Gunfire erupted at a political rally in western Kabul on Friday, an Afghan security official said, in what appeared to be the first attack to hit the capital since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban.
"Afghan special forces and police forces have reached the site," said Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman.
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the incident, which occurred at the commemoration ceremony for Abdul Ali Mazari -- a politician from the Hazara ethnic group, most of whom are Shia.

Gunfire heard at political rally in Kabul: security official

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Greg Kelly, a former close colleague of Carlos Ghosn, said he was "shocked" at the flight from Japan of the ex-Nissan boss and worries it could hamper his own battle against financial misconduct charges.
The softly-spoken American, 63, gave a rare interview to AFP as he awaits trial in Tokyo, confiding his surprise at Ghosn's sudden escape to Lebanon and his fears that he will not receive a fair hearing.
"I was completely surprised. I had no idea that would happen," Kelly said.
"I was shocked."
Like Ghosn, Kelly stands accused of conspiring to conceal from shareholders tens of millions of dollars in pay the former chief executive was promised after his retirement.
Kelly faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted.
"And now he's not here. So, it really makes it to me seem quite difficult to really have a trial now that's going to be fair," he said.
"If the leading witness isn't there, how do you really try this case in a logical way?"
Often presented as a "right-hand man" or close ...

Kelly: Ghosn's second-in-charge now first in firing line

The coronavirus could wipe more than USD 200 billion off Asia Pacific economies this year, S&P Global ratings warned Friday, sending growth to its lowest level in more than a decade, as governments struggle to combat the disease.
In a worst-case scenario, China could see growth of less than three percent, while Japan, Australia and Hong Kong could "flirt with recession", it said in a report.
Fears about the impact of the outbreak, which has spread to at least 85 countries since it began in China in late December, have hammered world markets as investors fret over its economic impact.
S&P said it expected the region to grow 4.0 per cent this year as supply and demand shocks blow a USD 211 billion hole in the economy. That compares with a 4.8 per cent estimate given in December and would be the worst performance since a contraction in 2008 caused by the global financial crisis.
"Asia-Pacific's outlook has darkened due to the global spread of the coronavirus," it said. "This will ...

Asia-Pacific economies face USD 211 bn hit from virus, says S&P

Malaysia's anti-corruption chief, who had been investigating scandal-hit state fund 1MDB, said Friday she had resigned after a reformist government collapsed and a graft-tainted party took power.
The "Pact of Hope" alliance, which stormed to a historic victory in 2018 and ousted a long-ruling coalition, fell apart amid infighting last week and prime minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned.
Mahathir, 94, then sought to return as premier but unexpectedly lost to ex-interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who heads a coalition dominated by the multi-ethnic country's Malay Muslim majority.
Latheefa Koya, a leading human rights activist who had been head of the anti-corruption commission since June, said she had informed Muhyiddin she was quitting earlier this week but insisted she was not pressured.
"I also briefed the prime minister about our ongoing actions and efforts for the recovery of the stolen 1MDB monies from abroad," she said in a statement.
"He was fully supportive of these actions." ...

Malaysia anti-graft chief who investigated 1MDB quits

The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the prime minister said Friday.
The tiny, land-locked country, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness has emerged as a popular tourist destination in recent years.
But the government immediately shut borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of a disease that has wreaked havoc in more developed countries around the world.
The 76-year-old man arrived in Bhutan from India on March 2, and was admitted to hospital on March 5 with a fever, where he tested positive for COVID-19, the office of Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in a Facebook post.
The post added that there would be "two weeks' restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect".
Schools in three areas -- including the capital Thimphu -- will be closed for two weeks from Friday.
The patient, who has not been named, left Washington on February 10, touring ...

Bhutan confirms first coronavirus case

Seoul will summon Japan's ambassador to protest over "irrational" plans to impose coronavirus quarantine on arrivals from South Korea, it said Friday, accusing Tokyo of ulterior motives.
The two countries have close economic ties and are both major US allies, democracies and market economies faced with a rising China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
But their relationship continues to be heavily affected by Japan's colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 -- a dispute that escalated into a trade and security row last year.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday announced that foreign arrivals who have recently been in China or South Korea would be required to spend 14 days in quarantine.
Seoul's foreign ministry urged Tokyo to reconsider the "irrational and overbearing" measure in a statement, saying it would summon the ambassador to protest.
"We can't help but question whether Japan has other motives than containing the outbreak," it added.
Seoul could take ...

