More than 1.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been registered worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 0530 GMT Thursday from official sources.
Of the 1,502,478 infections, 87,320 people have died across 192 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China late last year.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are only testing the most serious cases.
The United States, where the pandemic is spreading most rapidly, has recorded 432,132 cases, including 14,817 deaths.
Spain has declared 146,690 cases with 14,555 deaths, and Italy 139,422 infections with 17,669 deaths.  Europe remains the worst hit continent with 772,592 cases and 61,118 deaths.

Global coronavirus cases top 1.5 million

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Chinese women's football star Wang Shuang will finally reunite with the national team after two months stranded at the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, state media said.
The 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder will bolster a squad due to play off against South Korea over two legs for Asia's final qualifying place at the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed for a year to 2021.
In February, Wuhan native Wang was pictured kicking a ball on a rooftop while on lockdown in the city of 11 million people as she attempted to keep up her fitness.  Wuhan, where the virus was first identified, led the world with an unprecedented total lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people fled the city when a 76-day travel ban was lifted.
Xinhua news agency said that Wang and two other players stranded in Wuhan, Yao Wei and Lu Yueyun, would join the squad in Suzhou to prepare for the playoff. The first leg has been ...

China's ex-PSG star Wang freed from Wuhan coronavirus lockdown

China's Supreme Court has ruled in favour of basketball legend Michael Jordan in a long-running trademark dispute, ending an eight-year legal battle with a Chinese sportswear firm that illegally used his name.
Upholding intellectual property rights is one of the core disputes of the US-China trade war, and a phase one deal signed in January saw Beijing pledge to improve protections of intellectual property.
The landmark ruling, made late last month, prohibits the Fujian-based Qiaodan Sports from using the Chinese translation of Jordan's name, Qiao Dan.
The retired Chicago Bulls player and six-time NBA championship winner has a huge following in China, a country that has legions of avid basketball fans.
The Supreme Court decision overturns two previous verdicts in favour of the Chinese firm.
However, it still allows the firm to continue using its logo of a silhouetted basketball player -- which has similarities with the "Jumpman" logo used by Nike to promote its "Air Jordan" line of ...

NBA legend Michael Jordan wins long-running China trademark dispute

Players at Wales' four regions earning more than ?25,000 (28,566 euros) will take a 25 percent pay cut until July 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Welsh rugby's Professional Rugby Board (PRB) announced.
The season for squad members at the Scarlets, the Ospreys, the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons was put on hold at the end of February following the COVID-19 outbreak.
"For our professional players in particular this has been a really tough decision, they are at the very sharp end of our business, but they are also our biggest cost," PRB's chairperson Amanda Blanc said in a statement.
"But they are in the midst of short careers, many in the prime of those careers and we are asking them to make a financial sacrifice that they won't have planned for."
Under a system introduced last year, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) pays 80 percent of the salaries of the 38 top-ranked players, with the players' regions contributing the remaining 20 percent.
Wages for those outside the top band are paid ...

Welsh rugby players' pay slashed by a quarter

Oil prices rose Thursday after Russia said it was ready to slash output, fuelling hopes that key producers are poised to seal a deal aimed at boosting coronavirus-hit energy markets.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up about three percent at $25.84 a barrel in afternoon Asian trade, having risen almost five percent at the open.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 0.7 percent to $33.08. It had jumped about three percent in earlier deals.
Exporting group OPEC and allies including Russia as well as other major producers will hold a teleconference later in the day with expectations growing that they will agree to reduce output to support the struggling market.
Prices are at near-two-decade lows with travel restrictions and lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of the virus throttling demand, and Riyadh and Moscow locked in a vicious price war.
But Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's top exporters, now look set to draw a line under their dispute to help provide some ...

Oil rises as top producers move towards deal

More than 1.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been registered worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 0530 GMT Thursday from official sources.
Of the 1,502,478 infections, 87,320 people have died across 192 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China late last year.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are only testing the most serious cases.

