A Frenchman who is suffering from an incurable condition said Friday he plans to livestream his death on social media as he refuses to take food, drink or medicine after President Emmanuel Macron turned down his request for euthanasia.

Alain Cocq, who suffers from a rare condition where the walls of the arteries stick together, said he believed he had less than a week to live and would livestream his death on Facebook from Saturday morning.

He had written to Macron asking to be given a substance that would allow him to die in peace but the president wrote back to him explaining this was not allowed under French law.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-am-innocent-prime-suspect-of-charlie-hebdo-shooting-declines-all-accusations-325255">Also read|&nbsp;'I am innocent': Prime suspect of Charlie Hebdo shooting declines all accusations</a>

Cocq, 57, has used his plight to draw attention to the situation of terminally-ill patients in France who are unable to be allowed to die in line with their wishes.

"Because I am not above the law, I am not able to comply with your request," Macron said in a letter to Cocq, which the patient published on his Facebook page.

"I cannot ask anyone to go beyond our current legal framework... Your wish is to request active assistance in dying which is not currently permitted in our country," said Macron.

'With profound respect'

In order to show France the "agony" caused by the law in its current state, Cocq told AFP he would broadcast the end of his life on his Facebook page which he believed would come in "four to five days".

He said he hoped his struggle would be remembered and "go down in the long term" as a step forwards in changing the law. He would halt all feeding, drinking and treatment from Friday night.

A Frenchman who is suffering from an incurable condition said Friday he plans to livestream his death on social media as he refuses to take food, drink or medicine after President Emmanuel Macron turned down his request for euthanasia.

A Frenchman who is suffering from an incurable condition said Friday he plans to livestream his death on social media as he refuses to take food, drink or medicine after President Emmanuel Macron turned down his request for euthanasia. Alain Cocq, who suffers from a rare condition where the walls of the arteries stick together, said he believed he had less than a week to live and would livestream his death on Facebook from Saturday morning. He had written to Macron asking to be given a substance that would allow him to die in peace but the president wrote back to him explaining this was not allowed under French law. Also read| 'I am innocent': Prime suspect of Charlie Hebdo shooting declines all accusations Cocq, 57, has used his plight to draw attention to the situation of terminally-ill patients in France who are unable to be allowed to die in line with their wishes. "Because I am not above the law, I am not able to comply with your request," Macron said in a letter to Cocq, which the patient published on his Facebook page. "I cannot ask anyone to go beyond our current legal framework... Your wish is to request active assistance in dying which is not currently permitted in our country," said Macron. 'With profound respect' In order to show France the "agony" caused by the law in its current state, Cocq told AFP he would broadcast the end of his life on his Facebook page which he believed would come in "four to five days". He said he hoped his struggle would be remembered and "go down in the long term" as a step forwards in changing the law. He would halt all feeding, drinking and treatment from Friday night.

Frenchman to livestream own death in right-to-die case

Watching the television for less than two hours a day could prevent or delay poor health, according to a new study.

Health risks associated with screen time, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, were at their lowest when daily TV time was two hours or less, the study from the University of Glasgow found.

It was not just the traditional television screen that was included in the study, watching videos on a mobile phone counted too.

If all participants limited television time to two hours a day, potentially 5.62% of all deaths and 7.97% of deaths due to cardiovascular disease could have been prevented or delayed.

Researchers said that the latest research backed the current evidence that watching too much TV -- and living a sedentary lifestyle more generally -- could lead to poor heath.

They also added that unhealthy snacking and lower socioeconomic status are linked to both TV time and poor health.

Researchers also looked at the potential benefits of substituting television time with healthier activities such as walking.

Watching the television for less than two hours a day could prevent or delay poor health, according to a new study. Health risks associated with screen time, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, were at their lowest when daily TV time was two hours or less, the study from the University of Glasgow found.

Watching the television for less than two hours a day could prevent or delay poor health, according to a new study. Health risks associated with screen time, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, were at their lowest when daily TV time was two hours or less, the study from the University of Glasgow found. It was not just the traditional television screen that was included in the study, watching videos on a mobile phone counted too. If all participants limited television time to two hours a day, potentially 5.62% of all deaths and 7.97% of deaths due to cardiovascular disease could have been prevented or delayed. Researchers said that the latest research backed the current evidence that watching too much TV -- and living a sedentary lifestyle more generally -- could lead to poor heath. They also added that unhealthy snacking and lower socioeconomic status are linked to both TV time and poor health. Researchers also looked at the potential benefits of substituting television time with healthier activities such as walking.

Cutting screen time lowers risk of death, finds study

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack.

Three people were also hospitalised after a man wielding a five-inch knife went on the rampage in a park on Saturday, randomly stabbing people enjoying a sunny, summer evening.

A Western security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the suspect was a 25-year-old Libyan called Khairi Saadallah.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/reading-stabbings-libyan-refugee-khairi-saadallah-named-as-suspect-in-uk-terror-attack-307524" hreflang="en">Reading stabbings: Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah named as suspect in UK terror attack</a>

Calling the incident terrorism, police said a 25-year-old had been arrested but they were not hunting others. "What we saw here on Saturday evening in Reading was the actions of one lone individual," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said

The Philadelphia Inquirer said one of the dead was U.S. citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who had lived in Britain for 15 years. U.S. ambassador Woody Johnson sent condolences to families of victims. "To our great sorrow, this includes an American citizen," he said on Twitter&nbsp;

Teacher James Furlong, 36, who was friends with Ritchie-Bennett according to media reports, was also killed. "He was beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun," his parents said.

The third victim has not yet been identified.

ON MI5'S RADAR

The security source told Reuters that Saadallah had come across the radar of Britain's domestic security agency MI5 last year over intelligence he had aspirations to travel for extremist purposes, although his plans then came to nothing.

"The security services have records on thousands of people and rightly so," said Patel, adding she was limited in what she could say because the investigation was live.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-to-start-easing-lockdown-soon-plans-to-be-revealed-this-week-health-minister-307498" hreflang="en">UK to start easing lockdown soon; plans to be revealed this week: Health Minister</a>

Shocked residents of Reading, about 40 miles (65 km) west of London, held a minute's silence at 0900 GMT.

The attack was reminiscent of some recent incidents in Britain that authorities also called terrorism.

In February, police shot dead a man, previously jailed for promoting violent Islamist material, who had stabbed two people on a busy street in south London. Last November, another man who had been jailed for terrorism offences stabbed two people to death on London Bridge before he too was shot dead by police.

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack.

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack. Three people were also hospitalised after a man wielding a five-inch knife went on the rampage in a park on Saturday, randomly stabbing people enjoying a sunny, summer evening. A Western security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the suspect was a 25-year-old Libyan called Khairi Saadallah. Also read: Reading stabbings: Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah named as suspect in UK terror attack Calling the incident terrorism, police said a 25-year-old had been arrested but they were not hunting others. "What we saw here on Saturday evening in Reading was the actions of one lone individual," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said The Philadelphia Inquirer said one of the dead was U.S. citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who had lived in Britain for 15 years. U.S. ambassador Woody Johnson sent condolences to families of victims. "To our great sorrow, this includes an American citizen," he said on Twitter Teacher James Furlong, 36, who was friends with Ritchie-Bennett according to media reports, was also killed. "He was beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun," his parents said. The third victim has not yet been identified. ON MI5'S RADAR The security source told Reuters that Saadallah had come across the radar of Britain's domestic security agency MI5 last year over intelligence he had aspirations to travel for extremist purposes, although his plans then came to nothing. "The security services have records on thousands of people and rightly so," said Patel, adding she was limited in what she could say because the investigation was live. Also read: UK to start easing lockdown soon; plans to be revealed this week: Health Minister Shocked residents of Reading, about 40 miles (65 km) west of London, held a minute's silence at 0900 GMT. The attack was reminiscent of some recent incidents in Britain that authorities also called terrorism. In February, police shot dead a man, previously jailed for promoting violent Islamist material, who had stabbed two people on a busy street in south London. Last November, another man who had been jailed for terrorism offences stabbed two people to death on London Bridge before he too was shot dead by police.

Britain reels from latest terrorism-linked stabbing, American among dead

As the news of&nbsp;Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain's death was reported, his well-wishers demanded that a proper investigation be launched by the Swedish authorities. His friends, activists and journalists, are alleging&nbsp;Pakistan's spy agency, ISI, to be behind his tragic death.

Sajid Hussain, went to Sweden in 2012 as an exile, and had been missing. His dead body was found on April 23 in the Fyris river outside Uppsala.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/swedish-police-find-body-of-missing-baloch-journalist-296195">Also read:&nbsp;Swedish police find body of missing Baloch journalist</a>

"The Baloch people are in shock. The Baloch are facing genocide in Balochistan but now even Baloch refugees are not safe in a country like Sweden. We demand proper investigations of this ruthless murder and to provide proper protection to the Baloch people in Europe and other parts of the world,"&nbsp;Professor Naela Quadri, President of the Baloch People`s Congress was quoted by ANI.

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Body of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SajidHussain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SajidHussain</a>, our varsity friend, and a fellow journalist, has been found today in Sweden. I am sharing some of his explosive journalistic work (among many others) published in The News about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Balochistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Balochistan</a> that has landed him into trouble. 1
— Zia Ur Rehman (@zalmayzia) <a href="https://twitter.com/zalmayzia/status/1256284561815863297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Hussain was the Editor-in-Chief of Balochistan Times. His wife has revealed that Hussain suspected he was being followed before he fled to Sweden. She said that her husband's report on&nbsp;a top drug lord Imam Bheel in 2012 had landed him amid some threats, following which he left Pakistan.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/pakistan/pak-summons-senior-indian-diplomat-over-alleged-ceasefire-violation-296267">Also read:&nbsp;Pak summons senior Indian diplomat over alleged ceasefire violation</a>

"Then some people broke into his house in Quetta when he was out investigating a story. They took away his laptop and other papers too. After that he left Pakistan in September 2012 and never came back," his wife was quoted in Dawn.

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Saddened to hear about the murder of journalist Sajid Hussain. The <a href="https://twitter.com/SweMFA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SweMFA</a> govt owes it to his family to@investigate the case and ensure that they find who is behind the gruesome act of killing a refugee
— Ayesha Siddiqa (@iamthedrifter) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamthedrifter/status/1256195675479584769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Hussain was known for writing about the human rights violations, state brutalities and barbarism in Balochistan. Like other activists and journalists, who stand up against the barbaric conditions of Balochistan, Hussain too feared for his life.

The Committee to Protest Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders also offered their condolences and demanded a proper investigation be launched.

Balochistan Times also offered condolences on his tragic death. "As a journalist, he was compassionate and wrote extensively on the suffering of the Baloch people. His work often got him into trouble as the authorities did not like his reporting of Balochistan`s forbidden stories, the reason he had to leave and live in exile."

(With inputs from agencies)

As the news of Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain's death was reported, his well-wishers demanded that a proper investigation be launched by the Swedish authorities.