South Korea condemns 'irrational' Japan virus quarantine

US lawmakers passed an emergency USD 8.3 billion spending bill to combat the coronavirus on Thursday as the number of cases surged in the country's northwest and deaths reached 12.
The Senate gave sweeping bipartisan support to the funding one day after the House passed the bill, so that it could be quickly sent to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature.
"The American people are looking for leadership, they want assurance their government is up to the task of protecting their health and safety," said Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy.
The amount is significantly above the USD 2.5 billion President Donald Trump had initially requested, but he later said he was happy to accept more.
The US reported its first case of the disease in January and its first death on February 29 -- both in the state of Washington in the country's Pacific Northwest.
Since then the toll has risen to 12 and the virus has spread to at least 15 states -- the latest being Maryland adjacent to the ...

US announces USD 8.3bn in coronavirus funding as cases surge

Passengers on a cruise ship stranded off the coast of San Francisco were confined to their cabins Thursday as tests were conducted to determine if any of the nearly 3,500 guests and crew had contracted the new coronavirus.
Authorities said the Grand Princess, which had been scheduled to dock on Wednesday, would remain at sea until the test results of those who had shown symptoms of the virus are known.
The California National Guard said it had flown test kits to the ship Thursday morning and the findings were expected to be announced early Friday.
Carolyn Wright, a passenger, told AFP that the captain announced Thursday evening that there were "no confirmed cases of coronavirus" and that final results would be released the following day.
Health officials sounded the alarm after two passengers who had been on board during a previous voyage between San Francisco and Mexico later fell ill and one of them died.
Several other passengers who had remained on the vessel for its next voyage to 

US tests stranded cruise ship passengers for coronavirus

Japan is cancelling an annual ceremony marking the anniversary of a deadly tsunami and nuclear disaster as the country steps up efforts to curb the new coronavirus, officials said Friday.
For the past eight years, the prime minister, lawmakers, and family members who lost loved ones in the disaster have attended the nationally televised ceremony.
The move comes a day after Tokyo and Beijing confirmed a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping has been postponed, and Tokyo said the country will quarantine people coming from China and South Korea for two weeks on arrival.
"We had been exploring ways to hold the commemoration ceremony up to the last minute, for example by downsizing the event," top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday.
"However, given the current situation, now is the time that we should do everything we can to prevent the spread of the infection, and we genuinely regret to report that today's cabinet meeting decided to give up on holding the ..

Virus forces Japan to cancel ceremony to mark tsunami

The city of Nuremberg, which is due to host a friendly between Germany and Italy on March 31, asked Thursday for the fixture to be called off due to concerns over the coronavirus.
"According to what we know today, the city of Nuremberg is going to request a cancellation of the match," a local health and environment official said during a news conference.
"A lot of supporters would be expected including those from at-risk zones in the north of Italy."
Italy on Thursday reported 41 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, its highest single-day total to date, bringing the number of fatalities in Europe's most affected country to 148.
The number of cases also jumped by a new high of 769, reaching 3,858 over the past two weeks.
The German FA must take a decision next week in consultation with the stadium operators over whether to go ahead with the match or cancel it.
Germany are also due to travel to Madrid for a friendly against Spain on March 26.

Host city calls for Germany-Italy friendly to be cancelled

Asian equities tumbled Friday as analysts warned the volatility that has characterised markets during the coronavirus crisis is likely to continue for some time.
While governments and central banks have unleashed or prepare to roll out stimulus measures, the rapid spread of the disease and rising death toll are putting a greater strain on economies and stoking concerns of a worldwide recession.
And with no end seemingly in sight -- almost 100,000 people in 85 countries have now been infected -- investors are fleeing out of risk assets such as stocks and into safe havens including the yen and gold.
"All we know now is that we don't really understand what's going to happen next," Michael Shaoul, head of Marketfield Asset Management, told Bloomberg TV.
"It's probably four, six, eight weeks before we're going to have any useful information as to what the trajectory of the virus is and what the actual economic fallout looks like."
The epidemic has wreaked havoc on international business, ..

