Qatar has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state media reported Saturday, after a 36-year-old Qatari woman who was evacuated to Doha from Iran tested positive.
Qatar on Thursday repatriated a number of its citizens from Iran -- which is battling the worst outbreak outside China -- and confined them to a 14-day period of quarantine, the government said.
The health ministry said the infected patient had been admitted to hospital.
"This had been expected because of the virus's spread across the region and other countries, alongside the exponential increase in the number of cases," the health ministry said according to the Qatar News Agency.
Iran on Saturday reported nine new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 205 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 43 dead and 593 infected.
Gulf countries have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to prevent the coronavirus spreading, after infections emerged among people returning from pilgrimages to ..

Qatar confirms first coronavirus case

PTI Automatic

The United States and its allies will withdraw all their forces from Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban abide by an agreement due to be signed in Doha on Saturday, Washington and Kabul said in a joint statement.
After an initial reduction of troops to 8,600 within 135 days of Saturday's signing, the US and its partners "will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months... and will withdraw all their forces from remaining bases", the declaration stated.
The Doha accord would see thousands of American troops quit Afghanistan in a phased plan after more than 18 years in return for various security commitments from the insurgents and a pledge to hold talks with the government in Kabul.

US aims to withdraw all forces 'within 14 months': US-Afghan declaration

A US court Friday suspended its decision to block a key asylum policy of Donald Trump's administration which has forced many applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed, allowing border officials to continue enforcing the White House directive.
The policy -- known as "Remain in Mexico" and part of the US president's signature crackdown on migration -- has been used to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America back to Mexico, but was placed on hold by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Friday.
The court initially ruled the policy "is invalid in its entirety" under US law concerning migrant rights and UN refugee protocols, and should be blocked "in its entirety."
But just hours later, the court unanimously voted to stay its order, US media reported, with the three-judge panel telling the government and the plaintiffs to file written arguments by Monday and Tuesday next week.
After welcoming the court's initial ruling the American 

US court suspends its block on Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy

Slovaks voted Saturday in a general election where the governing populists risked being punished amid popular outrage over the 2018 gangland-style murder of a journalist whose stories exposed high-level corruption in the eurozone country.
Allegedly a hit ordered by a businessman with connections to politicians, the killing of Jan Kuciak, which also took the life of his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, has become a lightning rod for public outrage at graft in public life.
Reeling from the fallout of the murder, surveys suggest that Robert Fico's governing populist-left Smer-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party is waning and threatened most by OLaNO, a surging centre-right opposition party focused on rooting out corruption.
"Change is much needed here," said Daniela Jonasova, a 35-year-old office clerk, who told AFP she voted for OLaNO at a Bratislava polling station.
"I like the way (OLaNO leader Igor) Matovic points out what is wrong in Slovakia -- I believe he'll bring a real change," she ...

Slovaks vote as journalist's murder drives 'desire for change'

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad lost a power struggle Saturday with a little-known ex-interior minister to be the country's new leader in a shock twist that will return a scandal-plagued party to power.
Muhyiddin Yassin's surprise victory not only sidelines Mahathir, who had been the world's oldest premier at 94, but also dashes the hopes of Anwar Ibrahim of becoming leader any time soon.
A royal statement said Muhyiddin was chosen by the king, who appoints the country's premiers after deciding who commands most support from MPs, following the collapse of a reformist ruling coalition last week.
Mahathir and Anwar's "Pact of Hope" alliance stormed to a historic victory in 2018 that broke the six-decade stranglehold on power of a corruption-riddled coalition, but it was riven by infighting over who should succeed Mahathir.
Tensions exploded last week after a failed bid to push out Anwar and stop him becoming leader -- prompting the government's collapse and Mahathir's shock resignation.
The 

Malaysia's Mahathir loses PM race, scandal-plagued party returns

Iran Saturday dismissed as "rumours" a report that coronavirus has killed more than 200 people in the country, one of the hardest hit by the disease, with senior officials among those infected.
Since it announced its first coronavirus deaths, Iran has scrambled to bring the outbreak under control, shutting schools, suspending cultural and sporting events and halting meetings of the cabinet and parliament.
The health ministry on Saturday reported nine new deaths and a 53 percent jump in infections over the previous 24 hours taking the overall totals to 43 deaths and 593 cases.
It was the highest number of new cases for a single day since Iran announced its first two deaths in Qom, a centre for Islamic studies and pilgrims from abroad, on February 19.
Citing unnamed sources in Iran's health system, the BBC's Persian-language service said on Friday that at least 210 people had died in the COVID-19 outbreak.
Most of the dead were in Qom or in the capital Tehran, the London-based ...

