China

WHO to hold emergency meeting, virus spreads to every Chinese region

The World Health Organization (WHO) is to convene its expert committee again on Thursday to discuss whether to declare a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. The disease has…

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Starbucks closes 2,000 stores in China over coronavirus outbreak

Starbucks has closed more than 2,000 outlets in China and cautioned that its annual financial results had been threatened by the coronavirus, highlighting the challenges facing corporate America from the…

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Chinese health official says virus cases in Beijing, risk of infection rising, Russia and China working to develop coronavirus vaccine

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Beijing and the risk of infection there are on the rise, a health official in the capital city said on Wednesday, as the…

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EU Civil Protection Mechanism activated for the repatriation of EU citizens from Wuhan

As the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus intensifies, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated following a request for assistance from France to provide consular support to EU citizens…

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British Airways halts flights to mainland China as cases increase, Plane carrying US evacuees from China diverted to military air base

British Airways has suspended all flights to mainland China as the number of coronavirus cases in the country surpassed the SARS epidemic. The airline, which operates daily flights to Shanghai…

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Important breakthrough in Australia in fight against coronavirus

A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that…

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Germany confirms three more cases of coronavirus, Thailand ‘not able to stop the spread’ of virus

The German Health Ministry confirmed late on Tuesday that three further cases of the new dangerous strain of coronavirus have been discovered in Bavaria, increasing the total number of patients in…

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Cruise lines apply measures on coronavirus risk

Major cruise lines operating in Asia are banning tourists who have been in the city of Wuhan or come from Hebei Province in a bid to prevent an outbreak of…

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Italian Foreign Ministry plans to evacuate Italians in Wuhan

The Italian foreign ministry has drawn up plans to possibly evacuate Italians from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the deadly new SARS-like coronavirus virus was discovered. One hypothesis currently being…

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China allots nearly $9 billion to contain spread of virus

China’s finance ministry and National Health Commission have extended 60.33 billion yuan ($8.74 billion) to help contain a spreading virus, according to a statement on the ministry’s website. The death…

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British top doctor warns coronavirus may already be in UK

The deadly coronavirus that has killed 80 people in China is likely to already be in the UK, according to England's director for health protection. Dr Yvonne Doyle told Sky…

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Two people suspected of coronavirus infection in Switzerland as country tighten rules

Two suspected cases of coronavirus infection have been quarantined in a Zurich hospital, as Switzerland tightens reporting rules. Two people are in isolation in a Zurich hospital suspected of infection…

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More than 2,700 cases of coronavirus in China as death toll climbs to 80

More than 2,700 people in China are now said to have been infected by the fast-spreading coronavirus while more countries have reported their first confirmed cases. Chinese officials said, as…

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Leuven and Antwerp Universities suspend student exchanges to China over virus outbreak

The University of Antwerp and the Catholic University of Leuven have announced that they are suspending authorisation for their students to take part in exchange programmes or work experience in…

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China warns coronavirus is getting stronger and infections could rise

China has warned the ability of the deadly coronavirus to spread is getting stronger as the number infected globally rose to more than 2,000. The authorities said little is known…

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Australia considering evacuation of its citizens from Wuhan

Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said diplomatic staff are working with Chinese authorities in an effort to get Australian citizens out of the Chinese city dubbed 'ground zero' in…

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Suspected case of coronavirus infection in Portugal

Portugal’s health ministry said in a statement that doctors were monitoring and treating a patient in the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, who is believed to have contracted the…

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France prepares evacuation of its citizens from coronavirus-hit Wuhan, China

France is planning to evacuate its citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus epidemic, the French Foreign Ministry said. A statement on the official…

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Patient in Belgium given all clear after suspicion of corona virus infection

Belgian media are reporting a patient has been admitted to St-Pierre hospital in central Brussels, showing symptoms of the Coronavirus. However the health ministry has confirmed the man does not…

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Canada’s 1st suspected case of coronavirus found in Toronto

Canada has confirmed its first "presumptive" case of the deadly coronavirus in Toronto as the number of infections worldwide surpasses 1,900 cases. Public health officials announced Saturday afternoon the confirmed case…

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Over 50 people killed in China from virus outbreak, Chinese President warns country is facing a “grave situation”

Fifty-six people have died from the coronavirus outbreak in China as the country's leader described the accelerating spread of the disease a grave situation. It comes as China's Hubei province…

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Coronavirus: China to suspend all overseas travel sales and tour groups

China said on Saturday that it would suspend all tour groups and the sale of flight and hotel packages for its citizens headed overseas, starting on Monday. The association for…

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Coronavirus death toll reaches 25, as World Health Organisation stopped short of declaring a global health emergency

At least 25 people are dead in China and more than 800 infected as the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread throughout Asia and across the world. The Wuhan coronavirus does not yet…

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UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by China virus outbreak

Experts convened in Geneva by the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to determine whether novel coronavirus is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Members of the WHO Emergency Committee deliberated until late on Wednesday evening, as…

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Third Chinese city put under lock-down because of virus outbreak

A third Chinese city will go into lock-down in an effort to control the spread of a new virus which has left 17 dead in the country. Authorities have suspended…

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China shows interest in the port of Catania in Sicily

A delegation of Chinese investors has recently visited the Sicilian port of Catania to discuss the possibility of the port developing intermodal capacities for Chinese cargo. ANSA reports that the…

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Italy puts family doctors on alert over Chinese virus outbreak, sets up crisis unit

Italy has stepped up its precautionary measures after the outbreak of a new SARS-like coronavirus in China, with alerts being sent out to family doctors and the launch of a…

