The Chinese government is threatening to remove visas from journalists as a weapon to intimidate foreign media "like never before", a press group said Monday, following the expulsion of three reporters last month.
In its annual report, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said it also feared Beijing was preparing to kick out more reporters, with two journalists this year given working visas of only a single month.
At least 12 correspondents received press credentials valid for six months or less -- more than double the number given short-term visas the previous year, in what the FCCC called a record.
Resident journalist visas, which are mandatory for all foreign media based in mainland China, are typically issued for one year.
"Chinese authorities are using visas as weapons against the foreign press like never before," the report warned, flagging a "continued decline in reporting conditions".
Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, China has forced out nine foreign ...

China steps up visa threats against foreign reporters: media group

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China is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply some of the world's leading brands, an Australian think tank said Monday.
Top global brands such as Apple, BMW and Sony have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labour, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the Chinese government has transferred 80,000 or more Uighurs out of camps in Xinjiang and into factories across the country.
"Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors," the think tank said.
"Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labour under a state-sponsored labour transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain." The brands, it added, included "Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen".
"Companies ..

Top brands accused of using forced Chinese labour

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over.
The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
"The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness," the statement added.
The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles.
It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December.
At a party meeting at the end of that month, leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon.
The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and ..

North Korea fires two unidentified projectiles: South's military

Brazilian teenager Thiago Seyboth Wild on Sunday became the youngest champion on Latin America's clay court 'Golden Swing' since Rafael Nadal in 2005 when he captured the Santiago title.
The 19-year-old defeated second-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the final to also become Brazil's youngest ever champion at an ATP event.
Nadal was 18 when he triumphed at Acapulco in 2005 when the Mexican event was still played on clay.
Seyboth Wild will now rise from 182 in the world to 113 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Ruud, the world number 38, had arrived in Chile two weeks after winning the Buenos Aires tournament, becoming Norway's first ever ATP champion.
"He proved that he deserved his wild card and took very good care of his opportunity," Ruud told atptour.com.
"Even though I'm not that experienced myself, I can see that he'll be around for many more years. Hopefully we can play many more finals together in the future.

Seyboth Wild emulates Nadal with 'Golden Swing' title

Bangkok's future hangs in the balance.
Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters -- scientists warn the city itself may not survive the century.
New analysis by the Nestpick 2050 Climate Change City Index says the Thai capital could be hardest hit by global warming.
And while it is not alone facing such a threat -- Venice, New Orleans, and Jakarta are predicted to be underwater by 2100 -- it does have a secret weapon in its battle to negate the impact of a hotter planet: renowned architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom who preaches mindful development over mindless construction.
"We are talking life and death in this situation," says the 39-year-old who is hoping to bring Bangkok back from the brink, as scientists warn extreme weather -- flooding and droughts -- could ravage the city, leaving as much as 40 percent submerged in the next decade.
Kotchakorn says: "I don't want to face it ...

Meet Thailand's secret weapon in climate change battle

- The season-opening Qatar MotoGP, scheduled to take place on March 8, was cancelled Sunday because of the spread of the coronavirus, the international motorcycling federation (FIM) announced.
"Due to Qatar travel restrictions brought into force affecting passengers from Italy (amongst other countries), the premier class will not race at the Losail circuit," the FIM said.
However, the Moto2 and Moto3 world championship races will go ahead as planned at the desert track as riders and teams were already in the Gulf state preparing for the event with winter testing.
As the coronavirus has spread, Italy has become the hardest-hit European country with 34 deaths and over 1,600 people infected.
"As of today, all passengers arriving at Doha on direct flights from Italy, or having been in Italy in the past two weeks, will be taken straight to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days," added the FIM.
"Italy clearly plays a vital role in the championship and in the MotoGP class - both on track and ..

Season-opening Qatar MotoGP cancelled due to coronavirus

Israelis were set to vote for a third time in twelve months Monday, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career.
The vote comes just two weeks before the right wing premier stands trial over a series of corruption allegations, but final polls indicated his support was holding, suggesting another close race between his Likud and the centrist Blue and White party.
Both will fall well short of a majority in Israel's proportional system and the winner will seek to form a coalition with multiple smaller parties.
After elections in both April and September last year neither were able to do so, and a similar deadlock remains possible.
With few undecided voters in a divided country, turnout will be key and all parties were campaigning to get their vote out Sunday.
Netanyahu, in power since 2009, said Sunday internal polls suggested they were close to winning and finally breaking the political deadlock.
"We are very close ..

Israelis vote for third time in 12 months

Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay prominent US presidential candidate, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee -- giving a major boost to fellow centrist Joe Biden.
The 38-year-old Buttigieg's surprise decision was set to shake up the race this coming week when 14 states vote on "Super Tuesday."
It is expected to further boost the fortunes of Biden after the former vice president scored a resounding victory in South Carolina's primary on Saturday in the contest to see who faces President Donald Trump in November.
Biden has emerged as the chief moderate challenger to frontrunner Bernie Sanders, the firebrand leftist who has taken the race by storm and is looking to score big wins on Tuesday in states like crown jewel California.
Buttigieg, a military veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, addressed supporters in his home town.
"The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close -- for our candidacy, if not for our cause," he said.
Buttigieg did not ...

