- NewsReuters
Palestinians channel protests through dawn prayers
Before sunrise, thousands of Palestinians streamed towards the mosque in Nablus's Victory Square, swelling the usual crowds of morning worshippers to launch a new front in their protests against Israel and the United States. The scene has been repeated elsewhere in the West Bank, where people have
NewsAFP NewsWHO urges calm as China virus death toll nears 1,900
The death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak rose again on Tuesday but Chinese and international health officials sought to calm global nerves, citing a study showing most cases are mild and warning against excessive measures to contain the epidemic. Nearly 1,900 people have now died and more than
- NewsReuters
Philippine workers allowed to travel to Hong Kong, Macau amid virus fear
The Philippines on Tuesday allowed Filipino workers to travel to Hong Kong and Macau, relaxing the travel ban it imposed on China and its special administrative regions to control the spread of the coronavirus. The Philippines announced its decision before Hong Kong reported that a Filipina domestic
NewsAFP NewsMost coronavirus infections are mild, says Chinese study
Most people infected by the new coronavirus in China have mild symptoms, with older patients and those with underlying conditions most at risk from the disease, according to a study by Chinese researchers. The disease has now killed nearly 1,900 people and infected more than 72,000 in China since it
- NewsReuters
Hero worship: India's Trump superfans gear up for his arrival
KONNEY/NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - Bussa Krishna first began worshipping Donald Trump four years ago when the U.S. president appeared to him a dream. Since then, after a run of good fortune, the Indian real estate broker has transformed his modest home into a shrine to the U.S. leader, who is due in
NewsAFP RelaxBushfire crisis hit 75% of Australians: survey
Three in four Australians -- almost 18 million people -- were affected by the country's deadly bushfire crisis, according to a survey released Tuesday that also pointed to plummeting support for the government and for coal projects. The Australian National University study showed the vast human
- NewsReuters
Wikileaks founder Assange's health improving in prison - spokesman
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no longer being held in solitary confinement and his health is improving, his colleague and spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson told reporters on Tuesday. Assange, 48, is in prison in London, fighting an extradition request from the United States, where he faces 18 counts
- NewsReuters
Congo's irksome 'sheep-jumps' jam traffic, confound president
Stuck in traffic in a fume-filled taxi with a cracked windscreen, Peter Likiel says his four-mile daily commute has doubled to three hours since construction began on one of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi's signature new overpasses. The president had envisioned a series of sleek roadways above
- NewsReuters
Explainer - Nevada caucuses present new test to Democrats after chaotic Iowa contest
Nevada Democrats will host hundreds of caucuses on Saturday, the third contest in the state-by-state presidential nominating process, almost three weeks after the Iowa caucuses caused mayhem when a technical meltdown delayed results. After the contests in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where
- News
Democratic White House candidates face high-pressure Nevada debate
The caucuses in Nevada on Saturday will be the third contest in the campaign to find a Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. The first two produced a split verdict, with Pete Buttigieg edging Bernie Sanders in Iowa and Sanders narrowly beating Buttigieg in New Hampshire
- NewsReuters
A nervous wait at Louisiana abortion clinic at center of U.S. Supreme Court fight
A 27-year-old woman from southern Arkansas waited nervously at the Hope Medical Group for Women after traveling two hours for a medical procedure that is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in certain parts of the United States: an abortion. Four weeks pregnant, the woman felt she had no option
NewsAFP NewsForeign firms struggle to resume operations in virus-hit China
Foreign firms are struggling to resume work in virus-hit China as they face disrupted supply chains, rising inventory and quarantine rules meant to contain the deadly epidemic, the EU chamber of commerce said Tuesday. With many pharmaceutical companies globally sourcing from China, pharmacies may also
NewsAFP NewsThousands protest in Greece against pension overhaul
Thousands protested in Greece on Tuesday against a new pension reform as a 24-hour strike paralysed transport and services. The labour action brought public transport in Athens, intercity trains and ferry ship services to a standstill. Civil servants also walked off the job and journalists will stage
- NewsReuters
Taiwan to evacuate citizens from virus-stricken cruiseship in Japan
Taiwan said on Tuesday it would charter a plane to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise liner quarantined off the Japanese port of Yokohama due to a coronavirus outbreak. Four Taiwanese nationals on the ship have tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters
NewsAFP NewsRussian activist under investigation over France sex-video scandal
French prosecutors on Tuesday placed a Russian artist and his girlfriend under official investigation over the leaking of a sex video that brought down a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Pyotr Pavlensky and Alexandra de Taddeo are facing charges of invasion of privacy and publishing images of
NewsAFP NewsTurkish mother fights to free cadet son from life sentence
Wearing a colourful headscarf and long coat to guard against a bitter Ankara frost, Turkish mother Melek Cetinkaya would not usually catch the attention of the police. Cetinkaya is undeterred because she is fighting for her son, an air force cadet who was just 19 years old when he was jailed for participating
NewsAFP NewsSmog veils Central Asia cities as smoky stoves choke locals
Snow-capped peaks used to be clearly visible from the streets of Almaty and Bishkek, two of the largest cities in Central Asia that both lie in plains surrounded by mountains. In the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, a city of one million, and Kazakhstan's second city of Almaty, which is twice as large
- NewsReuters
Russia to consider making ex-presidents immune from prosecution - RIA
Russian presidents could be made immune from criminal prosecution once they leave office under proposed constitutional reforms, a senior lawmaker said on Tuesday. The proposal, made by a parliamentary working group, comes after President Vladimir Putin last month announced sweeping reforms to the political
NewsSingapore announces $4.6 bn boost to fight virus
Singapore unveiled US$4.6 billion in financial packages on Tuesday to deal with the impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has battered the city-state's economy and sparked fears of a recession. The financial hub has reported 77 cases of the virus, one of the highest figures outside mainland
NewsAFP NewsSyria presses assault amid fears over mass displacement
Syrian troops pressed an offensive Tuesday on the country's last major rebel enclave where the mass displacement of civilians is sparking fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. Children have died of exposure in snow-covered camps and the United Nations has warned that the crisis could worsen if no
- NewsReuters
Bloomberg qualifies for next debate, and rivals are getting ready
The debate on Wednesday will be the ninth in the contest for who will challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. A late entry to the race, Bloomberg, 78, has risen in public opinion polls as he pours money from his estimated $60 billion personal fortune into a national campaign
NewsAFP NewsBody work: Russia's 'biohackers' push boundaries
Gripping a scalpel, Vladislav Zaitsev makes an incision in the fold of skin between his client's thumb and index finger and pushes in a small glass cylinder. Alexei Rautkin, a 24-year-old programmer in a hoodie, is having a chip inserted in his hand so he can open the door to his office without
- NewsReuters
North Korean refugees seek political voice in South with new party
A group of North Korean refugees launched a political party in South Korea on Tuesday, aiming to give a voice to the 33,500 defectors living in the South and oppose conciliation with Pyongyang. "We were always considered minorities and aliens," said Kim Joo-il, secretary-general of the new
NewsAFP NewsDutch court upholds shareholder appeal in $50 bn Yukos case
A Dutch court Tuesday upheld an appeal by shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos in a landmark ruling, boosting their fight in a $50 billion case for compensation. The ruling overturns a lower Dutch court's decision in favour of Russia, which had contested an original decision by the Hague-based
- NewsReuters
If Apple is hurting due to the coronavirus, its suppliers and rivals likely are too
SAN FRANCISCO/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc's surprise warning that it will likely fall short of this quarter's sales target due to the coronavirus epidemic points to much pain for its chip and other suppliers as well as for rivals who also rely on China to build their products. The outbreak
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