Saudi Arabia on Thursday emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilisation over fears of the new coronavirus, an unprecedented move after the kingdom suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage.
State television relayed stunning images of an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba - a large black cube structure inside Mecca's Grand Mosque, which is usually packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims.
The move was a "temporary preventive measure" but the upper floors of the Grand Mosque were still open for prayers, a Saudi official told AFP.
He called the measure "unprecedented".
On Wednesday, the kingdom halted the umrah pilgrimage for its own citizens and residents.
The move came after authorities last week suspended visas for the umrah and barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.
The umrah, which refers to the ...

Saudi empties Islam's holiest site for 'sterilisation'

PTI Automatic

The World Health Organization warned Thursday that a number of countries were not taking all the the steps needed to fight against the spread of the deadly new coronavirus.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva he was concerned that a "long list" of countries were not showing "the level of political commitment" needed to "match the level of the threat we all face.

'Long list' of countries not doing enough against virus: WHO

A new draft law that could make it easier for foreigners to gain permanent residency in China has stirred up a torrent of xenophobia online.
The proposal, released by the justice ministry last week, has been gathering billions of views and a flood of angry posts on social media, targeting Africans in particular.
"China's forty years of family planning policy does not make it a place for foreign trash to soar," wrote one user on the Twitter-like platform Weibo, referring to the one-child birth limit China imposed between 1980 and 2016.
The person went on to use racist language against black people, saying: "Our common Chinese ancestry will not be tainted by Africans."
Some Weibo-users posted videos of black people apparently committing crimes in China, while a campaign to encourage Chinese women to date Chinese men, under the hashtag "China girl", had 240 million views as of Thursday afternoon.
Another widely-shared post on Weibo read: "China is not an immigrant country."
A hashtag ...

'China is not an immigrant country': draft law sparks online racism

The Thailand MotoGP, initially scheduled for March 22 but postponed because of the coronavirus, has been rescheduled for October 4, the international motorcycling federation announced Thursday.
To accommodate the shift, the Aragon GP, which was to be held on October 4, has been brought forward a week to September 27.
This weekend's season-opening MotoGP in Qatar was cancelled because of the spread of the virus, although the Moto2 and Moto3 races will go ahead as planned as riders were already in the country for testing.

Thailand MotoGP rescheduled for October 4

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) on Thursday responded to criticism from seven Formula One teams by saying they reached a deal with Ferrari because they could not prove the Italians had cheated.
The FIA said in a statement that their "extensive and thorough investigations undertaken during the 2019 season raised suspicions that " the Ferrari power unit "could be considered as not operating within the limits of the FIA regulations".
The statement noted that Ferrari "firmly opposed the suspicions".
"The FIA was not fully satisfied but decided that further action would not necessarily result in a conclusive case due to the complexity of the matter and the material impossibility to provide the unequivocal evidence of a breach."
The FIA added that it wanted to avoid the risk of a long legal action with an uncertain outcome and instead "decided to enter into an effective and dissuasive settlement agreement with Ferrari to terminate the proceedings".
Last season, several teams ..

FIA say they could not prove Ferrari engine broke rules

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday demanded an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan for the peace process to go forward after what he said was an "unacceptable" spike in Taliban attacks.
"The upsurge in violence in parts of Afghanistan over the last couple days is unacceptable," he said at a news conference. "Violence must be reduced immediately for the peace process to move forward.

Resumption of violence in Afghanistan 'unacceptable,' must be reduced: Pompeo

The City of London Corporation on Thursday revoked an honour granted to Aung San Suu Kyi over the treatment of minority Rohinghya Muslims in Myanmar.
Elected representatives on the body that runs London's historic centre and financial district voted to revoke the freedom of the city granted to Suu Kyi three years ago.
The move followed her appearance, as Myanmar's civilian leader, at The International Court of Justice in The Hague to personally defend her country against allegations of rape, arson and mass killings against Rohinghya victims.
"Today's unprecedented decision reflects the City Corporation's condemnation of the humanitarian abuses carried out in Myanmar," said David Wootton, chair of the committee that deals with Honorary Freedoms.
"The argument for the removal of the award had been much strengthened by Aung San Suu Kyi's close association with Myanmar's government at the (Hague) hearing, as well as her lack of response" to the committee's letters.
Suu Kyi was originally .

City of London revokes honour granted to Suu Kyi

An Iranian director who recently won the top prize at the Berlin film festival has been summoned to serve a one-year prison sentence, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Mohammad Rasoulof, 48, won the festival's Golden Bear for "There is no evil" in February, but was unable to accept the prize in person as he was barred from leaving Iran.
Rasoulof received an order via text message on Wednesday to appear and start serving his sentence, his lawyer Nasser Zarafshan said in a phone interview.
The director was charged with "propaganda against the system" and sentenced to a year in prison last year, according to the attorney.
Zarafshan said the sentence was "mostly" over his previous film, "A Man of Integrity". Rasoulof's passport was confiscated in 2017 after the film's premier at Cannes.
Zarafshan has advised his client not to turn himself in for now, he said, considering the novel coronavirus outbreak in Iran.
"With the congestion in prisons... there are clear orders from the judiciary that ...

