Thread by @AFP

#BREAKING Iran reports 49 new coronavirus deaths, raising toll to 194

#BREAKING Iran Air says suspending Europe flights indefinitely

#BREAKING Pope voices support for virus victims in first livestream prayer

#BREAKING The World Health Organization praises Italy's "genuine sacrifices" after the government put a quarter of the population under lockdown to try to halt the spread of the novel #coronavirus

#BREAKING Italy sports minister calls for halt to Serie A over #coronavirus

Sumo's spring tournament has begun behind closed doors, becoming the latest big event in Japan to be hit by the #coronavirus and less than five months before the Tokyo Olympics u.afp.com/3iLU

Economic shock waves from the #coronavirus outbreak have curbed carbon pollution from China and beyond, but hopes for climate benefits from the slowdown are likely to be dashed quickly, experts say
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#BREAKING Saudi cordons off Shiite-majority region due to #coronavirus

#UPDATE A quarter of the Italian population is in lockdown as Rome takes drastic steps to stop the spread of the deadly #coronavirus that is sweeping the globe u.afp.com/3i8v

Hundreds of churches across South Korea have closed their doors and held online services as the country reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a week
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Aid agencies are moving to prevent a novel coronavirus outbreak in conflict-plagued northwestern Syria, where damaged health infrastructure and massive displacement make containment a nearly impossible task u.afp.com/3iL7

#BREAKING Germany's health minister Jens Spahn said events with more than 1,000 participants should be cancelled to halt the progression of the #coronovirus

#UPDATE Saudi authorities have cordoned off the eastern region of Qatif, a centre of the kingdom's Shiite minority, in a bid to contain the fast-spreading #coronavirus as the total number of cases rose to 11
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#BREAKING Italy coronavirus death toll shoots up by 133 to 366: official

#UPDATE A quarter of Italy's population is in lockdown as the government announced a spike in deaths and took drastic steps to stop the deadly coronavirus sweeping the globe, with the death count at more than any other country outside China u.afp.com/3ibF