International

• 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 - 07:34 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.

• 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).

• Monday, March 16th 2020 - 10:40 UTC

  Tierra del Fuego rushes 400 tourists to Buenos Aires from an Antarctic cruise

  

  The Argentine Tierra del Fuego province government rushed some 400 passengers from a cruise vessel, by air, to Buenos Aires before the implementation of a coronavirus fourteen-day quarantine which becomes effective this Monday. The Norwegian flagged vessel Midnatsol arrived on Saturday to Ushuaia from Antarctica.

• Saturday, March 14th 2020 - 09:55 UTC

  Uruguay confirms first four tested cases of coronavirus, all arrived from Italy

  

  Uruguay confirmed its first four tested cases of coronavirus on Friday, the Ministry of Health announced in a tweet. All four cases were people who had arrived to Uruguay from Milan, Italy between March 3 and March 6, the ministry said, adding that the patients are stable and at their homes.

• Saturday, March 14th 2020 - 09:48 UTC

  Falklands HMS Forth honors officers and crew members from SMS Scharnhorst sunk in 1914

  

  Falklands patrol HMS Forth hosted a wreath-laying ceremony in Falkland Islands waters during a remembrance service honouring those who lost their lives aboard SMS Scharnhorst in 1914.

• Saturday, March 14th 2020 - 09:46 UTC

  Argentina to strengthen fisheries patrolling in the South Atlantic

  

  Argentina is going to strengthen control over its EEZ, to protect resources, and quite soon the recently acquired “ARA Bouchard” will be setting sail for its first patrolling, according to Argentine fisheries and navy officials.

• Saturday, March 14th 2020 - 09:17 UTC

  Falkland Islands Government update of the COVID-19 response

  

  The Falkland Islands Government announced on Friday that next week it will publish details of its planning to respond to serious infectious disease outbreaks. All parts of the Government have been working since late January on the many parts of such a response, including regular pandemic planning group meetings.