Chile's President Sebastian Pinera declared a "state of catastrophe" Wednesday over the coronavirus outbreak, while Cuba recorded its first death and a slew of countries announced nighttime curfews as Latin America's lockdown widened.
In Brazil a minister in President Jair Bolsonaro's government tested positive for the virus, while five Venezuelan inmates died in a prison break-out after family visits were banned.
A 61-year-old Italian tourist was the first person to die in Cuba of the COVID-19 disease, the health ministry said.
The Italian arrived in Cuba on March 9. Unlike many Latin American countries, Cuba -- which relies on tourism revenue -- has not closed its borders, nor does it have quarantine obligations even for people arriving from the worst affected countries.
Earlier on Wednesday, Cuba allowed a British cruise ship carrying five infected people and more than 50 others showing flu-like symptoms to dock on the island.
It had been turned away by both the Bahamas and ...

Chile calls state of catastrophe as Latam fights virus

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Unheralded South African golfer Victor Lange has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the PGA Tour said in a statement on Wednesday.
Lange, ranked 1,215th in the world, was diagnosed with the COVID-19 in his native South Africa after returning from an event in Mexico on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica circuit.
A statement from the PGA Tour said Lange had no symptoms and was expected to make a full recovery after a period in quarantine at his home in Johannesburg.
"We appreciate Victor's prompt disclosure of his diagnosis, which allows the PGA Tour to not only alert those he may have come in contact with during his lone PGA Tour Latinoamerica start this season, but also provides an opportunity to remind fans of the critical need to follow current recommendations and mandates to protect others," the PGA Tour said in a statement.
The golf world has been thrown into chaos by the coronavirus pandemic, with the first two majors of 2020 -- the Masters and the PGA Championship both being ...

South African golfer Lange tests positive for COVID-19

Australia's biggest airline Qantas said Thursday it will halt all international flights later this month, after the island nation's other main carrier Virgin shut its overseas services due to the virus pandemic.
Qantas said all of its international flights would be suspended by late March for at least two months after the government told citizens Wednesday to forego all overseas travel in a bid to halt the spread of novel coronavirus.
"The efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we have never seen before," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said, adding that the airline would suspend 20,000 of its 30,000 staff during the shutdown.
The move also affected Qantas' budget offshoot, Jetstar.
Qantas already announced earlier this week a 90 percent cut in overseas flights while Virgin Australia grounded its entire international fleet.  Qantas is maintaining 60 percent of its domestic flights and Virgin Australia 50 ...

Australian airline Qantas to cut all international flights

Portugal declared Wednesday a nationwide 15-day state of emergency to fight the spread of coronavirus, which will make it easier for the government to reduce people's movements.
"This is an exceptional decision for an exceptional period," conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said during a televised address in which he explained his reasons for adopting the measure which comes into effect Wednesday at midnight.
"This is not an interruption of democracy. It is democracy trying to prevent an irreparable interruption in people's lives." It is the first time that a state of emergency has been declared in the country of around 10 million people since it returned to democracy in the 1970s following decades of rightist dictatorship.
The decree declaring a state of emergency allows the government to suspend some constitutional rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of movement and the right to go on strike. It also allows the government to force people into quarantine.
The ...

Portugal declares state of emergency to fight coronavirus

Wall Street stocks plunged again Wednesday as the economic toll from the coronavirus mounts and analysts warn of a deep recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 6.3 per cent, or more than 1,300 points, to close the day at 19,898.92, its first close below 20,000 since 2017.
The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 5.2 per cent to finish at 2,398.10, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 4.7 per cent to 6,989.84.
The Dow fell as much as 10 percent during the early afternoon, but stocks rallied somewhat near the end of the session as the US Senate passed a USD 100 billion emergency package for free coronavirus testing, sick pay and other benefits related to the crisis.
Economists are slashing their forecasts as more sectors shut down. A note from JPMorgan Chase projected US activity would shrink 14 per cent in the second quarter, while Europe's output would plunge 22 per cent.
"These outcomes are worse than were recorded during the global financial crisis or the ...

Dow falls 6.3% in latest US stocks rout

Turkey on Wednesday reported its second coronavirus fatality, the Turkish health minister said, as the number of confirmed cases rose to 191.
"A 61-year-old male patient has died," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, but giving no further details.
The confirmation of a second death comes after Koca said on Tuesday that an 89-year-old man was the first fatality in Turkey.
"The tests concluded today show the importance of following the measures which have been taken so far," he said.
Koca said there were 93 new cases, up from 98 and so bringing the total number of those recorded to 191.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Wednesday called on Turks to leave their homes as little as possible as he announced a USD 15 billion aid package to support the Turkish economy.
"If we apply the measures already outlined, we can keep the time at home limited to three weeks," Erdogan said in Ankara.
Turkey has already temporarily shut schools, universities and public spaces such as ..