As the news of Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain's death was reported, his well-wishers demanded that a proper investigation be launched by the Swedish authorities. His friends, activists and journalists, are alleging Pakistan's spy agency, ISI, to be behind his tragic death. Sajid Hussain, went to Sweden in 2012 as an exile, and had been missing. His dead body was found on April 23 in the Fyris river outside Uppsala. Also read: Swedish police find body of missing Baloch journalist "The Baloch people are in shock. The Baloch are facing genocide in Balochistan but now even Baloch refugees are not safe in a country like Sweden. We demand proper investigations of this ruthless murder and to provide proper protection to the Baloch people in Europe and other parts of the world," Professor Naela Quadri, President of the Baloch People`s Congress was quoted by ANI. Thread: Body of #SajidHussain, our varsity friend, and a fellow journalist, has been found today in Sweden. I am sharing some of his explosive journalistic work (among many others) published in The News about #Balochistan that has landed him into trouble. 1 — Zia Ur Rehman (@zalmayzia) May 1, 2020 × Hussain was the Editor-in-Chief of Balochistan Times. His wife has revealed that Hussain suspected he was being followed before he fled to Sweden. She said that her husband's report on a top drug lord Imam Bheel in 2012 had landed him amid some threats, following which he left Pakistan. Also read: Pak summons senior Indian diplomat over alleged ceasefire violation "Then some people broke into his house in Quetta when he was out investigating a story. They took away his laptop and other papers too. After that he left Pakistan in September 2012 and never came back," his wife was quoted in Dawn. Saddened to hear about the murder of journalist Sajid Hussain. The @SweMFA govt owes it to his family to@investigate the case and ensure that they find who is behind the gruesome act of killing a refugee — Ayesha Siddiqa (@iamthedrifter) May 1, 2020 × Hussain was known for writing about the human rights violations, state brutalities and barbarism in Balochistan. Like other activists and journalists, who stand up against the barbaric conditions of Balochistan, Hussain too feared for his life. The Committee to Protest Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders also offered their condolences and demanded a proper investigation be launched. Balochistan Times also offered condolences on his tragic death. "As a journalist, he was compassionate and wrote extensively on the suffering of the Baloch people. His work often got him into trouble as the authorities did not like his reporting of Balochistan`s forbidden stories, the reason he had to leave and live in exile." (With inputs from agencies)

ISI behind Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain's death, say well-wishers

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well", a top security adviser to the South's President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumours over Kim's health following his absence from a key anniversary.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/questions-arise-over-kim-jong-uns-successor-as-rumours-about-his-death-294882">Also read: Questions arise over Kim Jong-un's successor as rumours about his death</a> 
 
"Our government position is firm," said Moon's special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un is alive and well."

The adviser said that Kim had been staying in Wonsan — a resort town in the country's east — since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so far been detected."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-uns-train-possibly-spotted-in-resort-town-rumours-surrounding-his-death-continue-294813">Also read:&nbsp;Kim Jong Un's train possibly spotted in resort town; rumours surrounding his death continue</a>

Conjecture about Kim's health has grown since his conspicuous absence from the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the North's founder — the most important day in the country's political calendar.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sent-team-including-medical-experts-to-advise-on-north-koreas-kim-after-news-of-his-death-surfaces-294697">Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces</a>

Kim has not made a public appearance since presiding over a Workers' Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the following day state media reported him inspecting fighter jets at an air defence unit.

His absence has unleashed a series of unconfirmed media reports over his condition, which officials in Seoul previously poured cold water on.

"We have nothing to confirm and no special movement has been detected inside North Korea as of now," the South's presidential office said in a statement last week.

Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, has reported Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month.

Citing an unidentified source inside the country, it said Kim, who is in his mid-30s, had needed urgent treatment due to heavy smoking, obesity and fatigue.

Soon afterwards, CNN reported that Washington was "monitoring intelligence" that Kim was in "grave danger" after undergoing surgery, quoting what it said was an anonymous US official.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that Kim was ailing but declined to state when he was last in touch with him.

On Monday, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that Kim had sent a message of thanks to workers on the giant Wonsan Kalma coastal tourism project.

It was the latest in a series of reports in recent days of statements issued or actions taken in Kim's name, although none has carried any pictures of him.

Satellite images reviewed by 38North, a US-based think tank, showed a train probably belonging to Kim at a station in Wonsan last week.

It cautioned that the train's presence did not "indicate anything about his health" but did "lend weight" to reports he was staying on the country's eastern coast.

Reporting from inside the isolated North is notoriously difficult, especially on anything to do with its leadership, which is among its most closely guarded secrets.

Previous absences from the public eye on Kim's part have prompted speculation about his health.

In 2014 he dropped out of sight for nearly six weeks before reappearing with a cane. Days later, the South's spy agency said he had undergone surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well", a top security adviser to the South's President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumours over Kim's health following his absence from a key anniversary.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well", a top security adviser to the South's President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumours over Kim's health following his absence from a key anniversary. Also read: Questions arise over Kim Jong-un's successor as rumours about his death "Our government position is firm," said Moon's special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un is alive and well." The adviser said that Kim had been staying in Wonsan — a resort town in the country's east — since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so far been detected." Also read: Kim Jong Un's train possibly spotted in resort town; rumours surrounding his death continue Conjecture about Kim's health has grown since his conspicuous absence from the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the North's founder — the most important day in the country's political calendar. Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces Kim has not made a public appearance since presiding over a Workers' Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the following day state media reported him inspecting fighter jets at an air defence unit. His absence has unleashed a series of unconfirmed media reports over his condition, which officials in Seoul previously poured cold water on. "We have nothing to confirm and no special movement has been detected inside North Korea as of now," the South's presidential office said in a statement last week. Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, has reported Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month. Citing an unidentified source inside the country, it said Kim, who is in his mid-30s, had needed urgent treatment due to heavy smoking, obesity and fatigue. Soon afterwards, CNN reported that Washington was "monitoring intelligence" that Kim was in "grave danger" after undergoing surgery, quoting what it said was an anonymous US official. US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that Kim was ailing but declined to state when he was last in touch with him. On Monday, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that Kim had sent a message of thanks to workers on the giant Wonsan Kalma coastal tourism project. It was the latest in a series of reports in recent days of statements issued or actions taken in Kim's name, although none has carried any pictures of him. Satellite images reviewed by 38North, a US-based think tank, showed a train probably belonging to Kim at a station in Wonsan last week. It cautioned that the train's presence did not "indicate anything about his health" but did "lend weight" to reports he was staying on the country's eastern coast. Reporting from inside the isolated North is notoriously difficult, especially on anything to do with its leadership, which is among its most closely guarded secrets. Previous absences from the public eye on Kim's part have prompted speculation about his health. In 2014 he dropped out of sight for nearly six weeks before reappearing with a cane. Days later, the South's spy agency said he had undergone surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.

Kim Jong Un 'alive and well,' top security adviser to South Korea's president says

Recently news about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's ill health&nbsp;has been circulating. There are also rumours of the leader passing away. However, there has been no official word from North Korea or its allies.

Reports about Kim's ill health&nbsp;surfaced after he missed the birth anniversary of of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April&nbsp;and later missed the Army Day celebrations on Friday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-uns-train-possibly-spotted-in-resort-town-rumours-surrounding-his-death-continue-294813">Also read:&nbsp;Kim Jong Un's train possibly spotted in resort town; rumours surrounding his death continue</a>

With these rumours circulating, the world is now wondering who will be the successor to rule North Korea, as there are no known children of Kim. Experts and&nbsp;analysts believe&nbsp;his sister,&nbsp;Kim Yo-jong, and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is old enough to take over.

Kim Yo-jong has been in the spotlight for the past few years as she served formally as a vice director of the ruling Workers' Party's powerful Central Committee but unofficially as her brother's chief of staff.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sent-team-including-medical-experts-to-advise-on-north-koreas-kim-after-news-of-his-death-surfaces-294697">Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces</a>

Kim, who is believed to be 31, is believed to have a form control over party functions, and is therefore, expected to take the reign if her brother, believed to be 36, passes away due to his health conditions.

"Kim Yo Jong will be for the time being the main power base with control of the organisation and guidance department, the judiciary and public security," Cho Han-bum of the Korea Institute for National Unification said.

While it is speculated that Kim has three with Ri Sol Ju, the youngest born in 2017, there has been no proof of it as of now. even if the speculations turn out to be true, the oldest son will not be able to take control of the country till he turns 18.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-denies-sending-a-nice-note-to-donald-trump-293505">Also read:&nbsp;North Korea denies sending a 'nice note' to Donald Trump</a>

Kim Yo Jong is unlikely to take over the helm but could help build a caretaker regime as a power broker until the kids grow up, and Kim Jong Chol might return to help for a while," Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told a media company. 
 
From Kim's political party,&nbsp;Choe Ryong Hae and&nbsp;Pak Pong Ju, two senior party leaders, hold a chance to be the figureheads leading a collective leadership.

Choe rose in power last year after he&nbsp;became the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. Pak Pong Ju is a fellow politburo member and former state premier who oversaw the North's push to introduce more free market functions to revive its economy, are likely to be the figureheads leading a collective leadership.

Recently news about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's ill health has been circulating. There are also rumours of the leader passing away. However, there has been no official word from North Korea or its allies.

Recently news about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's ill health has been circulating. There are also rumours of the leader passing away. However, there has been no official word from North Korea or its allies. Reports about Kim's ill health surfaced after he missed the birth anniversary of of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April and later missed the Army Day celebrations on Friday. Also read: Kim Jong Un's train possibly spotted in resort town; rumours surrounding his death continue With these rumours circulating, the world is now wondering who will be the successor to rule North Korea, as there are no known children of Kim. Experts and analysts believe his sister, Kim Yo-jong, and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is old enough to take over. Kim Yo-jong has been in the spotlight for the past few years as she served formally as a vice director of the ruling Workers' Party's powerful Central Committee but unofficially as her brother's chief of staff. Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces Kim, who is believed to be 31, is believed to have a form control over party functions, and is therefore, expected to take the reign if her brother, believed to be 36, passes away due to his health conditions. "Kim Yo Jong will be for the time being the main power base with control of the organisation and guidance department, the judiciary and public security," Cho Han-bum of the Korea Institute for National Unification said. While it is speculated that Kim has three with Ri Sol Ju, the youngest born in 2017, there has been no proof of it as of now. even if the speculations turn out to be true, the oldest son will not be able to take control of the country till he turns 18. Also read: North Korea denies sending a 'nice note' to Donald Trump Kim Yo Jong is unlikely to take over the helm but could help build a caretaker regime as a power broker until the kids grow up, and Kim Jong Chol might return to help for a while," Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told a media company. From Kim's political party, Choe Ryong Hae and Pak Pong Ju, two senior party leaders, hold a chance to be the figureheads leading a collective leadership. Choe rose in power last year after he became the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. Pak Pong Ju is a fellow politburo member and former state premier who oversaw the North's push to introduce more free market functions to revive its economy, are likely to be the figureheads leading a collective leadership.

Questions arise over Kim Jong-un's successor as rumours about his death

Reports about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ill health have been circulating for the past week. The questions surfaced after he missed &nbsp;the anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April&nbsp;and later missed the Army Day celebrations on Friday.

While there has been no guaranteed news or statement released by the officials,&nbsp;according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, a special train probably belonging to the leader was spotted in a resort town.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sent-team-including-medical-experts-to-advise-on-north-koreas-kim-after-news-of-his-death-surfaces-294697">Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces</a>

According to the report, the train was parked at&nbsp;"leadership station" in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23. However, there has been no proof that the train belong to the leader.

