Germany's largest state Bavaria on Friday became the first region in the country to order a lockdown to prevent coronavirus infections.
"From midnight tonight for a provisional period of two weeks, there will be fundamental restrictions on going out," state premier Markus Soeder said.
"We are not locking Bavarians in but we are winding down public life almost completely," Soeder said at a press conference, adding that restaurants would be closed and citizens would no longer be allowed to meet in groups outside.

Germany's biggest state Bavaria first to order lockdown: official

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Britain's lead negotiator for post-Brexit trade talks with the European Union is self-isolating after showing mild symptoms of coronavirus, a spokesman said Friday -- the day after his EU counterpart said he had the virus.
British negotiator David Frost "has been showing mild symptoms and so he is following the guidance to self-isolate", a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters.
"We remain in contact with the European Commission and expect further conversations between the teams next week."
The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Thursday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but added that he felt fine and was confining himself at home in France.
The revelation that the two main players in the Brexit talks are out of action raises further questions over whether a deal can be struck before the current deadline of December 31, 2020.
Britain left the EU on January 31 but agreed a standstill transition period until the end of the year to negotiate a new ..

After Barnier, UK Brexit negotiator shows virus symptoms

Chinese-owned Swedish auto maker Volvo Cars said Friday it would temporarily halt production at its European and US plants in order to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Our primary concerns are the health of our employees and the future of our business," CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement.
The company said there was now a need for "social distancing" in order to reduce the spread of the virus.  Production at the carmaker's Belgian plant in Ghent was stopped on Tuesday, and three facilities in Sweden as well as the factory in the US state of South Carolina would be halted from March 26.
Office workers would generally work from home as of March 26 with reduced hours.
"With the help of valuable supporting programs put in place by governments and authorities, we have been able to act quickly," Samuelsson said.
The company said it would re-open the plant in Belgium on April 5 and the other facilities on April 14.  Some 25,000 employees would be affected in Sweden, and 

Volvo Cars halts Europe, US production

The number of coronavirus cases recorded in Belgium surged past 2,000 on Friday and the number of deaths attributed to the disease COVID-19 jumped up by 16 to 37.
According to the country's national crisis centre, 462 new confirmed cases of the virus have been reported, bringing the total to 2,257 in a country of 11.4 million people.
Two-thirds of the new cases overnight were in Dutch-speaking Flanders, in northern Belgium.
Emmanuel Andre, a spokesman for the crisis centre, said Belgium was better prepared than Italy had been when it became the focus of the European outbreak, but that hospitals would need more space for the most serious cases.
In the past 24 hours another 203 people have been admitted to hospital in Belgium, and 164 of them will require intensive care, such as breathing assistance.
"The average age of those hospitalised is around 60," he said. "In Belgium we have 1,900 beds equipped with ventilators, and places are being set up today to increase this number." "We are .

Belgium passes 2,000 coronavirus cases, deaths mount

Long despised by German fans as the face of big-money football, billionaire Dietmar Hopp is now being held up by some as a national hero in the coronavirus crisis.
Three weeks ago, the 79-year-old owner of the Hoffenheim club was the subject of nationwide protests in Germany's football stadiums, with fans calling him a "son of a b***h" and holding up pictures of his face in crosshairs.
This week, Hopp raised hopes of a vaccine for the COVID-19 disease, suggesting a company he owns could develop one as soon as the autumn.
Ranked by Forbes as the eighth richest person in Germany, Hopp made his fortune with SAP, the software company he co-founded in 1972.
Decades later, he used his wealth to propel Hoffenheim, based near Sinsheim in southwestern Germany, from amateur league anonymity to the top-flight Bundesliga and a place among Europe's elite in the Champions League.
That made him a hate figure for football fans across the country.
For Germany's "ultras", Hopp is a symbol for how ...

German billionaire Hopp - football villain or virus hero?