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker summoned to prison: lawyer

Greek health officials on Thursday reported 21 new coronavirus infections among a group that had recently travelled to Israel by bus, raising the country's total to 31.
"It was a closed group of people who were on a bus for several days," Sotiris Tsiodras of the national public health organisation (EODY) told a news conference, adding that they had returned to Greece on February 27.
Two among the group -- an elderly man and his wife -- had already tested positive as Greece's ninth and tenth case respectively.
Another 21 among the group were confirmed on Thursday, Tsiodras said.
Most of the cases are in good health and are being monitored at home, he added.
Officials last night announced a two-day school shutdown and a cancellation of public events in the areas in western Greece where the group had come from.
The health authorities said the two-day shutdown included "a suspension of all mass gatherings" at theatres, cinemas, museums and sports events in the Peloponnese regions of ...

Greece reports 21 new coronavirus cases in group travelling from Israel

Abu Dhabi's struggling carrier Etihad on Thursday posted a USD 870 million loss for 2019, its fourth year in the red, and said its restructuring plan still has "some way to go".
The latest loss compared to a shortfall of USD 1.28 billion in 2018, dropping by around a third thanks to significant cuts in spending, the company said in a statement.
In the previous three years -- from 2016-2018 -- Etihad accumulated total losses of USD 4.67 billion mainly because of failed massive investments in global airlines, some of which went bankrupt.
"Operating costs were reduced significantly last year," said Tony Douglas, CEO of Etihad Aviation Group.
"There's still some way to go but progress made in 2019, and cumulatively since 2017, has instilled in us a renewed vigour and determination to push ahead and implement the changes needed to continue this positive trajectory," he said.
Established in 2003 by the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi, Etihad faces stiff competition mainly from regional rivals 

Struggling Abu Dhabi's Etihad posts fourth year of losses

The leader of Ireland's Fianna Fail party on Thursday said it was prepared to enter a coalition government with centre-right rival Fine Gael after inconclusive elections.
Micheal Martin's party narrowly won last month's general election with 38 seats, ahead of Sinn Fein on 37. Fine Gael, led by Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, trailed in third on 35.
None of the three main parties secured enough seats for an outright majority in the 160-seat lower house of parliament, the Dail, prompting coalition talks.
Asked whether he would do a deal with Fine Gael, Martin told RTE: "Yes, depending on a programme for government that works and that represents a new direction in terms of housing, health and climate change."
A surge in popular support for Sinn Fein -- once the political wing of Irish Republican Army (IRA) paramilitaries -- recast Ireland's political landscape at the February 8 vote.
Their left-wing policies on tackling a housing and healthcare crisis found favour with the public. Leader ..

Ireland's Fianna Fail moots coalition deal with Fine Gael

Airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it was cancelling all flights to Israel until March 28, after the Jewish state barred entry to almost all non-resident arrivals from five European nations including Germany.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Eilat by Lufthansa and subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines will be cancelled from Sunday, March 8 until the end of the winter timetable on March 28, the group said in a statement, while some flights will be halted on Friday and Saturday "for operational reasons".

Lufthansa cancels all Israel flights over virus restrictions

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday said major differences remain between Britain and Europe after a first round of trade talks ended in Brussels.
Barnier was speaking to reporters after four days of talks that launched months of intense closed-door negotiations involving more than 100 officials on each side.
"To be completely frank with you...there are many divergences, and they are very serious divergences, which is probably quite natural," Barnier told reporters.
Barnier said talks had snagged on several issues including the ability to uphold fair competition from British companies, often referred to as keeping a "level playing field".
He also expressed worry over Britain's unwillingness to accept jurisprudence from the EU's top court as well as the European Court on Human Rights.
Barnier said while a deal was still possible, it would be very difficult, especially since British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to extend the talks beyond the end of ...

EU Brexit chief warns of 'serious divergences' with UK

Bangladesh have called up uncapped left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed for their 15-man squad for the upcoming two-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim and all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin make a return to the squad, but selectors left out batsmen Mohammad Mithun and Nazmul Hossain, and pace bowler Rubel Hossain.
Mushfiqur skipped Bangladesh's previous Twenty20 series in Pakistan over safety concerns, while Saifuddin has been out of action since July with a back injury.  Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said they called up 25-year old Ahmed as a back-up.
"Nasum was always in our consideration since he did well in the last BPL," he said, referring to the Bangladesh Premier League, the country's domestic T20 tournament.
The two Twenty20 matches will be held at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on March 9 and 11.
Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 106 runs in a one-off Test, and are currently leading the three-match one-day ...

