MADRID (AFP) -- The number of international tourist arrivals will fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus, putting millions of jobs at risk, the World Tourism Organization said Friday. This revises sharply lower a forecast made earlier this month of a decline of just 1.0-3.0 percent. The drop in arrivals will lead to an estimated loss of $300-450 billion in international tour...

TEHRAN (AP) -- Standing over the still body of an intubated 5-year-old boy wearing nothing but a plastic diaper, an Iranian health care worker in a hazmat suit and mask begged the public for just one thing: Stop drinking industrial alcohol over fears about the new coronavirus. The boy, now blind after his parents gave him toxic methanol in the mistaken belief it protects against the virus, is ju...

ROME (AP) -- Doctors and nurses in Italy's ov erwhelmed northern hospitals have welcomed a slight stabilizing in the number of coronavirus infections but fear the virus is still silently spreading in the south two weeks into the West's most extreme nationwide shutdown. As the dead in Italy keep piling up, virologists warn that the actual number of Italy's positive cases is up to five times as hi...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With rare bipartisanship and speed, Washington is about to deliver massive, unprecedented legislation to speed help to individuals and businesses as the coronavirus pandemic takes a devastating toll on the US economy and health care system. The House is set to pass the sprawling, $2.2 trillion measure Friday morning after an extraordinary 96-0 Senate vote late Wednesday. Presi...

The human and economic toll of the lockdowns against the coronavirus mounted Thursday as India struggled to feed the multitudes, Italy shut down most of its industry, and a record-shattering 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in a single week. The US surpassed official Chinese government numbers to become the country with most reported infections. As the number of cases worl...

On this auspicious occasion of the 49th Independence and National Day of Bangladesh on 26 March 2020, I cordially convey our warmest greetings and warm felicitations to the friendly people and the Government of the Republic of Korea as well as to the expatriate Bangladeshis living in this country. We laud the commendable measures undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Korea to fight ...

I extend my heartiest greetings to the countrymen and expatriate Bangladeshis on the occasion of the great Independence and National Day of Bangladesh. The 26 March is the day of establishing self-identity of our nation. It‘s the day of breaking the shackles of subjugation. On this Independence Day, I recall with deep gratitude the Greatest Bangalee of all times, Father of the Nation Bangaban...

Today is 26th March, the Independence Day of Bangladesh. On the occasion of our great Independence and National Day, I extend my heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to my fellow countrymen living at home and abroad. On this historic day, I remember with profound respect the architect of our independent Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I pay my deep ho...

Beating heart of Athletes' Village One of the many logistical headaches caused by the historic postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has been the uncertainty around the Athletes' Village overlooking Tokyo Bay. Touted by developers as a "flagship neighbourhood for urban lifestyles", the buildings housing the 11,000 competitors were to be hastily repurposed into more than 4,000 condos with stunning ...

NEW DELHI (AP) — The world's largest democracy went under the world's biggest lockdown Wednesday, as India's 1.3 billion people stayed home in a bid to stop the march of the coronavirus pandemic. As infections and deaths rose in the US and Europe, US lawmakers agreed on a massive $2 trillion domestic aid package to help those devastated by the outbreak. India's unprecedented move aimed to keep t...

LONDON (AFP) -- Prince Charles, the eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II, is showing mild symptoms of the new coronavirus but "otherwise remains in good health", his office said on Wednesday. The 71-year-old and his wife Camilla -- who does not have COVID-19 -- are currently self-isolating in Scotland, Clarence House said. "The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus," it said ...

HONG KONG (AFP) -- When two Spanish footballers took to the controls of "FIFA 20" after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online. The huge digital crowd last week is part of a spectacular boom for the digital gaming industry, as record numbers flock to online servers for distraction, entertainment and friendship with the "real wo...

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Wall Street posted its best performance in nearly 90 years on Tuesday, as indices rallied on hopes that lawmakers would soon agree on a massive stimulus package to blunt the coronavirus' economic impact. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 11.4 percent rallying to end the session at 20,704.91, its biggest one-day percentage increase since 1933. The tech-rich Nasdaq gained ...

TOKYO (AFP) -- Olympic chiefs on Tuesday postponed the 2020 Tokyo Games until next year, a historic move to push back the world's biggest sporting event due to the coronavirus pandemic that is upending global society. The dramatic step is the first time the Olympics has been postponed in peacetime and comes as a devastating blow to the city of Tokyo and the Olympic movement. The decision came a...

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese authorities said Tuesday they will end a two-month lockdown of most of coronavirus-hit Hubei province at midnight, as domestic cases of the virus continue to subside. People with a clean bill of health will be allowed to leave, the provincial government said. The city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started in late December, will remain locked down until April 8. China barr...