World Athletics is to decide Thursday whether to start the procedure of reinstating the new-look Russian athletics federation, as well as initiating the process to allow Russian athletes who test clean to compete under a neutral banner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Russia has been suspended by World Athletics (then known as the IAAF) since 2015 over repeated doping scandals -- a ban upheld 12 times -- and has been fighting for readmission.
The last report by World Athletics' Task Force, in November, led to its decision-making Council suspending the process of reinstating RUSAF over charges against its officials that they obstructed an anti-doping investigation.
The Council also put a freeze on the system of allowing Russian athletes to compete as "Authorised Neutral Athletes".
Those decisions prompted wholesale change at RUSAF, which has a newly-appointed head in Yevgeny Yurchenko.
In one of his first conciliatory moves in the stand-off, Yurchenko sent two letters to World Athletics, ...

World Athletics to rule on Russia ahead of Olympics

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The Olympic flame for the 2020 Tokyo Games was lit in ancient Olympia on Thursday amid an unprecedented health lockdown as Greece registered its first death from coronavirus.
With spectators banned, an actress dressed as an ancient Greek high priestess lit the flame using the rays of the sun reflected off a concave mirror, launching a week-long torch relay in Greece before the flame is handed to Tokyo organisers on March 19.
"Today marks the beginning of the journey of the Olympic flame to Japan," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.
"When the flame returns to Tokyo after 56 years, hope will light the way across the entire country," he said.
With the coronavirus causing a tsunami effect in world sport, doubts are increasingly being raised over whether the Olympics can be held as scheduled from July 24 to August 9.
Organisers have insisted the Games will go ahead as planned and the IOC has said there has not yet been any talk of cancellation or ...

Flame for 2020 Tokyo Olympics lit in Greece amid virus lockdown

Iran said on Thursday that it has sought financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, which has not lent it money since 1962, to help it combat the novel coronavirus.
"Our central bank requested access" to the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter, urging the fund's board to respond to the request "responsibly".

Virus-hit Iran asks IMF for its first loan since 1962

Lawmakers in Washington have proposed a ban on most imports from China's Xinjiang region, charging that goods produced by Uighur forced labourers were easily making their way into the United States.
The US already bans products made through slavery, but with rights groups saying as many as one million Uighurs and other minorities are held in camps in Xinjiang, lawmakers said forced labor was interwoven into the region's economy.
"These practices in Xinjiang are one of the world's largest human tragedies. It remains unimaginable, frankly, that this is happening in 2020," Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican sponsor of the bipartisan measure, told reporters on Wednesday.
Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat who leads the Congressional-Executive Commission on China -- which looks at human rights -- said that witnesses, surveillance photos and leaked documents all showed the existence of forced labor.
"We know that many US, international and Chinese companies are complicit in the ...

US lawmakers seek Xinjiang import ban over forced labour

Spain's equality minister Irene Montero tested positive for coronavirus and has been quarantined along with her partner, deputy prime minister and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a government statement said on Thursday.
"This morning, all members of the government will undergo testing," it said, indicating the results would be published later in the day.

Spain minister tests positive for virus: govt

South Korea reported fewer than 120 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, but authorities warned that a new cluster in Seoul could see the infection spread in the capital.
Around 100 people linked to a call centre in the city have tested positive for the virus in recent days.
"This could lead to a 'super spread' in the metropolitan area, where half of the entire population are concentrated," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a meeting on Thursday.
So far, nearly 90 per cent of South Korea's cases have been in the southern city of Daegu and the neighbouring North Gyeongsang province.
The South was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the disease first emerged, and remains one of the world's worst-affected countries despite being overtaken by both Italy and Iran in declared cases.
A total of 114 infections were confirmed on Wednesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, taking the South's total to 7,869.
Six more ...

S Korea adds 114 virus cases, warns on Seoul cluster

Top Iraqi politicians joined the United Nations Thursday in condemning a rocket attack north of Baghdad that killed a British soldier and two Americans and threatened a new escalation.
A volley of 18 rockets slammed into the Taji air base late Wednesday, killing a British soldier, a US soldier and an American contractor in the deadliest attack in years on US forces in Iraq.
There was no claim of responsibility but Washington has accused Iran-backed factions of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance of carrying out similar attacks.
Within hours, air raids killed 26 Iran-aligned Iraqi fighters in neighbouring Syria, prompting fears that tensions between Washington and Tehran would once again flare up.
On Thursday morning, Iraq's military command said the attack was "a serious security challenge" and pledged to open an investigation.
President Barham Saleh and parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi condemned a "terrorist attack" which targeted "Iraq and its security." The UN ...

