When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Saudi Arabia

What You Need To Know About The Deadly New Coronavirus

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, THE GUARDIAN(UK), ATLANTICO (France)

Worldcrunch

Over the past two weeks, a growing number of cases have been reported of a new strain of coronavirus, a contagious and potentially fatal virus that resembles SARS, which caused a global health scare a decade ago. Here's what you need to know:

What is the new coronavirus?

The exact medical term for the virus is NCoV-EMC or novel coronavirus. "Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that includes viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to SARS. Viruses of this family also cause a number of animal diseases," the World Health Organization reports.

The new strain of coronavirus is also referred to as "SARS-like virus" as it has similar features, although the new one seems less contagious, says French epidemiologist Antoine Flahault.

The novel coronavirus is not to be confused with the avian influenza A(H7N9), which emerged at the beginning of the year.

How widespread?
Since the virus was first identified in September 2012, 34 cases have been reported, and 18 people have died from it, according to the World Health Organization. Fifteen of the deaths so far have been in Saudi Arabia, with cases also confirmed in France, UK, Germany and Jordan.

What are the symptoms?
Most patients suffer from severe acute respiratory disease requiring hospitalization and eventually require mechanical ventilation or other advanced respiratory support. The virus causes pneumonia and can lead to kidney failure.

Who is at risk?
The World Health Organization said on Sunday that it seemed likely the virus could be transmitted from human to human, but only after prolonged contact. There is no evidence of a potential "generalized transmission in communities," The Guardian reports. Most patients affected were living in the Middle East or had recently traveled there. They were mostly male (around 80%), and their ages ranged from 24 to 94 years old (median age: 56).

What are the precautions to take?
As of today, the virus poses a low risk of transmission and is not considered as an epidemic. Still, people traveling to the Middle East are advised to wash their hands regularly and avoid contact with animals.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

How Argentina Is Changing Tactics To Combat Gender Violence

Argentina has tweaked its protocols for responding to sexual and domestic violence. It hopes to encourage victims to report crimes and reveal information vital to a prosecution.

A black and white image of a woman looking at a memorial wall in Argentina.

A woman looking at a memorial wall in Argentina.

CC search
Mara Resio

BUENOS AIRES - In the first three months of 2023, Argentina counted 116 killings of women, transvestites and trans-people, according to a local NGO, Observatorio MuMaLá. They reveal a pattern in these killings, repeated every year: most femicides happen at home, and 70% of victims were protected in principle by a restraining order on the aggressor.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Now, legal action against gender violence, which must begin with a formal complaint to the police, has a crucial tool — the Protocol for the Investigation and Litigation of Cases of Sexual Violence (Protocolo de investigación y litigio de casos de violencia sexual). The protocol was recommended by the acting head of the state prosecution service, Eduardo Casal, and laid out by the agency's Specialized Prosecution Unit for Violence Against Women (UFEM).

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest