Sevilla said Wednesday they planned to join Barcelona and other top Spanish clubs in slashing players' wages by up to 70% in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
With Spain's La Liga suspended indefinitely and club income sharply reduced, Sevilla said their decision would affect first team players as well as other playing staff and back room staff.
That means "a reduction of 70per cent of working hours for staff and men's and women's first team players and the reserves," the club said, adding that players had agreed to the terms.
Sevilla join Barcelona, Espanyol and other top clubs in taking advantage of a government scheme known by its initials ERTE that authorises salary cuts by up to 70 per cent in extreme circumstances.
La Liga, which estimates that clubs stand to lose around one billion euros if the season is not resumed, backs the move by clubs hoping to minimise the economic consequences of the virus.
Javier Tebas, La Liga president, said Tuesday he expected most Spanish clubs 

Sevilla join top La Liga clubs in slashing wage bill

PTI Automatic

A three-man space crew finished preparations on Wednesday for a mission to the International Space Station, which is going ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Russia's Roscosmos space agency and NASA's Chris Cassidy will blast off from  Kazakhstan for a six-month mission at 08:05 GMT Thursday.
But with journalists and relatives unable to travel to Baikonur due to restrictions related to COVID-19, the traditional farewell press conference broadcast by Roscosmos had a more distant and sombre feel.
"Instead of talking only to some cameras we would be talking to some people right now," said Cassidy, who is readying for his third stint in space.
Cassidy, 50, admitted that the crew was "affected" by their families not being able to be in Baikonur for their blastoff to the ISS.
"But we understand that the whole world is also impacted by the same crisis." Quarantine and isolation from the rest of the world are not new habits for astronauts.
The glass ..

No press, no family: Space crew set for launch during pandemic

German ministers approved Wednesday a draft law to tighten controls on foreign takeovers of domestic companies, in a long-planned reform lent fresh urgency by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Though already in progress before the COVID-19 crisis, the change -- which must still be voted on by MPs -- comes amid concerns over a shortfall in critical supplies, and just weeks after an alleged US bid for a German biotech firm's cutting-edge vaccine research.
"The current situation shows that we in Germany and Europe need certain capabilities and technologies... to better protect our security interests", said Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Wednesday.
He added that the new law would serve "essential German security interests, including the provision of vital goods such as vaccines".
Last month, German biotech firm CureVac was forced to deny newspaper reports that the US had offered to pay "a billion dollars" for exclusive rights to its research into a coronavirus vaccine.
The ...

Germany sharpens curbs on foreign takeovers after vaccine spat

Doctors, researchers, even an army officer: the coronavirus pandemic has brought a diverse cast of experts into the media spotlight to guide the public through the crisis.
Many were unknown before the crisis, now they are familiar faces in living rooms across the world, from New York to Madrid to Beijing.
Fernando Simon, the epidemiologist who presents the health ministry's daily televised briefings on the grim progress of the coronavirus in Spain has himself caught the virus.
Despite falling ill at the end of March, he continues to summarise the day's findings, in his hoarse, thin voice, from his room self-isolation.
Simon's relaxed, informal presentation style is clear and instructive.
But as director of the ministry's Health Alert and Emergency Coordination Centre, his initially cautious approach to the approaching crisis earned him criticism from some colleagues.
They also argue he was too slow to recognise the need for the radical lockdown now in place.
Analysis of his ...

The experts guiding the world through the coronavirus pandemic

Germany will take in up to 500 unaccompanied minors from Greek migrant camps over the coming weeks, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday, and urged other EU countries to follow suit.
"We said (to the Greek authorities and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees) that we want to take in between 350 and 500 children in the next few weeks," Maas said in an interview with the RTL/ntv broadcaster.
The minister said he hoped other countries would follow suit. "We want to set an example here." Germany announced on Tuesday that it would take in 50 children from migrant camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios.
The transfers could begin next week, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The children and adolescents, who arrived at the camps without their parents, "will at first be placed in quarantine for two weeks," before being housed in various regions, the ministry said.
Tens of thousands of asylum-seekers live in dire circumstances in Greek camps, and conditions have worsened 

