A deadly upsurge in intercommunal violence in South Sudan has to stop and those responsible must be swiftly brought to justice, the UN human rights chief insisted Friday.
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations' high commissioner for human rights, slammed the "appalling" attacks that have reportedly left hundreds dead in the world's youngest sovereign state.
The former Chilean president's office said that while politically-motivated fighting in South Sudan had declined, intercommunal violence had surged this year.
During the first three months of 2020, 658 people were killed in intercommunal violence in the country, while 452 were injured, the rights office said.
Another 592 people were abducted and 65 reported being subjected to sexual violence, it added.
"This recurring pattern of violence, which continues to claim lives in South Sudan, has to stop," Bachelet said in a statement.
"I urge the government to ensure measures are in place to investigate this violence and to ensure that ...

UN demands swift justice over 'appalling' South Sudan violence

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The coronavirus pandemic is interrupting immunization against diseases including measles, polio and cholera that could put the lives of nearly 80 million children under the age of 1 at risk, according to a new analysis from the World Health Organization and partners.
In a new report issued on Friday, health officials warned that more than half of 129 countries where immunization data were available reported moderate, severe or total suspensions of vaccination services during March and April.
Disruption to immunization programs from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement. The report was also produced by UNICEF, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and GAVI.
UNICEF reported a significant delay in planned vaccine deliveries due to lockdown measures and a dramatic reduction in the number of available flights. More than 40 of Africa's 54 nations have closed ..

Pandemic halts vaccination for nearly 80 million children

Franz Beckenbauer has been invited to watch Bayern Munich's behind-closed-doors home match against Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend, he  said on Friday.
"I'm leaving my house for the first time in a long time," 74-year-old Beckenbauer told German daily Bild.
Beckenbauer, whose trial on corruption charges linked to the 2006 World Cup ended without a verdict late last month, was invited to the game by Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as part of an eight-person delegation that will also include former club president Uli Hoeness.
Nicknamed 'Kaiser', Beckenbauer was teammates with both Hoeness and Rummenigge when Bayern dominated European football, winning three straight European Cups in the 1970s.
Beckenbauer, whose health has deteriorated in recent years, will have to wear a face mask and sit several seats away from others in the delegation, as the
Bundesliga undertakes its second round of matches since coming back from its coronavirus-enforced hiatus.
"I will be able to concentrate 

Beckenbauer to attend Bayern's clash with Eintracht

President Vladimir Putin said Friday the coronavirus outbreak in Russia has begun to abate, creating a positive environment for easing restrictions, as officials defended the country's data on deaths against claims they were being under-reported.
Speaking during a video conference with top officials, Putin pointed at the decreasing number of new infections in Moscow and other regions. The positive dynamic is not so fast as we would like it to be, sometimes even unstable, but it does exist, he said.
Russia currently ranks second after the United States in the number of infections with 326,448 cases, including 3,249 deaths.  The Russian leader said a steady drop in new cases sets the stage for further lifting of restrictions, but he also emphasized the need to preserve hospital capacity in case of a new wave of contagion.
Officials have reported to Putin that the influx of COVID-19 patients, particularly those in grave condition, has fallen. Putin noted that the country's hospitals are .

Putin says coronavirus situation in Russia stabilised

Ten European Union countries on Friday expressed regret at U.S. plans to withdraw from an international treaty allowing observation flights over more than 30 countries and vowed to uphold the pact, as NATO envoys met to discuss developments.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian violations make it untenable for the United States to stay in the Open Skies Treaty. Washington has signaled that it will pull out in six months, although Trump hinted that he might reconsider the decision.
The treaty came into force in 2002. It was meant to promote trust between the U.S. and Russia by allowing signatories to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other's territories to collect information about military forces and activities.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministries of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden said the pact is a crucial element of the confidence-building framework that was created over the past ...

EU states vow to respect overflight treaty despite US plans

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had a testy exchange with a prominent black radio personality on Friday over his support among black voters and his potential running mate.
Charlamagne Tha God pressed Biden on reports that he is considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white, to be vice president and told him black voters saved your political life in the primaries" and have things they want from you.
I'm not acknowledging anybody who is being considered, Biden said.
But I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple.
A Biden aide then sought to end the interview, prompting the host to say, you can't do that to black media.
Biden responded, I do that to black media and white media and said his wife needed to use the television studio.
He then added: If you've got a problem figuring out whether you're for me or for Trump, then you ain't black.
The host countered that conversations about Biden's running mate aren't about ...

Biden: If you can't choose me over Trump, 'you ain't black'

The United States says it wants the World Health Organization to start work now on a planned independent review of its coordinated international response to the COVID-19 outbreak, at a time the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized the agency and is threatening to cut off US funding for it.
Adm Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sent a letter to the UN health agency's executive board meeting on Friday saying the United States believes the WHO can immediately initiate" preparations such as bringing together independent health experts and setting up guidelines for the review.
This review will ensure we have a complete and transparent understanding of the source, timeline of events, and decision-making process for the WHO's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wrote Giroir, who is one of the board's 34 international members. Giroir did not participate in the board's first-ever virtual meeting.
Giroir alluded to a resolution ...

US wants WHO review of COVID-19 response to start 'now'

Africa's coronavirus cases have surpassed 100,000, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, as the continent with many fragile health systems has not yet seen the high numbers of other parts of the world.
More than 3,100 people have died from COVID-19 across the continent of 1.3 billion people.
The African continent has seen roughly the same number of new cases in the past week as the week before, Africa CDC director John Nkengasong said Thursday, adding that we hope that trend continues instead of a rapid exponential increase.
While early lockdowns in many of Africa's 54 countries slowed the growth of the pandemic, Nkengasong said that doesn't mean Africa has been spared. But he said health officials are not seeing a lot of community deaths or massive flooding of our hospitals because of COVID-19.
He said the African continent needs to test about 10 times the number of people it has already tested for the coronavirus. It should strive to test at least 1 per .

Africa virus cases surpass 100,000; lockdowns slowed growth

China has reported 39 new coronavirus cases, including 35 asymptomatic infections from the first COVID-19 epicentre in Wuhan which is currently testing all of its 11.2 million population to prevent a second wave of infection.
China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Friday that out of the thirty-nine infections reported on Thursday, 35 were asymptomatic cases.
Asymptomatic cases are those who test positive for the COVID-19 but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat.
The four other infections included two locally transmitted cases in Jilin province, where a few new clusters came to surface recently.
The new cases came as China on Thursday kicked off its truncated annual political season with the commencement of a week-long meeting of the top advisory body, signalling the abatement of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NHC said 365 asymptomatic cases, including 26 from overseas, were still under medical observation.
In Wuhan, 284 people with asymptomatic symptoms were ..

China reports 39 new coronavirus cases

The ICC on Friday recommended appointing Chief Medical Officers and 14-day pre-match isolation training camps in its radical guidelines for resumption of international cricket after the novel coronavirus hiatus.
The International Cricket Council issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at resumption of cricket around the world while at the same time maintaining the highest safety protocols.
"Consider appointing a Chief Medical Officer and/or Biosafety Official who will be responsible for implementing government regulations and the biosafety plan to resume training and competition," the ICC said in one of the pointers.
Another point was, "Consider the need for a pre-match isolation training camp with health, temperature checks and CV-19 testing - e.g. at least 14 days prior to travel to ensure the team is CV-19 free."
The sport's governing body also recommended developing an appropriate testing plan during training and competition.
All cricket activities are shut since the pandemic struck 

ICC recommends 14-day isolation training camps, appointment of CMOs in guidelines

Sri Lanka's scheduled parliamentary election, which is on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, can be held on June 20 under strict adherence to the health guidelines, the government told the Supreme Court on Friday.
This came a day after Sri Lanka's independent election commission said it cannot hold parliamentary elections on June 20 as planned because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Sri Lanka in mid-April postponed the parliamentary elections by nearly two months to June 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak that has till now killed nine people and infected over 1,000 in the island nation.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on March 2 dissolved Parliament, six month ahead of schedule and called a snap election on April 25.
Hearing a petition on the fifth day of the plea filed by the Opposition and civil society groups on Friday to challenge President Rajapaksa's dismissal of Parliament to hold snap polls, the country's top court was informed that the elections were very much possible on June .

