Acts of intimidation marred the final round of legislative elections in Mali on Sunday that aim to revive confidence in its embattled institutions despite a bloody jihadist conflict and a virus pandemic.
In central Mali, the president of a voting station was forcibly removed and representatives of the electoral commission "chased away by armed men", one of the representatives told AFP.
Military sources confirmed the incident.
Elsewhere, voting was cancelled after jihadists threatened to attack voters, witnesses said.
Already on Saturday, unknown assailants had destroyed voting equipment in northern Mali.
Polling stations in Bamako began to shut gradually after 1800 GMT, the official closing time, with the first provisional results to be announced at the start of the week.
The election had been repeatedly delayed, and the first round on March 29 was disrupted by jihadist attacks as well as the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.
"I voted. It is important despite the ...

Mali election runoff marred by intimidation

PTI Automatic

France's prime minister said the country was starting to beat back the coronavirus as the outbreak's death toll approached 20,000 Sunday while new hospitalisations continued a slow decline.
The country reported 395 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the government said, bringing the epidemic tally to 19,718.
But in a positive sign, the number of people in hospital declined for the fifth day in a row to 30,610 -- a small decline of 29, top health official Jerome Salomon told a televised press conference.
There were 5,744 people in intensive care, added Salomon, 89 fewer in the 11th consecutive day of decline.
"We are scoring points against the epidemic," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told the same briefing, adding the "situation is improving gradually, slowly, but surely" and the epidemic is "slowing".
But he stressed that a nationwide lockdown which entered into force on March 17 to halt the spread of the virus must be strictly respected until May 11, when it will start ...

France nears 20,000 COVID deaths but situation 'improving'

More than 30 studies are under way in France -- of a world total of 860 -- in search of drugs to treat the COVID-19 disease sweeping the world, infectologist Florence Ader said Sunday.
The research is "extremely active" in France involving some 1,600 patients, Ader told a news conference.
Ader heads up a study dubbed Discovery in collaboration with several other European countries, with researchers conducting clinical trials of four potential treatments including the controversial hydroxychloroquine.
Of some 3,200 patients in Europe, at least 800 are in France. All are in hospital and severely ill with COVID-19.
Around the world some 150 projects seek to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. France's prestigious Institut Pasteur will carry out trials on humans by this summer, Ader said.

More than 30 French studies under way into COVID-19 treatment

An Austrian who deserted Nazi forces before campaigning decades later to rehabilitate those who refused to fight for Hitler has died at the age of 97, his group said Sunday.
Richard Wadani, denounced as a traitor and coward long after his return home from serving in the British army, died at the weekend, according to the campaign group he co-founded.
The group, "Justice for the Victims of the Nazi's Military Judiciary," paid tribute to Wadani, who was born in Prague in 1922 but moved to his mother's hometown of Vienna in 1938.
"It is thanks to his tireless efforts over decades that the deserters of the Nazi armed forces and all other victims of the Nazi's military judiciary are legally rehabilitated," the group's president Thomas Geldmacher said in a statement.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said the country had lost a "great Austrian" with Wadani's death.
After a failed desertion attempt in 1942, Wadani joined Allied forces in 1944 near Aachen in Germany.
After the war, .

Prominent Nazi forces deserter dies

European nations hard hit by the coronavirus and the US epicenter New York reported headway Sunday in their battle against the deadly pandemic.
Governments across the world are now debating how and when to ease lockdowns that have kept more than half of humanity -- 4.5 billion people -- confined to their homes and crippled the global economy.
Europe saw encouraging signs Sunday, with Italy, Spain, France and Britain seeing drops in daily death tolls and slowing infection rates.  The continent accounts for almost two-thirds of the 160,000 fatalities reported across the globe out of more than 2.3 million declared infections, according to an AFP tally.
And in the United States -- the country with the highest number of deaths and infections -- the governor of New York said the outbreak was "on the descent." Mounting evidence suggests that the lockdowns and social distancing are slowing the spread of the virus that first emerged in China last year.
The tentatively hopeful signs come with ..