Global coronavirus cases top 1.5 million: AFP tally

Taiwan demanded an apology from the World Health Organization chief on Thursday after he accused the island's government of leading personal attacks against him and his agency's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for unity to fight the disease on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump criticised the global health body and threatened to cut its funding.
During the press conference he spoke of the abuse -- including racial slurs -- he had been subjected to since the public health crisis began.
Tedros largely avoided mentioning Trump by name but he did single out the government in Taipei, which has been frozen out of the WHO after political pressure from Beijing.
"Three months ago, this attack came from Taiwan," he told reporters in Geneva.  "They didn't disassociate themselves. They even started criticising me in the middle of all that insult and slur, but I didn't care," Tedros said.
The comments sparked anger in Taiwan, ...

Taiwan demands apology from WHO chief over virus 'slander'

Serie A's Brescia, who want the Italian season stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, announced that their players have agreed to salary cuts.
In a statement adressed to season-ticket holders, president Massimo Cellino on Wednesday praised "the great sensitivity and responsibility shown by our players who, almost all, have accepted very quickly the proposals to reduce salaries, in order to protect the integrity of the club in such a delicate moment".
No details were given on how much players at the promoted club, who include Italian international Mario Balotelli, had agreed to forego.
The town of Brescia is at the epicentre of Italy's coronavirus crisis, with nearly 10,000 people infected by the virus.
"The club would like to avoid resuming (the season) out of respect for the sad reality of Brescia," the team added.
They were promoted to the top flight last season and are currently bottom of the table, nine points from safety.
League leaders Juventus announced late last month ...

Balotelli's Brescia accept player pay cuts

Premier League players announced they had launched an initiative to generate funds for Britain's National Health Service (NHS) to help against the coronavirus pandemic.
The idea -- named #PlayersTogether -- has been set up on Wednesday to "help those fighting for us on the NHS frontline" during the COVID-19 outbreak.
"It is about we, as players, collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other league and club conversation," a statement from the group said.
"To try and help, along with so many others in the country, to make a real difference," it added.
Individuals such as league leaders Liverpool's captain Jordan Henderson, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were among those to post on social media about the move.
Earlier this week, the Premier League proposed wage cuts of 30 percent but talks have hit a stumbling block, with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) warning the NHS could suffer from the loss of tax ...

Premier League stars launch fund to 'help' health service virus fight

A month after Serie A last saw a ball kicked football-mad Italy is torn over whether to return to action or scrap the season as the coronavirus crisis continues to keep the nation on lockdown.
Endless dates have been proposed from May, through to September and October, all depending "on when health conditions allow".
The Mediterranean country has been under siege since the COVID-19 disease took a grip on February 22, and no Serie A matches have been played March 9.
In the midst of the health crisis which has claimed the lives of nearly 18,000 people, Italy's top clubs have been at loggerheads over when is best to resume this season, if ever.
The Lombardy region -- home to Inter Milan and AC Milan -- has recorded 9,722 deaths while the neighbouring Piedmont, the home region of champions Juventus has also been hard hit.
Among the most vocal supporters of the season being scrapped are clubs located in the northern regions, such as Brescia and Torino.
Brescia president Massimo Cellino ...

A month into lockdown, Serie A torn over return to action

As coronavirus forces billions of people around the world into lockdown, another sizeable population has also been hard hit -- stray animals.
While pet owners in many countries are still allowed to walk their dogs, thousands of other animals -- the exact numbers are unknown -- are starving and turning feral.  The mass closure of restaurants has also deprived hungry animals of leftover meals, forcing them to take greater risks.
For many, the restrictions are tantamount to a death sentence.
"We are seeing an increase in the numbers of cats in areas where we feed, some appear to have been abandoned, while others have roamed far from their usual spots in search of food," says Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou, a co-founder of Nine Lives Greece, a network of volunteers dedicated to reducing the overpopulation of stray cats in Athens and other cities.
According to the municipality, the stray dog population in Athens is put at hundreds while the cats run into the thousands.
"It is a huge worry ..

