Pelosi says House to approve coronavirus bill on Friday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday the House of Representatives will approve the coronavirus economic relief bill on Friday, likely after a three hour debate.

Pelosi, asked if it will be a voice vote, said, “We’ll see.”

UK coronavirus death toll rises to 1,019, up 260 in one day

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) – Britain said 1,019 people had died after testing positive for coronavirus by 1700 GMT on Friday, a rise of 260 on the total 24 hours earlier.

The number of people testing positive for the virus was 17,089 as of 0900 GMT on Saturday, compared with an officially corrected number of 14,543 on Friday. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Chad president pays tribute to soldiers lost in Boko Haram attack

The president of Chad is describing Monday’s attack by Boro Haram fighters as the worst yet on the army.

Chad’s president has paid tribute to 92 soldiers killed by Boko Haram fighters.

President Idriss Deby visited the scene of the latest in a series of attacks by the armed group in the Lake Chad region that covers parts of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.

Al Jazeera’s Laura Burdon-Manley reports.

China to donate medical supplies to Canada amid coronavirus pandemic, Embassy says

China has donated medical supplies to Canada to assist in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a tweet from the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa says.

In a tweet on Saturday, the Embassy said the Bank of China donated 30,000 medial masks, 10,000 sets of protective clothing, 10,000 goggles and 50,000 pairs of gloves to Canada on Friday.

Swiss coronavirus death toll reaches 235, confirmed cases top 13,000

ZURICH, March 28 (Reuters) – The Swiss death toll from coronavirus has reached 235, the country’s public health ministry said on Saturday, rising from 197 people on Friday.

The number of confirmed cases also increased to 13,213 from 12,161 on Friday, it said. The government is due to give an update later on Saturday on the epidemic situation. (Reporting by John Revill)

NY Knicks Owner James Dolan Tests Positive For Coronavirus

New York Knicks owner James Dolan has tested positive for coronavirus, the Knicks said Saturday night on Twitter.

Dolan has “been in self-isolation” and is “experiencing little to no symptoms,” the team tweeted. “He continues to oversee business operations.”

Dolan is executive chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Company. The 64 year old oversees all operations within the company and supervises day-to-day operations of the Knicks, the New York Rangers, the New York Liberty, and their regional sports networks.

He is the the first owner of a major U.S. professional sports team to go public with a COVID-19 diagnosis.

The 2019-20 NBA season has been on hiatus after several players tested positive for coronavirus.

Southwest may downsize if traffic remains low in 6 months -CEO

CHICAGO, March 26 (Reuters) – Southwest Airlines Co will consider actions to reduce the company’s size if passenger traffic remains significantly lower six months from now, Chief Executive Gary Kelly said in discussion with the company’s chief communications officer posted on Thursday.

Kelly said the airline was losing “big money” on every single flight, but is considering applying for funds under a government rescue package to avoid furloughs and to stay competitive with other airlines that may receive government aid. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Roman Reigns pulls out of WrestleMania 36 due to coronavirus concerns

Roman Reigns has dropped out of WrestleMania 36 because of coronavirus concerns.

He will not be participating in his scheduled Universal championship match with Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 because he has leukemia and is immunocompromised, which puts him at greater risk if he contracts COVID-19.

Singapore reports 49 new coronavirus cases, taking tally to 732

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore reported 49 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the city-state’s health ministry said, taking total infections to 732.

South Korea reports 105 new coronavirus cases, total now at 9,583

SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea has confirmed 105 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Saturday (March 28), bringing the country’s total now to 9,583, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday.

The country has reported similar daily numbers for the past two weeks, down from a high of over 900 in late February.

A massive testing campaign, coupled with intensive contact tracing, is credited with helping South Korea slow the spread of the disease.

Trump says quarantine 'not necessary' for New York area

NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a quarantine of the New York area to curb the spread of the coronavirus would not be necessary, and that he had asked federal health officials to issue a “strong travel advisory” instead.

Trump said on Twitter that the advisory would be administered by the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in consultation with the federal government.

“A quarantine will not be necessary. Full details will be released by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) tonight,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Singapore Cancels Passport of Citizen Who Ignored Isolation Rule

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Singapore canceled the passport of one of its citizens who was found to have breached a requirement to quarantine himself after returning from overseas.

The man arrived by ferry from Batam, Indonesia on March 19, and left again for Indonesia the same day despite being issued a notice to stay home for 14 days, according to an emailed statement from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. He returned to Singapore on March 24 and was issued a second notice.

Singapore has imposed stricter measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and those who make false or misleading travel declarations can be prosecuted.