Iraq leaders, UN condemn deadly attack on coalition troops

Disgraced Malaysian ex-leader Najib Razak's corruption trial was halted Thursday after his defence team were reportedly ordered to self-quarantine over fears about the coronavirus.
Najib and his cronies are accused of looting billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and using it to finance a global spending spree.
The allegations played a major part in Najib losing power in 2018, and he has since been arrested and is facing multiple trials over the scandal. He denies wrongdoing.
The legal process has moved slowly, however -- and Najib's main trial was hit by yet another delay Thursday when his defence lawyers failed to turn up in court.  The Kuala Lumpur court heard that they had been ordered to go into quarantine, local media reported, citing one of their colleagues.
This was because the lead lawyer had recently come into contact with his sister-in-law, and one of her colleagues was then diagnosed with the virus, the New Straits Times newspaper reported.
"The spread of the 

Malaysia ex-PM Najib's trial halted over virus scare

Stock markets in energy-rich Gulf states tumbled on Thursday with Saudi shares down more than 4.0 per cent following worldwide losses amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic and an oil price war.
Dubai Financial Market dived more than 7.0 per cent at the open on the last trading day of the week. Abu Dhabi shares dropped 6.0 per cent.
Stocks in gas-rich Qatar dropped 5.2 per cent, while bourses in Bahrain and Oman were down 3.5 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively.
The stock market in Kuwait was closed as authorities announced a shutdown of government offices for two weeks and cancelled international flights in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Oil prices, the mainstay of Gulf economies, fell sharply on Thursday with Brent trading below USD 34 a barrel and WTI just above USD 31 a barrel.
Gulf stock markets have sustained heavy losses this week after OPEC and its allies, led by Russia, failed to reach an agreement on addition oil production cuts to support prices.
That 

Gulf stock markets slide on virus, oil fears

Indonesia has detained two Malaysians for allegedly trying to smuggle some 12,000 virus facemasks back to their home country, police said Thursday.
Officials at the international airport in Sumatra's Medan city became suspicious and searched the pair's bags as they were about to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday evening, authorities said.
They were detained on suspicion of hoarding, police said, and when questioned the 44-and 42-year-old suspects claimed they were planning to distribute the masks to children in neighbouring Malaysia to guard against coronavirus infections.
The masks were confiscated and the suspects would be deported today without any criminal charges, they added.
"We didn't find any criminal conduct after questioning them so they will be sent back," said police spokesman Tatan Dirsan Atmaja.
Indonesia launched a crackdown on mask hoarding after its first confirmed coronavirus infection this month sparked panic buying and sent prices for prevention products .

Indonesia busts Malaysians for virus-mask smuggling

Russia said Thursday it has sent test kits for the novel coronavirus to countries including Iran, North Korea and ex-Soviet states.
The state health watchdog said in a statement that Moscow had sent 800 test kits to ex-Soviet states including Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan,  as well as to Iran, North Korea and Mongolia.
Russia ally Iran received 500 kits which can be used to carry out 50,000 tests, the watchdog said, adding that these were supplied free of charge.
Iran is one of the countries most affected by the outbreak with 9,000 cases and 354 deaths.
The closed state of North Korea, another ally of Moscow, has not confirmed a single case of COVID-19, although there is a major outbreak in neighbouring South Korea.
Russia has already supplied 10 countries with test kits which have been used to identify cases in Belarus and Armenia, the watchdog said.
The tests are made at "Vector", a state-run virus and biotechnology research centre in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.
Russia earlier ...

Russia supplies ex-USSR, Iran, North Korea with virus test kits

China has cancelled permits for Mount Everest because of the coronavirus, expedition organisers said Thursday, ahead of the spring climbing season on the world's highest peak.
Last year's traffic-clogged spring window saw a record 885 people summit Everest, 644 of them from Nepal and 241 from the northern flank in Tibet.
The Nepal side remains open for now although some expedition operators have seen cancellations and climbers have been asked to submit a 14-day travel history and medical reports.
The Chinese authorities "have informed us that the mountain will close from the north side," Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures told AFP.
Furtenbach said that he will be shifting his 11 clients to Nepal.
Tourist areas in Tibet have been closed since January, according to the local tourism office. The China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which issues permits for Everest, was not reachable.
Another company, Alpenglow Expeditions, has cancelled its Everest plans.
"I am in 

China shuts down Everest over coronavirus

The World Health Organization on Sunday saluted Italy's "genuine sacrifices" after the government put a quarter of the population under lockdown to try to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"The government & the people of Italy are taking bold, courageous steps aimed at slowing the spread of the #coronavirus & protecting their country & world," WHO director-genral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet.
"They are making genuine sacrifices. @WHO stands in solidarity with Italy & is here to continue supporting you.

WHO praises Italy's 'genuine sacrifices' to slow virus

Pope Francis expressed solidarity Sunday with the victims of the novel coronavirus in his first livestreamed prayer and message from the Vatican.
"I am close through prayer with the people who suffer from the current coronavirus epidemic," the 83-year-old pope said in a message recorded at the Vatican library and aired live on a screen on Saint Peter's Square before a small crowd.

