Blog

Dubai Duty Free draw : Two winners take home a million dollars each

head dubai March 3, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: A Sharjah expat working for a construction company has won a million dollars at the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) draw held on Monday, March 3.

Vinod Kocheril Kurian, 49, from Kottayam in Kerala, India won a million dollars (Dh3.67 million). Kurian won with the winning ticket number 2052 in Series 325.

A father of two (11 and 6 years of age), Kurian said he is grateful for the win.

Another lucky winner was Nael Kawar, 64, who hails from Jordan. He took home a million dollars on Monday.

Speaking to Gulf News from Jordan where he is based, Kawar said he will invest the prize money – some into his business, some into growing sectors.Kawar won with his winning ticket number 4858 in series 326. The two winners’ announcement was made at Concourse B of Dubai International Airport.

Kawar owns a hardware and software company in Amman. He bought three tickets from this series. Kawar said he is a regular participant of DDF promotions and regularly purchases tickets when he travels.

He told Gulf News that he bought his winning ticket in Dubai when returning home to Amman. “I stayed for three weeks in Dubai with my children as the weather was amazing and just perfect. After spending some quality time with my family I headed home when I bought this ticket. The win has been a fitting finale to my stay with my children in the UAE,” Kawar added. His children work in Dubai.

Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, two winners of a stylish motorbike were also announced in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise promotion.

“I have not decided what to do with the money. But definitely, quite a bit of this will be reserved for my children’s education,” Kurian told Gulf News in a telephone interview.

A resident of Sharjah for 21 years, Kurian earns a monthly salary of Dh15,000 and said the win was very precious to him. However when Gulf News initially contacted him, Kurian could not believe he had won. “Are you sure I have won,” he asked.

Alfonso Paulo Yap Bruza, a 36-year-old Filipino national based in Dubai won a Moto Guzzi V7 Stone Night Pack (Nero Ruvido) with ticket number 0682 in Series 400.

A resident of Dubai for nine years, Bruza bought his winning ticket in Terminal 3 arrivals after his vacation to the Philippines.

Abderraouf Samir, a 40-year-old Algerian national from Algeria won an Aprilia Shiver 900 (Challenging Red) with ticket number 0360 in Series 401.

Samir is the first Algerian national to win in this promotion since its inception in 1989. Owner of a furniture business, he bought his lucky ticket online and commented, “Thank you Dubai Duty Free. I was delighted to be the first Algerian national to win in your promotion!”

The draw on Monday was conducted by Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin, Ramesh Cidambi, COO, Mona Al Ali, Senior Vice President – HR, Michael Schmidt, Senior Vice President – Retail Support and Sharon Beecham, Vice President – Purchasing.

Science & Tech

Coronavirus set to derail Indian mobile industry by mid-March

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

The coronavirus outbreak, which has hampered global tech giants’ 2020 plans leading to cancellation or postponement of global flagship conferences, is set to hit supplies of smartphone components from China to India at least till the second quarter of this year.

While smartphone manufacturing has picked up in India over the past few years, the country is still dependent on China to a large extent for supplies of components.

According to Tarun Pathak, associate director, Counterpoint Research, India’s smartphone market will see at least 15 per cent shortfall in shipments in the first quarter (January-March period).

“Whatsoever shipments were to arrive in India have come by February end but the problem will get bigger this month as Chinese manufacturing plants were almost shut last month. We are keeping a close vigil and are updating the industry situation very week,” Pathak told IANS.

“There will be impact to new devices to be launched in the first half which have facilities in China, as factories will not function properly. Components sourced from China will also be impacted as all factories will resume operation slowly and cautiously,” according to Peter Richardson, Research Director, Counterpoint Research.

Smartphone sales in China may also see a 30 per cent drop during the lockdown period which is likely to last through the end of March.

“The negative impact from the supply chain side will last until the end of Q2 minimum,” said Richardson.

The tech industry saw this coming albeit slowly.

With new coronavirus or COVID-19 now spreading its tentacles across the world – 57 countries affected so far – tech giants have scrambled to cancel or postponed their flagship conferences one by one as large gatherings have been put on hold in some countries with several cities declaring state of emergencies.

The bigger worry, however, is the disruption of the global supply-chain that is set to impact the manufacturing – from smartphones to consumer electronics – by the middle of this month if the coronavirus cases keep swelling in numbers.

The worst is yet to come.

According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), the peak of the impact of Covid-19 on global supply chains will occur in mid-March, forcing thousands of companies to throttle down or temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants in the US and Europe.