Buttigieg exits race, Biden back in contention as 'Super Tuesday' looms

Most Asian markets rose Monday as bargain-buyers moved in following last week's global rout, but investors continue to fret over the economic fallout from the new coronavirus as the worldwide death toll rises.
After equities suffered their worst week since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, central banks began to flag support measures, with Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell hinting at a fresh interest rate cut at the bank's next meeting.
Still, analysts warned of further turmoil on trading floors as governments struggle to contain the disease, which has now killed more than 3,000 people and infected almost 90,000.
"Markets face significant uncertainty in the short term and remain at high risk of more downside given the unknowns around COVID-19," Shane Oliver, a global investment strategist at AMP Capital Investors, said.
Traders remain worried the disease "will disrupt economic activity more deeply and for longer than had been expected a week or so ago".
Shanghai led ...

Most Asia markets rise as bargain-hunting offsets virus fears

Seoul's city government has asked prosecutors to press charges, including murder, against the founder of a secretive religious sect for failing to cooperate in containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
South Korea has seen a surge in the number of infections -- adding more than 4,000 cases in less than two weeks -- with around 60 percent of the national total linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
As officials try to track down and test more than 266,000 people associated with Shincheonji, the entity has been accused of submitting false lists of its members to authorities.
The Seoul City government said it had filed a legal complaint to prosecutors against 12 leaders of the sect -- including its founder, Lee Man-hee -- accusing them of homicide, causing harm and violating the Infectious Disease and Control Act.
"They did not take any action to encourage its members to actively cooperate with the health authorities to prevent further spread of the COVID-19," the city ...

Seoul city seeks murder charges against sect founder over virus

With Brexit "done" as far as London is concerned, UK and EU negotiators on Monday begin talks aimed at forging a future relationship - while brandishing red lines that may yet prove to be irreconcilable.
The discussions covering trade and trading standards, agriculture, security, transport, energy, fisheries and police cooperation kick off in Brussels under teams run by Frenchman Michel Barnier for the EU and governmental advisor David Frost for Britain.
They take place just over a month since Britain ceased to be an EU member, and are meant to wrap up by the end of this year -- an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything more than the barest of bare-bones accords.
The UK's current transition period, during which it trades like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers, ends on December 31. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending it, though he has the option to do so.
The negotiations will be clouded by mistrust and weeks of ...

EU and UK begin talks on post-Brexit relationship

The future of abortion in the United States could be at stake when the Supreme Court on Wednesday hears what may be its most significant case on the controversial subject in decades.
At issue is a state law in Louisiana which requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
Pro-choice groups argue that the law would severely restrict access to abortion and lead to the closure of two of the three remaining abortion clinics in Louisiana.
The case, June Medical Services v. Russo, will be the first to come before the court since President Donald Trump appointed two conservative justices -- Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh -- to the nine-member panel.
"The case is significant because the law that is being challenged is more or less identical to one that the court struck down in 2016," said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University.
"Switching court membership? Is that enough to undo a case?" asked Ziegler, author of "Beyond Abortion: 

US Supreme Court to hear high-stakes abortion case

South Korea reported nearly 500 new coronavirus cases Monday, sending the largest national total in the world outside China past 4,000.
Four more people had died, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, taking the toll to 22.
Infection numbers have surged in the world's 12th-largest economy in recent days and the country's central bank has warned of negative growth in the first quarter, noting that the epidemic will hit both consumption and exports, while scores of events have been cancelled or postponed over the contagion.
The figures are expected to rise further as authorities carry out checks on more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious group often condemned as a cult that is linked to more than half the cases.
A 61-year-old female member developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four church services in Daegu -- the country's fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million and the centre of the ...

Nearly 500 new coronavirus cases send South Korea total past 4,000

Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay US presidential candidate from a major party, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee in the November election against Donald Trump, US media said.
The 38-year-old had risen rapidly from being a virtual unknown to becoming a national political figure, but he scored poorly in the latest primary in South Carolina, coming fourth with just eight per cent.
He was scheduled to address supporters later Sunday in South Bend, Indiana, where he was previously the mayor.
Buttigieg took centre stage when securing a narrow victory in the Iowa caucuses and earned national attention for his unflustered and professional approach in an often bitter Democratic nomination race.
But his showing in South Carolina on Saturday confirmed polls suggesting he struggled to attract support among black voters -- a key demographic.
Joe Biden's resounding victory in South Carolina has thrust him back into the race just days before voters go to the polls in 14 ..

Buttigieg dropping out of presidential race

Greece was on a state of alert on Sunday as it faced an influx of thousands of migrants seeking to cross the border from Turkey, with locals fearing a new immigration crisis.
"This is an invasion," cried Giorgos Karampatzakis, mayor of Marassia village, near the Evros River, a common crossing point on the border.
More than 13,000 migrants have gathered on the Turkish side of the river which runs 200 kilometres (125 miles) along the frontier and separates them from Greece and therefore the European Union.
The flow of migrants from Turkey has triggered EU fears of a re-run of the 2015 migrant emergency when Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war.
"This is what happened in 2015, it's repeating itself. Thousands at our borders, God help us," implored Panayiota, who lives in the border village of Kastanies.
Back then it was Greek islands like Lesbos and Chios that bore the brunt.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip ...

