World Briefs

JAPAN Health authorities said yesterday they have confirmed 88 more cases of the new virus on a quarantined cruise ship near Tokyo. The new cases bring the total on the Diamond Princess to 542. The number is by far the largest outside China. The Japanese government has repeatedly defended the effectiveness of the quarantine and bristled against criticism that the ship became a virus incubator instead of a quarantine facility. More on p2,7

COVID-19 The virus outbreak has put South Korea’s economy into an “emergency situation,” its president says. Japan is on the brink of recession and big manufacturers are forecasting a whole world of woe. As many Chinese finally go back to work after their longest Lunar New Year holiday ever, the economic fallout from the outbreak that began in the central city of Wuhan may be just beginning. Companies are warning their bottom lines will take a hit, and governments are ramping up stimulus measures.

THAILAND Gun violence struck in a shopping mall for the third time in six weeks yesterday when a man fatally shot a woman working at a beauty clinic in a Bangkok mall and wounded another. The motive for the shooting was believed to be jealousy, and the shooter escaped and remained at large several hours later. The dead woman in the shooting at Century Plaza near Bangkok’s Victory Monument was 28
years old.
Germany is sending a second shipment of medical aid to China to help the Asian giant fight the coronavirus epidemic that has infected over 73,000 people. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said yesterday the government is sending 8.7 tons of aid supplies worth 150,000 euros, including protection gear and disinfectants.

AFGHANISTAN Ashraf Ghani won a second term as president of Afghanistan, the country’s independent election commission announced yesterday, more than four months after polls closed. The commission said Ghani garnered 923,592 votes, or 50.64%, in the election that took place last Sept. 28. His main challenger, the country’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah received 720,841 votes, or 39.52%.

PAKISTAN A gas leak in the southern port city of Karachi has killed 14 people and sickened hundreds more. The leak set off a panic in Karachi and raised concerns because city officials could not immediately identify the source and the type of gas involved. Officials said there was no suspicion of sabotage. The apparently odorless gas, which causes severe breathing problems, has sickened hundreds.

SYRIA The United Nations human rights chief urged Syrian government forces and their allies to allow safe corridors in conflict areas in northwestern Syria, where a military offensive has unleashed a massive wave of fleeing civilians in one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the long civil war. Michelle Bachelet told reporters in Geneva it was “cruel beyond belief” that civilians live under plastic sheeting in freezing conditions while getting bombed.

NEW ZEALAND Elton John canceled his two remaining New Zealand shows late yesterday as he continued to suffer from a bout of pneumonia. The shows have been rescheduled for next year. Earlier this week, John needed to cut short a performance in Auckland after he lost his voice and needed medical help on stage. John said in a statement he was ‘incredibly disappointed’ and sent his sincerest apologies to his fans.