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.

WHO chief says COVID-19 'enemy against humanity'

PTI Automatic

A total of 104 people have now died from COVID-19 in Britain, the health authorities said on Wednesday, increasing nearly a third from previous figures.
Tuesday's update said 71 people had died but the state-run National Health Service said 32 more had died in England after testing positive, with a further death in Scotland.

UK COVID-19 deaths jump to 104: health authorities

The global tennis calendar has been thrown into further chaos after the decision by French Open organisers to postpone the Grand Slam, with players and rival tournaments critical of the apparently unilateral move.
The event at Roland Garros, traditionally the second major of the season, was on Tuesday moved from a May 24 start date to September 20, meaning it would start just one week after the US Open, if that event remains in its original slot.
Organisers said strict confinement measures imposed by the French government to tackle COVID-19 had made it impossible to continue with preparations.
French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said: "We have made a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation, which has evolved greatly since last weekend."
Organisers of the Grand Slam in New York acknowledged it might need to be moved but, in a scarcely veiled dig at the French Open organisers, said they would not go it alone.
The rescheduled French Open would also .

French Open date change over pandemic rocks tennis

German national team footballers said Wednesday they would donate 2.5 million Euros ($2.7 million) to help fight the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We need to look after each other in times like this. We in the national team have been thinking and we are going to donate to a good cause," said Germany captain Manuel Neuer in a video posted on Instagram.
Other players such as Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka and Borussia Moenchengladbach's Matthias Ginter also posted similar videos.
The players did not specify what form the donation would take, but they directed their followers to the online platform "Wir Helfen", which aims to coordinate volunteers across Germany during the crisis.
"There was very quick agreement on the fact that we wanted to make a gesture as a team," said national team director Oliver Bierhoff at a German Football Association (DFB) press conference on Wednesday.
He said that Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, Real Madrid's Toni Kroos ...

Germany players donate 2.5 million euros to fight virus

Spanish football team Alaves confirmed on Wednesday that 15 people from the club have tested positive for coronavirus, including three first-team players.
Alaves said seven members of the La Liga club's coaching staff had also tested positive, along with five other employees.
A club statement added: "The club made the decision to carry out the tests within the policy of responsibility for the people who are part of our family and the results have shown it was the best way to urgently locate the cases and implement preventive measures to reduce, as far as possible, more infections.
"The people detected are asymptomatic and in good health." On March 6, Alaves played at home in La Liga against Valencia, who have since confirmed around 35 per cent of the club have tested positive for the virus.
After Italy, Spain has been the country worst-affected by coronavirus in Europe. On Wednesday, the latest figures reported almost 14,000 cases in Spain and just over 600 deaths.

La Liga club Alaves report 15 positive tests for coronavirus

Once they made light of the coronavirus, then the graveyards started filling up. Now Italians are warning the rest of the world to learn from their mistakes before it's too late.
"Protect yourselves, I beg you. Don't listen to those who say it's not serious," mother Linda Maresca tweeted.
The #coronavirushasnoborder hashtag is doing the rounds, as people young and old, celebrity and commoner, urge others to stop underestimating a disease which is stretching northern Italy's hospitals and doctors to the limit.
"I want to warn you so that you don't face what we are facing here," Italian blogger Marco Cartasegna told his 386,500 followers on Instagram.
"Please take advantage of our example and act now to prevent a huge crisis in your countries," he said.
While Italy has been battling the silent killer for nearly a month and now has over 31,000 cases, and more than 2,500 victims, other countries are behind the curve and have only recently been forced into action.
France and Spain have ...

Italians send world virus wake-up call

Layoffs, cutting costs and halting dividends... companies are scrambling to adapt as the coronavirus emergency hits demand and the draconian measures taken to contain the spread of the illness undercut production and demand.
With the economic impact of the coronavirus threatening the survival of many firms, governments have pledged tens of billions to help them limp along -- or failing that, to bankroll outright rescues or nationalisation if necessary.
Several industrial giants, in particular in the automobile industry, have reduced or even suspended production.
Nissan suspended production at its Sunderland plant in northern England, the automaker's biggest plant in Europe, employing about 7,000 workers, and has closed plants in Spain and Indonesia as well.
French automobile manufacturer Peugeot-Citroen is shutting down all of its production sites in Europe, and Italian-US carmaker Fiat Chrysler, with which it is in the process of merging, also intends to close most of its facilities .

Companies hit pause button as coronavirus infects economy

A key player in Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's government, National Security Minister Augusto Heleno, said on Wednesday he had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The retired army general, whose job includes running the intelligence services, is the latest in a string of Brazilian officials to be diagnosed with COVID-19 following a presidential trip to the United States during which they met President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Sixteen people who accompanied Bolsonaro on the trip have now tested positive for the virus, including his communications chief, a senator and Brazil's top diplomat to the United States.
"The result of my second test... came back positive. I am awaiting the results of a follow-up test," Heleno, the former head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, wrote on Twitter.
"I do not have a fever or any other symptom associated with COVID-19. I am in isolation at home and will not answer phone calls," added the 72-year-old ...