Strays feel the bite as pandemic spreads

A Florida man is suing Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava over an alleged shove at the 2018 Valspar Championship and his lawyer asked witnesses to come forwar.
Attorney Josh Dreschel, who represents Brian Borruso, issued a statement seeking the public's help in identifying voices on a video that appears to capture portions of the incident.
"We're asking anyone who was there to contact us and let us know if you saw the incident, if you know whose voices are on the video and if you may have video or pictures of the incident," Dreschel, of the St. Petersburg-based Josh Firm, said.
"Unfortunately, the PGA has refused to cooperate, even though we are confident they have the incident on video."
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Florida's Pinellas County, claims the incident took place on the 13th hole in the third round of the tournament at Innisbrook near Tampa, Florida.
Woods hit his tee shot over the green and near spectators, including Borruso -- who tried to take a selfie with Woods in ..

Florida man suing Woods, caddie over alleged shove

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whose tenure has been undermined by tense relations with players this season, wants to reform the club's management because he distrusts certain directors, according to vice-president Emili Rousaud.
"Bartomeu called me and told me he wanted to change the management because he was suspicious of some of the directors, me included," Rousaud, who had been tipped to succeed Bartomeu as president, told Cadena Ser radio on Wednesday.
"He told me things had been leaked to the press that upset the players and he thought I had been critical of how the board had handled it."
The relationship between Barca's players and board has been strained for several months, with Lionel Messi's public criticism of technical secretary Eric Abidal in February just one of a number of off-field controversies.
Messi took another swipe at the Barca board last week, when confirming the squad would take a 70 percent pay cut during the coronavirus crisis.
The Argentine ...

Barcelona president seeks reshuffle of club board

A California woman has been arrested after licking $1,800 worth of groceries and other items at a supermarket in the northern part of the state, police said Wednesday.
Chris Fiore, spokesman for the South Lake Tahoe police department, near the border with Nevada, told AFP that officers were called to the Safeway store on Tuesday following reports of "a customer licking groceries" at a time of heightened fears over the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus.
"When officers arrived on the scene, a Safeway employee informed them that the suspect put numerous pieces of jewelry from the store on her hands," he said.
"The suspect licked the jewelry then began to load her cart with merchandise from the store."
Fiore said officers located the suspect, identified as Jennifer Walker, inside the store with a shopping cart full of items, including meat and liquor, which she had no means to purchase.
Walker, 53, was arrested for felony vandalism and the merchandise had to be destroyed ..

Coronavirus: California woman arrested for licking $1,800 worth of groceries

The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was a heavy blow for many athletes, but a team of South Sudanese sprinters training in a Japanese town are hoping to turn the delay to their advantage.
The four athletes and a coach have been in the city of Maebashi, north of Tokyo, since November, taking advantage of training facilities that aren't available in their young but poor home country.
And with news of the historic postponement of the Games over the coronavirus, they've decided to stay on until at least July, hoping to beef up their skills.
"The Tokyo Olympics (have been) postponed. It's not a problem," team coach Joseph Rensio Tobia Omirok, 59, told AFP.
"I'm happy because I'm still training, and in other countries they have no training. They're sitting in their house but here we are OK... Training now is going OK."
The decision to postpone the Games for a year until July 2021 came after athletes and sports associations heaped pressure on organisers and Olympic officials, ...

Stranded in Japan, South Sudan athletes keep Olympic dreams alive

South American football chief Alejandro Dominguez has  asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to hold discussions on setting up a global fund to help football clubs during the coronavirus pandemic.
CONMEBOL president Dominguez wants to hold a videoconference with FIFA's Task Force "to generate opportune solutions instantly available to members to be approved without further delay."
The message issued by CONMEBOL said football restarting around the world would "depend on this timely support."
CONMEBOL said "the needs of South American associations are growing day by day."
The continent's governing body has already made available $75 million (69 million euros) for clubs that have lost revenues from the suspension of South America's flagship club competitions, the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
Global governing body FIFA has set up a working group to tackle the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONMEBOL asks FIFA for coronavirus fund meeting