Turkey reports second coronavirus death

The US Senate easily passed a USD 100 billion emergency package Wednesday to help American workers hit hard financially by the coronavirus crisis.
The measure, which earlier cleared the House of Representatives and now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, would provide for free coronavirus testing, sick pay and paid family leave, and bolster unemployment insurance for millions of Americans.
The bill is the second emergency congressional aid package passed this month, and comes as lawmakers negotiate a new, mammoth federal stimulus package with the Trump administration that could reach USD 1.3 trillion, and would include emergency checks to Americans.

Emergency $100 bn coronavirus relief bill clears US Congress

Oil prices collapsed on Wednesday as crude oversupply and the coronavirus pandemic's economic upheaval drowned markets.
New York's benchmark WTI plunged 24 percent to $20.37, its lowest price since 2002, while London's Brent North Sea oil hit its lowest mark since 2003, slumping 14 percent to end trading at $24.67.
Crude has repeatedly hit record lows in recent days as the global economy flirts with recession caused by travel restrictions and business closures brought on by the virus, along with a price war between major producers Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Wednesday's oil price fall came as Wall Street indices once again tripped "circuit breakers" halting trading for 15 minutes after losses on the S&P 500 hit seven percent, while the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average was meanwhile down 9.3 percent.
As the economic carnage builds, officials in Washington are preparing a $1.3 trillion stimulus package that includes deferrals on tax payments and loans for small businesses ...

Oil prices plunge, WTI falls 24 percent to 18-year low

Israel on Wednesday barred entry to foreign nationals unless they have residency in the Jewish state, in the latest measure to contain coronavirus.
"It has been decided that from today, foreign nationals who are not citizens of Israel and who do not hold Israeli citizenship or residency will not be allowed entry into Israel," a foreign ministry statement said.
The measure came into effect "immediately," it added.
Israel has 433 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with another 44 in the occupied Palestinian territories and tens of thousands in self-isolation.
It has banned non-essential movement and ordered the closure of all leisure and entertainment venues.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel closed off Palestinian-administered areas of the occupied West Bank, a decision made in coordination with the Palestinian government, based in Ramallah.
The border crossing with the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, is also closed.

Israel bars entry to all foreigners, except residents

US President Donald Trump said there is "no reason" to consider suspending tariffs on goods imported from China as part of the effort to ease the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Repeating the incorrect claim that China is paying the import duties actually paid by American firms and individuals, Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that Beijing had not asked for US tariffs to be suspended.
"China's paying us billions and billions of dollars in tariffs, and there's no reason to do that," he said when asked if he would consider suspending import duties.
Despite a truce in the long-running trade war reached in January, tariffs remain in place on two-thirds of trade between the economic powers, and economists have said duties on medical products from China could be slowing the virus response.

Trump says 'no reason' to suspend tariffs on China

The coronavirus epidemic has caused 89 new deaths across France over the last 24 hours bringing the total death toll in the country to 264, the top French health official said on Wednesday.
"We have an epidemic that is rapidly becoming more serious," Jerome Salomon told reporters, adding that France now had 9,134 confirmed cases, 3,626 of whom were in hospital.

France reports 89 new coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours: official

Global stock and oil markets plunged Wednesday, as vast stimulus measures failed to offset heightened concerns that the worsening coronavirus outbreak will tip the world into a deep downturn, dealers said.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was hit by another loss of over 1,000 points to fall below the 20,000-point level despite authorities in the US and elsewhere moving forward with more measures to prop up the economy.
Trading was suspended just before 1700 GMT due to the steep losses.
In European trading, both Paris and Frankfurt slumped more than 5.0 per cent, while London gave up 4.0 percent, following Asian markets lower.
World oil prices spiralled lower on energy demand woes, with New York's WTI crude plunging almost 18 per cent and Brent tumbling nearly 12 percent to prices unseen in nearly two decades.
WTI hit a low of USD 21.73 per barrel and Brent USD 25.23 during the trading session, putting them down more than 60 per cent from peaks they hit at the beginning 