Key Brazil minister tests positive for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic will significantly increase global unemployment, leaving up to 25 million more people out of work, and will dramatically slash workers' incomes, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
In a fresh study, the International Labour Organization warned that the economic and labour crisis sparked by the spread of the new coronavirus, which has now killed more than 8,000 people worldwide, will have "far-reaching impacts on labour market outcomes".
"This is no longer only a global health crisis, it is also a major labour market and economic crisis that is having a huge impact on people," ILO chief Guy Ryder said in a statement.
The UN agency's study suggested the world should prepare to see a "significant rise in unemployment and underemployment in the wake of the virus."
Presenting different scenarios depending on how quickly and with what level of coordination governments react, it found that even in the best-case scenario, 5.3 million more people will be pushed into ...

Pandemic could make another 25 million jobless: UN

The number of global coronavirus infections shot past 200,000 on Wednesday, as governments across Europe, North America and Asia rolled out tough measures to put the brakes on the ferocious spread of the deadly pandemic.
Worldwide fatalities topped 8,000 and more deaths have now been recorded in Europe, the new virus epicentre, than in Asia since the outbreak first emerged in China in December.
From Belgium to Britain and the United States, governments across the world have imposed draconian lockdown measures, forcing unprecedented social change and sending financial markets into a tailspin.
The European Union sealed its borders on Wednesday, barring travellers from outside the bloc for 30 days to try to slow the rapid spread of the virus.
Europe has now recorded 3,437 deaths -- including 2,503 in Italy -- leapfrogging Asia's 3,384 fatalities, according to an AFP tally.
There are more than 79,000 cases across Europe, with Italy, Spain and France leading infections and fatalities.
As ..

Global virus infections top 200,000 as nations tighten clampdowns

Cricket chiefs on Wednesday recommended the suspension of all recreational forms of the game due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said it was making the move with "sadness and reluctance" after the government's latest advice on social distancing.
The ECB statement covers "training, pre-season friendlies and any associated cricket activity".
There have been 2,626 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Britain. The latest figure for deaths is 71.
Last week, England's two-Test series with Sri Lanka was postponed but there is no decision yet on county cricket, with the 2020 season due to start next month.
England are set to play West Indies in a three-Test series starting on June 4.
The ECB said it would look at ways to support physical activity and use the cricket community to help others during the coronavirus outbreak.
"Sport plays an absolutely vital role in the nation's mental and physical well-being, and it helps people find meaning where there is fear and 

English cricket chiefs call for suspension of recreational game

France World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi insisted Wednesday his "morale is good" despite testing positive for coronavirus.
"I am positive, I am strong, morale is good, that of my family too," the Juventus midfielder said on Instagram.
The 32-year-old's club teammate Daniele Rugani was the first top-flight footballer to be diagnosed with the virus a week ago, sending the entire team into quarantine. And Matuidi used a play on the word 'positive' in posts on social media to describe his mood at contracting an illness which has killed over 2,500 in Italy.
"I am positive. Usually I like to think I'm positive. Someone who tries to radiate good waves around him, my family, my friends, my teammates," Matuidi said on Instagram.
"Today I remain positive. I am an asymptomatic carrier of the virus, aware of the privilege of being a professional footballer and as such benefit from regular and excellent medical monitoring. If it weren't, I probably never would have known."
He continued: "I am ...

Matuidi mood 'positive' despite coronavirus infection

Sub-Saharan Africa's weeks-long reprieve from the fatal impact of the coronavirus came to an end on Wednesday as Burkina Faso announced the death of a 62-year-old woman who had been suffering from diabetes.
Africa has lagged behind the global curve for coronavirus infections and deaths but in the past few days has seen a significant rise in cases.
Experts have repeatedly warned about the perils for the continent, given its weak health infrastructure, poverty, conflicts, poor sanitation and urban crowding.
South Africa, the continent's most industrialised economy, reported a more than one-third jump in cases on Wednesday, with 31 new infections bringing its tally to 116.
Nearby Zambia also announced its first two confirmed cases -- a couple that returned to the capital Lusaka from a 10-day holiday excursion in France.
The news came after the poor Sahel nation of Burkina Faso reported seven new infections, increasing its total to 27, as well as the woman's death overnight.
As of ...

Sub-Saharan Africa records first coronavirus death

The United States on Wednesday urged the Afghan government and Taliban to move ahead with a delayed plan to free prisoners, saying the coronavirus crisis made the move more pressing.
"Coronavirus makes prisoner releases urgent; time is of the essence," Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator who brokered a February 29 deal with the Taliban, wrote on Twitter.

US calls Afghan prisoner swap 'urgent' amid coronavirus

New York is to get a 1,000-room hospital ship that will dock in the city's harbor to fight coronavirus, state Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.
Cuomo said US President Donald Trump was "making arrangements" to send the USNS Comfort to America's financial capital.
"The President is going to dispatch the Comfort to us, it will be in New York City harbour," Cuomo told reporters.