The coronavirus death toll in Spain rose to 1,002 on Friday after another 235 people died in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.
The number of cases also soared to 19,980 after another 2,833 infections were confirmed over the same period, the ministry's emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon said.
The figures showed a 16.5 percent hike in the number of infections, which was a drop from the 25-percent increase registered a day earlier, Simon said.  But he also said the testing laboratories were "overwhelmed" which could skew the numbers.
Of those diagnosed, 52 per cent -- or 10,542 people -- were in hospital with 1,141 being treated in intensive care units, or around 6.0 percent of those infected.
Madrid remains the worst-hit area, accounting for 7,165 cases, or  36 percent of the total infections in Spain, while the number of deaths in the capital rose to 628 -- around 63 percent of the national total.

Spain virus death toll soars past 1,000: ministry

Snooker's world championship has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the World Snooker Tour (WST) announced on Friday.
The tournament was scheduled to be played from April 18 to May 4 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The WST said it was aiming to stage the event in July or August instead.  On Tuesday, the Tour Championship in Wales, scheduled to take place this week, was postponed until July 21-26.
WST chairman Barry Hearn said in a statement on Friday: "These are tough times for everyone but we are determined to get through it."
"I can assure everyone that we are doing all we can alongside our broadcasters, the venues and other partners to confirm new dates as soon as possible," he added.
"Snooker players are self-employed, they need opportunities to earn prize money so we have a responsibility to them. We are currently exploring the potential to stage tournaments behind closed doors to keep the circuit alive.

Snooker world championship postponed over virus

Good cheer may feel in short supply as the world reels under a global pandemic, but experts at the United Nations on Friday declared Finland to be the world's happiest nation for the third year running.
Researchers for the World Happiness Report asked people in 156 countries to evaluate their own levels of happiness, and took into account measures such as GDP, social support, personal freedom and levels of corruption to give each nation a happiness score.
As in each of the previous seven reports, Nordic states dominated the top ten, along with countries such as Switzerland, New Zealand and Austria.
Luxembourg also edged into the tenth spot for the first time this year.
The happiest countries are those "where people feel a sense of belonging, where they trust and enjoy each other and their shared institutions," John Helliwell, one of the report's authors, said in a statement.
"There is also more resilience, because shared trust reduces the burden of hardships, and thereby lessens the ..

Finland is again world's happiest country: UN

England boss Gareth Southgate has urged fans to work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic, with football currently in lockdown.
The Three Lions had been due to play Italy and Denmark in friendlies later this month before the suspension of sporting action brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an open letter to supporters on the official England Twitter account on Friday, Southgate called the virus the "most extreme test that we've faced collectively in decades".
"In the way you've all come together to support our team, we must now work together to combat a virus that is causing physical and emotional issues to so many," he said.
"So, please continue to follow the guidelines for hygiene and also the sensible precautions put in place to control the spread of the virus in order to protect those most vulnerable to its impact.
"That responsibility lies with us all."  Southgate said England were due to play next week but that "now is clearly not the moment for us to take centre ...

Southgate urges England fans to work together to beat virus

French defender Aymeric Laporte has urged his Manchester City teammates to keep up their home training routines during their self-isolation -- but admits he cannot stop thinking about the club's possible exclusion from the Champions League.
The 25-year-old is presently recovering from a hamstring problem, the latest in a litany of injuries that has limited him to eight appearances this season.
City's players have had to stay at home and been given training plans since the reigning Premier League champions closed the training ground following British government advice on Monday to avoid all non-essential travel and contact.
"That's (personal training schedule) the best thing for everyone, that we do it every day," Laporte said, quoted in The Times on Friday.
"They trust in you and you have to be professional. You have to follow what they say and we have to be responsible in this case.
"When we return to normality, when we start training again outside, we have to be ready."
Premier ...