"The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," the report said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-denies-sending-a-nice-note-to-donald-trump-293505">Also read:&nbsp;North Korea denies sending a 'nice note' to Donald Trump</a>

On Thursday, when US President Donald Trump was questioned about reports of Kim Jong Un being unwell, he ribbished the reports by saying "I think the report was incorrect."&nbsp;

A Seoul-based news website, Daily NK, cited an&nbsp;unnamed source and revealed&nbsp;that Kim had undergone medical treatment in the resort county of Hyangsan. If reports are to be believed, he underwent a cardiovascular procedure on April 12.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-capital-witness-panic-buying-of-food-after-strict-covid-19-norms-announced-294205">Also read:&nbsp;North Korean capital witness panic buying of food after strict covid-19 norms announced</a>

In other&nbsp;reports, it is also being speculated he may be affected from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

However, this is not the first time he has disappeared from the media. Kim, believed to be 36, has disappeared before too. In 2014, he vanished for more than a month and was later spotted by North Korean state TV with&nbsp;a limp.

Speculation surrounding his health also reveals that the reason behind his ill health might be his habit of heavy smoking, apparent weight gain&nbsp;and a family history of cardiovascular problems.

With no direct successor, it is still unclear who will be taking over the country in case of Kim Jong Un's death.

Reports about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ill health have been circulating for the past week. The questions surfaced after he missed the anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April and later missed the Army Day celebrations on Friday.

Reports about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ill health have been circulating for the past week. The questions surfaced after he missed the anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April and later missed the Army Day celebrations on Friday. While there has been no guaranteed news or statement released by the officials, according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, a special train probably belonging to the leader was spotted in a resort town. Also read: China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim, after news of his death surfaces According to the report, the train was parked at "leadership station" in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23. However, there has been no proof that the train belong to the leader. "The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," the report said. Also read: North Korea denies sending a 'nice note' to Donald Trump On Thursday, when US President Donald Trump was questioned about reports of Kim Jong Un being unwell, he ribbished the reports by saying "I think the report was incorrect." A Seoul-based news website, Daily NK, cited an unnamed source and revealed that Kim had undergone medical treatment in the resort county of Hyangsan. If reports are to be believed, he underwent a cardiovascular procedure on April 12. Also read: North Korean capital witness panic buying of food after strict covid-19 norms announced In other reports, it is also being speculated he may be affected from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. However, this is not the first time he has disappeared from the media. Kim, believed to be 36, has disappeared before too. In 2014, he vanished for more than a month and was later spotted by North Korean state TV with a limp. Speculation surrounding his health also reveals that the reason behind his ill health might be his habit of heavy smoking, apparent weight gain and a family history of cardiovascular problems. With no direct successor, it is still unclear who will be taking over the country in case of Kim Jong Un's death.

Kim Jong Un's train possibly spotted in resort town; rumours surrounding his death continue

The novel coronavirus claimed another 11 lives in Iran, bringing the country's overall toll to 54, according to official figures released on Sunday that showed the virus was spreading more rapidly. While,&nbsp;China reported 573 new infections, the highest figure in a week after a dip.&nbsp;

"Eleven people lost their lives" in the past 24 hours, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a televised news conference, adding that testing across the country showed there were 385 new cases.

It was the highest number of new cases for the third successive day in the Islamic republic, which now has 978 confirmed infections.

In China, health officials reported a fresh spike in coronavirus infections on Sunday, while in US President Donald Trump urged calm after the first death on US soil. &nbsp;Australia registered its first fatality.

The virus has spread to more than 60 countries around the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level.

Worldwide, nearly 3,000 people have been killed and about 87,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

While the numbers in China are still far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across borders, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as hotspots.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-outbreak-us-others-nations-tighten-curbs-on-travel-to-china-as-virus-toll-hits-213-277797">Coronavirus outbreak: US, other nations tighten curbs on travel to China as virus toll hits 213</a>

South Korea, which has the most infected people outside China, reported 586 new cases on Sunday, bringing its total to 3,736.

Australia reported the first death on its soil -- a 78-year-old man who had been evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

There are fears the disease could hammer the global economy, and stock markets last week plunged to their lowest levels since the 2008 financial crisis.

First death on US soil

Global attention turned to the United States on Saturday after the first fatality on American soil was confirmed.

"We've taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus," President Donald Trump said at a hastily arranged White House press conference.

"Our country is prepared for any circumstance... There is no reason to panic at all."

The fatality occurred in Washington state's King County, which includes Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, health officials said.

The victim was in his 50s and had "underlying health conditions," officials added, as they also announced a possible outbreak in a Washington state nursing home, where a health worker and a resident in her 70s were both confirmed sick with the virus.

Other residents and staff were "ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalised with pneumonia of unknown cause," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The death and two confirmed Washington cases all involved patients who had not travelled overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, indicating the virus was spreading in the US.

"We will see more cases," Health Secretary Alex Azar said at the White House.

"But it's important to remember, for the vast majority of individuals who contract the novel coronavirus, they will experience mild to moderate symptoms."

France, Italy measures

France cancelled gatherings of 5,000 people or more after 16 new cases were confirmed there on Saturday, bringing the country's total to 73.

Sunday's Paris half-marathon and an agricultural symposium were among the events axed.

Italy, the hotspot of the outbreak in Europe, saw a jump in new cases on Saturday, with its number of infections exceeding 1,000 and the death toll jumping by eight to 29.

The outbreak forced the postponement of five matches in Italy's top-flight Serie A football league, including the heavyweight clash between champions Juventus and Inter Milan.

In Japan, just 200 people took part in Sunday's Tokyo marathon after it was reduced from a mass participation event of 38,000 runners to just elite athletes. And the sumo spring tournament which opens next Sunday will now be held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus.

In recent days, the epidemic has spread also to sub-Saharan Africa, while Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg and Ireland all confirmed their first cases on Saturday.

Governments around the world have scrambled to prevent the spread of the virus, from large-scale lockdowns of millions of people in China to flight bans and travel restrictions from disease hotspots.

Beijing's drastic steps include curbing the movement of people, temporarily closing factories across China and quarantining Hubei, a key industrial province where the virus first appeared.

South Korea's epidemic is centred in its fourth-largest city, Daegu, whose streets have been largely deserted for days, apart from long queues at the few shops with masks for sale.

The total in South Korea is expected to rise further as authorities screen more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of the country's cases.

The novel coronavirus claimed another 11 lives in Iran, bringing the country's overall toll to 54, according to official figures released on Sunday that showed the virus was spreading more rapidly.

The novel coronavirus claimed another 11 lives in Iran, bringing the country's overall toll to 54, according to official figures released on Sunday that showed the virus was spreading more rapidly. While, China reported 573 new infections, the highest figure in a week after a dip. "Eleven people lost their lives" in the past 24 hours, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a televised news conference, adding that testing across the country showed there were 385 new cases. It was the highest number of new cases for the third successive day in the Islamic republic, which now has 978 confirmed infections. In China, health officials reported a fresh spike in coronavirus infections on Sunday, while in US President Donald Trump urged calm after the first death on US soil. Australia registered its first fatality. The virus has spread to more than 60 countries around the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level. Worldwide, nearly 3,000 people have been killed and about 87,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. While the numbers in China are still far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across borders, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as hotspots. Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: US, other nations tighten curbs on travel to China as virus toll hits 213 South Korea, which has the most infected people outside China, reported 586 new cases on Sunday, bringing its total to 3,736. Australia reported the first death on its soil -- a 78-year-old man who had been evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. There are fears the disease could hammer the global economy, and stock markets last week plunged to their lowest levels since the 2008 financial crisis. First death on US soil Global attention turned to the United States on Saturday after the first fatality on American soil was confirmed. "We've taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus," President Donald Trump said at a hastily arranged White House press conference. "Our country is prepared for any circumstance... There is no reason to panic at all." The fatality occurred in Washington state's King County, which includes Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, health officials said. The victim was in his 50s and had "underlying health conditions," officials added, as they also announced a possible outbreak in a Washington state nursing home, where a health worker and a resident in her 70s were both confirmed sick with the virus. Other residents and staff were "ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalised with pneumonia of unknown cause," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The death and two confirmed Washington cases all involved patients who had not travelled overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, indicating the virus was spreading in the US. "We will see more cases," Health Secretary Alex Azar said at the White House. "But it's important to remember, for the vast majority of individuals who contract the novel coronavirus, they will experience mild to moderate symptoms." France, Italy measures France cancelled gatherings of 5,000 people or more after 16 new cases were confirmed there on Saturday, bringing the country's total to 73. Sunday's Paris half-marathon and an agricultural symposium were among the events axed. Italy, the hotspot of the outbreak in Europe, saw a jump in new cases on Saturday, with its number of infections exceeding 1,000 and the death toll jumping by eight to 29. The outbreak forced the postponement of five matches in Italy's top-flight Serie A football league, including the heavyweight clash between champions Juventus and Inter Milan. In Japan, just 200 people took part in Sunday's Tokyo marathon after it was reduced from a mass participation event of 38,000 runners to just elite athletes. And the sumo spring tournament which opens next Sunday will now be held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus. In recent days, the epidemic has spread also to sub-Saharan Africa, while Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg and Ireland all confirmed their first cases on Saturday. Governments around the world have scrambled to prevent the spread of the virus, from large-scale lockdowns of millions of people in China to flight bans and travel restrictions from disease hotspots. Beijing's drastic steps include curbing the movement of people, temporarily closing factories across China and quarantining Hubei, a key industrial province where the virus first appeared. South Korea's epidemic is centred in its fourth-largest city, Daegu, whose streets have been largely deserted for days, apart from long queues at the few shops with masks for sale. The total in South Korea is expected to rise further as authorities screen more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of the country's cases.

Coronavirus outbreak: After slowdown, cases in China rise again; 54 die in Iran

COVID-19 killed a 78-year-old Italian man. The victim was hospitalized for an unrelated condition. 10 Italian cities are under lockdown. 3,300 villagers in Deceased"s village to be tested. 15 positive cases of COVID-19 in Lombardy. Around 50,000 people in Lombardy are asked to stay indoors.

Coronavirus Outbreak : Italy has reported its second death

Iran has confirmed two coronavirus deaths, both were elderly people of Qom city. Victims contracted huge lung infections.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Iran confirms first coronavirus death

A chat about life's end over coffee doesn't sound like everyone's cup of tea, people from all ages walk over this unusual cafe in London with stories of grief, loss and bereavement.

UK: A cafe to increase awareness on death

The tech giant Apple Inc shares its concern over the supply of iPhone globally due to massive outbreak of Novel Coronavirus. Apple makes most iPhones and other products in China. The spread of coronavirus has caused the company to temporarily halt production and close retail stores in China.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Apple warns of 'Iphone supply shortage'

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China reached 1,868 as of now. According to the National Commission of Health in China presents the recent data.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Chinese Ambassador briefs on Coronavirus | WION News | World News

Coronavirus latest Updates: China's deadly virus kills 1,868

Dr Li Wenliang was the face of the coronavirus crisis. He was one of the first doctors to report the outbreak. But, he was silenced by the Chinese state. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how the death of Dr Li has triggered dissent within China.

Gravitas: Face of the Coronavirus crisis no more

Kirk&nbsp;Douglas, one of the last superstars of Hollywood's golden age of cinema renowned for his intense, muscular performances in "Spartacus" and "Paths of Glory," died Wednesday aged 103.

The US leading man, producer and director came to prominence in the late 1940s and never lost his popularity, taking on nearly 100 movies over a&nbsp;six-decade career that endured beyond a severe stroke in his later years.

