India suspends visas for nationals from Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea
The government has suspended all visas and e-visas granted to nationals from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan on or before March 3 and who have not yet entered India, to contain the spread of coronavirus. This comes a day after an Italian tourist tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur and two cases were confirmed in Telangana and Delhi.read more at Twitter
Sect leader whose church led to virus spread in S Korea kneels for forgiveness
The leader of a South Korean religious sect knelt for forgiveness after his church became the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. A 61-year-old woman had attended religious services at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus before testing positive for coronavirus. Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old who founded and heads the church, has tested negative for the virus.read more at Reuters
Coronavirus won't stop me from shaking hands with others: UK PM
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said coronavirus won't stop him from shaking hands with others despite various countries advising its citizens to avoid physical contact while greeting each other due to the virus outbreak. "I was at a hospital the other night where I think a few there were actually coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody," he added.read more at Reuters
Wuhan doctor who worked with late whistleblower doctor also dies of coronavirus
A doctor in China's Wuhan who worked with late coronavirus whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang has also died of the disease after contracting it while fighting the outbreak. The 57-year-old doctor named Mei Zhongming was declared dead by Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital on Tuesday. Mei worked in the same department as 34-year-old Li, who died of coronavirus on February 7.read more at Daily Mail
Iran reports 77 deaths from coronavirus, 2,336 cases confirmed
Seventy seven people have died and 2,336 have been infected by the coronavirus in Iran, a Health Ministry official said. The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the armed forces to assist its Health Ministry in tackling the spread of virus. On Monday, an adviser to Khamenei became the first senior Iranian official to be killed by the coronavirus.read more at Hindustan Times
Chinese coronavirus detection app sharing citizens' data with police: Report
The Chinese coronavirus detection app which assigns a colour code to users is sharing citizens' data with the police, The New York Times reported. The Alipay Health Code allows people to scan a QR code to get their colour tag. A green tag means the user is healthy and can roam around unrestricted whereas a red tag means 14-day quarantine.read more at The Next Web
Coronavirus could become seasonal infection that never goes away: UK scientist
The COVID-19 coronavirus could become an infection that never goes away and causes seasonal outbreaks of illness, according to a virologist from Queen Mary University of London. It could become a perennial illness like colds, chest infections and flu, the scientist said. COVID-19 has "enough characteristics" similar to the viruses we've known about for the last 50 years, he added.read more at Daily Mail
Google, Twitter ask employees to work from home amid coronavirus fears
Tech companies like Google and Twitter have asked their employees to work from home amid coronavirus fears. Google's Dublin employees were told to work from home on Tuesday after a staff reported flu-like symptoms. While Twitter "strongly" encouraged its employees globally to work from home, it made it mandatory for its staff in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.read more at Hindustan Times
Flights from South Korea, Japan, Italy must undergo disinfection: DGCA
To prevent spread of coronavirus, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said each flight arriving in India from South Korea, Japan and Italy must be subjected to disinfection process before next departure. The regulator ordered airlines and airports to take measures such as providing protective gears like surgical masks to crew members and passengers and having hand sanitising points.read more at India.com
Wuhan shuts makeshift hospital as new coronavirus cases drop sharply
Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak in China, has closed its first makeshift hospital after it discharged its last recovered patients. This came as Hubei province confirmed 196 new cases on Sunday, a sharp fall from 570 cases a day earlier and the lowest since January 24. China has reported over 2,900 deaths, of which over 30 were from Wuhan.read more at Times Now
Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader dies from coronavirus
Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council that advises Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died from coronavirus, state media said. Mirmohammadi is reportedly the highest-ranking Iranian official to die from the virus. The Supreme Leader ordered the country's armed forces to assist its Health Ministry in preventing the spread of the virus.read more at The New Indian Express
Lithuanian man locks wife in bathroom fearing she has coronavirus
A Lithuanian man locked his wife in the bathroom after fearing that she may have coronavirus, which he claims to have done so after consulting with doctors on how to avoid infection. The woman had returned after meeting with a Chinese woman who had arrived from Italy. The man's wife called the police but didn't press charges against her husband.read more at Daily Mail
Pope Francis tests negative for new coronavirus: Report