“The most vulnerable companies are those which rely heavily or solely on factories in China for parts and materials. The activity of Chinese manufacturing plants has fallen in the past month and is expected to remain depressed for months,” said HBR in its report on Friday.

The SARS epidemic started in the Guangdong province in 2002 and led to 8,000 cases in 2003. During that year, the GDP of China represented 4.31 per cent of the world GDP.

By contrast, the number of detected cases of Covid-19 has already passed 80,000 with close to 3,000 deaths – and China represents about 16 per cent of the world GDP – an almost four-fold increase, said the report.

Supply lead times will also have an impact.

“Shipping by sea to either the US or Europe takes, on average, 30 days. This implies that if Chinese plants stopped manufacturing prior to the beginning of the Chinese holiday on January 25, the last of their shipments will be arriving the last week of February.

“All this suggests that there will be a spike in the temporary closures of assembly and manufacturing facilities in mid-March,” said Pierre Haren and David Simchi-Levi in the report

Science & Tech

Data is a key pillar to transform Dubai into world’s smartest city

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

Data is a key pillar in the strategy to realise the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into one of the world’s smartest cities, said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council.

Dubai’s ability to enhance the efficiency of its services and facilities through smart solutions is a key indicator of its readiness in executing Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for preparing the country for greater successes over the next 50 years.

“With the technology and digital revolution transforming the world, data management has become a key driver of the new economy. Being a pioneer in implementing advanced data management is a key element in our strategy of leading the new economy taking shape across the world,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

“Investing in data management is critical for Dubai to achieve its vision of becoming the happiest city in the world and enhancing the UAE’s global competitiveness. It also has a big role in increasing the decision making capabilities of government entities and developing policy and strategic initiatives to achieve the highest levels of efficiency.”

Data First, the city’s data challenge is a strategic step in Dubai’s journey towards the future, which requires the city to implement new ‘fourth industrial revolution’ tools and solutions. Sheikh Hamdan said the initiative gauges the real contribution of each entity in Dubai’s digital transformation and called on the Smart Dubai team to further enhance the Dubai Pulse platform to meet the requirements of the next 50 years.

Sheikh Hamdan’s remarks came on the occasion of the announcement of the winners of Data First, The City’s Data Challenge. The challenge recognised entities that have made the most significant contributions to fostering a data ecosystem in Dubai. Participating entities were evaluated against five key criteria: Compliance with the Dubai Data Law (from July 2019 – Jan 2020); participation in Smart Dubai Data workshops (which enhances ecosystem engagement); collaboration in response to data requests from other government and semi-government entities; increase in the availability of data sets on Dubai Pulse by participating in ingestion cycles; and support for a data-driven culture through internal and external workshops and awareness programmes.

Sheikh Hamdan announced the highest scoring teams and entities in Data First, The City’s Data Challenge. Roads & Transport Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Large Entity, while Knowledge and Human Development Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Medium and Central Entity

Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai, said: “Today, we reap the fruits of our close cooperation with leading government entities across Dubai, who have worked diligently with us to ensure they are in full compliance with the Dubai Data Policies. Our wise leadership has placed high priority on the sector, calling for the establishment and administration of data platforms, populated with data from government and private entities to support the city’s smart-city transformation.”

Smart Dubai launched the six-month-long Data First, The City’s Data Challenge in July 2019, to encourage its data partners to expedite their efforts to collect and share data. The Challenge enabled the Emirate of Dubai to provide more innovative use cases and support smart decision-making at the leadership level, as well as across government agencies. The Data First, The City’s Data Challenge initiative was launched to incentivise government and private entities to multiply their efforts to administer, collect, and share data on the Dubai Pulse platform as part of the larger goal of supporting decision makers and building a strong data-driven society.The Challenge was held over a period of six months, during which the Smart Dubai Department held four workshops to help participating entities accelerate their progress towards realising the award’s criteria. In the first workshop held in August 2019, 52 representatives from 35 entities that accepted the Challenge, were introduced to the criteria of the competition.

Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director-General of Smart Dubai and CEO of Smart Dubai Data (SDD), said: “Data First, The City’s Data Challenge highlighted the deep understanding government and semi-government entities in Dubai have about the importance of data and its potential to expedite Dubai’s plans to transform into the smartest and happiest city on earth. The winners of the Challenge have exhibited commendable levels of compliance with the Dubai Data Framework and Policies, populating the Dubai Pulse platform with pertinent data – and our journey is just the beginning.”