Pope voices support for virus victims in first livestream prayer

Iran Air announced on Sunday the suspension of all its flights to Europe until further notice.
The national carrier said in a statement that the decision was taken due to "restrictions" imposed by European authorities for "unknown reasons".
Sweden blocked Iran Air flights from landing in the country in recent days, citing concerns over the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the Islamic republic.

Iran Air says suspending Europe flights until further notice

Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health Properly.
No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding, or pain: Reframing current attitudes is vital for female empowerment and health, as well as the environment, says the 29-year-old founder of LU?NA Naturals, which hails itself as Asia's first period care company with an all-female leadership team.
She is not alone in wanting to change the conversation: Last year the UN warned that taboos around menstrual health were "disempowering" women worldwide, calling for action to end it.
"Period stigma is the biggest barrier to the global advancement of women," agrees Cotes-James, adding: "Periods can still cause us to feel dirty, ashamed and frustrated. If menstrual taboos persist and society continues to devalue our fundamental female biology, what hopes do we have of ever being seen as equal?" On average women will spend up to eight years of their lives on their ...

Talking about a menstrual revolution: Asia's period problems

Saudi Arabia released images of King Salman carrying out his royal duties on Sunday, after a stunning purge of at least three princes including his brother and nephew for allegedly plotting a coup.
Saudi royal guards on Friday detained the trio, multiple sources told AFP, in a move that signals Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's tightening grip on power.
The detentions also raised speculation about the health of the 84-year-old king and whether Prince Mohammed's succession to the Arab world's most powerful throne was imminent.
But the official Saudi Press Agency posted photos of the king presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Saudi ambassadors to Ukraine and Uruguay.
A source close to the Saudi leadership told AFP on Saturday the "king is healthy and fine" and the detentions were meant to enforce "discipline" within the royal family.
The crown prince is "in control" and the purge was carried out "after an accumulation of negative behaviour by the two princes", this 

Saudi releases king's photos after purge over 'coup plot'

Iran's health ministry on Sunday reported 49 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest toll within 24 hours since the start of the outbreak in the Islamic republic.
The new count brings the number of those killed by the virus in the country since mid-February to 194, one of the highest tolls outside of China, where the disease originated. The virus has spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces with 6,566 confirmed cases.

Iran reports 49 new coronavirus deaths, highest single-day toll

Police in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday arrested dozens of protesters --  most of them women -- at a rally to mark International Women's Day after masked men attacked them and tore up their placards.
An AFP correspondent saw dozens of women detained and placed in police vehicles in the centre of the capital Bishkek where women's groups had begun to rally against gender-based violence.
The detentions came after the men wearing face masks and pointed national hats attacked the crowd, tearing up their posters, popping balloons with toy pistols and throwing eggs at the women before fleeing the scene.
Erlan Atantayev, deputy head of the Sverdlovsky police department where the women were taken, told AFP that the protesters had been detained for their own safety and because police had not been warned about the rally.
"Clashes began between the demonstrators and men wearing the face masks," said Atantayev.
"We detained (the women) for violation of public order." Atantayev said that some of the ...

Kyrgyz police arrest dozens at Women's Day march

The wife of South Africa's first novel coronavirus patient tested positive on Sunday becoming the third confirmed case in the country, the health authority said.
All three of South Africa's confirmed cases were in a group of 10 people who had travelled to Italy, the health minister said in a statement.
Italy has seen the most deaths from the COVID-19 disease of any country outside China, where the outbreak that has now killed more than 3,500 people and infected over 105,000 worldwide began in December.
Authorities said they had successfully traced all the individuals who went to Italy, although one of the group was not in South Africa.
The test results of the other six group members were expected within 48 hours.
South Africa reported its first case on Thursday. On Sunday the health ministry reported that the patient was now "upbeat and jovial", and asymptomatic.

South Africa's coronavirus toll hits three

Economic shock waves from the coronavirus outbreak have curbed carbon pollution from China and beyond, but hopes for climate benefits from the slowdown are likely to be dashed quickly, experts say.
As governments prepare to spend their way out of the crisis, including with large infrastructure projects, global warming concerns will be little more than an afterthought, dwarfed by a drive to prop up a stuttering world economy, they say.
Preparations for a make-or-break climate summit in November are already off track, with host Britain focused on its Brexit transition, and the challenge to its health system of the gathering epidemic.
Like an unintended lab experiment, the global health emergency demonstrates the cause-and-effect relationship that drives global warming.
In the four weeks up to March 1, China's discharge of CO2 fell 200 million tonnes, or 25 per cent, compared to the same period last year, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) -- equivalent ..

AFP

AFP

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