Asian markets plunge, yen and gold rally as virus fears mount

Andy Murray hopes to make his latest comeback at this month's Miami Open as the former world number one battles to recover from his injury woes.
Murray is back on the practice court after being unable to hit for three months because of what was initially diagnosed as a mild bone bruise.
The 32-year-old believes the problem was actually bone growth associated with the hip resurfacing operation he had in January 2019.
Murray admitted last week there is a possibility he might need more surgery if the pains persist.
However, he posted clips of practice sessions at the National Tennis Centre on Instagram this week, an indication that he is happy with how things have gone so far.
Now Murray has raised the prospect of taking a wild card into the ATP tournament in Miami, which begins on March 25.
"I'm training to try and get ready for Miami," Murray told Amazon Prime Video.
"I've done so much rehab these last few months that, in terms of my strength and everything, all of the muscles around ..

Injury-plagued Murray eyes return in Miami

Liverpool said on Thursday that they will not use child mascots as the Premier League leaders react to the threat of the coronavirus.
Liverpool announced a series of measures aimed at dealing with the global health threat.
In addition to the suspension of the youngsters who accompany the players as they who walk onto the pitch, Liverpool employees will not travel to high-risk countries.
"In recent weeks, there has been a rise of confirmed Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) cases around the world. We have several new measures in place across LFC operations to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect the health of our employees," a statement on Liverpool's website said.
"We have taken proactive measures, including cancelling any staff travel to high-risk countries and reminding everyone of good hygiene practices through notices in/around all our sites.
"We have also activated a health questionnaire screening for all external visitors to all our training facilities, our office ...

Liverpool put child mascots on hold over coronavirus fears

Sadio Mane has urged Liverpool to use the worst week of their season as fuel to power the Premier League leaders a step closer to the title when they face Bournemouth on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp's side crashed to a stunning 3-0 defeat against struggling Watford last weekend that ended their hopes of going unbeaten through the entire league campaign.
The Reds' limp display at Vicarage Road was followed by another underwhelming effort on Tuesday as Chelsea knocked them out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 fifth round victory.
Klopp was willing to sacrifice the FA Cup to rest several of his players, even if it prolonged Liverpool's slump.
Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker were among the stars missing from the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge.
Whether that proves a wise gamble will become clearer over the course of the next week.
With Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League last 16 first leg loss at Atletico Madrid having triggered this unexpected dip, the ...

Mane expects Liverpool to end unexpected slump

Real Madrid's victory in the Clasico gave them a one-point lead that might mean little in La Liga's error-strewn title race but whether it causes a decisive shift in momentum will be easier to read after this weekend.
Barcelona host Real Sociedad on Saturday, an awkward fixture against a team that have won their last six consecutive matches and will still be flying high on the back of beating Mirandes on Wednesday to reach a first Copa del Rey final in 32 years.
If Barca need to respond, Real Madrid have to prove their win at the Santiago Bernabeu can be the start of something more sustained, by overcoming Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin on Sunday.
By the time they kick off in Seville, Madrid could be back lying in second and with the heat back on, as long as Barcelona avoid another setback amid a chaotic few months and a trying 10 days.
Their 1-1 draw away at Napoli in the Champions League a fortnight ago was a decent result and sets them up nicely to make the quarter-finals ...

Pressure back on Barcelona as Madrid look to ensure Clasico momentum lasts

Matt Every's affinity for the Arnold Palmer Invitational was on display again on Thursday as the American fired seven birdies in a seven-under 65 to ease past Rory McIlroy for the first-round lead at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida.
World number one McIlroy was in the clubhouse on 66 when Every -- whose two US PGA Tour victories came at Bay Hill in 2014 and 2015 -- caught fire.
Every's bogey-free round included a 45-foot birdie putt at the par-three second and a 32-foot birdie at the eighth -- his penultimate hole of the day.
He found himself atop the leaderboard after missing the cut with a second-round 85 at the Honda Classic last week.
"Sometimes I'm really good, sometimes I'm really bad," Every said.
"It's a weird game." McIlroy was buoyed by an eagle and five birdies in his five-under effort and was one stroke in front of Americans Talor Gooch and Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy teed off on 10, and was delighted to salvage a bogey at the 11th, where an aggressive second shot found the ...

