Guinea's President Alpha Conde has set March 22 for the constitutional referendum on his proposed reforms that opponents worry will allow him to bypass term limits and stay in power.
The vote, originally set for March 1 but delayed over local and international concerns about its fairness, will take place at the same time as legislative elections, a presidential decree said on Friday.
The campaign will run until March 20 despite some restrictions put in place on rallies since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country.
The West African country has seen huge opposition rallies over the proposal to change the constitution, which many fear will allow Conde, 82, to seek a third term in office this year.
Since the protests began in October at least 31 protesters and one gendarme have been killed, according to an AFP tally.
International powers have voiced concern over the referendum, and a US official on Friday renewed a call for an investigation into the deaths since ...

Guinea sets March 22 for controversial constitutional referendum

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Argentina announced its second coronavirus-related death on Friday as Ecuador reported its first, taking the total death toll in Latin America to five as the virus shows signs of spreading rapidly.
Venezuela, Uruguay, Guatemala and Suriname reported their first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall cases in the region have more than doubled in the last two days to over 340 as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned governments on Thursday to prepare their health services to cope.
Several Latin American countries have tightened restrictions on travel links with Europe, from where many people in the region are descended and still have family.
A 61-year-old Argentine man who returned from Italy on February 24 and had previously suffered from pneumonia died of "respiratory failure," the Chaco provincial health ministry said in a statement.
Italy is the worst affected country outside of China, where the virus originated.
Argentina reported the first Latin American coronavirus .

Argentina, Ecuador deaths take LatAm virus toll to five

His children play with Lego in their rooms, his wife spends a lot of time on the phone: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday offered a glimpse into the Canadian first family's COVID-19 quarantine while reassuring an anxious nation that he continues to govern.
"I want to be clear. I have no symptoms. I'm feeling good. Technology allows me to work from home," Trudeau told a news conference outside his official residence in Ottawa.
Standing alone in front of the small brick cottage, journalists giving him several meters (yards) clearance, the prime minister spoke publicly for the first time since his wife Sophie tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The announcement was made late Thursday that the 48-year-old Canadian leader, his 44-year-old wife and their three children, aged 6-12, would be confined for 14 days to the house a few kilometers (miles) from parliament.
Telegoverning, he said "is an inconvenience and somewhat frustrating."
"We're all social beings after all, but we have 

Trudeau, in quarantine, telegoverns Canada

New Zealand has cancelled a national remembrance service to mark Sunday's first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks because of coronavirus fears, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
"This is a pragmatic decision. We're very saddened to cancel, but in remembering such a terrible tragedy, we shouldn't create the risk of further harm being done," Ardern said Saturday.
The service to mark the March 15 mass shooting, when a self-avowed white supremacist opened fire at two mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51, had been expected to attract several thousand people, with many travelling from overseas.
Ardern said New Zealand needed to take a precautionary approach.
"The advice we received for this event is that based on people travelling from different parts of the country and from overseas, if there was a case, it could be difficult to trace those who had come into contact with that person, so we are taking a cautious approach," she said.
"March 15 now becomes an opportunity ..

New Zealand cancels mosque massacre remembrance over virus fears

Argentine researchers have announced the discovery of fossilized skin on the remains of the wing of a 43-million-year-old penguin on Marambio Island in the Antarctic.
The fossil was actually discovered during a research mission in 2014.
The fossil was then studied at the La Plata Museum by Argentine paleontologist Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, the agency for scientific disclosure at La Matanza National University said on Friday.
The fossilized skin belongs to the Palaeeudyptes gunnari, one of the many extinct types of penguins that lived in Antarctica during the Eocene period, which lasted from around 56 to 34 million years ago.
At that time, Antarctica was covered in woodland and boasted a diverse fauna.
"The fossilization of the skin of this wing is unique because it's the first conserved example in the world of a penguin with skin," said Acosta Hospitaleche.
"The skin was conserved as a fossil on both surfaces of its wing, enveloping the bones that have remained articulated in ...

Fossil of 43-million-year-old penguin skin found in Argentina

Dutch national airline KLM said Friday it will cut up to 2,000 jobs as it battled the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak, and announced other cost-cutting measures.
Chief executive Pieter Elbers said KLM -- which has around 33,000 employees -- will also ask personnel to work shortened hours, while grounding its fleet of six Boeing 747s from April 1.
"In the coming months we'll reduce 1,500 to 2,000 jobs to mean that not only in the coming weeks, but in the coming months we will have fewer colleagues," Elbers said in a video message posted on KLM's website.
The airline's top official said the job cuts mainly included part-time workers, those destined for retirement and natural attrition.
"We believe this is adequate to ensure that there are no other forced retrenchments," Elbers said.
The Dutch carrier, which merged with Air France in 2004, predicted that flight numbers would drop by 20 percent in March and 30 percent in April as the airline suspended flights to China and Italy as .

