing as "vapid" and "vain."
"This is not a priority, but women have to get their hair done," Earhardt told viewers of US President Donald Trump's favourite conservative-leaning morning talk show, "Fox and Friends" on Thursday.
"I saw someone tweet out, 'You're gonna see what real color our hair is, because our roots are gonna grow in.' "All my friends are saying, you know, this is not a priority -- people are dying and I realize that -- but they can't get their nails done," she said.
One critic posted on Twitter that the segment ..

Fox News slammed for talking hair, nails during pandemic

Iran on Friday announced 144 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the official number of fatalities to 2,378 in one of the world's worst-hit countries.
"In the past 24 hours, we've had 2,926 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections across the country," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference.
"This brings the overall confirmed cases to at least 32,332," he added, noting that 11,133 of those hospitalised so far have recovered.

Iran reports 144 new coronavirus deaths, raising total to 2,378

In New York hospitals, staff are working extra shifts and searching desperately for more bed space as they battle a surging toll of dead and infected at the US epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, which has so far claimed 385 lives across the state, patients were mostly elderly or sick, according to one respiratory therapist, who works in the New York City borough of Queens.
"Now it's 50-year-olds, 40-year-olds, 30-year-olds," said the employee at the Jewish Medical Center, who declined to give his name.
They "didn't listen about not going out or protecting themselves and washing their hands," he added.
"To watch somebody in their thirties die, it's hard. You can't have visitors. They're in the room by themselves on a ventilator. It's very depressing." Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered New York hospitals to increase their capacity by 50 per cent, or even double it if possible, as the state's coronavirus death tally soars.
"You have certain ...

Virus cases swamp hospitals in US epicenter New York

Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted Friday, shooting a column of ash some 5,000 metres (16,000 feet) into the air in its second major eruption this month.
Ash and sand covered areas several kilometres (miles) away from the peak of the rumbling crater near Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta.
But authorities did not raise Merapi's alert level.
"There has been no reports of damage from the  eruption. We urge people to stay calm and not panic," national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said.
Merapi erupted earlier this month, shooting a massive ash cloud some 6,000 metres in the air.
That eruption coated Yogyakarta and neighbouring city Solo with grey dust and forced an airport closure.
Mount Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of 280,000 residents.
That was Merapi's most powerful eruption since 1930, which killed around 1,300 people, while another explosion in 1994 took about 60 lives.
The ...

Indonesian volcano spews massive ash cloud

As the coronavirus pandemic that originated in a central Chinese city has gone global, thousands of factories in China have nimbly turned to a new and very profitable market -- face masks for export.
At the height of China's outbreak in early February, Guan Xunze's company created a new mask factory in just eleven days.
The factory, with five production lines in northeastern China, made the much-needed N95 face masks which were in huge demand as infection numbers surged.
As cases in the country have dwindled, the 34-year-old -- who was previously in pharmaceuticals -- is now profiting from new markets and exporting masks to Italy, where the death toll has overtaken that of China.
In the first two months of the year, a staggering 8,950 new manufacturers started producing masks in China, according to business data platform Tianyancha -- racing to fill the huge gap in demand.
But after the virus epicentre of Hubei province was placed on lockdown and the initial frenzy began to die down ..

'Printing money': booming mask producers in China meet global demand

The Russian government has ordered all cafes and restaurants to close for a week from Saturday to stem the spread of the coronavirus infection.
Russian regions are to "halt the activities of public food service organisations," except for delivery services, a government decree said on Friday.
The decree also ordered regional authorities to halt the work of resorts until June, and to recommend that Russians limit travel.
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared a non-working week from March 28 to April 5 to "prevent the threat of the quick spread of the illness," as the number of coronavirus cases has spiked in recent days, particularly in Moscow.
Putin also urged Russians to heed all recommendations of healthcare professionals and government officials.
The country has grounded all international flights from Friday, but stopped short of ordering a full-blown quarantine.
Two people have died of the coronavirus infection and 840 have so far fallen ill, according to official ...

