Month: January 2020

China decided Thursday to lock down three cities that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain a deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds and spread to other cities and countries in the Lunar New…

Pakistan announced Thursday airport authorities have begun screening travelers from neighboring China for signs of the coronavirus.China’s recent billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure development projects in Pakistan has led to a spike in the number of people traveling between the two countries, including…

North Korea has temporarily banned foreign tourists in response to the outbreak of a dangerous new virus in neighboring China. Depending on how long the ban lasts, it could hurt North Korea’s economy, which though heavily sanctioned, has received a boost by a recent influx…

The days of passengers bringing rabbits, turtles and birds on planes as emotional-support animals could be ending.The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed that only specially trained dogs qualify as service animals, which must be allowed in the cabin at no charge. Airlines could…

A new virus spreads within and outside China, and the World Health Organization has confirmed nearly 500 cases, including nearly 20 deaths. Health officials are scrambling to contain the disease, but the virus is new and not much is known about it.People from China are…

Chinese state media say the city of Wuhan is shutting down outbound flights and trains as the country battles the spread of a new virus that has sickened hundreds and killed 17.The official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday that the city also asked people not…

International students remaining in Wuhan, China — where the government has issued a lockdown to avoid the spread of the deadly coronavirus — report being provided surgical masks and being asked to stay indoors.“As I write this message, the school is on lockdown as the…

A new SARS-like virus has killed 17 people in China, infected hundreds and reached as far as the United States, with fears mounting about its spread as hundreds of millions travel for Lunar New Year celebrations, which start Friday.Many countries have stepped up screening of…

In parts of Britain, thousands of children have fallen victim to so-called "county lines," drug networks run by gangs, with many forced to sell drugs in small towns and rural areas. Helping affected children in the $600 million illegal narcotics industry is a long and…

Veganism is spreading among South Africa's young, socially aware residents, who note that their quest to eliminate animal products from their diets has provoked interesting arguments about the role of meat in African culture and spirituality. VOA's Anita Powell looks at the new wave of…

Experts meeting in emergency session at the World Health Organization will look at the spreading Coronavirus to see whether it constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and decide on recommendations needed to manage it.  The WHO has confirmed 440 cases of the disease,…

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen urged China on Wednesday to release all information about the outbreak of a new virus and work with Taiwan on curbing its spread.At China's insistence, Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization and is not allowed to participate…

The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday on the outbreak of a new coronavirus that has now killed nine people and sickened hundreds more across China and beyond its border.The global health agency will consider whether the outbreak, which originated in the…

The first case to be diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus in the United States (in Seattle) was confirmed Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak, which originated in China, has so far spread to other countries including Japan, South Korea, Thailand…

The United States is reporting its first case of the new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, and has killed at least six people.Health officials in the northwest U.S. state of Washington said a man who returned to Seattle from Wuhan last week is hospitalized…

Spain's new government declared a national climate emergency on Tuesday, taking a formal first step toward enacting ambitious measures to fight climate change.      The declaration approved by the Cabinet says the left-of-center Socialist government will send to parliament within 100 days its proposed…

The World Health Organization says the new coronavirus is likely to spread in China and other countries and is urging governments to implement preventive infection control measures in health facilities.  The WHO confirms 278 cases of the disease, including six deaths, two in China and…

Countries in Asia and elsewhere have begun body temperature checks at airports, railway stations and along highways in hopes of catching people carrying a new coronavirus that is believed to have spread from Wuhan in central China and sickened more than 290 people in that…

Chinese health experts have confirmed that a new coronavirus that has now killed four people is contagious, raising fears that the virus could spread quickly among people.China's National Health Commission said the virus, which causes a type of pneumonia, can be transmitted person-to-person and not…

The number of people infected with a new strain of coronavirus in China tripled over the weekend and is spreading from Wuhan to other major cities. The new cases of pneumonia-like illness caused by the virus has been detected in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Scientists…

Unhealthy levels of smog have choked Bangkok for more than a week, as the Thai capital's residents fume over the ineffectiveness of government measures to combat the problem.As thick haze blanketed the city Monday, pollution levels soared to 95 micrograms per cubic meter of PM…

Chinese health experts confirmed Monday that a new coronavirus is contagious, raising fears that the virus could spread quickly among people.China's National Health Commission said the virus, which causes a type of pneumonia, can be transmitted person-to-person and not just from animals to people, the…