His death at his family home in Beverly Hills was confirmed by his son Michael, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker.

"It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that&nbsp;Kirk&nbsp;Douglas&nbsp;left us today at the age of 103," Michael&nbsp;Douglas&nbsp;said in a statement posted to Facebook.

"To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in setting a standard for all of us to aspire to."

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Tributes poured in from across Hollywood and around the world on social media, with many declaring "I am Spartacus!" in a nod to&nbsp;Douglas's legendary role as a rebellious Roman slave.

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Kirk Douglas was one of the biggest stars of all time &amp; a brilliant actor with an unforgettable, blazing charisma. He will also be remembered for putting his career on the line by defying the Hollywood Blacklist, hiring writer Dalton Trumbo for the classic Spartacus. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> 💔 <a href="https://t.co/snzoHPMtDr">pic.twitter.com/snzoHPMtDr</a>
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) <a href="https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1225224986559778816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
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R.I.P. Kirk Douglas 
 
I once had the honor and privilege of having dinner with him and his wife. Great man, great woman. I recommend his extraordinary autobiography “A Ragman’s Son.”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KirkDouglas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KirkDouglas</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xq5G5L8xxe">pic.twitter.com/Xq5G5L8xxe</a>
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) <a href="https://twitter.com/larryelder/status/1225259518591782912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In memory of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KirkDouglas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KirkDouglas</a>, star of many Paramount films spanning the decades, including his first Academy Award nomination for Champion (1949), and his roles in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and Last Train From Gun Hill (1959). <a href="https://t.co/33TgT5wePt">pic.twitter.com/33TgT5wePt</a>
— Paramount Movies (@ParamountMovies) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParamountMovies/status/1225234618208534528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Kirk&nbsp;Douglas. The inspirational Scalawag" wrote actor Danny DeVito, in reference to the 1973 movie of the same name -- the first film&nbsp;Douglas&nbsp;directed.&nbsp;

"103 years on this earth. That's got a nice ring to it! Great hanging with you man," he added.

"Heartbroken.&nbsp;Kirk&nbsp;Douglas&nbsp;was a friend and an absolute legend of a star and human. He got better with every passing day," wrote "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander, adding: "We could use a true Spartacus."

The Academy which awards the Oscars tweeted: "Goodbye to a Hollywood legend."

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“I wanted to be an actor ever since I was a kid in the second grade. I did a play, and my mother made a black apron, and I played a shoemaker. After the performance, [my father] gave me my first Oscar: an ice cream cone.” -Kirk Douglas 
 
Goodbye to a Hollywood legend. <a href="https://t.co/vnu1Hkb2FA">pic.twitter.com/vnu1Hkb2FA</a>
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAcademy/status/1225205769420726272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch to Jewish-Russian immigrants in upstate New York in 1916, began as a stage actor before serving in the US Navy during the Second World War.

He graduated to movies in 1946 when "Casablanca" producer Hal Wallis signed him, and he became a star for his role as a double-crossing and womanizing boxer in 1949's "Champion."

His subsequent roles would often mirror his real-world, larger-than-life and intense persona, including a ruthless movie producer in "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in "Lust for Life" (1956).

Douglas&nbsp;told The New York Times in a 1984 interview that he had "always been attracted to characters who are part scoundrel," adding: "I don't find virtue photogenic."

He was renowned for his physical commitment to roles, training for months to play a boxer in "Champion," and learning to horseride and shoot in the 1957 Western "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral".

Douglas&nbsp;gathered three Oscar nominations, the last for "Lust for Life," but missed out each time and was never nominated again. He never won a competitive Academy Award.

But he was granted an honorary lifetime achievement statuette by the Academy in 1996 -- just months after his stroke -- "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community."

Douglas&nbsp;is survived by second wife Anne Buydens, 100, and three sons. A fourth child, Eric, died of a drug overdose in his 40s, in 2004.

"(To) me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine (Zeta-Jones), a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband," said Michael.

"Kirk's life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet."

Kirk Douglas, one of the last superstars of Hollywood's golden age of cinema renowned for his intense, muscular performances in "Spartacus" and "Paths of Glory," died Wednesday aged 103.

Kirk Douglas, one of the last superstars of Hollywood's golden age of cinema renowned for his intense, muscular performances in "Spartacus" and "Paths of Glory," died Wednesday aged 103. The US leading man, producer and director came to prominence in the late 1940s and never lost his popularity, taking on nearly 100 movies over a six-decade career that endured beyond a severe stroke in his later years. His death at his family home in Beverly Hills was confirmed by his son Michael, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker. "It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103," Michael Douglas said in a statement posted to Facebook. "To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in setting a standard for all of us to aspire to." × Tributes poured in from across Hollywood and around the world on social media, with many declaring "I am Spartacus!" in a nod to Douglas's legendary role as a rebellious Roman slave. Kirk Douglas was one of the biggest stars of all time & a brilliant actor with an unforgettable, blazing charisma. He will also be remembered for putting his career on the line by defying the Hollywood Blacklist, hiring writer Dalton Trumbo for the classic Spartacus. #RIP 💔 pic.twitter.com/snzoHPMtDr — Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 6, 2020 × R.I.P. Kirk Douglas I once had the honor and privilege of having dinner with him and his wife. Great man, great woman. I recommend his extraordinary autobiography “A Ragman’s Son.”#KirkDouglas pic.twitter.com/Xq5G5L8xxe — Larry Elder (@larryelder) February 6, 2020 × In memory of #KirkDouglas, star of many Paramount films spanning the decades, including his first Academy Award nomination for Champion (1949), and his roles in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and Last Train From Gun Hill (1959). pic.twitter.com/33TgT5wePt — Paramount Movies (@ParamountMovies) February 6, 2020 × "Kirk Douglas. The inspirational Scalawag" wrote actor Danny DeVito, in reference to the 1973 movie of the same name -- the first film Douglas directed. "103 years on this earth. That's got a nice ring to it! Great hanging with you man," he added. "Heartbroken. Kirk Douglas was a friend and an absolute legend of a star and human. He got better with every passing day," wrote "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander, adding: "We could use a true Spartacus." The Academy which awards the Oscars tweeted: "Goodbye to a Hollywood legend." “I wanted to be an actor ever since I was a kid in the second grade. I did a play, and my mother made a black apron, and I played a shoemaker. After the performance, [my father] gave me my first Oscar: an ice cream cone.” -Kirk Douglas Goodbye to a Hollywood legend. pic.twitter.com/vnu1Hkb2FA — The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 5, 2020 × Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch to Jewish-Russian immigrants in upstate New York in 1916, began as a stage actor before serving in the US Navy during the Second World War. He graduated to movies in 1946 when "Casablanca" producer Hal Wallis signed him, and he became a star for his role as a double-crossing and womanizing boxer in 1949's "Champion." His subsequent roles would often mirror his real-world, larger-than-life and intense persona, including a ruthless movie producer in "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in "Lust for Life" (1956). Douglas told The New York Times in a 1984 interview that he had "always been attracted to characters who are part scoundrel," adding: "I don't find virtue photogenic." He was renowned for his physical commitment to roles, training for months to play a boxer in "Champion," and learning to horseride and shoot in the 1957 Western "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral". Douglas gathered three Oscar nominations, the last for "Lust for Life," but missed out each time and was never nominated again. He never won a competitive Academy Award. But he was granted an honorary lifetime achievement statuette by the Academy in 1996 -- just months after his stroke -- "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community." Douglas is survived by second wife Anne Buydens, 100, and three sons. A fourth child, Eric, died of a drug overdose in his 40s, in 2004. "(To) me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine (Zeta-Jones), a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband," said Michael. "Kirk's life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet."

Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas dead at 103

The coronavirus outbreak has killed 490 people in China. The number of infected cases rose to 24,324 as the virus continued to spread in China.

Two deaths were reported outside China with Hong Kong being the latest where a&nbsp;39-year-old man who had visited Wuhan died on Tuesday. Another man had earlier died due to the virus in the Philippines.

Additionally, new cases were reported on a Japanese cruise ship which now remains under quarantine. 
 
On Tuesday, the Chinese National Health Commission claimed new 65 deaths were recorded, which shot up the death toll to 490&nbsp;in China.

<h6><img alt="ooo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="61247084-42cc-4b8c-bf16-b317c7ab5163" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_18.jpg" /> 
This handout from the Royal Thai Navy taken and released on February 4, 2020 shows navy officials in protective suits standing beside a plane that brought Thai nationals back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak</h6>

The virus continues to affect Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak and its surrounding areas with the city placed on lockdown.

At least 3,887 new cases were confirmed in mainland China, shooting up the total figure of the infection to 24,324.

A few hours ago, ten people on a cruise ship at the Japanese port of Yokohama tested positive for the virus. However, the figure is expected to increase incrementally as the screening process of others on board the ship is underway. Japan's health minister expects the number of cases to increase.

<img alt="ooo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc9d9c3b-0f0e-4464-8ac2-cec648d65b28" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/127111-untitled-design-15_0.jpg" />

The Carnival Corp ship, which is carrying 3,700 passengers has been quarantined until the screening process is complete. 273 people were tested on the ship, with ten new cases registered.&nbsp;

According to the World Health Organisation, 176 more cases have been reported in other countries and regions.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-what-is-n95-face-mask-278590">Coronavirus: What is N95 face mask?</a>

The coronavirus outbreak has killed 490 people in China. The number of infected cases rose to 24,324 as the virus continued to spread in China. Two deaths were reported outside China with Hong Kong being the latest where a 39-year-old man who had visited Wuhan died on Tuesday.

The coronavirus outbreak has killed 490 people in China. The number of infected cases rose to 24,324 as the virus continued to spread in China. Two deaths were reported outside China with Hong Kong being the latest where a 39-year-old man who had visited Wuhan died on Tuesday. Another man had earlier died due to the virus in the Philippines. Additionally, new cases were reported on a Japanese cruise ship which now remains under quarantine. On Tuesday, the Chinese National Health Commission claimed new 65 deaths were recorded, which shot up the death toll to 490 in China. This handout from the Royal Thai Navy taken and released on February 4, 2020 shows navy officials in protective suits standing beside a plane that brought Thai nationals back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak The virus continues to affect Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak and its surrounding areas with the city placed on lockdown. At least 3,887 new cases were confirmed in mainland China, shooting up the total figure of the infection to 24,324. A few hours ago, ten people on a cruise ship at the Japanese port of Yokohama tested positive for the virus. However, the figure is expected to increase incrementally as the screening process of others on board the ship is underway. Japan's health minister expects the number of cases to increase. The Carnival Corp ship, which is carrying 3,700 passengers has been quarantined until the screening process is complete. 273 people were tested on the ship, with ten new cases registered. According to the World Health Organisation, 176 more cases have been reported in other countries and regions. Also read: Coronavirus: What is N95 face mask?

China's coronavirus death toll rises to 490, over 24,000 infected

Three students were found dead in a cave <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-appeals-to-wto-against-the-european-unions-discriminative-palm-oil-restrictions-268519">in Indonesia</a> on Monday after they got trapped inside by floodwaters.

Heavy rains had smashed the region, effectively flooding it. A search and rescue operation was launched to retrieve five people alive from Lele cave and West Java.

The victims "were trapped inside the cave for quite a while before the team managed to evacuate them," said local search and rescue agency spokeswoman Seni Wulandari.

According to sources, the rescue team took an hour to reach the cave, which is 30 metres below ground level.