Germany to take up to 500 children from Greek camps

Five civilians were killed on Wednesday when their car was hit in a bomb attack in Turkey's southeast, local officials said.
The governor of Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir province said the attack was carried out in the early hours by "members of the PKK terror organisation", referring to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party.
The PKK has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.
However, no organisation has admitted responsibility for the attack.
Although violence has surged since a ceasefire broke down in July 2015, the PKK usually targets security forces.
The governor's office said security forces were trying to identify and catch the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack, which took place at 0330 GMT in Kulp district.
Last year, 31 mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were removed over alleged ties to the PKK.
Among them was Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, mayor of Diyarbakir city, who was ...

Five civilians die in Turkey bomb attack: governor

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday placed on special leave a minister seen lunching at a friend's house in violation of the coronavirus lockdown.
Ramaphosa has ordered a three-week national lockdown to try to brake the virus, which has infected 1,749 people, killing 13 of them, according to an official tally.
But a picture posted on Instagram on Sunday showed Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams having lunch with five other people at the home of a former deputy minister earlier that day.
"President Ramaphosa has placed the Minister on special leave for two months," the presidency said in a statement.
Ramaphosa has "accepted the minister's apology for the violation but was unmoved by mitigating factors she tendered," it said.
"The nation-wide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans," Ramaphosa was quoted as saying.
"None of us -- not least a member of the national executive -- should undermine our ...

S Africa's minister who flouted lockdown rules sent on leave

The Afghan government will release 100 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday, an official told AFP, a day after the insurgents said they were walking out of talks with Kabul over a delayed prisoner exchange.
"The peace process should move forward," Javid Faisal, spokesman for Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council, told AFP.

Afghan govt to release 100 Taliban prisoners: official

The German economy, Europe's biggest, is expected to shrink by nearly 10 percent in the second quarter as the coronavirus paralyses the country, six leading research institutes warned Wednesday.
"The corona pandemic will trigger a serious recession in Germany," the think tanks including Ifo, DIW and RWI said in their annual spring report.
Gross domestic product likely contracted by 1.9 percent in the first three months of 2020, and is set to shrink by a whopping 9.8 percent in the second quarter as companies feel the pain from widespread shutdowns.
The second-quarter plunge is twice as big as any seen during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and marks the steepest fall since the institutes' records began in 1970, the report noted.
Over the full year, Germany's economy is predicted to contract by 4.2 percent.
Their forecast is in line with German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier's recent assessment that the economy would contract by around five percent in 2020.
Germany's "Wise Men" council 

German economy to shrink by nearly 10% in Q2: experts

France's aircraft carrier will be brought home early from a deployment in the Atlantic after some crew members showed coronavirus symptoms, the defence ministry said Wednesday.
About 40 sailors on the Charles de Gaulle are under medical observation, it said in a statement, and those with symptoms have been placed in isolation.
None have shown signs of serious illness.
"As of today, a screening team with test means will be sent aboard the aircraft carrier to investigate the cases that have arisen and to hinder the spread of the virus on board the ship," the ministry said.
The ship, which can transport about 2,000 sailors, had been deployed in the Atlantic as part of a NATO exercise after having participated in Operation Chammal that seeks to contain the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. It was preparing for its return to the Mediterranean.
"It was decided to bring forward its return to Toulon, initially scheduled for 23 April," said the statement.
In the United States, Acting Navy 

French aircraft carrier heads home over virus fears

Issuing EU "coronabonds," controversial pooled debt instruments, will not help countries hardest hit by the pandemic and may create even more problems, Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said Wednesday.
Hoekstra said his country "was and remains against the idea... we think this will create more problems than solutions for the EU."
"We would have to guarantee debts of other countries which isn't reasonable," he said in a tweet, after a meeting of eurozone finance ministers failed to agree how to help struggling EU countries such as Italy get funding to cope with the massive coronavirus damage to their economies.