Russia to close restaurants, cafes from Saturday

Asian equities mostly rose and the dollar extended losses Friday, with traders buoyed by government and central bank pledges to prop up the global economy as the coronavirus sends countries into lockdown.
Despite the painful toll the disease is inflicting on lives and economies, markets are on course to end the week with healthy gains following a barrage of stimulus and monetary easing.
While the number of people contracting COVID-19 continues to escalate -- the US now has more cases than China and Italy -- the support measures, which the G20 said amounted to $5 trillion, have given traders hope that the expected recession will be sharp but short.
Even news that a record 3.3 million Americans claimed unemployment for the first time last week -- smashing the previous all-time high of 695,000 set in 1982 -- was unable to derail a rally in New York with the Dow and S&P 500 up more than six percent.
The S&P 500 has now recorded its quickest three-day advance in nine decades, ...

Asian markets mostly up, dollar sinks on stimulus pledges

Singaporeans could be jailed for up to six months if they intentionally stand close to someone else, under tough new rules announced Friday to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
The city-state has introduced a series of new measures to tackle the virus, including closing bars and cinemas as well as banning large events.
One step aimed at ensuring "social-distancing" -- a key approach being used worldwide to halt the spread of the contagious disease -- is a ban on individuals standing less than one metre (three feet) apart in certain settings.
People are barred from intentionally standing too close to someone else in a queue, or sitting on a seat less than one metre from another individual in a public place, according to the regulations.
Those found guilty of breaking the rules face a jail term of up to six months and a maximum fine of Sg$10,000 (USD 7,000).
Business owners are also required to take steps such as putting seats not fixed to the ground at least one metre apart, and ...

In virus fight, Singapore may jail people who stand close

Football Federation Australia sent home 70 percent of its staff Friday in a bid to survive the coronavirus pandemic, as other sports were locked in crisis talks on how best to weather the storm.
Despite holding out to be one of the last competitions in the world still playing, the plug was finally pulled on the A-League this week with soccer countrywide now at a standstill.
FFA chief executive James Johnson said the shutdown would inevitably hit revenue streams hard, including national registration fees, broadcast money, sponsorship, and ticket sales.
"So we have needed to adjust our operations to ensure that we can remain operational, forcing us to take the unfortunate decision to stand down approximately 70 percent of our workforce," he said.
FFA employs around 100 people and while some were switched to part-time, others are going on paid leave when possible and "a number of staff members" were forced to take time off without pay.
There was no mention of players taking pay ...

Australia football body slashes staff as virus shutdown bites

China and the United States should "unite to fight" the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the globe, said President Xi Jinping in a call with his US counterpart on Friday, according to state media.
The two countries have clashed in recent weeks over the virus, but Xi told President Donald Trump that China "wishes to continue sharing all information and experience with the US," said state broadcaster CCTV.
The two leaders appeared to strike a conciliatory tone after Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo angered Beijing this month by repeatedly referring to "the Chinese virus" when discussing the COVID-19 outbreak first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Earlier this month a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing also suggested in a tweet that the US military brought the virus to Wuhan.
Friday's call also took place as the US overtook China as the country with the most coronavirus cases -- the pathogen has now infected more than 82,400 people in the world's largest .

Xi tells Trump China and US must 'unite to fight virus'

The US military has cancelled a large-scale exercise involving thousands of troops in the Philippines because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to scrap Balikatan 2020 was taken "in light of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding COVID-19 pandemic and in the best interest of the health and safety of both countries' forces", US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Phil Davidson said.
The war games, scheduled for May 4-15, would have involved more than 10,000 troops from the two longstanding allies and a smaller contingent from Australia, according to the hosts.
"We are in an extraordinary time and it's clear we would have put many people at risk had we pursued Balikatan," said Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado, the Philippines' exercise director.
The United States now has the largest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the world while the Philippines, with limited testing, has reported around 700 cases.
Among those who tested positive is Philippines military chief ...

AFP

AFP

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