Pope Francis tested negative for the new coronavirus, Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported on Tuesday. However, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that he had no immediate comment on the newspaper's report. The Pope, for the first time in his papacy, cancelled a week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials because he is suffering from a cold.More women should propose marriage to men: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, while talking to NBC News, said more women should propose to men for marriage, citing "equality" as her reasoning. "There's also this tradition that's still alive and well of men [asking] a father for a hand. That's still happening. Like, really?" she said. Sandberg got engaged to Tom Bernthal, founder of marketing agency Kelton, in February.read more at The Independent
Foxconn expects to resume normal production in China by March end: Report
Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn has said that it expects to resume normal production in China by the end of March, a report said. "Prevention of outbreak, resumption of work and production are our top priority," Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-Way said. Earlier, Foxconn had said that the coronavirus spread will have "a negative impact" on its full-year revenues.read more at Reuters
When time came to blow whistle on Uber, I was ready: Ex-worker Susan Fowler
Susan Fowler, an ex-Uber employee who later became the company's whistleblower, said she was ready to "blow the whistle on Uber" when the time came. Fowler's blog post in 2017, describing Uber's culture and sexual harassment, was read by six million people. After the post went viral, Uber's Co-founder Travis Kalanick and around 20 employees accused of harassment were removed.read more at The Guardian
Sri Lankan Prez dissolves parliament, general election on April 25
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolved the parliament and called for general elections on April 25. The president is empowered by Sri Lanka's constitution to dissolve the parliament after four and half years of its first sitting. Reportedly, Gotabaya called for an early election so that his brother and current PM Mahinda Rajapaksa could gain a majority in the parliament.read more at Hindustan Times
Iran's uranium stocks are five times the nuclear deal limit: UN watchdog
Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is five times higher than limit agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. As of February 19, the Iranian stockpile stood at 1,510 kg, as opposed to the 300 kg limit, it added. The UN watchdog called upon Iran to cooperate after it failed to provide access to two locations.read more at RT
Taliban ends partial ceasefire days after signing peace deal with US
Taliban announced an end to partial truce two days after signing a peace deal with the US and said they will not attack foreign forces but operations against the Afghanistan government will continue. Taliban said there would be no peace talks without the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Afghan officials said prisoners release "cannot be a requisite for talks".read more at The Guardian
Putin proposes constitutional ban on giving Russian land to foreign powers
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a constitutional amendment to make it illegal for Russia to give away its territory to foreign countries. The proposed amendments also mention Russians' faith in God and stipulate that a marriage is a union of a man and woman, reportedly ruling out gay marriages. A public vote on the amendments is set for April 22.read more at Deccan Herald
Oil company apologises for sticker showing Greta being sexually assaulted
A Canadian oil-services company X-Site Energy Services on Monday apologised for a sticker that showed 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg being sexually assaulted. The company said that it is working to remove the sticker from circulation and asked others to stop sharing the image. "Explicit images...are unacceptable...We will do better," the company added.read more at X-Site Energy Services
Turkish forces shoot down Syrian government warplane
Turkey on Tuesday said that it had shot down a Syrian government warplane in northwest Syria, the third plane shot down by Turkish forces since Sunday. Syria launched an operation to take back Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold. Turkey, who backs the rebels, has opposed the Syrian government's operation and has lost over 50 soldiers recently defending the region.read more at Reuters
Greek Coast Guard shove, block and fire shots near migrants in boat
The Greek Coast Guard was seen shoving and blocking a boat full of migrants, who were attempting to reach Greece. One of the Coast Guard officials also fired shots into the water near the boat. The migrants managed to reach Greece's Lesbos island but were confronted by locals, who told them to go back.read more at The Guardian
Lulu Group owner 1st Indian to receive Saudi permanent residency
Yusuffali MA, chairman of the LuLu Group, became the first Indian to receive Saudi Arabia's Premium Residency, informally known as Saudi Green Card. He thanked Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the honour. Yusuffali is one of richest expats in the UAE, with reportedly an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion.read more at The New Indian Express
Taliban attacks Afghan Army bases, kills 5 policemen: Officials
The Taliban carried out dozens of attacks on Afghan Army bases and killed five policemen at a checkpoint, officials said. A Taliban spokesperson didn't confirm or deny the responsibility for the attacks but said that he's still collecting information about it. Earlier, the Taliban said that it will continue its operations against Afghan forces but not against foreign forces.read more at Reuters
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