North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States declared a state of emergency Friday as many European countries went on a war footing amid mounting deaths as the world mobilized to fight the widening coronavirus pandemic.

At the White House, where President Donald Trump made the emergency decree, drug company executives vowed to work together and with the government to quickly expand the country’s coronavirus testing capabilities, which are far behind those in many countries.

NEW YORK, Mar 12 (APP): An investigative report in a leading American newspaper blamed the Delhi police for siding with Hindu mobs carrying out deadly attacks against Muslim neighbourhood in the northeast of the Indian capital during the February 24-25 violence in which 50 people were killed.

In a joint dispatch, three New York Times correspondents said in the New Delhi-datelined team report that the worst sectarian bloodshed in years was in the view of many “the inevitable result of Hindu extremism that has flourished under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 13 (APP): A diplomat from the Philippines has tested positive for the spreading corona virus disease, the first case reported among diplomats and staff at the United Nations headquarters in New York, a UN spokesman said Friday.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the Philippine mission to the UN had informed the U.N. Medical Services of the test result earlier in the day.

HAVANA, March 13. /TASS/: New automatic grain unloader has begun operating in the Cuban port of Havana; this new installation will allow Cuba to reduce docking time for cargo ships and compensate for loss of capacity after last year’s tornado. Russia and the UAE, in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme, assisted in implementation of this project.

The launch ceremony was attended by Sergei Reshchikov, the Russian minister counsellor in Cuba, UAE ambassador Bader Almatrooshi, and World Food Programme representative Paolo Mattei.

13 Mar 2020; MEMO: The US Congress has passed a resolution limiting President Donald Trump’s power to wage war or take military action against Iran. The House of Representatives joined the Senate in the move by voting 227 to 186 to prevent Trump from taking any military action against Iran without Congressional approval.

Ottawa, Mar 13 (AFP/PTI) Justin Trudeau's wife has tested positive for novel coronavirus, his office has said, while assuring the public that the Canadian prime minister is fine.

Canada's leader and his 44-year-old wife announced on Thursday that they were self-isolating while she was tested for coronavirus after a public event.

13 March 2020; AFP: A parliamentary committee on Thursday warned that China and Russia are threatening Canada's national security and democracy by stepping up "clandestine and coercive" efforts to influence politicians, students and the media.

"The threat is real, if often hidden," the national security and intelligence committee of Canadian parliamentarians warned in its annual report.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump faced one of the gravest threats of his political career as the coronavirus pandemic spread, leaving fellow Republicans to worry that the White House’s response and the hit to the economy would harm his re-election prospects.

U.S. stock market indexes that Trump has touted throughout his term as evidence of his success plunged into bear market territory on Thursday - a day after he tried to calm Americans’ fears with an Oval Office address that promised economic stimulus and a 30-day travel ban for Europeans.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - True to form, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned coronavirus could spread from Mexico, touting his anti-migrant wall as a solution. Seen from south of the border though, the greater risk is infection from the much bigger outbreak in the United States.

Residents of the city of Tijuana, just across from San Diego, California, have for years crossed back and forth daily to reach jobs and schools. Many say they are now wary of bringing back the contagious disease from the U.S. side.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is seeking court permission to reconsider certain aspects of its decision to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft Corp, court filings showed on Thursday.

A U.S. judge last month granted Amazon.com Inc’s request to temporarily halt the DoD and Microsoft from moving forward with the deal, which Amazon had said reflected undue influence by President Donald Trump.