EU 'coronabonds' will create more problems than they solve: Netherlands

Europe's Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington believes the biennial match with the United States should be postponed if fans are ordered to stay away due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 48-year-old Irishman told the BBC on Wednesday the febrile atmosphere created by the opposing sets of fans was part of the fabric of the event.
"Nobody wants to see the Ryder Cup played without the fans being there," said Harrington.
"There's no doubt that it makes the tournament so much better.
"I think the common consensus now is the Ryder Cup will not be played unless the fans are there.
"Non-golfers and golfers around the world watch the Ryder Cup because of the tension that's created by the spectators."
This year's edition is slated to take place from September 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, USA.
At present Europe are due to begin their defence of the trophy just a week after a re-arranged US Open.
The other two US-based majors The Masters and the PGA have also been postponed to ...

No crowds, no Ryder Cup, suggests European captain Harrington

EU finance ministers failed on Wednesday to agree on a bailout plan to help hard hit member states face the coronavirus outbreak, after Italy refused to abandon its plea for "coronabonds" to share the burden.
"After 16 hours of discussions, we came close to a deal but we are not there yet. I suspended the Eurogroup and (we will) continue tomorrow Thursday," said Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno.
Despite efforts, bickering EU finance ministers were unable to bridge differences on how to rebuild their economies after the coronavirus, with a North versus South split on burden-sharing for the worst affected countries, especially Italy and Spain.
The European economy has been battered by the pandemic as national governments impose strict lockdowns that have closed businesses and put normal life on hold.
The ministers' video conference dragged on from Tuesday into Wednesday, with Italy and Spain insisting on a solidarity fund that would be paid for by European partners jointly borrowing money .

EU nations fail to bridge bitter split over 'coronabonds'

Most Asian equities retreated Wednesday after a two-day rally as investors closely track developments in the coronavirus crisis, while the oil market continued to fluctuate ahead of a crucial producers' meeting.
While the deadly disease continues to sweep across the planet, signs that the rate of infections is possibly levelling out and countries are preparing to ease some lockdown restrictions have instilled a semblance of optimism this week.  However, the scale of the fight was laid bare by official data showing France's economy suffered its worst contraction during the first three months of this year since just after World War II.  The French central bank said that in the last two weeks of March, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, economic activity plunged 32 percent.  "Signs that the number of new daily coronavirus cases is topping out in Western Europe... is driving expectations that social distancing measures will be lifted soon," said Stephen Innes, at AxiCorp.  "Relaxing of ..

Asian markets mostly down as traders fret over virus

In its worst performance since 1945, the French economy shrank around six per cent in the first quarter of this year as the coronavirus pandemic decimated business activity, the Bank of France said Wednesday.
Official figures showed previously that the economy shrank 0.1 per cent in the last three months of 2019, meaning that with two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the country is now technically in recession.
The French central bank said that in the last two weeks of March, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, economic activity plunged 32 per cent.
"You have to go back to the second quarter of 1968, hit by the May (political upheaval), to find a similar fall in activity," it said, noting that even that year the downturn was 5.3 per cent, still less than the latest figures.
For every two weeks the country is locked down by the virus, the Bank of France expects the economy to shrink by 1.5 per cent.
At the same time it cautioned against a simple, straight-line extrapolation of .

French economy shrinks 6% in Q1: Bank of France

Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake said it was laying off staff and reducing pay for employees across the club as it adjusts to the league shutdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic.
A statement from the Utah outfit said the "distressing" action had been taken after the club discovered it would not benefit from US government aid to help businesses hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
"As a result, we are forced to adapt and align our workforce appropriately to face these new challenges and difficult circumstances," Real Salt Lake said in a statement.
"This will require a reduction in salary for all executives and staff as well as a decrease in staffing levels across the organization, which includes a furlough of some of our staff members.
"This is obviously a distressing outcome as we deeply value and appreciate each of our employees." The club said it planned to re-hire staff as soon as MLS resumes play.
MLS chiefs have said the league will not restart before May 10 and have pushed back 

Real Salt Lake announces pay cuts, layoffs as virus bites

Formula One's mandatory shutdown period will be extended by a further two weeks following the delay to the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, world motorsport's governing body has confirmed.
The decision to prolong the break during which no staff members related to car performance are allowed to work will be extended from 21 to 35 days. The traditional summer shutdown was brought forward from August last month and increased from two to three weeks.
The latest extension received "unanimous approval" from all F1 stakeholders, the FIA said in a statement.
Teams must observe the shutdown period across March, April and/or May.
"Further discussions regarding this topic remain open between the FIA, Formula 1 and all teams in light of the ongoing global impact of COVID-19," it added.
The opening nine rounds of the 2020 season have been either cancelled or postponed, with doubts over a number of the other 14 races as the pandemic continues to overshadow the sporting calendar.
The ...