Europe, New York see progress in coronavirus battle

The coronavirus outbreak in New York state -- epicenter of the epidemic in the United States -- is "on the descent," Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday.
"We are past the high point, and all indications at this point is that we are on the descent," Cuomo told a press conference.
"Whether or not the descent continues depends on what we do, but right now we're on the descent." New York has borne the brunt of the virus in the United States, which has killed more than 13,000 people in the state, with more than 226,000 known infections.
A field hospital has been erected in New York City's Central Park, and the state's shutdown -- which orders residents to stay at home except to exercise or perform essential business -- has been extended until May 15.
It is "good news only compared to the terrible news that we were living with, which is that constant increase" in hospitalizations and deaths, Cuomo said of the latest data.
"It's no time to get cocky and it's no time to get arrogant. We 

New York state epidemic 'on the descent': governor

Elderly residents left soiled and unfed after their caregivers fled the premises, 31 deaths in the space of a few weeks: a nursing home in Montreal has become the symbol of the terrible toll coronavirus is taking in Canada's long-term care homes.
The bleak situation discovered at the Residence Herron, in the Montreal suburb of Dorval, has triggered an investigation for gross negligence and a national reckoning about the conditions in long-term care homes which account for half the country's more than 1,250 COVID-19 deaths.
"I was sick to my stomach, I was really sick to my stomach," Moira Davis, whose father Stanley Pinnell died at the Herron facility on April 8, told AFP.
"All of a sudden these questions started flying through my head, 'What could we have done differently? Why did nobody tell us?... Why, why, why?'" Called to the rescue after most of the staff deserted the facility, health authorities found residents dehydrated, unfed for days and lying listless in bed, some covered .

Horrors revealed at virus-hit Canada nursing home

The White House and congressional Democrats said Sunday they could reach agreement soon on expanding funds to small businesses devastated by the coronavirus, with Democrats hoping to add money for hospitals, testing and state governments.
"We're very close," Vice President Mike Pence told talkshow Fox News Sunday about negotiations on replenishing the Paycheck Protection Program whose entire $349 billion funding was exhausted by last Thursday.
"We're going to work to expand that so that no one working in a small business in America would have to worry about missing a paycheck." President Donald Trump has insisted his administration will do right by millions of American families and businesses ravaged by a pandemic that has infected 735,000 people in the United States, 39,000 of whom have died.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed hope a deal could be reached and passed by Congress in the coming days.
"I think we're very close to a deal today," Mnuchin told CNN's State of the ...

White House, Dems 'very close' to deal to aid virus-hit businesses

A virtual concert packed with A-listers -- from The Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift to Billie Eilish -- entertained fans around the world with a show celebrating health workers, as billions shelter at home due to coronavirus.
Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and LL Cool J also joined in the Lady Gaga-curated online party, which was backed by the international advocacy organization Global Citizen in partnership with the World Health Organization.
Before opening the show Lady Gaga -- who began working with Global Citizen and the WHO weeks ago to fundraise for the battle against COVID-19 -- said she was praying for medical workers and also "thinking of all of you that are at home, who are wondering when this is all going to be different."
"What I'd like to do tonight, if I can, is just give you the permission to, for a moment -- smile," she said as she broke into a rendition of Nat King Cole's "Smile." Stevie Wonder then wowed with a tribute to the late soul legend ...

Virtual mega-concert featuring Stones, Swift celebrates health workers

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday extended by two weeks a lockdown imposed on March 30 to curb the spread of COVID-19 which has killed three in the country.
"Government has decided to extend with immediate effect the lockdown by a further 14 days," Mnangagwa told journalists at State House in the capital.
"The country is yet to meet the conditions for lifting the lockdown announced by the World Health Organization (WHO)." The WHO stipulated that infections should be declining and there should be adequate and well-equipped treatment and quarantining facilities before measures should be relaxed.
The southern African country has so far recorded 25 cases of the respiratory disease including three fatalities.
Even before the virus, Zimababwe was already battling with an ailing health system suffering from mass shortages of medicines and equipment, and strikes by doctors and nurses.
The government has been taken to court by the union for healthcare workers which accuses it ..

Zimbabwe extends COVID-19 lockdown by two weeks

The "full firepower" of the European Union will be needed to overcome the historic shock of the coronavirus crisis, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told German media Sunday, repeating calls to pool European debt.
Ahead of a video conference between EU leaders this Thursday, Conte reiterated demands for controversial pooled debt instruments known as "coronabonds" in an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) newspaper.
"We are experiencing the biggest shock since World War II, and Europe has to come up with an answer," said Conte.
The "full firepower" of the EU was needed, specificially "with the issuance of shared bonds", he added.
He insisted that opposition to coronabonds from the Netherlands and Germany "had to change", and said he was determined to keep advocating for a "shared, ambitious and fair financial instrument" Coronabonds, he added, would not "collectivise past or future debts" but would be "specifically designed and time limited".
Italy is one of several ...