KLM to slash up to 2,000 jobs because of virus

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that Democrats had reached a deal with the administration of President Donald Trump on a relief package for Americans hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
Pelosi said Democrats secured agreement on testing, emergency paid sick leave and family leave related to the epidemic, as well as enhance unemployment insurance.
"We are proud to have reached an agreement with the administration to resolve outstanding challenges, and now will soon pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act," Pelosi said after days of tense talks with the White House.
The bill will add federal funds to the Medicaid federal health program, and strengthen food benefits for poor Americans, including those children reliant on free school meals, she said.
Above all, Pelosi said in a statement, "This legislation is about testing, testing, testing."
"To stop the spread of the virus, we have secured free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including the ...

Democrats, Trump administration reach deal on coronavirus relief: Pelosi

All United Nations staff at its headquarters in New York were told Friday to work from home for at least three weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak unless it was essential for them to be present.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the plan was "to reduce our physical presence at United Nations Headquarters, while continuing to deliver on our mandates."
"Your health and well-being remain my greatest concern. Be safe, be smart, be kind," he said in a separate message to staff Thursday. About 3,000 UN employees are based in New York.
A Philippine diplomat this week tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first recorded case at UN headquarters.
Many organizations and companies around the world have sent staff home to try to reduce the spread of the virus.

UN non-essential staff to work from home

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that internet giant Alphabet is creating a website where people will be able to check whether they have  symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
Verily Life Sciences, once a project in a Google X lab devoted to "moonshot" projects and now its own health business unit, is testing a "tool to help triage individuals for COVID-19 testing," Google confirmed on Twitter.
"Verily is in the early stages of development, and planning to roll testing out in the Bay Area, with the hope of expanding more broadly over time," the tweet said, referring to San Francisco and surrounding communities.
Trump thanked Google while declaring a state of national emergency due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Google is helping to develop a website "to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location," Trump said.
Google has a large team of engineers devoted to the project, and has made significant progress, according to ...

Google building self-check website for coronavirus

President Donald Trump on Friday announced that major cruise lines would suspend trips from US ports for 30 days amid the coronavirus pandemic that has hit several vessels.
The companies already had announced the move to pause cruises, including Carnival's Princess line which on Thursday announced a 60-day suspension.
"At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days. It is a great and important industry - it will be kept that way!" Trump tweeted.

Trump announces 30-day suspension of cruises from US soil

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would "likely" be tested soon for the novel coronavirus, although he stressed he is "displaying no symptoms."
Trump was pressed repeatedly during a White House news conference on whether he should be tested after coming into contact with a Brazilian official now known to have COVID-19.
The president initially shut down the question, saying that per the advice of White House doctors, "I don't have any of the symptoms." "And we don't want people without symptoms to go and do the test," he told reporters.
But when grilled by reporters about his encounter with the official at his Florida resort, he changed tack, saying: "I didn't say I wasn't going to be tested" and that he "most likely" would be, "fairly soon." "Not for that reason but because I think I will do it anyway," Trump said.

Trump says 'likely' to be tested for coronavirus soon

The United States on Friday summoned China's ambassador after a senior official in Beijing tweeted the "ridiculous" suggestion that the US military started the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department said.
David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for Asia, issued a "stern representation" to Ambassador Cui Tiankai a day after foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted the conspiracy theory.
"China is seeking to deflect criticism for its role in starting a global pandemic and not telling the world," a State Department official said.
"Spreading conspiracy theories is dangerous and ridiculous. We wanted to put the government on notice we won't tolerate it, for the good of the Chinese people and the world," the official said.
Zhao, in tweets in both Mandarin and English that gained wide traction on Chinese social media, a day earlier suggested that "patient zero" in the global pandemic may have come from the United States -- not the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, where cases were first ...

US summons Chinese ambassador over COVID-19 conspiracy theory

Ukraine said Friday it would close its borders to foreigners for at least two weeks and stop all flights to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, as it reported its first COVID-19 fatality.
"Ukraine's borders will be closed to foreign citizens for two weeks," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the country's Security and Defence Council, told reporters, adding that the measure will take effect in 48 hours.
The news was announced minutes before the country reported its first death from the virus.
Later Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook: "In three days, we will suspend all regular flights" for at least two weeks.
He also asked Ukrainians who were on vacation or work abroad to return home by that time.
Zelensky asked elderly people to remain at home and asked employers to let workers work from home, wherever possible.
The ex-Soviet country, which has a population of 42 million, has so far reported three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 infection.
Danilov said that all ..