New York to get hospital ship for coronavirus fight

Italian football federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina expressed his hope Wednesday that Serie A would resume on May 2 with a possible finish in July at the latest.
All Italian sport has been suspended until April 3 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 2,500 in the country and forced the postponement of Euro 2020.
"I don't even want to think that we won't start again, it would be a hiatus, it would worry me for our country," Gravina told Italian radio.
"We're working on the hypothesis of starting again on May 2 and completing the championships possibly going into July if we don't achieve it by June 30.
"In the event that it's impossible to use all the windows as planned, we will resort to a change in the format of the competitions."
The FIGC president welcomed the postponement of the European Championship until 2021, stating that as far as they were concerned "national championships have priority".
"We don't want to penalise anyone, but just as we .

Italian FA looking at May return for Serie A

AC Milan's evergreen star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Wednesday he had launched a fundraiser for Italian hospitals battling the coronavirus pandemic.
"Italy has always given me so much and, in this dramatic moment, I want to give back even more to this country that I love," the former Swedish international wrote on Instagram.
"I count on the generosity of my colleagues, of all professional athletes and of those who want to make a small or large donation according to their possibilities, to kick this virus away," he said Globally 200,680 people have been infected by the virus and 8,092 have died, according to the latest AFP tally.
After China, Italy is the hardest hit country, with 2,503 deaths from 31,506 cases.
"Together we can really help hospitals and doctors and nurses who selflessly work every day to save our lives," said the player.

Ibrahimovic launches fundraiser for Italy

Stealing around barbed wire barriers through fields and side streets, dozens of black-clad Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad defied curfews and coronavirus this week to visit the shrine of a revered imam.
Seeking to stem an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than  half of Iraq's 18 provinces have declared curfews of several days.
Baghdad, the Arab world's second most populous capital with 10 million in habitants, imposed a curfew from Tuesday evening for six days.
But the government's social distancing efforts are facing a hurdle, as pilgrims defy restrictions to commemorate the anniversary of the death of revered Shiite Imam Musa al-Kadhim.
The anniversary, which will be marked on Saturday, typically draws millions of pilgrims from around the world each year to Baghdad, to visit and kiss the gold-domed shrine housing the imam's resting place on the banks of the Tigris River.
Traditionally, pilgrims converge on foot on the imposing complex to pray and take part in mourning ceremonies ...

Iraqi Shiite pilgrims defy curfews and coronavirus

Saudi Arabia has called for a "virtual" summit of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies next week to address the coronavirus pandemic, a statement said on Wednesday.
"The Saudi G20 presidency is communicating with G20 countries to convene an extraordinary virtual G20 leaders' summit next week to advance a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its human and economic implications," the statement said.
"G20 Leaders will put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy."
The announcement comes after G20 financial chiefs voiced "real concern" last month at a summit in Riyadh over the economic shock waves from the spread of the deadly virus.
Since then, global stock and oil markets have slumped amid heightened concerns over the worsening outbreak.
Most market commentators agree that the virus-wracked world economy will likely plunge into recession, which means a minimum of two successive quarters of economic contraction.
The ...

Saudi calls for 'virtual' G20 summit over coronavirus

The World Health Organization urged Middle Eastern governments Wednesday to be more forthcoming with information about new coronavirus infections in order to effectively combat the global pandemic.
"We can only control this disease if we have access to information that allows us to understand its dynamic in the region" Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO's Eastern Mediterranean director, told an online press conference from Cairo.
"We have an opportunity to contain this pandemic in our region," he added.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases have reached over 18,000 across the Middle East, with more than 1,000 deaths recorded in seven countries, mostly in Iran.
Meanwhile Jean Jabbour, WHO's Egypt director, explained how two deaths in a village in Daqahliya governorate, 150 kilometres north of Cairo in the Nile Delta, prompted Egyptian authorities to swiftly place 300 families in isolation this week.
"At the beginning when they started contracting the first cases in the village and died, (it) was (because of) a 

WHO demands more data on virus from Mideast states

Companies are prohibited from laying off workers and rents are reduced under Italy's economic survival plan for life at the European epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte hailed his 25-billion-euro ($28-billion) programme as the "Italian model" that the rest of Europe could adopt as it imposes its own painful lockdowns.
Italy's 2,503 official COVID-19 deaths account for more than half of those reported outside China.
"When we talk about the Italian model, we are not only talking about health but also the economic response to the crisis," Conte said while unveiling his "Cura Italia" ("Italian Cure") plan at the start of the week.
Other European countries will probably never take on all 127 points Conte -- a former law professor -- and his team of technocratic ministers drafted during Italy's gravest emergency since World War II.
But here is a broad look at some of the measures outlined in the 72-page decree Italian President Sergio Mattarella signed on ...

AFP

AFP

Page 95 - Afp