Axios

United Kingdom Health Minister Nadine Dorries announced in a statement that she tested positive for the coronavirus and is now in isolation, per the BBC.

Why it matters: Dorries reportedly came into contact with hundreds of people since developing symptoms last week — including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Times first reported. The U.K. currently has 373 confirmed cases and six deaths, per Johns Hopkins University. Dorries is the first known member of Parliament to test positive for COVID-19.

Go deeper... Coronavirus updates: Trump leaves Capitol Hill without solidifying economic relief plan

The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, which maintains an interactive map tracking the number of coronavirus cases worldwide, changed how it refers to Taiwan, Axios has learned. Instead of “Taiwan,” the label was changed to “Taipei and environs.”

Why it matters: The change tracks closely with how the Chinese government prefers to refer to Taiwan, which it views as part of Chinese territory.

Update: After attracting criticism, the center has reversed its decision.

The coronavirus is here and will complicate life for millions of Americans — but there are signs from Asia that it can get better if we're willing to take that pain now.

The big picture: Coronavirus is stifled by early and aggressive action — and no matter how well-intentioned, half-measures only seem to make things worse.

U.S. troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan on Tuesday under the peace agreement signed by the U.S. and Taliban last month, reports the AP.

The state of play: The move comes amid ongoing political tensions in Afghanistan as Kabul hosted two presidential inaugurations on Monday, with both incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah continuing to insist that they won the last election.

Investigators in Ethiopia have found that Boeing 737 Max jet design flaws contributed to the Ethiopian Airlines crash in the country last year, according to an interim report released Monday.

Why it matters: The report was released as families prepared to mark the first anniversary of the crash, which killed all 157 people on board. This second fatal crash involving a Boeing 737 Max jet within six months prompted scores of countries, including the U.S., to ground the planes.

Americans tend to think the U.S. relationship with Germany is going just fine. Germans do not, according to a Pew survey.

While the U.S. has yet to break the presidential glass ceiling, 57 countries worldwide have been led by women since 1960.

The big picture: That year, former Sri Lankan prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the modern world's first female head of state. Finland and New Zealand have led the way in electing women since, with three women leaders each.

The current collapse in global equities markets is mirroring a broader collapse in global public confidence.

The big picture: Both financial markets and public sentiment are reacting to uncertainty at three levels: the future trajectory of the coronavirus outbreak; the adequacy of the policy response; as well as the impact on the economy and financial institutions.

Vice President Mike Pence personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to target Israel's newly announced coronavirus quarantine at only visitors from the U.S., but to "go global," senior Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: On Monday, Netanyahu announced a new policy of self-quarantine for a period of 14 days for anyone who enters Israel regardless of their country of origin — thus implementing Pence's request, made during a call on Sunday. Israeli officials say Pence's request significantly influenced Netanyahu's decision.

Prince Andrew has so far "completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation" with investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Monday.

Why it matters: Federal investigators for months have sought to question Prince Andrew, a longtime friend of Epstein who was accused of sexual abuse by one of Epstein's accusers. Berman said his office is now "considering its options," per NBC.

Two U.S. Marine Special Operations service members were killed while accompanying Iraqi forces on a mission to eliminate an Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold in northern Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Monday.

Why it matters: It's the first time this year that U.S. troops have died in combat in the American campaign against ISIS, which began in 2014.

In East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, traveling locust swarms the size of Manhattan are putting potentially hundreds of millions at risk of starvation in what the UN has called the worst outbreak in a quarter of a century.

What it means: "Millions will starve because clouds of approximately 80 million desert locusts per square kilometer are voracious," writes Robert Rotberg, founding director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Intrastate Conflict.

Gender-based violence, WhatsApp message taxes and the rising cost of bread have set off some of the largest protests in the past year, and women were among the first in the streets, often risking their personal safety.

Driving the news: Women in Mexico have organized "A Day Without Us," a national strike on March 9, to coincide with International Women's Day. Women are encouraged to "disappear": to stay at home, away from work, out of stores and off the streets to highlight their vital role, The New York Times writes.

North Korea "fired three short-range projectiles into the East Sea" from the country's South Hamgyong province on Monday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, per Yonhap news agency.

Details: Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said multiple projectiles were detected to have traveled up to 125 miles before hitting the stretch of water also known as the Sea of Japan and they were likely ballistic, AP reports.