Bangladesh call up uncapped spinner for Zimbabwe T20s

A senior US official on Thursday urged Europe to support Turkey's military operation in Syria, where it has lost more than 50 soldiers trying to hold back a Russian-backed offensive on Idlib.
"One of the principles that the president (Donald Trump) and the US Congress share is that there should be a collective effort, not just of Turkey and the US but of our NATO allies, essentially the Europeans," the US special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, told a conference in Istanbul.
"We are pressing the Europeans to contribute a great deal," he added.
The Syrian government, backed by Russian air power, has steadily retaken swathes of the province of Idlib, dominated by jihadists and Turkey-backed rebels, since launching its offensive in December.
Nearly one million people have fled their homes in the biggest displacement of the nine-year conflict.
Turkey fears another major influx of refugees, adding to the 3.6 million Syrians it already hosts.
It announced a full operation against ..

US Syria envoy urges European support for Turkey

The OPEC group of oil producers will recommend a production cut of 1.5 million barrels per day to its allies, Iran's Energy Minister said Thursday, as it seeks counter the slump in demand caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
"We decided... to recommend to the non-OPEC meeting tomorrow 1.5 million barrels of new cut for the second quarter of 2020," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters after an extraordinary meeting of OPEC ministers at the group's headquarters in Vienna.

OPEC to recommend 1.5-mn-barrel output cut to allies

Japan will quarantine people coming from China and South Korea for two weeks on arrival to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the country's prime minister said Thursday.
"We will strengthen immigration quarantines on people from the two countries," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a cabinet-level taskforce meeting on the virus.
"We will ask them to stay in designated areas for two weeks and not to use public transport in the country," Abe added, saying the measures would come into force from March 9 and last at least until the end of the month.
Abe said the measures were aimed at "relieving people's concerns" and preventing a further spread of the virus.
The government is calling for tourists from China, where the virus emerged, and South Korea, which has been hard hit by the outbreak, to put off travel to Japan and will cancel visas for travellers from the two countries, Abe said.
"In order to reduce the amount of inbound travel from China and South Korea, we will limit arrival 

Japan to quarantine visitors from China, South Korea over virus

In coronavirus-hit Iran, healthcare workers are not just treating patients -- doctors and nurses are also lifting spirits with light-hearted dance performances that have spread massively on social media.
In a series of short video clips, medical staff dressed in surgical masks and protective medical clothing can be seen dancing in symbolic defiance of the outbreak that has claimed more than 100 lives in the country.
Iranians have widely shared the videos apparently shot in hospital wards and operating theatres, the dancers' identities disguised by hospital scrubs and face covers as they wiggle and shake to Iranian pop and traditional tunes.
Multiple clips can be found on Twitter marked in English as "coronavirus iran dancing", although AFP could not verify the authenticity of the individual videos.
Iran's authorities so far seem to be tolerating the "dance challenge" craze, and some videos have garnered around 100,000 views on Twitter, Instagram and other social media.
This is even ...

Hospital dance clips lighten virus gloom in hard-hit Iran

Europe's major stock markets sank again Thursday, ignoring rallies elsewhere, as investors focussed on the rapid spread of novel coronavirus outside China and more turbulence for airlines.
Asian equities had jumped following a surge on Wall Street, with confidence buoyed by global stimulus measures to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.
The dollar was lower against its main rivals after the Federal Reserve this week unexpectedly slashed US interest rates by half a percentage point, while the Japanese yen continued to benefit from its status as a haven in times of economic turmoil.
The number of coronavirus cases in the world rose to 95,781, including 3,284 deaths, across 84 countries and territories by 1000 GMT Thursday, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources.
Since 1700 GMT Wednesday, 971 new contaminations and 39 new deaths were identified.
"Investors once again begin to worry about the spread of the coronavirus outside China," said analyst Chris Beauchamp 

European stocks resume downward trend as virus spreads outside China

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday said major differences remain between Britain and Europe after a first round of trade talks ended in Brussels.
"To be completely frank with you ... there are many divergences, and they are very serious divergences, which is probably quite natural," Barnier told reporters, after four days of negotiations.

EU's Barnier says 'many serious divergences' in Brexit talks

Bangladesh pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, one of the country's biggest sports stars, stepped down Thursday as captain of the national one-day side, possibly ending his international career.
Friday's 50-over game against Zimbabwe in Sylhet will be his last as captain, said the 36-year-old, who already has a new career as a member of parliament.  Mashrafe said he would remain available for selection as a player, but selectors are under pressure to bring in fresh blood ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India.
"I would like to thank Bangladesh Cricket Board for keeping confidence in me for such a long period," said Mashrafe.
"I will try to give my best as a player if I get the opportunity."
Mashrafe had not played any one-day internationals since last year's World Cup until the current Zimbabwe series. He claimed three wickets in the first two matches.  Bangladesh won both to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Mashrafe, who withdrew from a lucrative national team contract in ...

AFP

AFP

Page 126 - Afp