Every eases to lead over McIlroy at Bay Hill

The Paris Marathon, scheduled for April 5 with 60,000 registered runners, has been postponed until October 18 due to the coronavirus outbreak, race organisers told AFP in a statement Thursday.
Last weekend's half-marathon in the French capital was also cancelled over fears of the deadly virus that has killed over 3,300 people worldwide. That race has been rearranged for September 6.
"Immediately after the cancellation of the Paris half-marathon less than 24 hours before the start, the teams from the Paris city council and Amaury Sport Organisation came together to find a new date for the event. We are pleased to announce that the half-marathon will take place on Sunday 6th September," ASO said in a statement.? ?
"Regarding the marathon, we have reached an agreement with Paris city council to move the marathon to the 18th October with the aim of avoiding any last-minute cancellation."
The announcements came after the French government on Saturday ordered the cancellation of "gatherings 

Paris Marathon postponed until October 18 due to coronavirus

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin fought off a match point against world number 174 Jacqueline Cristian to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA event in Lyon on Thursday.
Kenin, who had lost her opening matches in both Dubai and Doha in recent weeks, made it consecutive wins in Lyon as she scraped through 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4.
The fifth-ranked American was on the brink of defeat as Romania's Cristian had match point on her serve at 5-4. Kenin rallied to break her opponent and then forced a third set.
The top seed failed to serve out victory while leading 5-3 in the decider but sealed her place in the next round with a break in the following game.
"Obviously I didn't feel my game that well - I was pretty frustrated the whole match, I couldn't find my rhythm, but I just tried to fight through," Kenin told the WTA website.
"I got the win - it's a relief and I'm happy." Kenin, 21, will next meet France's Oceane Dodin, who received a walkover against Jil Teichmann of Switzerland.
Second ..

Battling Kenin saves match point to make Lyon quarters

This week has seen new doubts raised about Kylian Mbappe's long-term future at Paris Saint-Germain, but the World Cup winner also underlined how vital he is to his club as they prepare for a make-or-break Champions League date with Borussia Dortmund.
On Tuesday, the main story in sports daily L'Equipe wondered why Mbappe -- born in the French capital and brought up in the Paris suburbs -- was not revered by PSG supporters in the way former stars had been.
One banner during a recent match at the Parc des Princes targeted Mbappe, Neymar and captain Thiago Silva, asking them if they were "afraid of winning" and urging them to "show some balls".
The 21-year-old's perceived arrogance -- encapsulated by his angry response to being substituted in a recent win over Montpellier -- surely does not help.
"Everyone knows he has the talent, but you are also judged on the image you give off," former PSG player and coach Luis Fernandez told L'Equipe.
By Wednesday, the focus had switched to reports ..

Mbappe gives timely reminder of stunning talent as doubts about PSG future re-emerge

Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry, returning to the NBA after four months with a broken left hand, said Thursday he still wants to play at the Tokyo Olympics.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry, cleared to play Wednesday by doctors, has missed 58 games since falling on his hand and breaking it on October 30 against Phoenix.
Curry, who helped the US squad to unbeaten world championship runs in 2010 and 2014, was among 44 finalists for the United States Olympic squad announced last month by USA Basketball.
Three-time NBA champion Curry, who withdrew his name from 2016 Rio Olympic consideration due to lingering ankle and knee injuries, would be done in mid-April for the NBA-worst Warriors, giving him ample time before the US squad gathers after the NBA Finals in mid-June ahead of the Japan Games, which begin July 24.
"There's a lot of time before now and then, but I've always had that on my radar," Curry said of the Olympics.
"It wasn't really a thought until recently ..

Curry still plans on playing for USA in Tokyo Olympics

Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho's lawyer denied on Thursday that he and his brother had used fake passports to enter Paraguay.
The World Cup winner and his brother were questioned for more than seven hours by the public prosecutor in Asuncion after allegedly entering Paraguay using forged documents.
Ronaldinho had been invited to the Paraguayan capital by a foundation for needy children, and to promote his new book.
The 39-year-old and his brother went to the prosecutor's office in the morning alongside Paraguayan lawyer Adolfo Marin.
"They decided voluntarily to stay and submit themselves to the public prosecutor's investigations," said Marin.
Ronaldinho "didn't need to use any other document than his own," Marin added.  According to the inspector leading the investigation Gilberto Fleitas, Ronaldinho was given his fake passport by Brazilian businessman Wilmondes Sousa Lira, who has been arrested.
Marin said Ronaldinho had told the public prosecutor that the documents in ...

AFP

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