Iran dismisses 'rumours' as virus deaths jump to 43

Three-time Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang came out swinging Saturday against his eight-year drugs ban, threatening legal action of his own as he attempts to salvage his broken career.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hit the Chinese freestyler with the lengthy ban on Friday for refusing to give a doping sample in September 2018.
It is the 28-year-old's second ban for doping, having served three months in 2014, and he said in the immediate aftermath that he would appeal at the Swiss federal court.
A lawyer for Sun, a hugely popular figure in China, issued a fiery statement on Saturday reiterating that he will appeal, based on "a series of procedural errors".
"February 28, 2020 was a dark day. It shows the scene where evil defeats justice and power replaces self-evident truths," Beijing lawyer Zhang Qihuai said in a statement.
"On this day, CAS listened to prejudice, turned a blind eye to rules and procedures, turned a blind eye to facts and evidence, and accepted all lies ...

Sun Yang lawyer blasts 'lies' after eight-year drug ban

A game developers conference in San Francisco was postponed Friday, after Facebook and Microsoft withdrew from the event due to concerns about the spread of novel coronavirus.
The annual gathering was due to start March 16 in a downtown convention center but will be held later this year instead, the organizers of the Game Developers Conference said.
It joins a growing list of global events that have been nixed as the virus spreads around the world.
US officials on Friday reported a fourth infection with unknown origin -- including two in California -- fuelling fears the epidemic was spreading in the country where more than 60 cases have been confirmed.
Facebook this week canceled its F8 developers conference, the biggest annual event for the US tech giant, due to virus worries.
The gathering in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose typically draws thousands of software makers from around the world who collaborate with the tech giant on its platform.
Face-to-face interaction at San Jose .

US game makers conference postponed amid virus fears

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad lost a power struggle Saturday with a little-known ex-interior minister to be the country's new prime minister in a shock twist that will return a scandal-plagued party to power.
Muhyiddin Yassin will be sworn in on Sunday, royal officials said, after a week of turmoil that followed the collapse of a reformist government and Mahathir's resignation as premier.
"The process to appoint the prime minister cannot be delayed because the country needs a government for the well-being of the people and the nation," a palace statement said.
The king appoints the premier, and rival candidates had this week been seeking to show they commanded majority support from MPs As well as ending the premiership of Mahathir, at 94 the world's oldest leader, it means there will be little hope of his designated successor Anwar Ibrahim becoming prime minister.
Muhyiddin's coalition is dominated by the multi-ethnic country's Muslim majority, and includes the United Malays National ...

Malaysia's Mahathir out as PM as rival wins power

Mexico's health ministry said the country has confirmed three cases of the coronavirus, becoming the second Latin American nation reached by the global outbreak.
The three men -- two in Mexico City and one in the northern state of Sinaloa -- are all believed to have visited northern Italy, the epicentre of the virus in Europe.  "Probably all three were infected from the same source. All three are imported cases," Jose Luis Alomia, general director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, said at a press conference Friday.
Senior health ministry official Hugo Lopez-Gatell told a separate news conference that one of the men, a 35-year-old in the capital, "has a mild, mild illness" with symptoms "similar to that of a cold".
"He is a young individual and so he is at very low risk," he said.  The patient and five members of his family have been isolated at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Lopez-Gatell added.
The second case, a 41-year-old man who returned from Bergamo in ..

