Portal:Current events/2020 March 17

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The Italian government announces it will take over the flag carrier Alitalia as part of its emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Italy Local)
  • British textile design company Laura Ashley plc collapses into administration, saying the coronavirus has had a "significant impact on trading". (iNews)
• British multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer Dixons Carphone says it is closing all standalone Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK, with the loss of 2,900 jobs, as part of a company restructuring. The closures are not believed to be related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Pfizer signs a deal with BioNTech to help develop a vaccine. (US News)
    • China gives go-ahead for human trials for a potential vaccine. (Reuters)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated, will require returnees to be quarantined for 14 days. (National Post)
      • China reports only one domestic case of COVID-19, but found 20 cases that were imported abroad. (The Jakarta Post)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan
      • The President of the Japan Football Association and deputy Olympic Committee chief Kozo Tashima tests positive for COVID-19. Japan insists the 2020 Summer Olympics will still go ahead as planned. (Business Recorder)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Australia
    • A 37-year-old Woolworths employee is stabbed by a 25-year-old man in Rosebud, Victoria. The crime is believed to be related to mass panic buying across Australian supermarkets that has seen cases of violence between shoppers and staff members. (News.com.au)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Malaysia
    • Malaysia reports its first two deaths from COVID-19 as the total number of confirmed cases in the country rises to 673. The victims of the virus were a 60-year-old from Kuching and a 34-year-old from Johor. (The Straits Times)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Iran
    • Iran temporarily frees 85,000 prisoners, including political ones and British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. A judiciary spokesman says all of those freed were serving less than five years in prison, while all other prisoners serving heavier sentences remain in jail. (Reuters)
    • Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports 1,178 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 135 more deaths, bringing the total to 16,169 cases and 988 deaths. (New Indian Express)
    • Sharif University publishes a study about the number of possible casualties, warning that it could reach millions of deaths if a full quarantine is not imposed. (AP news)
    • Iran bans the traditional Persian fire festival Chaharshanbe Suri. (Outlook India)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe
    • The European Union closes its external border for first time in its history. (CNN)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Italy
      • Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announces a 10 million euros donation to Lombardy to arrange a temporary 400-bed hospital at Milan trade fair. (ANSA)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Spain
      • Spain's Ministry of Health reports 2,000 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 182 more deaths, raising the total to 11,178 cases and 491 deaths. The Balearic Islands regional government asks tourists to return home and closes airports and ports. (BBC News)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina declares a state of emergency over COVID-19. The Bosnian military is directed to set up tent quarantines on the border with Republika Srpska, which itself has declared a state of emergency. (Reuters)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Montenegro
      • Montenegro reports its first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in two female patients who had recently returned from abroad. (U.S. News)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Monaco
      • For first time in his reign, Albert II addresses to the Nation in a serious speech reporting on the strengthening of quarantine measures. (Monaco-Matin)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil records their first death from COVID-19 in São Paulo state. (Nasdaq)
    • Hundreds of inmates escape from a prison in Mongaguá after rioting over new coronavirus restrictions. Riots and escapes are also reported at prisons in Mirandópolis, Porto Feliz and Tremembé with as many as 1,000 prisoners on the loose; at least 174 have been recaptured by police. (Metro)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. reports its 105th death from COVID-19 (54 of them in Washington state) with a total of at least 5,748 confirmed cases nationwide. (CNN)
    • As of today, 91,000 American K–12 schools are closed in 39 states, affecting 41.6 million students and their families. (Education Week)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina
      • After 47 cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in the state, outgoing Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney goes under self-quarantine in South Carolina. (CBS News) (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Michigan
      • Michigan reports 11 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than yesterday, for a total of 65. (WZZM)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Alabama
      • Alabama reports a total of 39 cases of COVID-19 and announces the prohibition of gatherings of 25 people or more in six counties. (WSFA)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York confirms its 12th death from COVID-19, and 1,374 cases total, 432 more than yesterday. (The New York Times)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in West Virginia
      • West Virginia confirms its first case of COVID-19, becoming the last U.S. state to do so. Governor Jim Justice ordered restaurant dining rooms, bars, and casinos to close for two weeks. (CBS) (WSAZ)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Arizona
      • Several cities in Arizona declare states of emergency amidst the crisis, with Phoenix and Tucson closing all bars and switching restaurants to take-out only until further notice. (ABC15)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Delaware
      • Delaware confirms eight new presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of such cases to 16. (WBOC)
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Illinois
      • The air traffic control tower at Midway International Airport in Chicago closes after several technicians employed there tested positive for COVID-19. Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center will control the airport and its airspace until cleaning is completed. (CNBC)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Canada
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Ontario
      • Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces a state of emergency, closing restaurants, day cares, and all schools. (Global News)
  • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Turkey
    • Turkey reports its first death from COVID-19, while the number of confirmed cases increases to 98. (Daily Sabah)

• Accession of North Macedonia to NATO
  • The Senate of Spain ratifies North Macedonia's accession protocol for NATO, becoming the last of NATO's 30 members to do so. The move formally paves the way for North Macedonia to join the military alliance. (Daily Sabah)

• Hashem Abedi, the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Ramadan Abedi, is found guilty of 22 murders. (ABC News)

• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries
  • Voters in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois go to the polls in their primary elections. (Business Insider) (CNN)
  • Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden wins all three states, increasing his delegate count to 1,180, while U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders now has 885. The minimum required to win the nomination is 1,991. (Business Insider) (CNN)
  • Incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump wins enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination. (PBS)
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
    • Maryland postpones its primary from April 28 to June 2, becoming the fifth state to do so. (CBS News)
    • Ohio was scheduled to vote today, but the election was postponed until June 2 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The delay capped hours of confusion in which the election was called off by the state's governor, Mike DeWine, only for a judge to then rule that he did not have the authority to do so. The state's health director, Amy Acton, then called off the election on the grounds of a health emergency. (Columbus Dispatch) (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Politics of Belgium
  • Sophie Wilmès is sworn in as Prime Minister of Belgium. Seven opposition parties have pledged to support the minority government—in its previous composition—with plenary power for three to six months to handle the coronavirus pandemic in Belgium. (Het Laatste Nieuws) (La Dernière Heure)

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • UEFA postpones the Euro 2020 association football tournament until summer 2021 in response to the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. (Sky Sports)
  • CONMEBOL postpones the Copa America 2020 association football tournament until 2021 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Globo Esporte)
  • The 2020 French Open tennis tournament is postponed until late September. (The New York Times)
  • 2019–20 NBA season
    • Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant and three of his teammates test positive for COVID-19. (CNN)
• 2020 NFL season
  • Longtime New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announces he will not re-sign with the team, and will instead select free agency. (National Football League)