Netflix will slightly reduce the video quality on its service in Europe for the next 30 days, to reduce the strain on internet service providers. Demand for streaming has increased because large parts of Europe are self-isolating at home due to the coronavirus outbreak. The video-streaming provider said lowering the picture quality would reduce Netflix data consumption by 25%. But movies will still be high-definition or ultra-high definition 4K. The change will apply to the UK as well as other European countries.

Several factors influence how much data is used when streaming a movie online. One of them is video resolution, including whether a video is high-definition (HD) or ultra-high definition 4K. Another is bitrate, which influences how clear and smooth videos look when streamed online. Videos with a higher bitrate tend to look less “blocky” or pixelated, but use more data. Out of these two, Netflix says it will cut its streaming bitrates.

Customers who pay for ultra-high definition 4K movies as part of their subscription will still be able to watch 4K films. The announcement came after a phone call with European officials.(BBC)…[+]

The people of Japan and millions of tourists should now be enjoying the start of the cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, season. It’s an extremely important time of year for the country, both economically and culturally.

Traditionally friends and family get together, and for a new generation it’s a perfect Instagram opportunity. But this year the coronavirus pandemic means events have been cancelled and foreign visitors are staying away. Katsuhiro Miyamoto from Kansai University highlighted the financial importance of hanami: “Japan’s cherry blossom season has very big economic effects every year”. He estimated that almost 8.5m tourists visited the country during the cherry blossom season between March and May last year, bringing in some 650 billion yen ($6bn; £5.2bn).(BBC)…[+]

Washington – The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, today called on all countries in the Americas to take urgent action to reorganize their health services and protect health professionals in order to safely care for patients with the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and save lives.

“The message is clear- Now is the time for countries to increase their capacity to detect cases, care for patients, and ensure that hospitals have the space, supplies and staff they need to provide the necessary care,” Etienne said during her weekly teleconference with the region’s health ministers.

She urged health leaders to involve citizens and other sectors in support of public health action. “If everyone collaborates, it is not too late to contain the situation, flatten the epidemic curve and thereby avoid overloading the health services so that they can give the necessary care to all who need it.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic on 31 December 2019, until 17 March, 191,127 cases and 7,807 deaths were reported globally. The majority of these deaths were in China, Italy, Iran, Spain and France. As of yesterday, in the Region of the Americas, 37 countries and territories reported 5,944 cases and 19 deaths.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), current global data indicate that 81% of COVID-19 cases are relatively mild, 14% evolve into more severe illness, and about 5% become critical, requiring supportive treatment such as oxygen and mechanical ventilation. Advanced age and pre-existing medical conditions are risk factors for severe outcomes…[+]

Budget airline EasyJet has asked pilots and cabin crew to agree to sweeping changes in their terms and conditions, as part of its response to coronavirus. Among the proposed changes are a freeze on planned pay rises and a requirement to take three months of unpaid leave.

The airline would also no longer provide food for crew during their shifts, only water. Unions told members they had failed to reach agreement with the airline and were working on counter-proposals. However, there remains a willingness to make concessions in order to avoid redundancies. Further talks between EasyJet and unions representing pilots and cabin crew are expected today. Meanwhile, EasyJet’s chief executive Johan Lundgren has defended the payment of £170m in dividends to shareholders, at a time when the company is seeking financial help from the government.(BBC)…[+]

US jails are to let out inmates as cases of coronavirus infections are being reported in prisons. New York City is releasing “vulnerable” prisoners, the mayor said on Wednesday, days after Los Angeles and Cleveland freed hundreds of inmates. Prison reform advocates say those in jail are at higher risk of catching and passing on Covid-19.

There have been more than 9,400 cases of Covid-19 and 152 deaths in the US so far, according to estimates. Globally there are some 220,000 confirmed cases and over 8,800 deaths.  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that city officials will this week identify individuals for release, including people who were arrested for minor crimes and those most vulnerable to infection due to underlying health problems. His announcement came hours after a guard and a prisoner tested positive for coronavirus at Rikers Island prison, where disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, 68, is a high-profile inmate. Weinstein will be moved to a different state prison, an official said on Wednesday.(BBC)…[+]

As Europe and much of the developed world shuts down in the face of coronavirus, many millions of people haven’t much hope in following the World Health Organization (WHO) advice on washing hands and keeping their distance.