Watch:&nbsp;Indonesian cave art is earliest known record of "storytelling"

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/indonesian-cave-art-is-earliest-known-record-of-story-telling-researchers-say-268590/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Water entered the cave like a waterfall. Initially, only five students were <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thai-cave-reopens-for-visitors-after-wild-boars-rescue-259377">inside the cave</a>, including the victims," Ari Alfian, a senior member of the club said.

Alfian claimed that the weather was normal when the kids ventured into the cave. However, unexpected heavy downpour crippled the area.

"Another three came in to rescue them as the bad weather arrived. They were all trapped but only five managed to survive''', he added.

The students had gone to the cave to undergo basic caving training and were part of a university nature club.&nbsp;

Storms and bad weather have plagued <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indonesia-foreign-minister-arrives-in-india-to-attend-key-talks-on-indo-pacific-region-267986">the country</a> lately.

(With inputs from agencies)

Three students were found dead in a cave in Indonesia on Monday after they got trapped inside by floodwaters. Heavy rains had smashed the region, effectively flooding it.

Three students were found dead in a cave in Indonesia on Monday after they got trapped inside by floodwaters. Heavy rains had smashed the region, effectively flooding it. A search and rescue operation was launched to retrieve five people alive from Lele cave and West Java. The victims "were trapped inside the cave for quite a while before the team managed to evacuate them," said local search and rescue agency spokeswoman Seni Wulandari. According to sources, the rescue team took an hour to reach the cave, which is 30 metres below ground level. Watch: Indonesian cave art is earliest known record of "storytelling" "Water entered the cave like a waterfall. Initially, only five students were inside the cave, including the victims," Ari Alfian, a senior member of the club said. Alfian claimed that the weather was normal when the kids ventured into the cave. However, unexpected heavy downpour crippled the area. "Another three came in to rescue them as the bad weather arrived. They were all trapped but only five managed to survive''', he added. The students had gone to the cave to undergo basic caving training and were part of a university nature club. Storms and bad weather have plagued the country lately. (With inputs from agencies)

Three university kids found dead in a flooded Indonesian cave

Clashes ensued among prisoners in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-honduras-discuss-temporary-work-opportunities-for-hondurans-251210">Honduras</a>, killing 18 inmates and injuring 16.&nbsp;

According to prison officials, the fighting erupted at a jail in the town of Tela.

The prison is 200 kilometres from the country's capital, Tegucigalpa. Until now, no trigger or cause has been ascertained.

Fusine, the combined national security force had found arms and ammunition in the prison, including 9-millimetre guns.

Earlier, only three deaths were reported, with the toll quickly rising. By Saturday, 14 dead and 15 wounded were identified by the authorities.&nbsp;

Digna Aguilar, a prison spokesperson said that authorities had to enter the area carefully "for fear of being among the victims" because several inmates carried firearms, which slowed the investigation.

Watch: Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mexico-to-help-create-20000-jobs-in-honduras-to-curb-migration-238977/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-honduras-agree-to-create-20000-jobs-and-stem-migration-238995">Honduran</a> President Juan Orlando Hernandez, grappling with a recent wave of prison killings, had ordered the army and the police on Tuesday to take full control of the country's 27 prisons, which are badly overcrowded with some 21,000 inmates.&nbsp;

But as of Friday, the military had yet to take complete control of the Tela detention centre, according to Aguilar.

Hernandez was triggered to announce the scheme amid recent violence in prisons. 
On December 14 of five members of feared gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by a fellow detainee at the high-security prison in La Tolva, 25 miles east of Tegucigalpa.&nbsp;

A day earlier. Pedro Idelfonso Armas, the warden of El Pozo, the country's main high-security prison, in the western city of Santa Barbara, was shot dead in the south of the country.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/honduras-says-not-considering-safe-third-country-migration-deal-with-us-248818">Honduras has been trying to deal</a> with drug trafficking, gangs, poverty and corruption.

It suffers from one of the highest homicide rates in the world outside areas of armed conflict, having registered 41.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018.

Described by the local media as ''gang violence'', the tussle led to 17 deaths in the facility and one in the hospital.

(With inputs from agencies)

Clashes ensued among prisoners in Honduras, killing 18 inmates and injuring 16. According to prison officials, the fighting erupted at a jail in the town of Tela.

Clashes ensued among prisoners in Honduras, killing 18 inmates and injuring 16. According to prison officials, the fighting erupted at a jail in the town of Tela. The prison is 200 kilometres from the country's capital, Tegucigalpa. Until now, no trigger or cause has been ascertained. Fusine, the combined national security force had found arms and ammunition in the prison, including 9-millimetre guns. Earlier, only three deaths were reported, with the toll quickly rising. By Saturday, 14 dead and 15 wounded were identified by the authorities. Digna Aguilar, a prison spokesperson said that authorities had to enter the area carefully "for fear of being among the victims" because several inmates carried firearms, which slowed the investigation. Watch: Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, grappling with a recent wave of prison killings, had ordered the army and the police on Tuesday to take full control of the country's 27 prisons, which are badly overcrowded with some 21,000 inmates. But as of Friday, the military had yet to take complete control of the Tela detention centre, according to Aguilar. Hernandez was triggered to announce the scheme amid recent violence in prisons. On December 14 of five members of feared gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by a fellow detainee at the high-security prison in La Tolva, 25 miles east of Tegucigalpa. A day earlier. Pedro Idelfonso Armas, the warden of El Pozo, the country's main high-security prison, in the western city of Santa Barbara, was shot dead in the south of the country. Honduras has been trying to deal with drug trafficking, gangs, poverty and corruption. It suffers from one of the highest homicide rates in the world outside areas of armed conflict, having registered 41.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018. Described by the local media as ''gang violence'', the tussle led to 17 deaths in the facility and one in the hospital. (With inputs from agencies)

18 prisoners dead, 16 injured after clash in Honduras jail

A <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nirbhaya-case-delhi-high-court-adjourns-convicts-plea-claiming-he-was-juvenile-269075">Delhi court</a> on Thursday reserved till January 6 the order on an application filed by the father of one of the death-row convicts in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nirbhaya-s-mother-breaks-down-after-court-postpones-death-warrants-of-convicts-268942">Nirbhaya rape case</a> which questioned the credibility of the sole witness and claimed that he was "tutored".

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/very-important-to-teach-such-people-a-lesson-nirbhayas-mother-welcomes-delhi-hcs-dismissal-of-convicts-plea-269236">petition</a> which was filed by convict Pawan Kumar Gupta`s father sought registration of FIR against the girl's friend for perjury for giving false testimony in the court.

The sole eye-witness was accompanying the 23-year-old girl when she was raped and murdered by six men on a moving bus on December 16, 2012.

It claimed that the boy accompanying Nirbhaya in the bus turned the case into a "media trial" by charging money from news channels to give interviews.

"This calls for an independent investigation into the perjury committed by him, being the sole witness, his testimony has strongly influenced the outcome of the case," the complaint stated. Perjury relates to willfully making a misrepresentation under oath.

In the last proceedings, Metropolitan Magistrate Sudhir Kumar Sirohi had said that the witnesses record statements "under oath and what they say outside the courtroom cannot raise a question on their credibility as a witness".Besides Pawan Kumar Gupta, three others - Akshay, Vinay, and Mukesh are facing the gallows in the case.

The main accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail during the trial. Another accused was a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nirbhaya-case-delhi-high-court-dismisses-plea-of-convict-who-claims-he-was-juvenile-in-2012-269183">minor</a> at the time of the commission of the crime and was sent to a reform facility and released after three years.

A Delhi court on Thursday reserved till January 6 the order on an application filed by the father of one of the death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case which questioned the credibility of the sole witness and claimed that he was "tutored".

A Delhi court on Thursday reserved till January 6 the order on an application filed by the father of one of the death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case which questioned the credibility of the sole witness and claimed that he was "tutored". The petition which was filed by convict Pawan Kumar Gupta`s father sought registration of FIR against the girl's friend for perjury for giving false testimony in the court. The sole eye-witness was accompanying the 23-year-old girl when she was raped and murdered by six men on a moving bus on December 16, 2012. It claimed that the boy accompanying Nirbhaya in the bus turned the case into a "media trial" by charging money from news channels to give interviews. "This calls for an independent investigation into the perjury committed by him, being the sole witness, his testimony has strongly influenced the outcome of the case," the complaint stated. Perjury relates to willfully making a misrepresentation under oath. In the last proceedings, Metropolitan Magistrate Sudhir Kumar Sirohi had said that the witnesses record statements "under oath and what they say outside the courtroom cannot raise a question on their credibility as a witness".Besides Pawan Kumar Gupta, three others - Akshay, Vinay, and Mukesh are facing the gallows in the case. The main accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail during the trial. Another accused was a minor at the time of the commission of the crime and was sent to a reform facility and released after three years.

Nirbhaya case: Delhi High Court reserves order on plea seeking FIR against sole witness

A judge in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/child-killed-as-earthquake-strikes-southern-philippines-268381">Philippines</a> prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the&nbsp;massacre&nbsp;a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence.

Three generations of a&nbsp;political&nbsp;clan accused of masterminding the&nbsp;2009&nbsp;killings are among 101 defendants awaiting judgement, in a case seen as a crucial test of impunity in country where provincial power is often decided by corruption, intimidation and violence.

Seven members of the influential Ampatuan family are accused of conspiring to ambush the convoy of a rival clan as it travelled to register its candidate for a gubernatorial election in the southern province of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-explosions-rock-southern-philippines-ahead-of-election-218374">Maguindanao</a>, an attack that spiralled into a bloodbath.

Among the casualties were the wife and relatives of the rival candidate, lawyers and 32 media workers, who were executed beside a rural road in a volley of gunfire, before being buried with their vehicles in a huge pit dug by an excavator.

It was one of the world's single, biggest attacks on journalists. The defendants deny charges of multiple counts of murder and face up to 30 years in jail for each one.

There were 357 witnesses and 197 suspects, 80 of those still at large, including 12 Ampatuans. The family patriarch, Andal Ampatuan, died in prison of a heart attack in 2015.

Five other Ampatuan family members and 54 police are also on trial and lawyers for the families said a guilty verdict would be crucial for&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;democracy.

"We are rooting for a conviction no more, no less," Nena Santos, a private prosecutor in the case, told reporters.

"This is very important because if no conviction here it would mean the impunity continues, press freedom is dead and the democratic process is at stake."

The judge and lawyers were in discussions about how much of the verdict to read out from its more than 700 pages.

The attack, known as the "Maguindanao&nbsp;Massacre", was chilling even by&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;standards, where&nbsp;political&nbsp;assassinations are commonplace in elections for mayors, governors and even congress. Several witnesses in the case have been killed.

Muslim-dominated parts of the southern&nbsp;Philippines are notoriously violent, prone to lawlessness, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippine-troops-pound-islamists-as-death-toll-passes-300-16944">separatist unrest</a> and the&nbsp;rule&nbsp;of warlords aided by an abundance of arms.

Human Rights Watch said that regardless of the verdict, suspects on the run must be caught.

"The families of Maguindanao victims and witnesses will be at risk so long as suspects remain free," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director.

A judge in the Philippines prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the massacre a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence.