Home comforts no excuse for slacking off, says Man City's Laporte

AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes has returned to his post after being cleared by an independent probe, the Malaysian carrier said Friday, weeks after stepping aside amid a USD 4 billion Airbus graft scandal.
AirAsia founder and CEO Fernandes and executive chairman Kamarudin Meranun left their roles last month after Airbus settled a court case in Europe and allegations emerged the planemaker paid bribes to win contracts.
They denied any wrongdoing but stepped aside while the matter was probed.
Airbus had agreed to pay USD 4 billion in fines to regulators to settle the case, but the scandal was further illuminated by Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) releasing the names of several airlines allegedly involved -- including AirAsia and its long-haul unit AirAsia X.
But in a statement Friday, AirAsia said that independent reviewer BDO Governance Advisory found the airline had "robust" aircraft procurement processes.
The review found that AirAsia's "aircraft acquisition was justifiable and at .

AirAsia's Fernandes returns as boss after Airbus probe

The number of people who have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic now exceeds 10,000, according to an AFP tally based on official data at 1030 GMT Friday.
In total, 10,080 deaths have been reported, most of them in Europe (4,932) and Asia (3,431). Italy is the worst affected country with 3,405 fatalities, followed by China with 3,248, the initial epicentre of the outbreak, and Iran with 1,433.

Global coronavirus death toll tops 10,000: AFP tally

British schools close indefinitely on Friday as part of tougher government measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic, following similar shutdowns in Europe and across the world.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had resisted the move, fearing its impact on the workforce, but changed course as the COVID-19 outbreak worsened across Britain.
The number of confirmed infections inside the country doubled between Monday and Thursday to 3,269 cases, while the death toll nearly trebled to 144 deaths in the same period.
The government released details of which essential frontline workers will still be able to send their children to schools for care.
They include those of health and social care staff, educators and child carers, key public service workers such as police as well as food and distribution sector employees.
"The school closures are there to slow the spread," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News television, noting the exemptions should result in fewer than one in five children ...

Schools set to close as UK steps up coronavirus response

Beijing accused US President Donald Trump on Friday of trying to "shift the blame" for the global coronavirus pandemic in an escalating row between the two powers.
Trump charged Thursday that the world is "paying a big price" for China's lack of transparency on the outbreak when it emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year.
China has been criticised for suppressing information and punishing whistleblowers during the early stages of the contagion, which an AFP tally shows has now killed nearly 10,000 people with more than 232,000 cases worldwide.
"Some people on the US side are trying to stigmatise China's fight against the epidemic, and shift the blame onto China," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
"This approach ignores the great sacrifice made by the Chinese people to safeguard the health and safety of humankind, and slanders China's major contribution to global public health." Geng said China has shared data with the US throughout the health crisis.
The ...

China says Trump trying to 'shift blame' for pandemic

At least two dozen Afghan security forces were killed Friday in an insider attack on their base in southern Afghanistan, officials told AFP, as fighting raged in the war-weary country while efforts to start talks with the Taliban stalled.
The pre-dawn attack in Zabul province comes as Afghanistan is grappling with several crises including an increase in Taliban violence that has thrown a supposed peace process into turmoil, mounting coronavirus cases, and a political feud that has seen two men claim the presidency.
The attack in Zabul saw several "infiltrators" open fire on their comrades as they slept, according to provincial governor Rahmatullah Yarmal, in one of the deadliest attacks since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban last month.
The pre-dawn raid targeted a joint police and army headquarters near Qalat, the provincial capital.
"In the attack, 14 Afghan army forces and 10 policemen were killed," Zabul provincial council chief Ata Jan Haq Bayan said.  He added ...

At least 24 Afghan security forces killed in insider attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists the economy can weather the coronavirus storm and low oil prices but the two-pronged crisis is a huge challenge to his promises to reduce poverty and boost growth.
Since 2016, Russia had cooperated closely with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, to curb oil production and support prices.
But earlier this month, Saudi Arabia launched an all-out price war after OPEC and Moscow failed to clinch a deal to reduce output as the coronavirus pandemic put the energy markets into free-fall.
Putin has said the Russian economy will emerge stronger from the crisis, and officials in Moscow say the country has accumulated enough reserves to withstand low oil prices, pointing to a USD 150 billion sovereign wealth fund.
This will be enough to last six to 10 years if oil prices fall to USD 25-30, the finance ministry says.
The collapse of Moscow's deal with Saudi Arabia was seen as a major victory for Igor Sechin, .