About one billion people live in slum-like conditions, making up 30% of the world’s urban population. These housing facilities tend to have very little ventilation, drainage and sewage facilities, with diseases spreading easily. Celestine Adhiambo, 43, lives in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi with her husband and six children. The family’s one-room house has no running water or electricity. She says her children can’t move around much without banging into each other.

“It is not possible for us to separate a child from another in case of any infection. We don’t have any space. No rooms here. The government should take the infected people to hospitals,” she told the BBC. Her husband works as a carpenter and on the days he works, he earns about 400 Kenyan Shillings (£3.15, $4) and every day the family spends about 50 shillings on buying 10 buckets of water.

But the water supply is erratic and on days when there is no water, the family has to forgo the quick bath they are accustomed to.(BBC)…[+]

Hong Kong, Singapore and Osaka have just been ranked as the world’s most expensive cities to live in. But this may not be the case after the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll.

Cities that get a large part of their income from tourism could become cheaper as their economies shrink and prices are driven down. This is one of the predictions made by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which tracks living costs globally.

Its Worldwide Cost of Living Survey for 2020 was compiled in November 2019, before the coronavirus became a pandemic. It’s next survey could look very different. “Cities that rely on tourism should see some downward pressure on prices. So Singapore and Hong Kong might not hold the top spot going forward. We could see a different city on top,” said Simon Baptist, the EIU’s chief economist.(BBC)…[+]

China has effectively expelled journalists from three US newspapers in retaliation for restrictions on its news outlets in the US. Its foreign ministry ordered reporters from the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal to return media passes within 10 days. The papers criticised the move, which will affect at least 13 reporters.

The Times said it was a mistake for China to cut itself off, while the WSJ called it an attack on press freedom.

“We unequivocally condemn any action by China to expel US reporters,” said Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron. He said the decision was particularly regrettable because it came during the global crisis over the coronavirus. At a press briefing in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman called the move a legitimate response to the restrictions placed on Chinese journalists in the US. China’s action is part of a swiftly escalating row between Beijing and Washington, and correspondents say the departure of the reporters will have a major impact on what the world knows about China as they do some of the most in-depth reporting about the country.(BBC)…[+]

PAHO/WHO wishes to respond to the article Paho: Ziekenhuis Wanica niet geschikt voor Covid-19 published by the Suriname U-News (SUN) on March 14, 2020 and to indicate that this is not an official statement of PAHO. The use of the old version of our logo in connection with this message was also unauthorized. As such PAHO disassociates itself from this article. The opportunity is also taken to clarify that the Hospital Readiness Assessments conducted at all hospitals in Suriname over the period February 21-March 5, 2020 was done jointly with the full cooperation of the hospital management and medical teams. This exercise was done to discuss with medical, administrative, lab and management teams their assessment of the current state of their facilities to respond to an emergency and to jointly rate their readiness.

The results of these assessments were shared with all Hospital Medical Directors with the aim of providing guidance on areas where there is need for improvement in terms of overall preparedness. These assessments do not reflect a hospital audit and are a means of guiding hospital teams on areas for which greater focus should be placed in order to be prepared to respond. Preparedness at the facility level is a continuous process since the nature of the emergency will require varying responses PAHO/WHO has been supporting the Ministry of Health with the preparation of communication materials for the public, health workers, and other sectors to take preventive measures; capacity building for diagnosis and for health workers in infection prevention and control, risk communication and pandemic preparedness; and institutional strengthening through the provision of guidelines, tools and supplies to laboratories and health facilities. PAHO continues to provide support to Suriname’s emergency preparedness and response to the current COVID-19 pandemic…[+]

A rising star of the Democratic party has said he will enter a rehabilitation centre following news that police found him heavily intoxicated in a hotel. Andrew Gillum, a former Florida mayor turned political commentator, said he would step down from public roles after he was found in a Miami hotel room with another man believed to be overdosing on crystal meth.

Mr Gillum, 40, apologised and said the episode was “a wake-up call” to seek help. He had been struggling with alcohol abuse since becoming depressed after narrowly losing the 2018 Florida governors race, he said. “Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse. I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated,” Mr Gillum said. “I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles. I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person.“(NU)…[+]