World briefs

ITALY Premier Giuseppe Conte put his entire country on lockdown to combat the coronavirus, banning all but the most important travel and putting the final kibosh on social gatherings after Italians failed to take previous warnings to heart amid skyrocketing infections. Two days after imposing the same strict measures in the hard-hit north, Conte urged all 60 million Italians to stay home. More on p8

JAPAN A task force set up by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a 430 billion yen ($4.1 billion) package that includes support for small to medium-size businesses hit by the coronavirus outbreak, amid criticisms over his handling of the crisis. The package also includes subsidies for parents who need to take time off work due to school closures, funding for development of virus vaccines and test kits and for extra production of protective masks, banning of their resale.

EU A European Union summit via computer. The EU parliament a virtual ghost village in a shortened session. The assembly’s president working from home, self-isolating due to coronavirus. The disease that shutdown Italy has not hit Brussels in a major way but it has struck at the heart of politics in Europe.

EUROPE’s airports say they expect 187 million fewer passengers this year due to the virus outbreak, which is “turning into a shock of unprecedented proportions for our industry.” The ACI Europe, which represents the sector, estimated that the outbreak will mean a 13.5% drop in airport passengers in the first quarter alone. That translates to 1.32 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in lost revenue.

IRAN will recognize doctors and nurses who die combating the new coronavirus as “martyrs” like slain soldiers, the country’s supreme leader announced yesterday as the outbreak killed 54 more people and pushed the nation’s death toll to 291. The decision by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes amid a propaganda campaign already trying to link the fight against the virus to Iran’s long, bloody 1980s war with Iraq. 

HOLLYWOOD continued to reschedule its upcoming movie releases due to the coronavirus, as Sony Pictures yesterday announced that it’s moving “Peter Rabbit 2” to August. “Peter Rabbit 2” had been set to hit U.K. and European theaters on March 27, and open in the U.S. on April 3. Instead, Sony said the sequel to 2018’s “Peter Rabbit” will launch on Aug. 7.

AFGHANISTAN The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said yesterday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The U.S.-Taliban deal signed Feb. 29 was touted as Washington’s effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan.