International

• Tuesday, March 10th 2020 - 18:05 UTC

  Madrid suspends classes at all schools and universities

  

  Madrid has announced that it will suspend classes at all schools and universities across the capital in an attempt to contain the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The measures come into effect this Wednesday 11th March, so parents have at least 24 hours to make alternative arrangements. It will affect well over a million students and one hundred thousand teachers across Madrid.

• Tuesday, March 10th 2020 - 08:15 UTC

  Black Monday cocktail: oil price war and coronavirus trigger market panic

  

  World oil prices crashed on Monday, fuelling a vicious selloff on stock markets that were already buckling from the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Stocks tanked as the global oil market nosedived 30% at one stage after top exporter Saudi Arabia slashed the prices it charges customers following a bust-up with Russia over crude production cuts.

• Tuesday, March 10th 2020 - 08:03 UTC

  Commonwealth 2020: “Delivering a common future”

  

  On Monday members of the royal family attended a service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate Commonwealth Day. As well as a message from Queen Elizabeth II, the service also featured speeches from heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and performances by singers Craig David and Alexandra Burke.

• Tuesday, March 10th 2020 - 07:36 UTC

  Italy in self-imposed quarantine: highest coronavirus death toll in the world after China

  

  All of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets, and rioting prisoners made clear on Monday how the global coronavirus epidemic was extending its reach into all aspects of social and economic life.

• Tuesday, March 10th 2020 - 06:55 UTC

  Ireland has decided to cancel St Patrick's Day on March 17

  

  The Irish government will cancel this year's St Patrick's Day Parade because of the coronavirus outbreak, state broadcaster RTE and other media said on Monday. The annual parade celebrating the country's patron saint regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the Irish capital and was to have been held on Mar 17.

• Monday, March 9th 2020 - 08:55 UTC

  Oil prices plunge 30% after OPEC fails to agree on production cuts; Russia clashes with Saudi Arabia

  

  Oil prices plunged 30% in early trading after OPEC’s failure to strike a deal with its allies regarding production cuts caused Saudi Arabia to slash its prices as it reportedly gets set to ramp up production, leading to fears of an all-out price war.

• Monday, March 9th 2020 - 07:49 UTC

  Germany's Thyssen and Embraer to build four frigates for the Brazilian Navy

  

  A consortium formed by Germany's Thyssenkrupp AG and Brazilian plane maker Embraer SA signed a deal to deliver four frigates to Brazil's navy between 2025 and 2028, the companies said in a statement.

• Monday, March 9th 2020 - 07:24 UTC

  Guyana elections results blocked by the country's top court

  

  Guyana’s top court on Sunday upheld an injunction blocking the elections commission from proclaiming a winner in this month’s presidential election, delaying the results of a vote that has been marred by accusations of fraud.

• Saturday, March 7th 2020 - 06:50 UTC

  Covid-19: Advice on Travelling to the Falkland Islands; list of banned countries

  

  The government of the Falklands is updating its advice on travelling to the Islands, in response to the global COVID-19 situation. All passengers arriving in the Falkland Islands by air are routinely required, by law, to complete a declaration about countries they have come from or visited recently.

• Saturday, March 7th 2020 - 06:29 UTC

  Satellite images reveal the “vacuum” impact of the Covid-19 epidemic

  

  Empty public squares, a ghostly train station, and deserted holy sites - a series of striking satellite images have revealed the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on some of the world's busiest spaces.