Italy's Conte doubles down on demand for coronabonds

European Commission vice-president Vera Jourova on Sunday chided the EU for what she said was its "morbid dependency" on China and India for medical supplies, a situation highlighted by the  coronavirus crisis.
"This crisis has revealed our morbid dependency on China and India as regards pharmaceuticals," Jourova said in a debate on Czech state television.
"This is something that makes us vulnerable and we have to make a radical change there," added the Czech commissioner, who is in charge of values and transparency in the Commission.
"We will reassess the (supply) chains... and try to diversify them and, ideally, produce as many things as possible in Europe," Jourova said.
"This is a big lesson we have learnt."
The European Commission will draft a strategic plan tackling the issue by the end of the month and submit it to the European Parliament and the leaders of EU member states, Jourova said.
"It will be tied to the new EU budget (for 2021-2027). If we don't agree on the new budget 

EU commissioner slams Europe's 'morbid dependency' on China

Former US treasury sectary Paul O'Neill, who served under George W. Bush, died Saturday at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer, his alma mater Indiana University announced.
O'Neill, who died in Pittsburgh, was "known for his unflinching integrity, his data-driven approach to decision-making and his strong commitment to public service," IU said in a statement.
The straight-talking secretary lasted less than two years at the Treasury during Bush's first term in office -- he was fired after a public spat with the administration in December 2002.
He late became the subject and key source for Ron Suskind's book "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill," which offered a damning look at the Bush administration.
"Through my book he spoke truth to the world about no WMD in Iraq, Cheney's seizure of power and Bush's fecklessness," Suskind wrote on Twitter.
"He was a believer in truth -- that's what got him fired -- and a true American hero. .

Former US treasury secretary Paul O'Neill dead at 84

Italy's official daily toll from the novel coronavirus edged down to 433 on Sunday, the lowest figure in one week.
The total number of deaths reported by the civil protection services since the start of Italy's health crisis in February now stands at 23,660 -- second only to the United States.
Sunday's fatalities figure was the second lowest in one month.
The 3,047 new virus infections represented a rise of just 1.7 percent.
The new infections rate is being watched close by Italian government as it deliberates on how to exit a lockdown imposed over the first half of March.
The current restrictions are due to be lifted on May 4, and the government is trying to determine which businesses to allow to resume operations, and whether to let people out of their homes.

Italy's daily virus toll edges down to 433

Turkey on Sunday announced 127 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 2,017.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted an image showing there were 3,977 new cases of COVID-19 infection in the past 24 hours, bringing total reported infections to 86,306.
Turkey is the worst affected country in the Middle East, ahead of Iran, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Turkish authorities have undertaken nearly 635,000 tests while almost 12,000 people have recovered from the virus, the minister said.
The government has taken a series of measures to limit the spread of the virus including closing schools and universities, and banning mass gatherings.
This weekend 31 cities including the capital Ankara and Istanbul were under lockdown for a second time, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said all-day weekend curfews would continue as long as they were necessary.
The interior ministry on Saturday extended a ban on intercity travel by land, air and sea 

Turkey coronavirus death toll tops 2,000

British distance great Mo Farah has said his medal-winning exploits "don't mean anything" compared to the exploits of a 99-year-old British World War II veteran and coronavirus fundraiser.
Tom Moore, a captain who served in India, has raised more than ?25 million ($31 million, 29 million euros) for health workers, having initially set out to raise just ?1,000 by walking 100 laps of his garden.
"It's incredible -- there are no real words to describe Tom," four-time Olympic gold medallist Farah told Sky Sports News on Sunday.
"I've won medals for years, but that doesn't mean anything really," added Farah, the 5,000 and 10,000 metres champion at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.
"To come back to reality and realise you're making a difference for so many people who are putting their lives at risk -- for someone at his age it's mind-blowing," added Farah of Moore, who has become something of a global phenomenon thanks to social media.
"We get celebrated for making the country proud .