World markets tumble as recession fears eclipse stimulus

Germany is facing its biggest challenge "since the Second World War" in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a television address urging citizens to heed sweeping confinement measures.
In a dramatic appeal, Merkel urged everyone to play a part in slowing down a virus that has raced across the globe and triggered unprecedented peace-time lockdowns.
"The situation is serious. Take it seriously. Not since German reunification, no, not since the Second World War has our country faced a challenge that depends so much on our collective solidarity," she said.
Although her 15 years in office have been marked by blows like the financial crisis, the 2015 refugee crisis and Brexit, the veteran leader has never taken to the airwaves to address citizens directly outside of traditional New Year's greetings.
"I truly believe we can succeed in this task, if all citizens truly understand their own tasks," Merkel said.
Federal and local governments have shut down 

Merkel calls coronavirus 'biggest challenge since WW2'

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck in the ocean south of the Indonesian island of Bali early Thursday, the US Geological Service reported.
The quake struck at 1:45 am (1745 GMT) with an epicentre 255 kilometeres south of the town of Nusa Dua, the USGS said.
The epicentre was a relatively shallow 10 kilometres deep.

6.3-magnitude quake strikes south of Indonesia's Bali: USGS

Peru President Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday ordered a nighttime curfew to combat the new coronavirus pandemic as the South American country's positive cases rose to 145.
"We're decreeing mandatory confinement from today, from eight at night to five in the morning," Vizcarra said in a news conference.
Vizcarra said it would mean the two-week state of emergency announced on Monday would be adjusted.
The government has also barred private vehicles from the roads from Thursday.

Peru president declares nighttime curfew over virus

The head of the World Health Organisation on Wednesday said while Africa so far had seen few cases of COVID-19, the continent should "prepare for the worst".
"Africa should wake up," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a virtual news conference, pointing out that "in other countries we have seen how the virus actually accelerates after a certain tipping point.
"The best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst, and prepare today.

Africa must 'wake up' and 'prepare for worst' over virus: WHO

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah on Wednesday, damaging an iconic Mormon temple and disrupting efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The shallow quake -- Utah's strongest since 1992 -- also closed Salt Lake City airport, damaged buildings downtown and left tens of thousands without power.  There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
The Salt Lake Temple, one of the Mormon Church's largest and most famous buildings, sustained damage.
A 12.5-foot (3.81-metre), three-ton copper statue depicting an ancient American prophet from the Book of Mormon sitting atop the building was damaged.
"The trumpet on the Angel Moroni statue fell off, and there is minor displacement of some of the temple's smaller spire stones," said spokesman Daniel Woodruff.
The 16 million-strong Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is formally known, is based in Salt Lake City.
It had already suspended all public ceremonies and gatherings over ..

Quake rattles Salt Lake City, damages Mormon temple

Italy on Wednesday reported 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year.
Total deaths in Italy have reached 2,978, more than half of all the cases recorded outside China, while the number of infections reached 35,713.
The previous record high of 368 deaths was also recorded in Italy, on Sunday.

Italy reports 475 new virus deaths, highest one-day toll of any nation

The pound slumped more than four percent against the dollar Wednesday, reaching a 35-year low, as traders eyed worsening fallout for the UK economy from the coronavirus pandemic.
Sterling struck USD 1.1463, the lowest level since 1985. It recovered slightly moments later to trade at USD 1.1554.
The pound meanwhile slid 2.6 per cent against the euro, with the single currency trading at 93.58 pence.

British pound dives over 4% against dollar

The head of the World Health Organization on Thursday said the new coronavirus was an "enemy against humanity", as the number of people infected in the pandemic soared past 200,000.
"This coronavirus is presenting us with an unprecedented threat," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a virtual news conference, stressing that it was "an unprecedented opportunity to come together as one against a common enemy: an enemy against humanity.

AFP

AFP

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Chile calls state of catastrophe as Latam fights virus

South African golfer Lange tests positive for COVID-19

South African golfer Lange tests positive for COVID-19

Australian airline Qantas to cut all international flights

Portugal declares state of emergency to fight coronavirus

Dow falls 6.3% in latest US stocks rout

Turkey reports second coronavirus death

Emergency $100 bn coronavirus relief bill clears US Congress

Oil prices plunge, WTI falls 24 percent to 18-year low

Israel bars entry to all foreigners, except residents

Trump says 'no reason' to suspend tariffs on China

France reports 89 new coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours: official

World markets tumble as recession fears eclipse stimulus

Merkel calls coronavirus 'biggest challenge since WW2'

6.3-magnitude quake strikes south of Indonesia's Bali: USGS

Peru president declares nighttime curfew over virus

Africa must 'wake up' and 'prepare for worst' over virus: WHO

Quake rattles Salt Lake City, damages Mormon temple

Italy reports 475 new virus deaths, highest one-day toll of any nation

British pound dives over 4% against dollar