The UAE is early in the game and has the early mover advantage. Envisioning Smart Dubai and creating platforms like Data Challenge only reiterates UAE’s commitment and long term vision to make better use of data!

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, product manager at ManageEngine Labs, said: “Data is being rapidly commoditised and marketplaces built around data have been evolving at a rapid pace. Today, data is the key to an entity’s (company/country) success. It doesn’t stop at data collection, but the way you build processes around it, stick to compliance practices and above all, the way you infer decisions over the data and make it actionable matters a lot! A wealth of good data practices can elevate the quality of life and can touch across fields from sanitation to banking and greatly improve global competitiveness!”

Data is the silver bullet to faster growth and will be a competitive advantage in the global arena. More localisation laws will prevail and the west will no longer host the world’s major data centers. Huge investment in UAE data centers means better opportunities and faster growth. It also shows the region’s commitment to emerging tech and how it’s becoming globally competitive.

Technology giant companies recently announced opening data centers in the UAE and they are responding to a huge demand for these services. As more companies move through digital transformation, they need a reliable local data center to host their cloud workload securely. New legislations and governances have helped spread the need for data centers.

Zaid Al Mashari, CEO of Proven Arabia, said: “Data is an essential part of the ecosystem of any smart transformation and this is approach has enabled Dubai to have an advanced rank amongst the global cities. Also, Dubai has implemented the utilisation of data to enhance the offering of smart and efficient services across all sectors in the country. We have had access to data for a very long time, but we were not able to take the insights that data give and turn it into something strategic. Now with artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, and IoT, it is much easier for the public and private sector to utilise data strategically.”

Entertainment Fashion

New Masaba Gupta x Rhea Kapoor designer wear coming to Dubai

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

IT’S A FASHION landmark! Designer Masaba Gupta and stylist Rhea Kapoor have collaborated creating an exclusive collection titled “The Chronicles of Femininity”. The collection was put together to redefine and rebrand the concept of femininity for the modern woman using fabrics like organza, silk, crepe, and net showcasing experimental and flirty silhouettes designed to keep every body type in mind.

Gupta returns to Dubai to showcase her beautiful exclusive and limited-edition collection for local audiences to get the chance to see her and Rhea Kapoor’s work.

If these designs sound like they’re for you, visit Huna Cafe in Al Quoz Pond Park from 12pm to 7pm on February 8 to check everything out.

Fashion

Breaking records with runways

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

When regular folks look at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Grand Canyon in the US, the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, or the Tower Bridge in London, they see iconic locations from around the world. Jessica Minh Anh looks at them and sees catwalks.

The 31-year-old is not your average supermodel. Sure, she gets to visit exotic places, jet around the world, wear gorgeous outfits and strut in front of cameras for a living, but the Vietnamese catwalk producer gives all of it heft and significance by using the platforms to push heavily for the cause of sustainability.

When Jessica began her own production house in 2010, all the fashion shows she could see were being hosted at “standard” venues: hotels, museums, showrooms, warehouses and tents. At a time when the world was still firmly in the grip of a global recession, going the conventional route held neither promise nor interest for her. “I believe the most exquisite designs should be showcased at the best of locations,” shares the entrepreneur. “I also want my audience to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences they will remember forever. That’s why when I wanted to do a sky-high catwalk, I produced the show at 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Or when I wanted the most iconic venue in Paris, I hosted the Eiffel Tower’s first and only fashion show, instead of using it as a background or building a simulation of it in a different location.”

Her reach-for-the-sky philosophy has certainly paid off over the last 10 years, catapulting her to the top of the game, thanks to her various headline-grabbing productions that are truly visual spectacles – and the fact that she has not taken a break in 10 years, even though she admits she probably needs one. “Every time you see me on an island, I am working on a project,” she explains. “When we promoted sustainability in the Maldives, we filmed from 2am until 12am almost everyday, and I did not have time to swim in the wonderful pool in my own villa. But I am certainly not complaining. I’ve been very fortunate to work with the biggest brands and experienced some of the most luxurious destinations on earth. You choose the life you lead.”

‘Embrace the pressure’
For Jessica, it’s a life she loves, despite the intense pressure it often brings. Event management, after all, is no cakewalk. Pressure is an excellent thing, she believes, for it provides the framework within which to innovate. “Over the years, overcoming obstacles while preparing for a show has become the norm, but it’s always the challenges that have helped push me forward.”

