US restricts travel as WHO declares pandemic

President Donald Trump announced restrictions on travel to the US from much of Europe in response to what he called a "foreign virus." [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( US President Donald Trump announced travel restrictions from Europe, as the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The World is starting a new climate change solutions series, and we are looking to answer your questions. Email us at climate@theworld.org! Living rooms filled with snowdrifts are a common sight in Vorkuta, Russia. Residents are desperate to leave the crumbling metropolis — but they are trapped in a post-Gulag city north of the Arctic Circle. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Trump announces travel restrictions as coronavirus declared a pandemic [US President Donald Trump speaks about the US response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 11, 2020.]( Credit: Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters President Donald Trump announced [restrictions on travel to the US]( from much of Europe in response to what he called a "foreign virus." EU leaders have responded with [anger and frustration](. In a nationwide address Wednesday night — to which the administration issued follow-up corrections — Trump repeated his previous claim that the risk of COVID-19 is "very, very low" for Americans and that "no nation is more prepared" than the US. His assertions contradict expert assessments, including the World Health Organization, which declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a [global pandemic]( earlier in the day. "We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the [alarming levels of inaction](," said WHO Director-General Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Analysis: [It's time to cancel the US presidential election]( And: [Vulnerable prisoners 'exploited' to make coronavirus masks and hand gel]( US Congress limits president's war powers against Iran The US House of Representatives voted to limit President Donald [Trump's war powers against Iran]( Wednesday. The move is a response to Trump's ordered assassination of Iranian top general, Qasem Soleimani, and [heightened tensions]( in the Middle East. The Senate voted on the resolution last month. Now the measure goes to the president, who will likely [veto the resolution](, as neither chamber appears to have enough votes to overcome a veto. And: [Iraq base attack: Strikes 'kill 25' Iran-backed fighters after troops killed]( [The Big Fix: The World is starting a climate change solutions segment, and we want to hear from you]( [Dominica rebuilds after being devastated by hurricane Maria in 2017. Intense storms are expected to get more frequent as the climate warms.]( Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World Climate change affects every aspect of our lives — and will only get more important as we continue to feel the effects of a warming atmosphere. On our new weekly segment, [The Big Fix](, we'll bring listeners climate solutions from around the world. How are people thinking in creative ways about the crisis and changing the way we relate to the natural world? This week, environment correspondent and editor Carolyn Beeler takes listeners to the island nation of Dominica, where people are working to become the world’s first climate resilient country after being devastated by hurricane Maria in 2017. We want to hear from you! Do you have questions about climate solutions? Have you heard about something that feels promising, but you’re not so sure? Email us at [climate@theworld.org](mailto:climate@theworld.org?subject=The%20Big%20Fix%20question). --------------------------------------------------------------- The Number in the News [The Number in the News]( is The World’s daily smart speaker show. You’ll learn one number you won’t forget and why it’s in the news today. [Click here]( to add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google flash briefing and hear a new episode seven days a week. SCOTUS takes on immigration-related cases The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will allow the [Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy to continue]( while the government appeals a lower court ruling. The policy sends asylum-seekers at the US southern border back to Mexico to await their US court hearings and has been roundly criticized as a human rights violation. And immigration advacates are waiting on another important case: Sometime between now and June, the Supreme Court will rule on whether the Trump administration can end DACA. [Tune into The World]( to hear from Guadalupe García, a teenager who’s waiting on SCOTUS to decide her family's future. [‘I am a hostage of the north’: Trapped in a post-Gulag Arctic city]( [The population of Vorkuta has dropped from more than 200,000 to an estimated 50,000, giving it the dubious distinction of fastest dying city in Russia.]( Credit: Alec Luhn/The World Lyudmila Ivanova and her fiancé came to the Russian Arctic in 1978, in search of a better life. Their destination was Vorkuta, a coal-mining city 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle, nicknamed the "capital of the world." Now, a better nickname may be “the fastest dying city in Russia.” Living rooms filled with snowdrifts are a [common sight]( as the windswept, treeless tundra slowly reclaims the urban territory. When darkness falls, often just a handful of lights can be seen in apartment buildings of 100 units or more. Many Russians in the far north have been [waiting for more than two decades to be resettled to lower latitudes](. They're caught between Moscow's grand plans for Arctic development and an exodus of aging Soviet workers longing to see flowers rather than blizzards in the springtime. --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme [Peak internet](: An electromagnetic instrument plus a cat. P.S. We love [theramins]( at The World. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Space lettuce is safe and nutritious]( - [Lockdown listening on Italian radio]( - [Sports in a time of pandemics]( - [Trapped in the Russian Arctic]( - [Human rights groups sue state]( - [International students in a bind]( - [Harvey Weinstein jailed for 23 years]( - [Fukushima evacuee who never returned]( - [Refugees who help refugees]( - [Wuhan mental health]( - [How do you predict the path of the coronavirus?]( - [Nurses know]( - [Japan’s turn away from nuclear means more shale gas from the US]( - [Are travel restrictions working against coronavirus?]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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