World News

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, seen here in Ashgabat in October 2019, earlier offered remedies to combat the virus from a book on medicinal plants that he authored.

Turkmenistan Has Banned Use Of The Word 'Coronavirus'

6:39pm March 31, 2020

by Joanna Kakissis

Reporters Without Borders says the government has forbidden state-controlled media from using the word and ordered its removal from health brochures distributed at hospitals, schools and workplaces.

French secretary of state for equality between men and women, Marlène Schiappa, in Paris in 2017.

France Announces Plan To Aid Domestic Abuse Victims During Coronavirus Crisis

6:38pm March 31, 2020

Confinement can create "fertile ground for domestic violence," says the country's minister for gender quality. France is also creating support sites for women at supermarkets and pharmacies.

The goats check out a knitting store called Ewe Felty Thing in Llandudno, Wales. (Really, we couldn't make this up if we tried.)

World News

A Baaaad Crew Takes Over A Welsh Town: A Herd Of Goats

5:57pm March 31, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The town of Llandudno, Wales, has gone quiet, like so many other communities around the globe observing anti-coronavirus measures. Going into the breach: a herd of curious Kashmiri goats.

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier anchored off Manila Bay west of Manila, Philippines, in a photo from 2018.

Outbreak On U.S. Aircraft Carrier 'Accelerating,' Commander Warns Pentagon

5:08pm March 31, 2020

by David Welna

With more than 100 sailors reportedly infected, the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier says the shipboard outbreak will keep spreading unless his 4,000+ crew is quarantined.

During a minute of silence commemorating COVID-19 victims, flags fly at half-staff Tuesday at Rome's monument to the unknown soldier.

Italy Observes Moment Of Silence For COVID-19 Victims, As Case Numbers Plateau

4:46pm March 31, 2020

by Sylvia Poggioli

As the country moves into its fourth week of lockdown, the head of Italy's national institute of health announced that the country "has reached a plateau" in its infection rate.

A health worker wears a protective suit at a nursing home, in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. With some of the highest cases of COVID-19 in the world, Spain's public health system is overstretched and in need of supplies.

Spain's Health Staff Are Catching The Coronavirus As Protective Gear Runs Short

4:44pm March 31, 2020

by Lucía Benavides

Thousands of medical workers now have COVID-19 in Spain, one of the countries hardest-hit by the disease.

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Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Are Scared To Get Tested For The Coronavirus

4:22pm March 31, 2020

by Alice Fordham

Syrian refugees in Lebanon, who number more than 1 million, are afraid to come forward for coronavirus testing or treatment.

World News

New Ambassador To United States Addresses Impact Of COVID-19 In U.K.

4:22pm March 31, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Karen Pierce, the new U.K. ambassador to the U.S., about the impact of COVID-19 in the U.K. — including the positive diagnosis of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Pompeo Still Holds A Tough Stance Toward Iran, North Korea, Venezuela During Epidemic

4:22pm March 31, 2020

by Michele Kelemen

As diplomats call on countries to work together, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed China for the "Wuhan virus," increased sanctions on Iran and accused North Korea of building weapons.

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Spanish Health Care Workers Don't Need To Be 'Heroes' — They Want Medical Equipment

4:15pm March 31, 2020

by Lucía Benavides

In Spain, 9,000 health care workers have contracted the coronavirus. Doctors say instead of calling them "heroes," the government must provide basic protective gear to medical staff.