Cases against scores of Rohingya Muslims detained after fleeing Myanmar's restive Rakhine state have been dropped, as fears grow of a potential coronavirus outbreak in the country's overcrowded prisons.
A military crackdown in 2017 forced some 750,000 Rohingya to escape to Bangladesh, where they languish in sprawling refugee cities.
Those who remain in Rakhine live under tight restrictions with little access to healthcare and education, unable to move freely in conditions Amnesty International has branded "apartheid".
For years many have taken to boats and buses to escape.
But in recent months hundreds have been caught and detained in prisons -- charged with breaching immigration laws, offences which carry up to two years in jail.
On Wednesday a court suddenly dropped cases against two of the largest groups of arrested Rohingya, totalling 128 people.
"Charges against both adults and children are withdrawn and they are to be released," judge Khin Myat Myat Htun told Pathein court in ...

Scores of detained Rohingya freed in Myanmar as virus fears mount

Asian markets were mostly in positive territory Thursday following another strong day for Wall Street as traders buy into optimism that the coronavirus crisis could be nearing its apex, while crude extended gains on hopes top producers will agree to a massive output cut.
Despite news that thousands more people had died of COVID-19 around the world, the slowing rate of news infections is providing some much-needed buoyancy to equities as investors eye an easing of lockdown restrictions that have strangled the global economy.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington are discussing further possible stimulus measures of around $500 billion for struggling US firms, with Republicans and Democrats looking to work together in a rare sign of unity.
While nearly 2,000 Americans died of the disease Wednesday, Donald Trump adviser Anthony Fauci said there could be a turnaround in the battle as soon as next week.
Citing a slowdown in hospitalisations owing to stay-at-home orders, Andrew Cuomo, governor .

Asian equities mostly rise as dealers eye slowing infection rate

Long maligned as job-stealers and aspiring overlords, robots are being increasingly relied on as fast, efficient, contagion-proof champions in the war against the deadly coronavirus.
One team of robots temporarily cared for patients in a makeshift hospital in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the COVID-19 outbreak began.
Meals were served, temperatures taken and communications handled by machines, one of them named "Cloud Ginger" by its maker CloudMinds, which has operations in Beijing and California.
"It provided useful information, conversational engagement, entertainment with dancing, and even led patients through stretching exercises," CloudMinds president Karl Zhao said of the humanoid robot.
"The smart field hospital was completely run by robots." A small medical team remotely controlled the field hospital robots. Patients wore wristbands that gathered blood pressure and other vital data.
The smart clinic only handled patients for a few days, but it foreshadowed a future in which ...

Robots may become heroes in war on coronavirus

Brazil's health minister said Wednesday that authorities should hold talks with drug gangs and militia groups in impoverished favela neighborhoods on how to contain the new coronavirus.
Brazil, the country hardest hit by the pandemic in Latin America, is bracing for potential devastation if big outbreaks erupt in its favelas, crowded neighborhoods that often lack basic sanitation and health care infrastructure.
Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said the government had to be realistic about who holds power in many such neighborhoods.
"We have to understand that these are areas where the state is often absent and the ones in charge are drug traffickers and militia groups," he told a news conference.
"How do we build a bridge to them? By talking, yes, with drug traffickers, with militias, because they are human beings, too, and they need to help." He said the authorities had just launched a pilot project in one favela on managing coronavirus risk, but did not say where.
An estimated 

Brazil minister wants talks with narcos on COVID-19

In the week leading to Easter Sunday, hundreds of colourful processions featuring penitents in cone-shaped hoods and centuries-old religious floats traditionally flood the streets of villages and cities across Spain.
But with a nationwide lockdown in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Spaniards are finding ways to mark Holy Week from their homes, by blasting religious music from their balconies or viewing videos of last year's parades.
In the western city of Salamanca, the association of religious brotherhoods that organises processions is posting pictures on social media of religious icons that would normally be paraded through the streets at the hour that would have taken place.
"And on our YouTube channel we are posting a video of the procession from last year," association president Jose Adrian Cornejo told AFP.
There is one part of the processions that can still go ahead -- the singing of "saetas", short, flamenco prayers sung from balconies which are especially popular in the 

AFP

AFP

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