Latest Colombo News

FILE - In this July 7, 2020, file photo, hospital staff members enter an elevator with the body of a COVID-19 victim on a gurney at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif. California health authorities reported on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, a record high of 695 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strain under unprecedented caseloads. The state Department of Public Health says the number raises the state's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 29,233. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The Latest: Mexico sees record 16,105 new virus cases

Jan. 9, 2021 10:22 PM EST

MEXICO CITY — Mexico has posted another daily record for newly confirmed coronavirus cases, with 16,105 new infections reported Saturday, and a near-record of 1,135 deaths related to COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period. The country has now topped 1.5 million total infections and over 133,000 deaths so...

Shoppers wear masks as they walk around a shopping precinct in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Masks have been made mandatory in shopping centers, on public transport, in entertainment venues such as a cinema, and fines will come into effect on Monday as the state government responds to the COVID-19 outbreak on Sydney's northern beaches, which is suspected to have also caused new cases in neighboring Victoria state. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The Latest: Australia moves up vaccination start to February

Jan. 6, 2021 11:38 PM EST

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. The government had argued there was no reason for an emergency rollout that cut short usual regulatory processes as has occurred in the...

A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus walks through a bar street Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 1500 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Asia Today: Tokyo cases hit record as gov't mulls emergency

Jan. 6, 2021 7:23 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo on Wednesday reported a daily record of 1,591 coronavirus cases as the national government prepares to declare a state of emergency this week to cope with a new wave of infections. Those needing critical care in the capital also reached a record 113 people, according to the metropolitan...

Commuters wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus crowd inside a subway train during a rush hour in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Wary of another wave of infections, China is urging tens of millions of migrant workers to stay put during next month's Lunar New Year holiday, usually the world's largest annual human migration. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The Latest: China makes parts of province high danger zones

Jan. 5, 2021 12:39 AM EST

BEIJING — China has designated parts of Hebei province near Beijing as a coronavirus high danger zone after 14 new cases of COVID-19 were found. Eleven of those cases were in Shijiazhuang city, where some events for the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held. An additional 30 people tested positive for the...

Nurse Arzu Yildirim poses for the photographer as she holds a CoronaVac vaccine, made by Sinovac, currently on phase III clinical trials at Acibadem Hospital in Istanbul, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Turkey has ordered 50 million doses of the vaccine and Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said last week that the first batch was expected to arrive within days and vaccination could start at the end of December or early January.Some 12,500 volunteers are taking part in Phase 3 trials of the vaccine across Turkey but the full vaccination programme is expected to start before the trial is completed. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

The Latest: China tests millions in port over virus cluster

Dec. 24, 2020 11:56 PM EST

BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. The cluster that has emerged in recent days has grown to 12 cases. In five neighborhood divisions, authorities have shut...

People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus make their way at an intersection in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 800 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. (Masanobu Kumagai/Kyodo News via AP)

Asia Today: Sri Lanka locks down 3 towns as spread persists

Dec. 24, 2020 7:05 AM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday imposed lockdown on three towns on the outskirts of the capital to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season. Kosgama, Awissawella and Ruwanwella, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Colombo, were locked down from Thursday noon....

Nurse Banu Mufale administers a Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to physical therapist Becca Mamrol on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The hospital, Alaska's largest, plans to vaccinate 485 people this week. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP, Pool)

The Latest: Alaska reports 2nd adverse reaction to vaccine

Dec. 16, 2020 11:31 PM EST

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Health officials in Alaska have reported that a second health care worker had an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau says the two workers showed adverse reactions about 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine and were treated. One received the vaccine...

A man wearing a face mask walks past a banner for a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Asia Today: South Korea, Tokyo see record highs in new cases

Dec. 16, 2020 6:52 AM EST

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has reported another high in daily coronavirus increases as health officials face growing pressure to enforce stricter social distancing to slow the spread in the capital area. The 1,078 cases confirmed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday...

A family member of an inmate pleads to a policeman as she seeks information on the condition of her relative outside the Mahara prison complex following an overnight unrest in Mahara, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Sri Lankan officials say six inmates were killed and 35 others were injured when guards opened fire to control a riot at a prison on the outskirts of the capital. Two guards were critically injured. Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Asia Today: 8 dead in pandemic unrest at Sri Lanka prison

Nov. 30, 2020 9:23 AM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Inmates unhappy about the coronavirus threat at an overcrowded prison near Sri Lanka's capital have clashed with guards who opened fire, leaving eight prisoners dead and 59 others injured, officials said Monday. Two guards were critically injured, they said. Pandemic-related...

A family member of an inmate pleads lying at the feet of a policeman demanding to know the condition of her relative outside the Mahara prison complex following an overnight unrest in Mahara, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Sri Lankan officials say six inmates were killed and 35 others were injured when guards opened fire to control a riot at a prison on the outskirts of the capital. Two guards were critically injured. Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan prison riot leaves 8 inmates dead, 59 injured

Nov. 30, 2020 9:20 AM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Eight inmates were killed and 59 others were injured when guards opened fire to control a riot at a prison on the outskirts of Sri Lanka's capital, officials said Monday. Two guards were critically injured, they said. Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka’s...

LOADING MORE STORIES