Take the time an unexpected storm destroyed the entire backstage area two hours before her fashion show at Spain’s Gemasolar power plant in 2015. “Everyone was panicking,” she recalls. “I had a choice. I could give up and cancel or postpone the show – or I could get over my shock and work to fix the problem immediately. I decided on the latter, and ended up using the bus that transported all the models to the plant as the new backstage area.” The show became one of their most successful productions to date and Jessica, who recently delivered a TedxTALK on the need to embrace pressure in order to transform, says, “Without that pressure at such a critical time, I would not have known my own strength in the face of disaster.”

It was the same thing the year before, when she arrived in New York with a plan to produce a show at the Niagara Falls, but decided against proceeding with the venue after a site inspection. Compelled to come up with another location immediately, she looked up and saw America’s new symbol of hope and freedom: One World Trade Center. “That was it,” recalls the model. “Had I not been put in a challenging position of finding the next best thing, I would not have made that historic catwalk on Level 63 of the iconic tower six months before it was officially opened.”

She acknowledges, however, that there can be such a thing as ‘too much’ pressure. “I think it is subjective and each person must define the level of pressure they can tolerate. If you tell yourself it’s not too much, and truly believe it, you will be able to embrace the pressure and overcome it faster. Of course, if you feel that you are overstressed and unable to operate effectively, it is important to take a break from everything to come back more level-headed. It’s okay to not be excellent all the time; and telling yourself that will, in itself, take a lot of pressure off.”

‘Fashion must have a call’
Recently, Jessica has been feeling a different kind of pressure: the need to advocate for environmental issues. It was in response to those concerns that she started her Fashion x Sustainability series a few years ago, highlighting the most advanced renewable energy and recycling initiatives through fashion. The series saw her successfully promote green technology at the Gemasolar power plant in Spain, hydroelectric power atop the Hoover Dam in the US, and ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ practices in the Maldives. It saw her produce the world’s first solar-powered ocean catwalk aboard the Race 4 Water, which is the world’s largest solar catamaran.

“I believe fashion shows should be more than just being visually attractive. They should convey a meaningful message or a call for a better future. We are living in a special time when sustainable practices must be implemented to protect our future and the future of the younger generation,” she observes. “There are different ways to stimulate global mindsets toward green living – I chose the creative approach. And it’s helped me promote everything from solar power, hydro power and wind power to recycling, upcycling, and now the sustainable supply chain, which is a big part of the fashion industry.”

As someone who has seen the best of both natural and manmade creations up close, Jessica says both have had a major role in shaping her current view of the world. “I have a great respect for architects and developers of architectural wonders. They have proven that humans are such creative beings, so it is a privilege whenever I get the chance to transform one of them into the world’s newest catwalk. But after learning more and more about the environment in the last few years, I have become more determined to highlight the importance of sustainable practices. I believe the new generation has a voice that is as powerful as the hydroelectric power I’ve been promoting of late.”

The supermodel is already on the lookout for her next iconic location and has “definite” plans to return to Dubai (she was last here in 2013). “Dubai is a wonderful place where technology, sustainability, and innovation are currently in focus. I’ve been considering a number of unique locations in the city and will hopefully surprise the world yet again there!”
She signs off with a word of advice for youngsters who are feeling the pressure of today’s fast-paced world, just like she did a decade ago when she needed to make something of herself. “Look at pressure in a positive way,” she says. “If you embrace and use it to your advantage, it can make you stronger, more determined, and more satisfied once you’ve overcome it using your own initiatives, efforts and solutions. In the end, it’s all about your attitude towards challenges that makes you a winner.”

