International

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As papier-mâché hand grenades and plastic assault rifles barely caught the attention of security guards, a health official in Dubai wordlessly watched over an infrared camera filming all who passed by — including a few scythe-wielding Grim Reapers.

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The number of foreign visitors to Japan plunged below 1 million in February, less than half of the 2.37 million recorded a year earlier, amid coronavirus fears, immigration authorities said Friday, dealing a severe blow to the country's economy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal investigators found a loaded gun Thursday that had been smuggled into the jail where Jeffrey Epstein killed himself last summer, following a weeklong lockdown that turned up other contraband and led to a criminal probe into guard misconduct, the federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press.

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Police investigated a record number of domestic violence cases in Japan in 2019, marking the 16th consecutive year of increase, an official report showed Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — His front-runner status slipping, Bernie Sanders refocused his Democratic presidential campaign on surging rival Joe Biden on Wednesday as the Vermont senator’s allies grappled with the fallout from a Super Tuesday stumble that raised internal concerns about the direction of his White House bid.

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 11 on Wednesday with a patient succumbing in California — the first reported fatality outside Washington state — as federal authorities announced an investigation of the Seattle-area nursing home where most of the victims were stricken.

BEIJING (Xinhua) — The proportion of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in the virus-hit city of Wuhan, other places in Hubei Province, and other provincial-level regions in China outside Hubei, has increased for 19 consecutive days as of Tuesday, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC), said Wednesday.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Kyodo) — The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it is confident this summer's Tokyo Games will open as scheduled in July amid concerns over possible disruptions caused by the current worldwide coronavirus outbreak.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up the first major abortion case of the Trump era, an election-year look at a Louisiana dispute that could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to roll back abortion rights.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders seized Super Tuesday’s biggest prize with a victory in California, while a resurgent Joe Biden scored wins across the country with the backing of a diverse coalition as the Democratic Party’s once-crowded presidential field transformed into a two-man contest.