Covid-19 could bankrupt most airlines by end of May, consultant warns

A Delta flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport flies nearly empty to JFK on March 15 SYDNEY, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The coronavirus pandemic will bankrupt most airlines worldwide by the end of May unless governments and the industry take coordinated steps to avoid such a situation, an aviation consultant warned. Many…

Covid-19: US airports in disarray over screening

Passengers arriving at Chicago O’Hare airport faced lengthy waits  NEW YORK, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) —US airports have been thrown into chaos as new coronavirus health screening measures for people returning from Europe come into force. Long queues formed as travellers waited for hours for the screenings before passing through customs. The US…

Covid-19: EU states record highest one-day death toll

The area near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was quiet on Sunday  PARIS, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The three states bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe have all recorded their highest death tolls for a single day. Italy saw 368 deaths bring its total to 1,809, Spain recorded 97…

Covid-19: Serbia declares state of emergency over coronavirus

BELGRADE, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Serbia declared a state of emergency to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, shutting down many public spaces, deploying soldiers to guard hospitals and closing the borders to foreigners. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said the new restrictions werenecessary to “save our elderly” in the…

Covid-19 spreads to all Canadian provinces

OTTAWA, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The new coronavirus has spread across Canada with a total of 313 cases confirmed Sunday in its 10 provinces, the chief public health officer told a news conference. Atlantic coast provinces were the last to be hit. Major metropolitancentres — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver —…

Nigeria gas explosion kills at least 17: emergency services

LAGOS, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A gas explosion in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos killed at least 17 people, injured many more anddestroyed around 100 buildings, emergency services said. Houses, lorries, cars and motorbikes were torched in the Sunday blast. “17 bodies have been recovered now. So many people have been…

Covid-19: WHO chief calls for widespread virus testing as Europe locks down

GENEVA, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of the World Health Organization called for every suspected coronavirus case to be tested, as countries across Europe tightened their lockdowns and global stock markets tumbled again. “You cannot fight a fire while blindfolded,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists. “Test,…

Covid-19: US begins first human trial of coronavirus vaccine

WASHINGTON, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first human trial to evaluate a candidate vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 has begun in Seattle, US health officials said. “The open-label trial will enroll 45 healthy adult volunteers ages 18 to 55 years over approximately 6 weeks,” the US National Institutes of Health…

Covid-19: Global coronavirus death toll tops 7,000

PARIS, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of deaths around the world linked to the new coronavirus has topped 7,000, after Italy announced a new surge in fatalities A total of 7,007 people have died, with a 175,536 infections recorded globally. China has the highest number of fatalities at 3,213,…

COVID-19: Wisma Putra to bring back Malaysians from Italy, Iran

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Wisma Putra is making detailed preparations to bring back 323 Malaysians from Italy and 55 from Iran, following the worsening COVID-19 outbreak in the two countries. Foreign Minister, Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said preparations included identifying the locations of all Malaysians in the two countries as well as…