Sports

Djokovic sets final date with Tsitsipas

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

Novak Djokovic saved three match points before defeating Gael Monfils 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-1 to reach the Dubai Championships final on Friday, describing his victory as “an amazing escape”.
It was the 17th win of the season for the world number one and a 17th career win over Frenchman Monfils without a loss.
Djokovic will play on Saturday for a fifth Dubai trophy against Stefanos Tsitsipas after the second seed and 2019 finalist beat Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3.
The Serbian fought off three Monfils match points in the second-set tiebreaker, as the Frenchman committed forehand and backhand errors on his first two winning chances.
An increasingly weary Monfils blew the third with a double-fault.
Djokovic finally squared the semi-final at one set a-piece on his eighth set point before rolling on to victory in the third set after more than two and a half hours.
“It was an amazing escape,” said Djokovic who now has a 20-match win streak stretching from the end of last year.
“Gael was playing as well as he ever has.
“It was difficult to go through him. I have good defence, but what he did today was unbelievable.
“On the match points, I just hoped that he would miss on first serves, which he did. That gave me an opportunity to get into the points.
“I know Gael was injured and he could not play his best, but once he’s healthy, watch out.”
Tsitsipas, who lost the final a year ago to Roger Federer, won his eighth match in a row by seeing off Evans.
The Greek lifted the trophy last Sunday in Marseille.
Tsitsipas could not fault his victory in 83 minutes over the 37th-ranked Evans in a first-time meeting.
“I managed to stay solid throughout the whole match, I didn’t have too much stress, I stayed quite calm and played well,” he said.
“I was dominating a lot from my forehand side, playing with a clear head and not thinking of too much, staying in the moment, trying to process of what potentially he’s going to use on the court.
“It was just a matter of time for me to take the lead and get up in the score.”
Tsitsipas, winner of 16 of his last 17 sets, won his 10th career match at the Aviation Club against two defeats.
British number one Evans was competing in his fourth semifinal at the ATP level.
He saved three match points against Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the second round and two set points in the quarter-finals against Andrey Rublev.
Tsitsipas never faced a break point on Friday while breaking Evans’ serve four times.

Sports

Dominant City beat Villa to win third straight League Cup

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

Manchester City continued their imperious stranglehold over the League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa with goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri in the final at Wembley on Sunday to win the trophy for a third straight season.
City, who have now won the competition in five of the last seven seasons, dominated much of the match and should have been home and dry when they opened a 2-0 lead after half an hour thanks to Aguero’s strike in the 20th minute and a Rodri header.
Yet a bizarre slip from City defender John Stones allowed Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi to cross for Mbwana Samatta to head home just before halftime, fuelling their hopes of a comeback. The second half failed to live up to the first, however, with few clear chances until City keeper Claudio Bravo pulled off an excellent save to push Bjorn Engels’ header against the post and out in the 87th minute.
City became the first side to win the competition three seasons in a row since Liverpool claimed four straight titles from 1981 to 1984.
“Three times in a row is a big success. It’s the consistency, incredible,” said Spaniard Guardiola.
“It was awesome. We struggled in the first minutes and the last ones. They had two clear chances in the first minutes but we played really well, especially in the second half.
“Big success, our second title of the season with the Community Shield, it’s so nice,” he added.
CITY DOMINANCE
City had come into the final buoyed by their midweek Champions League last 16, first-leg victory at Real Madrid and there was a spring in their step as the game quickly settled into a predictable pattern of City dominance.
Aguero looped a header over the bar after 10 minutes but the formidable Argentine goal-getter, who had been dropped for City’s trip to Madrid, did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet after 20 minutes.
A lofted ball to the far post by Spain international Rodri was headed back across goal by Phil Foden for Aguero to volley into the turf past goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and into the net.
It was Aguero’s 10th goal in his last six starts against Villa and a setback for the Midlands side who looked unlikely to recover when Rodri doubled the lead 10 minutes later.
The Spaniard powered a downward header into the net from Ilkay Gundogan’s corner, which left a bitter taste for Villa who felt the set piece should not have been awarded.
A two-goal lead usually spells the end for City’s opponents, but a bizarre slip from Stones gave Dean Smith’s Villa side an unlikely route back into the match.
Under no pressure, the England centre back tumbled to the turf under a lofted ball, allowing El Ghazi to dash down the left and cross for Villa’s Tanzania striker Samatta to find the net with a diving header.
That should have revved up Villa for a rousing second-half display but in truth they never really got going after the break until it was too late.
The majority of the chances in the second half went City’s way with Foden flashing an effort just wide, Rodri having a header palmed away by Nyland and Aguero thrashing a volley into the side netting before Villa found some late momentum.
As the clock ticked round towards 88 minutes Engels rose high to power a header goalwards but City keeper Bravo, starting instead of usual first choice Ederson, palmed his effort onto the post and away.

Entertainment

See Madness in Dubai this week

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

Madness are coming to Dubai this week, so if you’re looking for a fun way to kick off the weekend – this is for you.

The British ska band are coming to town on Thursday (March 5), and will be playing at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium at The Irish Village.

Get ready for a stream of hits including Baggy Trousers, House of Fun, Our House and One Step to get you singing along and jumping up and down.

The band has had 15 top ten hits over the years and they’re sure to put on a huge show in Dubai.

Tickets cost Dhs315 for standing and Dhs275 for seats, so get ready for a top night.

Madness will be supported by UK newcomer Emily Capell, who has just released her first album Combat Frock as well as DJ Katie Owen, who is currently touring with Jo Whiley.

