World News Roundup: Iran releases French academic Roland Marchal; Army joins the production line of ventilators and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korea says detected North Korea missile fire 'inapproriate' amid coronavirus

North Korea fired two projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea's military said, calling the action "highly inappropriate" given the global coronavirus pandemic. The suspected missiles were fired around 6:45-50 a.m. KST into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula from around Sonchon, North Pyongan province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Sonchon is above Pyongyang, near the northwest corner of the Korean peninsula.

Army joins the production line as ventilator makers scramble to meet demand

On March 6, Gianluca Preziosa, the head of an Italian ventilator maker, received an urgent request. The Italian authorities wanted his help for an all-out effort to meet a desperate need for ventilators. Now, his Bologna-based company, Siare Engineering International Group s.r.l., has 25 army technicians working with its production supervisors to manage the expanded production and help assemble machines. The army also has made personnel available to the company’s suppliers, Preziosa said.

South Asian governments impose coronavirus curfews, border controls

Pakistan suspended on Saturday all international flights for two weeks to limit the spread of coronavirus, as governments across densely populated South Asia ramped up their efforts to contain the virus. Pakistani officials also asked people to self-quarantine for at least another 45 days as the country reported its third coronavirus death, with confirmed cases rising to 534.

Iran president expects coronavirus restrictions to ease within three weeks

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country, including travel restrictions, will apply for only two to three weeks as he expects the crisis to ease by then. Iran "has to do everything necessary to return economic production to normal," he said in comments broadcast on state TV. He also accused "counter-revolutionaries" of plotting to shut down economic production.

Coronavirus deaths in Italy overtake China as economic damage mounts

The world's richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy on Thursday as coronavirus cases ballooned in the new epicentre Europe, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated. With over 242,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths, the epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with painful periods such as World War Two, the 2008 financial crisis and the 1918 Spanish flu.

Abortion activists in Poland fret as coronavirus curbs access

Natalia Broniarczyk, an activist with a charity that assists Polish women who want to terminate pregnancies, says its hot line began ringing non-stop after the government announced border closures to stem the coronavirus outbreak last week. Many callers were worried about their shipments of abortion pills, which are illegal in Poland, and others feared they would not be able to reach clinics abroad in time to have the procedure, which is unavailable in Poland in most cases.

China's imported coronavirus cases soar as students, expats flock home

China reported a record rise in imported coronavirus cases on Friday as students and expatriates returned home from the United States and Europe, sparking fears of a second wave of infections just as the country recovers from the initial outbreak. All 41 of the new confirmed cases in China were imported from overseas, the country's National Health Commission said on Saturday, bringing the total number of such cases to 269. There were no locally transmitted cases for the third consecutive day.

German coronavirus cases rise by 2,705 to 16,662

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen by 2,705 within a day to reach 16,662, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Saturday. It said a total of 47 people had died after testing positive, an increase of 16 from a tally of 31 published on Friday.

Poor Indians flee to villages as coronavirus measures take heavy toll

Thousands of poor city migrants whose livelihoods have collapsed due to India's coronavirus measures headed back to their villages on Saturday, raising fears that the exodus could carry the virus to the countryside. About one fifth of India's 271 confirmed coronavirus cases has been reported in the western state of Maharashtra home to Mumbai, the country's largest city and economic powerhouse. So far, India has registered four deaths due to the virus.

Iran releases French academic Roland Marchal: French official

Iranian authorities have released French academic Roland Marchal, who has been imprisoned in Iran since June 2019, a French presidency official said on Saturday. Marchal is due to arrive in France around midday on Saturday, the official said.

(With inputs from agencies.)