Stories for March 2020

Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:02 UTC
British supermarkets appeal to consumers to be more considerate after shelves were plundered: “we have adequate supplies”

British supermarkets have called on consumers to be more considerate and reiterated they have adequate supplies, as the coronavirus saw shelves plundered and a surge in online orders. The country's leading grocery retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, penned a joint letter to customers, which ran in newspapers on Sunday and Monday appealing for calm.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 07:58 UTC
Hundreds flee in a major break out of four Sao Paulo jails

Hundreds of prisoners broke out of four Brazilian jails on Monday, the day before their day-release privileges were due to be suspended over the coronavirus outbreak, Sao Paulo state prison authorities and local media reported.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 07:53 UTC
Boris asks UK industry to manufacture health equipment, and considers using hotels as hospitals if needed for the pandemic

Britain has asked manufacturers including Ford, Honda and Rolls Royce to help make health equipment including ventilators to cope with the coronavirus outbreak and will look at using hotels as hospitals.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 07:49 UTC
Argentine researchers find fossilized wing skin of a 43 million year old penguin in Antarctica

Argentine researchers have announced the discovery of fossilized skin on the remains of the wing of a 43-million-year-old penguin on Marambio Island in the Antarctic.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 07:34 UTC
Nightmare: assessing the coronavirus damage for the cruise industry

The novel coronavirus is becoming a financial and public-relations nightmare for the cruise industry, from failed quarantine attempts on ships to passenger lawsuits and a stream of cancellations.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 07:30 UTC
Brazilian football suspended; Flamengo's coach tested positive for coronavirus

Flamengo coach Jorge Jesus has tested positive for coronavirus and is under quarantine in Rio de Janeiro while doctors perform a second confirmatory test, he and his club said on Monday.
Monday, March 16th 2020 - 11:20 UTC
Coronavirus: Argentina closes borders for 15 days and suspends classes until March 31

Argentina will close its borders for 15 days to non-residents in order to combat the spread of coronavirus, President Alberto Fernandez announced on Sunday. Public and private school classes would also be suspended until March 31, Fernandez said. National parks would also be closed.
Monday, March 16th 2020 - 11:19 UTC
G7 global rescue: Fed cuts rates to almost zero and launches US$ 700bn stimulus program

The US has cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a US$ 700bn stimulus program in a bid to protect the economy from the effect of coronavirus. It is part of a coordinated action announced on Sunday in the UK, Japan, the Eurozone, Canada, and Switzerland.
Monday, March 16th 2020 - 11:18 UTC
France, Spain join Italy in imposing lockdowns for the next two weeks

France and Spain joined Italy in imposing lockdowns on tens of millions of people, Australia ordered self-isolation of arriving foreigners and other countries extended entry bans as the world sought to contain the spreading coronavirus.
Monday, March 16th 2020 - 11:16 UTC
Spanish King Felipe VI takes further distance from his scandal-hit father and even cuts his annual grant

Spain's King Felipe VI has renounced the inheritance of his scandal-hit father Juan Carlos. In a statement, the palace said that Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, would also stop receiving an annual grant of €194,000 (US$ 217,100).