A judge in the Philippines prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the massacre a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence. Three generations of a political clan accused of masterminding the 2009 killings are among 101 defendants awaiting judgement, in a case seen as a crucial test of impunity in country where provincial power is often decided by corruption, intimidation and violence. Seven members of the influential Ampatuan family are accused of conspiring to ambush the convoy of a rival clan as it travelled to register its candidate for a gubernatorial election in the southern province of Maguindanao, an attack that spiralled into a bloodbath. Among the casualties were the wife and relatives of the rival candidate, lawyers and 32 media workers, who were executed beside a rural road in a volley of gunfire, before being buried with their vehicles in a huge pit dug by an excavator. It was one of the world's single, biggest attacks on journalists. The defendants deny charges of multiple counts of murder and face up to 30 years in jail for each one. There were 357 witnesses and 197 suspects, 80 of those still at large, including 12 Ampatuans. The family patriarch, Andal Ampatuan, died in prison of a heart attack in 2015. Five other Ampatuan family members and 54 police are also on trial and lawyers for the families said a guilty verdict would be crucial for Philippine democracy. "We are rooting for a conviction no more, no less," Nena Santos, a private prosecutor in the case, told reporters. "This is very important because if no conviction here it would mean the impunity continues, press freedom is dead and the democratic process is at stake." The judge and lawyers were in discussions about how much of the verdict to read out from its more than 700 pages. The attack, known as the "Maguindanao Massacre", was chilling even by Philippine standards, where political assassinations are commonplace in elections for mayors, governors and even congress. Several witnesses in the case have been killed. Muslim-dominated parts of the southern Philippines are notoriously violent, prone to lawlessness, separatist unrest and the rule of warlords aided by an abundance of arms. Human Rights Watch said that regardless of the verdict, suspects on the run must be caught. "The families of Maguindanao victims and witnesses will be at risk so long as suspects remain free," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director.

Philippine court to rule on 2009 political massacre

Two teenage&nbsp;employees were electrocuted while cleaning the kitchen of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/mcdonalds-to-pay-26-million-to-settle-california-wage-lawsuit-264569">McDonalds</a> in Pueblo Libre, a district in the capital Lima, Peruvian daily La Republica reported.

"In response to the terrible loss of our two colleagues Carlos Gabriel Edgardo Campos Zapata and Alexandra Antonella Porras Inga, we wish to announce that we have declared two days of mourning from this morning, during which all our restaurants nationwide will remain closed,"&nbsp;McDonald's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/peru-vice-president-resigns-calls-for-elections-to-break-deadlock-253286">Peru</a> said on Twitter.

The company said it was cooperating fully with the authorities investigating the deaths and offering support to their families. All staff would be paid during the two days when the restaurants were shut.

Two teenage employees were electrocuted while cleaning the kitchen of a McDonalds in Pueblo Libre, a district in the capital Lima, Peruvian daily La Republica reported.

Two teenage employees were electrocuted while cleaning the kitchen of a McDonalds in Pueblo Libre, a district in the capital Lima, Peruvian daily La Republica reported. "In response to the terrible loss of our two colleagues Carlos Gabriel Edgardo Campos Zapata and Alexandra Antonella Porras Inga, we wish to announce that we have declared two days of mourning from this morning, during which all our restaurants nationwide will remain closed," McDonald's Peru said on Twitter. The company said it was cooperating fully with the authorities investigating the deaths and offering support to their families. All staff would be paid during the two days when the restaurants were shut.

McDonald's shuts all Peru restaurants to mourn dead workers

A severe <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-dengue-outbreak-49000-cases-registered-262821">dengue outbreak</a> has claimed the lives of at least 120 people and affected over 87,000 others across 11 districts in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</a>, health officials said here on Monday.

Secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Haritha Aluthge told the local Daily Mirror that the GMOA had informed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-president-appoints-16-member-interim-cabinet-263904">new Health Minister</a> Pavithra Wanniarachchi and the Secretary to the Ministry of Health about the seriousness of the issue as over 10 districts were affected by the rapid spread of the disease.

The continuous rains in many parts of the island were considered as one of the leading reasons for the spread of the virus.

Haritha was quoted as saying that while Colombo, Gampaha, in the outskirts of the capital city, as well as Kandy, in the central hills, were the worst affected districts, with almost 50 per cent of the total cases reported.

The case of the outbreak was reported from the Jaffna district in the northern region of the country.

In <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sky-is-limit-as-inaugural-flight-bridges-distance-between-chennai-and-jaffna-256557">Jaffna </a>alone, 7,000 dengue cases have been reported so far this year. Medical experts said that the number of deaths recorded so far this year was "alarming," in comparison to 58 deaths reported last year.

Medical experts further urged the people to seek immediate attention if they suffered symptoms of high fever, uncontrolled vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and reduced urinary.

"All fever patients need rest and should refrain from attending work or school," said epidemiologists, adding that dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) can be fatal.

Medical experts also urged pregnant women to seek hospital admission immediately on the first day of fever.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-citing-violence-and-dengue-cuts-2018-tourist-arrivals-target-134074">Last year</a>, over 48,000 people were affected by the mosquito-borne virus in Sri Lanka, with the National Dengue Control Unit launching several programmes to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds in several districts of the island country.

A severe dengue outbreak has claimed the lives of at least 120 people and affected over 87,000 others across 11 districts in Sri Lanka, health officials said here on Monday.

A severe dengue outbreak has claimed the lives of at least 120 people and affected over 87,000 others across 11 districts in Sri Lanka, health officials said here on Monday. Secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Haritha Aluthge told the local Daily Mirror that the GMOA had informed new Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and the Secretary to the Ministry of Health about the seriousness of the issue as over 10 districts were affected by the rapid spread of the disease. The continuous rains in many parts of the island were considered as one of the leading reasons for the spread of the virus. Haritha was quoted as saying that while Colombo, Gampaha, in the outskirts of the capital city, as well as Kandy, in the central hills, were the worst affected districts, with almost 50 per cent of the total cases reported. The case of the outbreak was reported from the Jaffna district in the northern region of the country. In Jaffna alone, 7,000 dengue cases have been reported so far this year. Medical experts said that the number of deaths recorded so far this year was "alarming," in comparison to 58 deaths reported last year. Medical experts further urged the people to seek immediate attention if they suffered symptoms of high fever, uncontrolled vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and reduced urinary. "All fever patients need rest and should refrain from attending work or school," said epidemiologists, adding that dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) can be fatal. Medical experts also urged pregnant women to seek hospital admission immediately on the first day of fever. Last year, over 48,000 people were affected by the mosquito-borne virus in Sri Lanka, with the National Dengue Control Unit launching several programmes to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds in several districts of the island country.

Dengue kills 120 in Sri Lanka, affects over 87,000 others

Paul Volcker, the towering former Federal Reserve chairman who tamed US&nbsp;inflation in the 1980s and decades later inspired tough Wall Street reforms in the wake of the global financial crisis, died on Monday at the age of 92, according to the New York Times, which quoted his daughter.

Volcker, who media reports said had been suffering from prostate cancer, was the first to bring celebrity status to the job of US&nbsp;central banker, serving as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. As with the man who succeeded him, Alan Greenspan, Volcker could soothe or excite financial markets with just a vague murmur.

In 2018 he published a memoir, "Keeping at It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government," and expressed concern about the direction of the federal government and the loss of respect for it.

"The central issue is we're developing into a plutocracy," he told the New York Times in October 2018. "We've got an enormous number of enormously rich people that have convinced themselves that they're rich because they're smart and constructive. And they don't like government and they don't like to pay taxes."

In 2009, Volcker began serving as a key financial adviser to President Barack Obama and faced a maelstrom of financial turmoil, government bailouts and the fallout from the deepest recession since the 1930s Great Depression.

In working to help the US&nbsp;economy recover from the 2008 crisis, he proposed what became known as the Volcker rule that restricted banks from making high-risk investments with depositors' cash. Since Donald Trump, who favours fewer regulations, became president in 2017, the rule has been under review.

The Volcker mystique

Volcker stood 6-foot-8 (2.03 metres), smoked cheap cigars, wore old suits and spoke with a rumbling baritone, creating a mystique that intimidated congressmen and even presidents. Part of his aura of power was due to the Fed's unusual nature - the central bank's governors, although appointed by the president and overseen by Congress, are effectively answerable to no one.

In 2018 when President Donald Trump regularly attacked the Fed as "crazy" for raising interest rates, Volcker advised Chairman Jerome Powell to simply ignore the criticism.

Volcker, who slammed the economy's brakes like no other Fed chair, also absorbed his share of barbs from lawmakers in the 1980s. But he faced down both that criticism and, ultimately, inflation that had spiked higher than any point since the 1940s.

"Without Paul Volcker's toughness and guts, we may never have broken the grip of rising inflation and declining productivity that plagued the United States during the 1970s," former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt wrote in the foreword of a Joseph Treaster's 2004 biography "Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend."

Many have credited that effort for setting the stage for steady economic growth and a long bull market that since the early 1990s brought prosperity to millions of Americans. Yet critics say he also pushed the United States into an unnecessarily severe recession in 1981-82.

Volcker was appointed Fed chairman by a Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, and then reappointed by a Republican, Ronald Reagan. He was only a few months into the job when on October&nbsp;6, 1979, he announced a 1-point rise in the discount interest rate to an all-time high of 12 per cent.

Other borrowing costs followed and the prime rate climbed to a record 20.5 per cent by May 1981. Unemployment rose to 11 per cent and the country was steeped in economic malaise. Yet between 1980 and 1983, inflation fell from nearly 15 per cent to less than 3 per cent.

Volcker's inflation-slaying action spurred massive protests, with farmers blockading the Fed's headquarters with tractors, and builders famously mailing him a wooden 2x4 to show their lumber was no longer needed. One U.S. senator demanded that he take his "boot off the neck of the economy."

Volcker, however, later conceded he had made a mistake by ordering such a major squeeze on credit, telling Reuters in 1987 that if he could, "I would have played it different."

Post-fed career

After leaving the Fed, Volcker led a series of blue-ribbon panels, including one that investigated the UN&nbsp;oil-for-food program that had been designed to provide humanitarian relief to Saddam Hussein's Iraq while it was under international sanctions.

He found that some 2,200 companies in 66 countries diverted $1.8 billion to Saddam's government and that Saddam earned another $8 billion selling oil outside the program.

In 1999, he led a committee of Jewish groups and Swiss banks to resolve questions over unclaimed bank accounts of Holocaust victims, eventually brokering a $1.25 billion agreement.

In 2002, Volcker headed an independent oversight committee looking into the Arthur Anderson accounting firm following its role in the Enron scandal. Enron had filed for what was then the biggest bankruptcy in US&nbsp;history under questions about its finances and accounting practices, and Anderson had signed off on its books.

Although the panel's work was upstaged by criminal indictments, some of Volcker's recommendations were incorporated into the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed by Congress in 2002.

Years later under Obama, Volcker headed the Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009-2011 where he was a sharp critic of modern banking, musing that the only useful recent banking innovation was the automated teller machine.

Volcker rule

He gained new notoriety after Obama asked Congress in 2010 to tuck the Volcker rule into the landmark Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which was meant to avoid a repetition of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

In September 2012, he told Reuters the Volcker rule's "surgical swipe" at speculative proprietary trading is a better approach to reining in huge financial institutions than the more extreme calls to break them up.

Beginning in his years at the Fed, when he railed against the huge US&nbsp;trade and budget deficits and battled inflation at every opportunity, investors idolized the man. Since publishing his book in 2018, Volcker has even criticized the Fed's overly precise devotion to a 2-per cent inflation target.