Mexico confirms first three cases of coronavirus, linked to Italy

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Doha on Saturday to oversee the signing of a landmark deal between the United States and the Taliban, an AFP correspondent reported.
The accord, due to be signed at 1245 GMT, will see America agree to begin withdrawing its troops following 18 years of war in return for insurgent guarantees.

Pompeo lands in Doha to oversee signing of Taliban deal

South Korea confirmed 813 more coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest increase to date for the country and taking the national total to 3,150 infections with four additional deaths.
Authorities also reported the country's first case of reinfection -- a 73-year-old woman who tested positive for a second time after her recovery and release from hospital last week.
The illness recurred "as her immune system had declined", said Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) official Kwon Jun-wook.
At least 10 reinfection cases have already been reported in China, Kwon added.
More than 90 percent of the new cases were in Daegu, the centre of the country's outbreak, and its neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
Three women in the Daegu area and one man died of the illness, taking the national toll to 17, the statement added. All were aged in their 60s or older.
The national total is expected to ..

S Korea reports 813 more coronavirus cases, total 3,150

Former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin was named as Malaysia's new prime minister Saturday, royal officials said, signalling the end of Mahathir Mohamad's rule and return to power of a scandal-plagued party.
Muhyiddin will be sworn in Sunday, the palace said, ending a week of turmoil after the collapse of the reformist government and Mahathir's resignation as premier.

Muhyiddin Yassin named new Malaysian PM: palace

Rafael Nadal used a steady stream of blistering forehand winners and a heavy dose of precision serves to book his spot in the ATP Mexico Open final with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov.
The two-time tournament champion will be the favorite to claim his third Acapulco title when he faces unseeded Taylor Fritz in Saturday's final.
It has been 15 years since world No. 2 Nadal won for the first time here. He also won in 2013 and improved to 18-2 at this event overall.
"I'm very happy. A great victory against one of the best players in the world and a good friend," Nadal said after his one-sided victory on Friday night.
"I think I've increased my level during the match, so it's positive for me." The top seed clinched the victory on his first match point. He fell behind 0-30 in the final game but rallied to win the next four points.
On match point, seventh seed Dimitrov hit a backhand that clipped the top of the net and bounced in. But it hung in the air just long enough for .

Nadal strolls into Acapulco final

Moscow and Ankara expressed hope for a "reduction in tensions" in Syria during high-level Russian-Turkish talks in recent days, Russia's foreign ministry said Saturday.
Tensions have soared since 33 Turkish soldiers died Thursday in an air strike in Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar al-Assad's regime and Turkey backs Islamists groups in Idlib province. Russia calls them terrorists.
"On both sides, the focus has been on reducing tensions on the ground while continuing to fight terrorists recognised as such by the United Nations Security Council," Moscow's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Officials from both Turkey and Russia also said they want to "protect civilians inside and outside the (Idlib) de-escalation zone and provide emergency humanitarian aid to all those in need", the ministry said.
The Russian government said meetings took place on February 26 and 28 between the Kremlin envoy for Syria as well as top foreign and defence ministry officials and a Turkish ...

Moscow and Ankara want 'reduction in tensions' after Syria strike

Iraq's bitterly divided parliament postponed a vote of confidence in prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi's government for a second time Saturday, as political wrangling continued ahead of a looming deadline.
Parliament speaker Mohammed Halbusi said that the crunch vote, which had already been delayed last week for lack of a quorum, would now be held on Sunday.
Midnight (2100 GMT) Sunday is the deadline for lawmakers to end a protracted political vacuum and agree on a new government or see President Barham Saleh designate a premier unilaterally.
Failure to go ahead with the vote could also trigger a call for mass protests from populist cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose supporters form the largest bloc in parliament and who has demanded that lawmakers approve Allawi's government.
Iraq's current parliament is the most divided in its recent history and Allawi is struggling to secure support from the country's Sunni Arab and Kurdish minorities.
Kurds and Sunnis are also opposed to a ...