Formula One shutdown period extended to five weeks

Britain's biggest retailer Tesco said Tuesday that it recruited over 45,000 staff in the past two weeks as the coronavirus outbreak sparked a stockpiling surge while many supermarket workers fell ill.
In an earnings update, Tesco said costs were forecast to increase by between 650 million pounds and 925 million pounds ($787 million and $1.12 billion) on "significant cost increases in payroll, distribution and store expenses".
Chief executive Dave Lewis said "COVID-19 has shown how critical the food supply chain is to the UK" but he noted that "initial panic buying has subsided and service levels are returning to normal".
Tesco said that "more than 45,000 new colleagues" joined since March 20, including drivers meeting soaring demand for home deliveries.
"In the first few weeks of the crisis, significant panic buying... cleared the supply chain of certain items," it said.
"The size and nature of our workforce means we have experienced a significant absence of colleagues," it added.

Tesco recruits 45,000 UK staff on virus demand

A global condom shortage is looming as the coronavirus pandemic shutters factories and disrupts supply chains, the world's top maker of the contraceptives said, with the United Nations warning of "devastating" consequences.
Over half of humanity has been confined to their homes as the highly contagious virus marches round the planet, while governments worldwide have ordered the closure of businesses deemed non-essential.
Malaysia -- one of the world's top rubber producers and a major source of condoms -- imposed a nationwide lockdown last month as infections surged to the highest level in Southeast Asia.
But restrictions on the operations of Malaysian contraceptive giant Karex, which makes one in every five condoms globally, mean the firm expects to produce 200 million fewer condoms than usual from mid-March to mid-April.
With other producers around the world likely facing disruption and difficulties in getting condoms to market due to transport problems, supplies of contraceptives ...

Virus may spark 'devastating' global condom shortage

The meat is too fatty and the staff are slow to clean up coffee stains -- some Kuwaitis quarantined in five-star hotels due to the coronavirus outbreak have a litany of complaints.
Authorities in the oil-rich country have forced citizens returning from abroad to isolate for 14 days in luxury properties before they are permitted to re-enter society.
Kuwait has adopted the strictest measures in the Gulf to combat the spread of coronavirus. It has recorded more than 700 cases, and one death.
Plush hotels have turned into quarantine shelters, preparing to host around 60,000 Kuwaitis returning from countries including Italy, Germany, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon.
The first batch arrived two weeks ago, and for some accustomed to the best in life, their accommodation has proven less than satisfactory.
"Dear minister of finance, the food has no taste, it is inedible and we're throwing it away," one woman, who did not reveal her face, said in a video uploaded online.
"We are emotionally tired, and .

Pampered Kuwaitis quibble in five-star quarantine

The economy may have slowed and normal life come to a standstill, but in the world of hair, a follicle free-for-all unencumbered by coronavirus has Americans asking one critical question -- to cut or not to cut?
For Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, the answer was clear: "I thought I would do it myself but I thought it would be a disaster."
She only admitted to having had her hair cut after being caught red-handed when her hairdresser posted on Facebook that giving the mayor a trim had been a pleasure: cue the chorus of public shaming.
In her defense, Lightfoot invoked her visibility and the fact that the hairdresser wore a mask, but the accusations of privilege and elitism poured in.
Stuck at home for several weeks, Americans are finding their normally carefully coiffed 'dos growing roots or even transforming into mullets.
Rather than despair, many are using their intriguing growth patterns and bird's nest-like locks as an antidote to tragedy, posting jokes, memes, video montages and ...

AFP

AFP

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