"Paul Volcker is an immovable force when it comes to his beliefs and his principles," friend and former US&nbsp;Commerce Secretary Peter Peterson said in May 2013, when the Economic Club of New York presented Volcker a leadership award.

Born Sept. 5, 1927, in Cape May, New Jersey, Volcker was educated at Princeton, Harvard and the London School of Economics. He was an undersecretary at the Treasury Department during the Nixon administration and president of the Federal Reserve of New York before taking over the Fed chairmanship.

His wife of 44 years, Barbara, died in 1998 after many years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. They had two children.

Paul Volcker, the towering former Federal Reserve chairman who tamed US inflation in the 1980s and decades later inspired tough Wall Street reforms in the wake of the global financial crisis, died on Monday at the age of 92, according to the New York Times, which quoted his daughter.

Paul Volcker, the towering former Federal Reserve chairman who tamed US inflation in the 1980s and decades later inspired tough Wall Street reforms in the wake of the global financial crisis, died on Monday at the age of 92, according to the New York Times, which quoted his daughter. Volcker, who media reports said had been suffering from prostate cancer, was the first to bring celebrity status to the job of US central banker, serving as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. As with the man who succeeded him, Alan Greenspan, Volcker could soothe or excite financial markets with just a vague murmur. In 2018 he published a memoir, "Keeping at It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government," and expressed concern about the direction of the federal government and the loss of respect for it. "The central issue is we're developing into a plutocracy," he told the New York Times in October 2018. "We've got an enormous number of enormously rich people that have convinced themselves that they're rich because they're smart and constructive. And they don't like government and they don't like to pay taxes." In 2009, Volcker began serving as a key financial adviser to President Barack Obama and faced a maelstrom of financial turmoil, government bailouts and the fallout from the deepest recession since the 1930s Great Depression. In working to help the US economy recover from the 2008 crisis, he proposed what became known as the Volcker rule that restricted banks from making high-risk investments with depositors' cash. Since Donald Trump, who favours fewer regulations, became president in 2017, the rule has been under review. The Volcker mystique Volcker stood 6-foot-8 (2.03 metres), smoked cheap cigars, wore old suits and spoke with a rumbling baritone, creating a mystique that intimidated congressmen and even presidents. Part of his aura of power was due to the Fed's unusual nature - the central bank's governors, although appointed by the president and overseen by Congress, are effectively answerable to no one. In 2018 when President Donald Trump regularly attacked the Fed as "crazy" for raising interest rates, Volcker advised Chairman Jerome Powell to simply ignore the criticism. Volcker, who slammed the economy's brakes like no other Fed chair, also absorbed his share of barbs from lawmakers in the 1980s. But he faced down both that criticism and, ultimately, inflation that had spiked higher than any point since the 1940s. "Without Paul Volcker's toughness and guts, we may never have broken the grip of rising inflation and declining productivity that plagued the United States during the 1970s," former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt wrote in the foreword of a Joseph Treaster's 2004 biography "Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend." Many have credited that effort for setting the stage for steady economic growth and a long bull market that since the early 1990s brought prosperity to millions of Americans. Yet critics say he also pushed the United States into an unnecessarily severe recession in 1981-82. Volcker was appointed Fed chairman by a Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, and then reappointed by a Republican, Ronald Reagan. He was only a few months into the job when on October 6, 1979, he announced a 1-point rise in the discount interest rate to an all-time high of 12 per cent. Other borrowing costs followed and the prime rate climbed to a record 20.5 per cent by May 1981. Unemployment rose to 11 per cent and the country was steeped in economic malaise. Yet between 1980 and 1983, inflation fell from nearly 15 per cent to less than 3 per cent. Volcker's inflation-slaying action spurred massive protests, with farmers blockading the Fed's headquarters with tractors, and builders famously mailing him a wooden 2x4 to show their lumber was no longer needed. One U.S. senator demanded that he take his "boot off the neck of the economy." Volcker, however, later conceded he had made a mistake by ordering such a major squeeze on credit, telling Reuters in 1987 that if he could, "I would have played it different." Post-fed career After leaving the Fed, Volcker led a series of blue-ribbon panels, including one that investigated the UN oil-for-food program that had been designed to provide humanitarian relief to Saddam Hussein's Iraq while it was under international sanctions. He found that some 2,200 companies in 66 countries diverted $1.8 billion to Saddam's government and that Saddam earned another $8 billion selling oil outside the program. In 1999, he led a committee of Jewish groups and Swiss banks to resolve questions over unclaimed bank accounts of Holocaust victims, eventually brokering a $1.25 billion agreement. In 2002, Volcker headed an independent oversight committee looking into the Arthur Anderson accounting firm following its role in the Enron scandal. Enron had filed for what was then the biggest bankruptcy in US history under questions about its finances and accounting practices, and Anderson had signed off on its books. Although the panel's work was upstaged by criminal indictments, some of Volcker's recommendations were incorporated into the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed by Congress in 2002. Years later under Obama, Volcker headed the Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009-2011 where he was a sharp critic of modern banking, musing that the only useful recent banking innovation was the automated teller machine. Volcker rule He gained new notoriety after Obama asked Congress in 2010 to tuck the Volcker rule into the landmark Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which was meant to avoid a repetition of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. In September 2012, he told Reuters the Volcker rule's "surgical swipe" at speculative proprietary trading is a better approach to reining in huge financial institutions than the more extreme calls to break them up. Beginning in his years at the Fed, when he railed against the huge US trade and budget deficits and battled inflation at every opportunity, investors idolized the man. Since publishing his book in 2018, Volcker has even criticized the Fed's overly precise devotion to a 2-per cent inflation target. "Paul Volcker is an immovable force when it comes to his beliefs and his principles," friend and former US Commerce Secretary Peter Peterson said in May 2013, when the Economic Club of New York presented Volcker a leadership award. Born Sept. 5, 1927, in Cape May, New Jersey, Volcker was educated at Princeton, Harvard and the London School of Economics. He was an undersecretary at the Treasury Department during the Nixon administration and president of the Federal Reserve of New York before taking over the Fed chairmanship. His wife of 44 years, Barbara, died in 1998 after many years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. They had two children.

Former Federal Reserve Chief Paul Volcker dead at 92

The number of people killed by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippines-typhoon-kammuris-death-toll-touches-10-266059">Typhoon Kammuri's pounding</a> of the Philippines this week has hit 13, officials said Thursday, as authorities confirmed reports of storm-related deaths.

Kammuri's fierce winds toppled trees and flattened flimsy homes across a swathe of the nation's north on Tuesday, and forced a rare 12-hour shutdown of Manila's international airport.

Authorities said on Wednesday one person had drowned while three died after being hit by trees and flying objects.&nbsp;

Disaster officials did not offer details on how the other victims died, but local police reports indicated some may have drowned or been crushed by trees.

Mark Timbal, the spokesman for the national disaster agency, said no new bodies have been found but the death toll could rise as reports on the ground are verified.&nbsp;

"There is the possibility of an increase in the number, but we are hoping against it," Timbal told AFP.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-killed-over-two-lakh-evacuated-as-typhoon-kammuri-pounds-philippines-closes-manila-airport-265891">Hundreds of thousands of people</a> living in exposed or low-lying areas were evacuated from their homes before Kammuri made landfall late Monday, which authorities said had saved lives.

Still the storm-damaged 135 schools and destroyed nearly 1,200 homes, with crop damage in the hardest-hit areas estimated to reach nearly $16 million.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, killing hundreds and putting people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.&nbsp;

President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit on Thursday the Bicol region, a peninsula south of Manila which was hit hard by the typhoon. &nbsp;

Ninoy Aquino International Airport was closed half of Tuesday as a precaution, affecting over 500 flights, while roughly half the day's programme at the Southeast Asian Games, hosted by Manila and nearby cities, had to be postponed.

The number of people killed by Typhoon Kammuri's pounding of the Philippines this week has hit 13, officials said Thursday, as authorities confirmed reports of storm-related deaths.

The number of people killed by Typhoon Kammuri's pounding of the Philippines this week has hit 13, officials said Thursday, as authorities confirmed reports of storm-related deaths. Kammuri's fierce winds toppled trees and flattened flimsy homes across a swathe of the nation's north on Tuesday, and forced a rare 12-hour shutdown of Manila's international airport. Authorities said on Wednesday one person had drowned while three died after being hit by trees and flying objects. Disaster officials did not offer details on how the other victims died, but local police reports indicated some may have drowned or been crushed by trees. Mark Timbal, the spokesman for the national disaster agency, said no new bodies have been found but the death toll could rise as reports on the ground are verified. "There is the possibility of an increase in the number, but we are hoping against it," Timbal told AFP. Hundreds of thousands of people living in exposed or low-lying areas were evacuated from their homes before Kammuri made landfall late Monday, which authorities said had saved lives. Still the storm-damaged 135 schools and destroyed nearly 1,200 homes, with crop damage in the hardest-hit areas estimated to reach nearly $16 million. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, killing hundreds and putting people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty. President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit on Thursday the Bicol region, a peninsula south of Manila which was hit hard by the typhoon. Ninoy Aquino International Airport was closed half of Tuesday as a precaution, affecting over 500 flights, while roughly half the day's programme at the Southeast Asian Games, hosted by Manila and nearby cities, had to be postponed.

Philippines: Typhoon Kammuri death toll hits 13

The death toll from a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/samoa-measles-outbreak-kills-20-mostly-children-264050">measles outbreak</a> in Samoa has risen to 60 on Wednesday&nbsp;in the latest flare-up of a global epidemic of the virus.

The vast majority of deaths were of children, with 52 out of the 60 aged four or under dying from the disease, according to a government update.

Nineteen-year-old mother Elsie Lolesio lost her one-year-old daughter Noel, only three days apart from the death of her one-year-old nephew Fatau'u Junior. They are buried next to each other.

Lanuola Naseri buried her only son on Wednesday, with the help of donations that allowed her to purchase him a suit and shirt for his funeral.

There are now more than <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/samoa-measles-vaccine-now-mandatory-to-limit-deadly-outbreak-262803">4,000 cases of measles</a> recorded in the island nation's deeply religious population of around 200,000.

Watch: Global measles cases three times higher than last year

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/global-measles-cases-three-times-higher-than-last-year-who-246340/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Neighbouring New Zealand and a number of other countries and organisations, including the UN&nbsp;agency UNICEF, have delivered thousands of vaccines, medical supplies and have sent medical personnel to help with the outbreak.

Measles, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-measles-cases-three-times-higher-than-last-year-who-246324">a highly contagious virus</a> that spreads easily through coughing and sneezing, has been reported also in other Pacific nations, including Tonga and Fiji, but there have been no reports of deaths and the countries have greater vaccination coverage.

Tonga's ministry of health said in a statement late last week that there were 394 cases of suspected measles identified, but only eight people required hospitalisation.

Measles cases are rising worldwide, even in wealthy nations such as Germany and the United States, as parents shun immunisation for philosophical or religious reasons, or fears, debunked by doctors, that such vaccines could cause autism.

(With inputs from agencies)

The death toll from a measles outbreak in Samoa has risen to 60 on Wednesday in the latest flare-up of a global epidemic of the virus. The vast majority of deaths were of children, with 52 out of the 60 aged four or under dying from the disease, according to a government update.