Ukraine to close borders, stop flights over coronavirus

Poland on Friday said it was shutting its borders to foreign travellers to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected at least 68 people.
It would also impose two weeks of quarantine on people returning from abroad, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters.
"Most of the cases that have been propagating the coronavirus epidemic in Poland are imported cases," he said.
"We don't want the coronavirus to head our way in droves." Morawiecki said Poland's borders would be closed for 10 days, but that the government might prolong the shutdown.
Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said that both the quarantine measures and the border closures would apply from midnight on Saturday.
Two people so far has died from coronavirus in Poland, which has a population of 38 million.
Morawiecki said that foreigners living or working in Poland would be able to enter but would also have to observe the quarantine -- either at home or at an isolation site offered them.
Trains ...

Poland to shut its borders to foreign travellers: PM

US President Donald Trump announced a national state of emergency on Friday, freeing up USD 50 billion in federal funds for the battle against the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.
"To unleash the full power of the federal government, I'm officially declaring a national emergency," Trump said in a statement on the White House lawn.
He called on all US states to set up emergency operation centers and said the government was accelerating testing, amid criticism about the lack of sufficient test kits nationwide.

Trump declares coronavirus national emergency

Switzerland will close its schools in a bid to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, the government said Friday, adding that it would provide billions in aid to hard-hit businesses.
"The situation is difficult, but we have the means to overcome the challenges on the medical and the financial level," Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga told reporters.
The government listed a range of measures to halt the spread of the virus after the small Alpine country saw its number of positive tests balloon, soaring from around 850 cases registered on Thursday to 1,125 on Friday.  Seven people have died from the virus in Switzerland to date, health authorities said.
Bern said that all the country's schools would be closed until April 4.  But it urged regional authorities to offer systems for watching children whose parents need to work, to avoid having vulnerable grandparents take on the task.
"We need to do everything possible to avoid mixing the generations," Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset .

Swiss close schools, offer USD 10 bn in business aid over virus

Romania's interim prime minister was on Friday asked to form a new government from coronavirus self-isolation.
President Klaus Iohannis chose Ludovic Orban, head of the National Liberal Party (PNL), to form a new government after Finance Minister Florin Citu declined the nomination at the last minute on Thursday.
Orban, 56, put himself in self-isolation after a PNL senator tested positive with the new coronavirus which has so far infected 80 people in Romania.
Orban has been Romania's interim prime minister since February 5, when his government was toppled by a parliamentary vote of no confidence.  "Orban's government worked very well. It would be unimaginable to change everything overnight during the fight" against COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, Iohannis said.
A vote in parliament to approve the nomination could take place Saturday in exceptional conditions designed to avoid spreading the virus further.
Orban received the news in quarantine, which he began voluntarily on .

Romanian PM nominee in virus isolation

Russia is limiting flights with the European Union beginning Monday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Moscow said Friday.
The state health regulator said the restrictions were being imposed "to ensure state security, protect public health and prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection in Russia," according to a statement online.

Russia to limit flights with EU starting Monday: government

Costa said Friday it was suspending all of its cruises around the world until April 3 over the coronavirus outbreak as governments step up measures to contain the outbreak.
Several of the Italian company's liners have been blocked in recent weeks over suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus and it has already halted cruises in the Mediterranean.
"Costa Cruises announces today that it will voluntarily put on hold the global operations of ships, impacting voyages until April 3," the company said in a statement.
The aim is to "protect is health and safety of guests, crew and destinations," it added.
Costa is part of Carnival Corporation, the world's biggest cruise line group, which announced on Thursday it would halt voyages on the 18 ships of its Princess Cruises for two months.
Costa, whose 11 cruise ships have capacity for thousands of passengers, said safe and smooth operations had "become significantly complex" with challenging logistics and increased restrictions adopted by 

Costa cancels all cruises around world over virus

The Eiffel Tower in Paris will close to the public from Friday until further notice because of the coronavirus, management said, as France's cases climbed to over 2,800, with 61 deaths.
"Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the operating company of the Eiffel Tower is announcing the closure of the tower this evening at 9:00 pm  (2000 GMT)," the company said Friday.
It added that it hoped "to be able to reopen very soon when conditions allow it".

Eiffel Tower closed in Paris because of virus

US airlines announced additional steps Friday to ground planes and curtail executive pay as they prepare for an unprecedentedly bad travel market in the near-term.
Demand for service at Delta Air Lines is "declining at an accelerated pace daily, driving an unprecedented revenue impact," Chief Executive Ed Bastian said in a letter to employees that announced the carrier will cut overall capacity by 40 per cent.
Bastian also announced that he was forgoing 100 percent of his salary over the next six months and that Delta would park up to 300 aircraft and reduce capital spending by at least USD 2 billion.
The measures are more extreme than those outlined only three days ago. Since then, President Donald Trump announced a 30-day travel ban to Europe, worsening an already difficult environment for the industry.
"The situation has worsened considerably," Bastian said. "The speed of the demand fall-off is unlike anything we've seen -- and we've seen a lot in our business." Bastian indicated ..

AFP

AFP

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