TimeMagazine (SEOUL, South Korea) — K-pop superstars BTS canceled an upcoming concert series in South Korea’s capital as the country that exports entertainment worldwide tries to contain a soaring virus outbreak. It follows a near-shutdown of entertainment in hard-hit parts of China, the world’s second-biggest economy and second-biggest box-office market. BTS, which performed at the Grammys … Read more
The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has been found to have a “low level” of the virus, the Hong Kong government said early Friday. The dog tested “weak positive” for the coronavirus, the city’s agricultural and fisheries department said in a statement, without giving further details. Officials will carry out further … Read more
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — California and federal officials were in the midst of an intense effort Thursday to retrace the movements of a Northern California woman believed to be the first person in the U.S. to contract the highly contagious coronavirus with no known connection to travel abroad or other known causes. The woman lives in … Read more
Global stocks plunged to four-month lows, government debt yields sunk to unprecedented levels and crude oil extended declines as anxiety over the spread of the coronavirus deepened. The S&P 500 tumbled 4.4% to close at the lowest levels of the day. It whipsawed investors earlier, turning lower late after California’s governor said the state was … Read more
On Feb. 25, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave Americans some unsettling advice: prepare for coronavirus to disrupt your life. In light of the accelerated global spread of COVID-19, CDC officials called a U.S. domestic outbreak increasingly likely, and urged Americans to ready themselves for possibilities like school closures, remote working … Read more
(VATICAN CITY) — Pope Francis celebrated the Ash Wednesday ritual kicking off the Catholic Church’s Lenten season in traditional fashion, while other Masses in northern Italy were canceled over fears of the new coronavirus. Francis and a long line of priests, bishops and cardinals processed through Rome’s Aventine hill into the 5th-century Santa Sabina basilica … Read more
If our experience with coronaviruses in the past few decades has taught us anything, it’s that outbreaks are inevitable, no matter what we do. You don’t have to look further than the fact that COVID-19 is the third coronavirus epidemic to affect human populations in 20 years, after severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) in 2003 … Read more
A cruise ship from the Miami-based cruise line MSC Cruises has been denied entry to the Cayman Islands and Jamaica amid fears of the novel coronavirus. The MSC Meraviglia from was blocked from entering the port in Ochos Rios, Jamaica on Tuesday, health officials said. The ship, carrying more than 4,500 passengers and over 1,600 … Read more
(Bloomberg) — The emails are piling up, office queries need attention, and Jackie Yang’s kids won’t leave her alone. “‘Mom, I don’t know how to log on to the computer;’ ‘Mom, help me print out my paper.’ Imagine hearing ‘Mom!’ every minute. I’m just up to my neck,” said Yang, who works for a Chinese … Read more
(HARTFORD, Conn.) — A coalition of 39 states will look into the marketing and sales of vaping products by Juul Labs, including whether the company targeted youths and made misleading claims about nicotine content in its devices, officials announced Tuesday. Attorneys general from Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oregon and Texas said they will lead the multi-state … Read more