The death toll from a measles outbreak in Samoa has risen to 60 on Wednesday in the latest flare-up of a global epidemic of the virus. The vast majority of deaths were of children, with 52 out of the 60 aged four or under dying from the disease, according to a government update. Nineteen-year-old mother Elsie Lolesio lost her one-year-old daughter Noel, only three days apart from the death of her one-year-old nephew Fatau'u Junior. They are buried next to each other. Lanuola Naseri buried her only son on Wednesday, with the help of donations that allowed her to purchase him a suit and shirt for his funeral. There are now more than 4,000 cases of measles recorded in the island nation's deeply religious population of around 200,000. Watch: Global measles cases three times higher than last year Neighbouring New Zealand and a number of other countries and organisations, including the UN agency UNICEF, have delivered thousands of vaccines, medical supplies and have sent medical personnel to help with the outbreak. Measles, a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through coughing and sneezing, has been reported also in other Pacific nations, including Tonga and Fiji, but there have been no reports of deaths and the countries have greater vaccination coverage. Tonga's ministry of health said in a statement late last week that there were 394 cases of suspected measles identified, but only eight people required hospitalisation. Measles cases are rising worldwide, even in wealthy nations such as Germany and the United States, as parents shun immunisation for philosophical or religious reasons, or fears, debunked by doctors, that such vaccines could cause autism. (With inputs from agencies)

Samoan measles outbreak kills 60 including 52 children

Minor girl murdered for honour in Pakistan.

WION Dispatch: 10-Year-old stoned to death in Sindh

Two&nbsp;people were&nbsp;killed&nbsp;on Sunday by&nbsp;floods&nbsp;in the French Riviera, which has been hit by fresh torrential rains a week after extreme weather left six dead, authorities said.

In the Var region, a shepherd was swept away as he was trying to cross a ford in his 4x4 while tending to his flock. His body was found in his vehicle late Sunday night 300 metres&nbsp;downstream from where he was last seen, the prefecture said early Monday.

Elsewhere in the region, the owner of a stable was found dead&nbsp;two&nbsp;hours after he was also washed away while out watching over his animals, it said.

The Var and the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes region were on red alert for&nbsp;floods&nbsp;which disrupted train services and cut the A8 motorway for four hours Sunday evening.

Many cultural and sporting events were also called off due to the bad weather, including Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match at Monaco.

During the previous weekend, heavy rains caused the deaths of six people in the Var.

Two people were killed on Sunday by floods in the French Riviera, which has been hit by fresh torrential rains a week after extreme weather left six dead, authorities said.

Two people were killed on Sunday by floods in the French Riviera, which has been hit by fresh torrential rains a week after extreme weather left six dead, authorities said. In the Var region, a shepherd was swept away as he was trying to cross a ford in his 4x4 while tending to his flock. His body was found in his vehicle late Sunday night 300 metres downstream from where he was last seen, the prefecture said early Monday. Elsewhere in the region, the owner of a stable was found dead two hours after he was also washed away while out watching over his animals, it said. The Var and the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes region were on red alert for floods which disrupted train services and cut the A8 motorway for four hours Sunday evening. Many cultural and sporting events were also called off due to the bad weather, including Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match at Monaco. During the previous weekend, heavy rains caused the deaths of six people in the Var.

Floods and rain kill two in southern France

10,000 birds found dead within a span of 9 months. The cause of death remains unknown

10,000 birds found dead in Sambhar Lake

India has been ranked 7th in the countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism in 2018, according to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/terrorism-related-deaths-decrease-by-15-in-2018-taliban-becomes-deadliest-terror-group-report-263443">2019 Global Terrorism Index Report.</a>

India is ranked third in the countries with the greatest number of terrorist attacks with nearly 748 recorded terror incidents in 2018.A total number of 350 Indians killed and 540 injured in these incidents.

India has&nbsp;recorded a slight improvement in the number of terrorist attacks in the country, while also recording a slight decrease in the number of deaths.&nbsp;

In 1998, about 4.3 people were killed in each attack. That dropped to 1.6 deaths per attack in 2008, and 0.5 in 2018. "In 2018 alone, 69 per cent of attacks had zero fatalities and 22 per cent had one fatality", says the report.

Globally, terrorism-related deaths have fallen for the fourth consecutive year after peaking in 2014. The number of deaths have decreased by 52 per cent in four years, while the total number of deaths have decreased by 15 per-cent in 2018.

While this data represents constructive progress, the report also signals towards some alarming facts.&nbsp;

The report says that 71 countries suffered at least one terrorism-related death in 2018, the second-highest number since the beginning of the century.

South Asia has had the highest impact from terrorism since 2002.

The number of deaths by far-right terrorism has increased by 52 per cent in 2018 and the trends continuing this year.

According to the report, the attacks by the Taliban were deadlier than those committed by any other group in 2018. Due to which, Taliban overtook ISII or Islamic state of Iraq and the levant to become the deadliest terrorist group in the world.

It is worth noting, the Taliban is responsible for most terror-related deaths in Afghanistan and hence, it has overtaken Iraq to become the worst affected in 2018.

India has been ranked 7th in the countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism in 2018, according to 2019 Global Terrorism Index Report. India is ranked third in the countries with the greatest number of terrorist attacks with nearly 748 recorded terror incidents in 2018.

India has been ranked 7th in the countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism in 2018, according to 2019 Global Terrorism Index Report. India is ranked third in the countries with the greatest number of terrorist attacks with nearly 748 recorded terror incidents in 2018.A total number of 350 Indians killed and 540 injured in these incidents. India has recorded a slight improvement in the number of terrorist attacks in the country, while also recording a slight decrease in the number of deaths. In 1998, about 4.3 people were killed in each attack. That dropped to 1.6 deaths per attack in 2008, and 0.5 in 2018. "In 2018 alone, 69 per cent of attacks had zero fatalities and 22 per cent had one fatality", says the report. Globally, terrorism-related deaths have fallen for the fourth consecutive year after peaking in 2014. The number of deaths have decreased by 52 per cent in four years, while the total number of deaths have decreased by 15 per-cent in 2018. While this data represents constructive progress, the report also signals towards some alarming facts. The report says that 71 countries suffered at least one terrorism-related death in 2018, the second-highest number since the beginning of the century. South Asia has had the highest impact from terrorism since 2002. The number of deaths by far-right terrorism has increased by 52 per cent in 2018 and the trends continuing this year. According to the report, the attacks by the Taliban were deadlier than those committed by any other group in 2018. Due to which, Taliban overtook ISII or Islamic state of Iraq and the levant to become the deadliest terrorist group in the world. It is worth noting, the Taliban is responsible for most terror-related deaths in Afghanistan and hence, it has overtaken Iraq to become the worst affected in 2018.

India is seventh worst hit country by terrorism: Global terrorism report

The 2019 Global <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jem-has-been-included-in-security-council-counter-terrorism-list-we-have-dealt-with-masood-azhar-issue-professionally-china-197566">Terrorism </a>Index Report is out according to which terrorism-related deaths have fallen for the fourth consecutive year after peaking in 2014.

The number of deaths have decreased by 52 per cent in four years, while the total number of deaths have decreased by 15 per-cent in 2018.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/communist-party-of-india-maoist-sixth-most-dangerous-terrorist-organisation-in-the-world-us-report-260393">Also read: Communist Party of India (Maoist) sixth most dangerous terrorist organisation in the world</a>

About 98 countries have shown improvement this year, making it the highest number of countries to record a year-on-year improvement since 2004.

The global economic impact of terrorism has also decreased by 38 per cent in 2018.

Deaths in Europe have fallen by 70 per cent, with Western Europe recording its lowest number of incidents since 2012.

While this data represents constructive progress, the report also signals towards some alarming facts.&nbsp;

The report says that 71 countries suffered at least one terrorism-related death in 2018, the second-highest number since the beginning of the century.

South Asia has had the highest impact from terrorism since 2002.

The number of deaths by far-right terrorism has increased by 52 per cent in 2018 and the trends continuing this year.

According to the report, the attacks by the Taliban were deadlier than those committed by any other group in 2018. Due to which, Taliban overtook ISII or Islamic state of Iraq and the levant to become the deadliest terrorist group in the world.

It is worth noting, the Taliban is responsible for most terror-related deaths in Afghanistan and hence, it has overtaken Iraq to become the worst affected in 2018.

Iraq had held the position since 2004, but it has shown the most improvement this year.

The third most affected country is Nigeria followed by Syria, Pakistan and Somalia.

India has been ranked 7th in the countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism in 2018.

Yemen, Philippines and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also among the top 10 worst-hit nations.

India is ranked third in the countries with the greatest number of terrorist attacks with nearly 748 recorded terrorist attacks in the country.

On the other hand, India recorded a slight improvement in the number of terrorist attacks in the country, while also recording a slight decrease in the number of deaths.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Britain has been named the worst affected country among the European Nations.

North Korea, The Gambia, Oman, Guinea-Bissau and Belarus are among the least-affected nations, according to the index.

The annual Global Terrorism Index, now in its seventh year, is developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace and provides the most comprehensive resource on global terrorist trends.

The 2019 Global Terrorism Index Report is out according to which terrorism-related deaths have fallen for the fourth consecutive year after peaking in 2014. The number of deaths have decreased by 52 per cent in four years, while the total number of deaths have decreased by 15 per-cent in 2018.

The 2019 Global Terrorism Index Report is out according to which terrorism-related deaths have fallen for the fourth consecutive year after peaking in 2014. The number of deaths have decreased by 52 per cent in four years, while the total number of deaths have decreased by 15 per-cent in 2018. Also read: Communist Party of India (Maoist) sixth most dangerous terrorist organisation in the world About 98 countries have shown improvement this year, making it the highest number of countries to record a year-on-year improvement since 2004. The global economic impact of terrorism has also decreased by 38 per cent in 2018. Deaths in Europe have fallen by 70 per cent, with Western Europe recording its lowest number of incidents since 2012. While this data represents constructive progress, the report also signals towards some alarming facts. The report says that 71 countries suffered at least one terrorism-related death in 2018, the second-highest number since the beginning of the century. South Asia has had the highest impact from terrorism since 2002. The number of deaths by far-right terrorism has increased by 52 per cent in 2018 and the trends continuing this year. According to the report, the attacks by the Taliban were deadlier than those committed by any other group in 2018. Due to which, Taliban overtook ISII or Islamic state of Iraq and the levant to become the deadliest terrorist group in the world. It is worth noting, the Taliban is responsible for most terror-related deaths in Afghanistan and hence, it has overtaken Iraq to become the worst affected in 2018. Iraq had held the position since 2004, but it has shown the most improvement this year. The third most affected country is Nigeria followed by Syria, Pakistan and Somalia. India has been ranked 7th in the countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism in 2018. Yemen, Philippines and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also among the top 10 worst-hit nations. India is ranked third in the countries with the greatest number of terrorist attacks with nearly 748 recorded terrorist attacks in the country. On the other hand, India recorded a slight improvement in the number of terrorist attacks in the country, while also recording a slight decrease in the number of deaths. Meanwhile, Britain has been named the worst affected country among the European Nations. North Korea, The Gambia, Oman, Guinea-Bissau and Belarus are among the least-affected nations, according to the index. The annual Global Terrorism Index, now in its seventh year, is developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace and provides the most comprehensive resource on global terrorist trends.

Terrorism related deaths decrease by 15% in 2018, Taliban becomes deadliest terror group: Report

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