Greeks fear 'invasion' of migrants across Turkish border

Chilean writer Luis Sepulveda, who lives in northern Spain, has contracted the new coronavirus, according to the health authorities in Portugal where the best-selling author recently visited.
The 70-year-old author started showing symptoms of the virus on February 25 after he had returned to his home in Spain's Asturias region from a literary festival in neighbouring Portugal.
The regional Asturias government announced on Saturday that it had detected the first coronavirus case in the region, without identifying him.
"The patient is stable. His wife, a 66-year-old woman is also displaying the symptoms and is being tested," and both have been admitted to hospital, it added.
The Portuguese authorities called on all those who had been in contact with Sepulveda during last month's Correntes d'Escritas literary festival in Porto to make themselves known.
So far Portugal hasn't registered a single confirmed case of the COVID-19 outbreak while Spain has had 73 cases.
Sepulveda was exiled ...

Chilean writer Luis Sepulveda hit by coronavirus: Portugal

Residents on the Greek island of Lesbos set fire Sunday to a disused migrant centre after blocking dozens of people from landing on a nearby beach, an AFP photographer reported.
Around 150 people gathered at the centre which was run by the UN refugee agency before some of them set it alight.
It came after local people  stopped around 50 migrants from landing their boat and shouted insults at a UNHCR official, with some also attacking journalists and photographers.

Residents torch disused UN migrant centre on Greek island

Afghanistan's weakened government protested on Sunday a key component of a deal between the US and the Taliban, setting the scene for fractious talks when Kabul and the insurgents meet to strike a separate agreement.
President Ashraf Ghani, who faces a political crisis following claims of fraud in his recent re-election, said he would not commit to a clause in the US-Taliban deal that calls for a massive prisoner exchange, something the militants have been demanding for years.
The swap is one part of the accord, fleshed out over more than a year of talks between the US and the Taliban, that was signed Saturday in Doha and lays out a 14-month withdrawal timetable for all foreign forces -- provided the militants fulfil various pledges and open talks with Kabul.
Ghani committed to continue honouring a partial truce that has seen violence plummet in Afghanistan, but he resisted the requirement for the Taliban to release up to 1,000 prisoners and for the Afghan government to free around ...

Tough talks ahead as Afghan president objects to Taliban prisoner swap

Angelo Mathews held his nerve with the ball to help Sri Lanka clinch a tense six-run win over West Indies in the third one-day international and sweep the series 3-0 on Sunday.
Mathews claimed four wickets and denied West Indies 13 runs in the last over, restricting the tourists to 301 for nine in their chase of 308 in Pallekele.
Fabian Allen smashed 37 off 15 balls to close in on the West Indies target but fell to Mathews while going for a six in the second ball of the 50th over.
Kusal Mendis top-scored with 55 in Sri Lanka's 307 all out after electing to bat first and then took a crucial catch at deep mid-wicket to send back Allen.
Valiant knocks from Shai Hope (72), Sunil Ambris (60), Nicholas Pooran (50) and skipper Kieron Pollard (49) also kept West Indies in the hunt till the last over.
Mathews returned figures of 4-59 in his 10 overs of medium-pace bowling.
Earlier West Indies paceman Alzarri Joseph claimed four wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out in 50 overs.
Avishka Fernando 

Mathews stars as Sri Lanka whitewash West Indies 3-0

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 88,257, including 2,996 deaths, across 66 countries and territories by 1700 GMT Sunday, according to a report gathered by AFP from official sources.
Since 1700 GMT GMT Saturday, 2,338 new contaminations were identified.
China -- excluding the territories of Hong Kong and Macau -- where the epidemic emerged at the end of December, had 79,824 cases, of which 2,870 were fatal.
There were 573 new infections and 35 deaths there between 1700 GMT Saturday and 1100 GMT Sunday.
Outside of China, a total of 8,433 cases have been recorded around the world since the epidemic began, including 126 deaths.
There have been 1,765 new cases outside China since Saturday at 1700 GMT.
The most affected countries after China are: South Korea (3,736 cases, 18 deaths, 586 new cases), Italy (1,694 cases, 34 deaths, 566 new cases), Iran (978 cases, 54 deaths, 385 new cases) and Japan (239 cases, 12 deaths, nine new cases).
Japan has also recorded more .

Coronavirus toll at 1700 GMT Sunday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank within "weeks" if re-elected, as he sought to sway voters a day before the country's third election in a year.
Final polls pointed to another tight race between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and the centrist Blue and White party led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz.
All parties have raised concern about voter apathy amid the grinding political stalemate, putting extra emphasis on turnout.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving premier, has been accused before previous elections of making last-minute plays to energise his right-wing base.
In an interview with Israeli public radio, he said annexation of the strategically crucial Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank was his top priority among "four major immediate missions".
"That will happen within weeks, two months at the most, I hope," he said in the interview aired 24 hours before polls were scheduled to open.
US President ..

AFP

AFP

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