Farah hails 'mind-blowing' WWII veteran fundraiser

Hamilton chairman Les Gray believes football might not return before October as he defended the decision to end the season in the Scottish lower leagues this week.
Gray will co-chair a taskforce that will aim to reconstruct the leagues to ensure no side suffers relegation due to the shutdown caused by coronavirus.
The Scottish Premiership season has not yet been declared over, but the controversial resolution passed by the 42-member clubs of the leagues this week means the top-flight could follow suit with positions awarded on a points-per-game basis.
That would see Celtic declared champions, while as it stands Hearts would be relegated to the Championship and Partick Thistle down to League One.
"The reality is I don't think we will be playing football again before September, October," Gray told the BBC.
"We need to get to the next stage and try to deliver a situation where the clubs that were disaffected are remedied. That will include Hearts and Partick Thistle.
"The terms of ...

Scottish leagues look at reconstruction with games up to six months away

"Minuscule traces" of the new coronavirus have been found in Paris's non-potable water -- such as the supply used for cleaning streets -- but drinking water is at no risk of contamination, a city official said Sunday.
The Paris water authority's laboratory detected tiny amounts of the virus in four of 27 samples collected from around the capital, leading to an immediate shutdown of the network as a precaution, Celia Blauel told AFP.
Drinking water is supplied from a "totally independent" network and "can be consumed without any risk," stressed Blauel, the city's top environmental official.
Non-potable water, drawn from the Seine River and the Ourcq canal, is used to clean streets and to water the greenery in the city's parks and gardens -- currently closed to the public -- as well as supplying their ornamental fountains.
The city of Paris is consulting the regional health agency for a risk analysis before deciding how to proceed, Blauel said.

'Minuscule traces' of virus in non-potable Paris water: city official

Four-time champion John Higgins has said it is "heart-breaking" to miss his annual visit to snooker's World Championship for the first time in 25 years, although he understands why the tournament is not taking place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The championship was meant to start at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, northern England, on Saturday, with Higgins -- runner-up in the past three editions -- one of the favourites.
But with Britain in lockdown, snooker has followed major sports worldwide in coming to a standstill.
There have been suggestions the championship may take place in July, but in the meantime Higgins's bid for a fifth world title remains on hold.
"For the past 25 years I have been getting myself ready at this time to go down to Sheffield," Higgins told tournament sponsors Betfred.
"I haven't missed a year and that's more than half of my life," the 44-year-old Scot added.
"It's heart-breaking, but we know there are more important things out there going on. ...

Higgins 'heartbroken' to miss World Championship

A Swiss prosecutor investigating corruption in football met in secret with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, German and Swiss media alleged, further fuelling allegations of collusion between football's world governing body and Swiss investigators.
Citing unnamed sources, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and Switzerland's Luzerner Zeitung suggested that Cedric Remund, 38, was the previously unidentified fifth person at a secret meeting with Infantino and Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber at the Schweizerhof Hotel in Bern on June 16, 2017.
If proven, the allegation could potentially compromise a number of high-profile football corruption probes of which Remund was directly in charge, claimed SZ.
According to the newspaper, the June 2017 meeting with Infantino was also attended by Lauber, his spokesman Andre Marty and Rinaldo Arnold, a friend of Infantino and senior prosecutor for the Upper Valais canton.
Lauber, who is in charge of the investigation into FIFA corruption ...

Swiss prosecutor joined 'secret meeting' with FIFA's Infantino: report

Roma players and coach Paulo Fonseca have agreed to go without pay for the rest of the season to help the club's finances during the coronavirus pandemic, the Serie A outfit said on Sunday.
The deal means the players, Fonseca and his coaching staff will give up their salaries for March, April, May and June, although Roma said that should the current campaign end up being completed "an incentive plan to be paid subject to the achievement of certain sporting objectives" had been agreed.
They had also agreed to "collectively pay the difference" to ensure that employees who have been placed on a partial unemployment scheme will receive their regular salary, the club added.
"(Captain) Edin Dzeko, all the players and Paulo have demonstrated they understand what this club stands for and we also thank them all for their superb gesture towards the employees at this club," said CEO Guido Fienga.
Italy has suffered more than  23,000 coronavirus deaths, second only to the United States, and all ..

AFP

AFP

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