VIETNAM
European arrivals banned
The country is suspending tourist visas for travelers who have been in the UK, Northern Ireland and Schengen countries 14 days prior to their planned arrival starting today at noon because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an announcement on its Web site. The ban also includes those who “come from” these regions, the statement said, without further explanation. The government is also suspending the issuance of visas on arrivals to travelers from all countries. Diplomatic and business travelers are excluded from the travel ban, which would last 30 days, but face health checks and possible quarantines, the statement said. The decision follows the country’s suspension of visa waivers for nine European countries. Vietnam Airlines announced on its Web site that it would not carry passengers on return flights to Vietnam from London, Paris and Frankfurt beginning today.
UNITED KINGDOM
Local elections postponed
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has postponed May’s local and mayoral elections in England for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson’s office said on Friday. On Thursday, the Electoral Commission watchdog said the polls should be put off until the autumn to “mitigate” the effects of the virus. The elections were due to appoint about 120 English local councils, eight directly elected mayors, including in London, and 40 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. Eleven people have died due to the virus, with 798 cases confirmed nationwide.
INDIA
Second virus death reported
The country on Friday reported its second coronavirus fatality, a 68-year-old woman in New Delhi who died one day after officials in the capital ordered schools, cinemas and theaters closed. The government said that the woman, who had diabetes and hypertension, and her son had tested positive. It said in a statement that the woman’s son had traveled to Switzerland and Italy last month, and went to hospital in New Delhi on Saturday last week with a fever and cough.
GUATEMALA
US, Canada arrivals banned
The country would from tomorrow widen travel restrictions to fight the spread of COVID-19, banning arrivals from the US and Canada, President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday. “We are therefore announcing that everyone who arrives from Canada and the United States between now and midnight on Monday will be subject to quarantining,” Giammattei said in a televised address. The president said he had also asked the Mexican government to halt deportations of migrants by land to Guatemala. No cruise ships would be allowed to dock, but public events and school classes would go ahead for the time being, he added. Earlier this week, Guatemala banned arrivals from European countries, China, Iran, South Korea and North Korea.
JAMAICA
PM asks Cuba for aid
Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Friday declared the island a disaster area because of the threat of coronavirus infection and said that the country is seeking 100 Cuban nurses to help it to cope. “We are trying as hard as possible to contain the spread of the virus,” Holness said on Twitter, adding that he was imposing travel curbs on people arriving from the UK. Jamaica has reported eight cases of COVID-19 infection.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
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