Coronavirus, falling oil hit Putin hopes for economic revival

Iran's supreme leader and president promised Friday that the country would overcome one of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks just as it had faced down sweeping US sanctions.
In messages marking the Persian New Year holiday Nowruz, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani both acknowledged that the past year had been difficult.
Khamenei paid tribute to the sacrifices of the country's doctors and nurses in tackling the coronavirus, which has infected 18,407 people in Iran and killed 1,284, according to an official tally.
He prayed that the coming 12 months would see "great victories" after a "turbulent" year that saw open hostilities between Tehran and its archfoe Washington.
Khamenei insisted that the economy had begun to improve, despite the reimposition of US sanctions since 2018 when President Donald Trump quit a landmark nuclear agreement between major powers and Iran.
But he acknowledged that it had not affected the lives of ordinary Iranians.
In November, ...

Iran leaders vow to defeat virus in holiday messages

NASA said it has suspended work on building and testing the rocket and capsule for its Artemis manned mission to the Moon due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the community.
The space agency is shutting down its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where the Space Launch System rocket is being built, and the nearby Stennis Space Center, administrator Jim Bridenstine said late Thursday.
"The change at Stennis was made due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community around the center, the number of self-isolation cases within our workforce there, and one confirmed case among our Stennis team," he said.
"NASA will temporarily suspend production and testing of Space Launch System and Orion hardware. The NASA and contractors teams will complete an orderly shutdown that puts all hardware in a safe condition until work can resume." The Space Launch System is a powerful deep space rocket to transport astronauts to the Moon and beyond while Orion is the crew ...

NASA suspends work on Moon rocket due to virus

Australia moved to lock down isolated indigenous areas on Friday, in a bid to protect Aboriginal communities already burdened with chronic illness and poverty from the fast-spreading coronavirus.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced travel restrictions "into remote indigenous communities" were being introduced as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country neared 900.
Most infections have so far been detected in urban areas.
The move to protect indigenous populations could pave the way for the vast Northern Territory and other areas to be cut off from the rest of the country.
Health experts have warned that high rates of chronic illness, overcrowded housing and poor access to medical facilities in remote indigenous communities could exacerbate the impact of the virus.
"Just an extraordinary high number of people have diabetes and have had a heart attack or stroke, things like that," Jason Agostino, a medical adviser for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health ...

Australia restricts travel to indigenous areas over virus fears

Some 130,000 French citizens are currently stuck abroad because of measures to contain the coronavirus spread, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday, adding that the government is working to organise their return home.
"The toughest question involves those who were travelling abroad, on trips, mostly on holiday and who number around 130,000 across the planet," Le Drian told France Info radio.
"Our operating principle is that we want to get these 130,000 back on national territory," he said, while calling on people to remain calm and be patient.
The foreign ministry announced Thursday that it was working to obtain authorisation for exceptional commercial flights out of countries that have imposed travel restrictions to contain the virus outbreak.
It has also called on airlines to maintain flights towards France and to lower ticket prices for the emergency returns.
The government "will be particularly vigilant to make sure ticket prices are regulated and capped, so there won't 

France says 130,000 citizens stuck abroad over virus restrictions

Netflix and YouTube will reduce the default image quality of streaming video in Europe to ease pressure on the internet, the firms said Friday, as demand soars with millions confined to their homes over coronavirus fears.
EU commissioner for the digital economy Thierry Breton urged internet giants to switch from high definition to the former standard definition to reduce file sizes while stranded householders seek entertainment as well as news about the epidemic.
Late Thursday, entertainment platform Netflix agreed, and on Friday Google's video-sharing service YouTube said it would follow suit, although videos viewed on the site from a European connection on Friday by AFP were still defaulting to high definition mode.
"While we have seen only a few usage peaks, we have measures in place to automatically adjust our system to use less network capacity," a Google spokesperson said.
"Following the discussion between Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, YouTube's CEO Susan Wojcicki and ...

AFP

AFP

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