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Chinese city of Wuhan put in isolation over virus outbreak

China closed off a city of more than 11 million people Thursday, halting transportation and warning against public gatherings, to try to stop the spread of a deadly new virus…

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China advises against travel to Wuhan over mystery virus outbreak

Chinese authorities have urged people to stop travelling in and out of Wuhan, the city at the centre of a new virus outbreak that has killed nine. Those living in…

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Heathrow to create separate arrival area because of Chinese virus outbreak

People arriving at Heathrow from the Chinese city hit by a coronavirus outbreak will enter through a separate area in an attempt to prevent the virus from reaching the UK,…

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Turkish authorities prepared to quarantine infected patients from China

The coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China is not of any particular risk to Turkey, the country's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday. Turkish authorities will quarantine infected patients from…

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Warning that China virus outbreak could hurt oil prices

Goldman Sachs said a potential drop in oil demand from top energy consumer China due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus could hurt crude prices by about $3 per…

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Chinese virus outbreak prompts extra checks at airports, fever scanners to be set up at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport

Many countries are checking the temperatures of arriving airline passengers and adopting precautionary quarantine procedures in response to a new virus as cases have been reported in the USA, Thailand…

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First case of mystery Chinese virus diagnosed in US

A man returning from China has become the first person in the US to be diagnosed with a mystery new virus. Chinese state media say the latest strain in different from those…

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China confirms sharp rise in cases of SARS-like virus across the country

China on Monday reported a mysterious SARS-like virus had spread across the country, including to Beijing, raising concerns as millions begin trips for the Lunar New Year. A third person…

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China to ban plastic bags and other plastic items

China, one of the world's biggest users of plastic, has unveiled a major plan to reduce single-use plastics across the country. Non-degradable bags will be banned in major cities by…

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Experts warn over scale of China mystery virus as US airports start screening

The true scale of the outbreak of a mysterious SARS-like virus in China is likely far bigger than officially reported, scientists have warned, as countries ramp up measures to prevent…

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China’s economic growth hits 30-year low

China's economy grew last year at the slowest pace in almost three decades. Official figures show that the world's second largest economy expanded by 6.1% in 2019 from the year…

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Second person dies from mystery Chinese virus

A second person has died in China from a mystery virus that has stricken dozens and appeared in two other Asian countries, officials said late on Thursday. The news comes…

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US and China sign deal to ease trade war

The US and China have signed an agreement aimed at easing a trade war that has rattled markets and weighed on the global economy. Speaking in Washington, US President Donald…

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U.S. issues warning about pneumonia outbreak in China

The U.S. State Department warned Americans in China about an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan believed to be caused by a new strain of coronavirus, and…

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US drops China’s designation as currency manipulator

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday dropped its designation of China as a currency manipulator days before top officials of the world's two largest economies were due to sign a…

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China and EU may hold summit in Beijing at end of March

China and the EU are expected to hold their annual summit at the end of March, two weeks before Beijing hosts a high-profile meeting with the leaders of Central and…

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Chinese mystery virus outbreak not spreading at present

An outbreak of pneumonia that has killed one person in China and infected 40 others appears to be linked to a single seafood market in the central city of Wuhan…

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First death from China mystery illness outbreak

A 61-year-old man has died from pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in an outbreak of a yet to be identified virus while seven others are in critical…

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WHO fears China’s mysterious outbreak could be new virus

Chinese state media said on Thursday that an outbreak of more than 50 pneumonia cases in the central city of Wuhan could be caused by a new strain of coronavirus.…

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Sars ruled out as dozens fall ill in China

A mysterious viral pneumonia that has infected dozens in central China is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), health chiefs have said. They also discounted bird flu and Middle East…

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Alarms raised in China as mystery pneumonia outbreak infects dozens and spurs WHO action

China's health authorities are trying to identify what is causing an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, officials said, as the number of its cases rose to 44…

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HSBC kicks off year with Hong Kong branches closed, vandalized

HSBC is being drawn into Hong Kong’s political turmoil with protesters attacking some of its branches and graffiti daubed on the famous pair of lions that guard its city-center headquarters.…

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Money pumped into China’s economy in attempt to fight slowdown

China’s central bank has acted to pump more liquidity into the country’s economy in an attempt to prevent growth slowing in 2020. The People’s Bank of China is allowing commercial…

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China investigates respiratory illness outbreak

Chinese experts are investigating an outbreak of respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan that some have likened to the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic. The city’s health commission said in…

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Hong Kong to end year with multiple protests, kick off 2020 with big march

Hong Kong will end 2019 with multiple protests planned for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day aimed at disrupting festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, which has…

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Chinese scientist who ‘gene-edited’ babies given three years in prison for illegal medical practice

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced the doctor who claimed to be behind the world’s first gene-edited babies to three years in prison for illegal medical practice, state media reported.…

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Photo Story: China prepares to welcome the Year of the Rat

Chinese people stand next to a mouse-shaped decoration at a shopping mall in Beijing, China, 30 December 2019. The Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, will fall on 25…

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Chinese aircraft carrier sails through Taiwan Strait again

A newly commissioned Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait for a second time Thursday, Taipei’s defense ministry said, just weeks before the island goes to polls to elect…

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China, Russia, Iran to hold joint naval drills starting Friday

China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China’s defence ministry said on Thursday amid heightened tension in…

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Christmas prayer – China

People attend Christmas Eve Mass at the Xishiku Catholic Church in Beijing, China, 24 December 2019. Catholics in China attend church masses as they prepare to celebrate the religious holiday…

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