Iraq parliament postpones confidence vote as deadline looms

US health officials reported Friday a fourth case of novel coronavirus of unknown origin, indicating the disease was spreading in the country.
The latest case is a boy under 18 in Washington State who tested "presumptive positive," local authorities said without releasing further details about the patient.
He is currently in home isolation in Snohomish County. The high school he attends will be shut until March 3 while it is deep cleaned, the Washington State Department of Health said.
In neighbouring Oregon, authorities said Friday an adult who had had contact with people at an elementary school had been hospitalized and was also considered "presumptive positive."
A positive test is treated as "presumptive" until the results have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We've been expecting this and we're prepared for it," Oregon's Health Authority director Patrick Allen told reporters.
The school will be closed until March 4 as it undergoes a deep clean, ...

US reports fourth coronavirus infection of unknown origin

Paris police arrested dozens of protesters on Friday who burnt scooters and bins outside a concert venue hosting a Congolese singer they accuse of giving a voice to the Kinshasa regime.
The nearby Gare de Lyon train station was partially evacuated during the chaos and police warned Parisians to stay away as a thick, black column of smoke billowed over the city centre.
Authorities had banned protests around the concert by singer Fally Ipupa at the AccorHotels Arena in the capital but dozens turned out in anger nevertheless, facing off with the artist's fans and trading insults.
"With their music, they (the Congolese government) are bringing an entire people to their side while they slaughter and rape women and children," opponent Willy Dendebe told AFP at the scene.
"I have been here (in France) for 30 years because of them! Thirty years and we let them be here in France as if nothing has happened. So yes, we are angry!" Police said 30 people were arrested and 54 fined for ...

Anti-Congo regime protesters set fires in Paris

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was in Afghanistan on Saturday for meetings with officials as the United States and the Taliban were to sign a long-sought deal, the alliance said.
Stoltenberg was to participate in a Kabul media conference later Saturday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the NATO statement said.
He was also to meet the head of the US and NATO forces in the country, General Scott Miller, as well as other commanders of the alliance's training mission there.
The details of the deal, to be signed in Doha on Saturday, have not been disclosed, but it is expected to set the terms of the US to start withdrawing the more than 12,000 troops it has in Afghanistan in return for commitments from the Taliban.
It carries with it hopes of a fall in violence in Afghanistan after decades of conflict and the opening of peace talks with the Afghan government, which was excluded from the direct US-Taliban negotiations.

NATO chief visits Afghanistan as US, Taliban to sign deal

Major cherry blossom festivals in Japan have been cancelled due to the deadly new coronavirus, the latest in a growing list of events quashed as the epidemic spreads globally.
The traditional spring celebrations in Tokyo and Osaka, which attract millions of people wanting to seeing the white and pink flowers, will not go ahead as planned in April.
"We are sincerely sorry for those who were looking forward to the viewing... but please give us your understanding," the Japan Mint in Osaka said Friday.
Other cherry blossom events -- feverishly anticipated by locals and tourists -- are likely to follow suit, according to local media.
Organisers of Tokyo's Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival said people could still enjoy the blooming trees that grow along public roads.
Trees in Tokyo will soon be in full bloom, with friends, families and colleagues typically flocking to parks for sometimes raucous, alcohol-fuelled celebrations.
The cancellations come as authorities step up efforts to tackle .

Japan cherry blossom festivals cancelled as virus fears grow

Up until a few years ago, Jeff Jones was going about his life, minding his own business and enjoying his passion for music.
Then Bernie Sanders burst onto the national political stage, prompting many to do double takes on seeing Jones, who bears a striking resemblance to the Democratic presidential candidate.
"Around 2015, people started asking if anyone told me I looked 'sorta like' Bernie Sanders," Jones, who wears glasses and sports a tuft of white hair like Sanders, told AFP at a recent rally in California for the Vermont senator.
"This happened so often that my youngest daughter Robin suggested I make an 'I am not Bernie' shirt as a gag."
With Sanders riding high in the polls for the presidential nomination, Jones, who lives in Los Angeles, has been making much use of his "I am not Bernie" shirt as he attends rallies for the candidate, gladly posing for pictures with wide-eyed voters.
When asked, Jones, who at 77 is a year younger than his doppelganger, even manages to imitate ...

AFP

AFP

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