Meanwhile on Friday March 20 singer Midge Ure is also coming to The Irish Village.

The evening will celebrate his current ‘Vienna & Visage – 1980 Tour’, with the complete Vienna album live, with highlights of Visage throughout the set.

Uncategorized

9 severely ill kids to hit screens as superheroes in Dubai

head dubai March 2, 2020 No Comments

What does it take to bring a smile on the faces of children battling with life-threatening diseases? Sometimes, a simple initiative like transforming these tiny tots into superheroes is enough to get them beaming from ear to ear. That said, it also instils inner strength and positivity that helps them combat the rigours of the treatment.

Nine kids, including two Emiratis, who are currently receiving treatment for haematology and oncology conditions in the UK, were dressed up in their favourite superhero costumes as part of a Dubai-born initiative, Superhope.

In its second edition now, Superhope collaborated with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London to have illustrators and costume designers bring to life the superheroes dreams of the children.

The little ones were seen stepping outside the confines of their illness, as they dressed up in their favourite fictional characters – such as Super A,

Bat Jake, Coloring Freya, Cloud Princess and JA – while shooting for a campaign film that will soon premiere in Vox Cinemas.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Tarik Batal and Basma Masri, creators of Superhope, said: “Seeing the faces of the children when they wear the super suits is a very special moment. It’s very rewarding.”

Emirati parents of the character Super A said: “Ahmed has really enjoyed the process. When they get back to school, they want to tell everyone about all the amazing things like turning them into a superhero”.

The heart-warming trailer will be played across VOX Cinemas for four weeks.

Uncategorized

Covid-19: Global coronavirus death toll passes 3,000; spreads to over 60 countries

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The global death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday after more people died at its epicentre in China, as cases soared around the world and US officials faced criticism over the country’s readiness for an outbreak.

(Coronavirus outbreak: All the latest updates)

The virus has now infected more than 88,000 people and spread to more than 60 countries after first emerging in China late last year.

South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, bringing its total past 4,000.

With fears of a pandemic on the rise, the World Health Organization urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms of the deadly respiratory disease.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has raised fears over its impact on the world economy, causing global markets to log their worst losses since the 2008 financial crisis.

China’s economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or measures to restrict travel.

Other countries have started to enact their own drastic containment measures, including banning arrivals from virus-hit countries, locking down towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches or trade fairs.

(Coronavirus: Everything you need to know about the Covid-19 Wuhan virus outbreak)

In a stark example of growing global anxiety, the Louvre – the world’s most visited museum – closed on Sunday after staff refused to work over fears about the virus.

China reported 42 more deaths on Monday – all in central Hubei province. The virus is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei’s capital, Wuhan.

The death toll in China alone rose to 2,912, but it is also rising abroad, with the second highest tally in Iran with 54, while the United States and Australia had their first fatalities from the disease over the weekend.

The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness.

It has a mortality rate ranging between two and five percent – much higher than the flu, at 0.1 percent, but lower than another coronavirus-linked illness, SARS, which had a 9.5 percent death rate when it killed nearly 800 people in 2002-2003.

But infections are also rising faster abroad than in China now, as the country’s drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off.

After an increase on Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January. There have been more than 80,000 infections in the world’s most populous country.

By contrast, infections are soaring elsewhere.

Four more people died in South Korea, taking its toll to 22.

Infection numbers have surged in recent days and the country’s central bank has warned of negative growth in the first quarter, noting the epidemic will hit both consumption and exports.

The figures are expected to rise further as authorities test more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious group often condemned as a cult that is linked to more than half the cases.

Infections nearly doubled over the weekend in Italy, Europe’s hardest hit country with nearly 1,700 cases.

Rome said Sunday it would deliver 3.6 billion euros ($4 million) in emergency aid to sectors affected by the virus.

President Donald Trump has downplayed concerns of a major outbreak in the US but his government has come in for criticism over its response to the threat.

Vice President Mike Pence and Health Secretary Alex Azar defended the administration’s handling of the virus, while seeking to reassure Americans and promising to make up for shortfalls in virus testing kits.

“We could have more sad news, but the American people should know the risk to the average American remains low,” Pence told CNN.

The assurances came a day after officials confirmed that a man in his 50s had died in northwestern Washington state.

He was one of a handful of people with no known links to global hot zones to have contracted the virus – indicating that the pathogen was now likely spreading in communities.

“We will see more cases,” Azar said. “But it’s important to remember, for the vast majority of individuals who contract the novel coronavirus, they will experience mild to moderate symptoms.”