Sri Lankan Supreme Court told parliamentary election can be held on June 20 under health guidelines

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday condemned China's effort to take over national security legislation in Hong Kong, calling it a death knell for the high degree of autonomy" that Beijing had promised the territory.
The measure, submitted Friday on the opening day of China's national legislative session, is strongly opposed by pro-democracy lawmakers in semi-autonomous Hong Kong.
Pompeo weighed in as well, calling the proposal by China an effort to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of liberty. The United States strongly urges Beijing to reconsider its disastrous proposal, abide by its international obligations, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and civil liberties, which are key to preserving its special status under US law," Pompeo said in a statement.
He said the decision to ignore the will of the people of Hong Kong would be a "death knell for the high ..

Pompeo: China measure a 'death knell' for Hong Kong autonomy

A 9-year-old autistic boy has been found dead hours after his mother told police he was abducted by two men who ambushed" her during a late-night drive south of Miami, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed Friday.
An Amber Alert that had been issued for Alejandro Ripley was cancelled on Friday morning.
News outlets reported a body was pulled from a canal near the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from the spot he was allegedly abducted.
Miami-Dade police said the child's mother, Patricia Ripley, 47, told investigators she driving around 9 pm Thursday when she noticed she was being followed by a vehicle.
Ripley told investigators the driver tried to side-swipe her car, forcing her to veer onto another road.
The car then blocked her vehicle and a passenger got out and demanded drugs from her, police said.
According to police, Ripley told the man she didn't have any drugs.
At that point he took her son and her cellphone.
Authorities said the ...

Police: Boy found dead hours after mom said he was abducted

A Syrian court has ordered a travel ban on the cousin of the country's president and one of its wealthiest businessmen in the latest measure to contain a financial dispute that has pried open divisions in the Assad family.
The decision was published on the Syrian Justice Ministry's Facebook page late on Thursday.
The court said Rami Makhlouf would be temporarily banned from leaving Syria until a dispute over outstanding financial dues is settled.
There has recently been a quick succession of government measures against Makhlouf, including confiscating his assets earlier this week and warning that more financial claims would be made against the man, once believed to be at the heart of the economy of Syria.
The escalation appears aimed at wrapping what has been an unusually widely publicized family rift.
Makhlouf has defiantly and in public statements challenged the financial claims made against him, saying they are unjust and called for his cousin President Bashar Assad to be an ...

Syria bars Assad's cousin from travel amid financial dispute

Director Duncan Jones is completing his "Mooniverse" trilogy with the debut of his graphic novel "Madi: Once Upon a Time In The Future".
The book is the third and final entry in Jones' sci-fi sereis that launched in 2009 with indie film "Moon", starring Sam Rockwell in a dual role.
He followed the critical success of "Moon" with 2018 Netflix original movie Mute.
Each of these entries tell a different story set in the same universe.
"Madi" is described as a 260-page road trip graphic novel from Jones and writer Alex de Campi and centres on a mercenary, according to its page on Kickstarter.
The two collaborators partnered with artists such as Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, Duncan Fegredo, and Pia Guerra to illustrate the book with each artist taking on a different setting in the story.
The book is nearly finished and available on the Kickstarter. The artistes have already been paid and fans can buy different versions of the book at different prices.
A script version of Madi existed long ...

Duncan Jones completes 'Mooniverse' trilogy with graphic novel 'Madi'

Treatment for COVID-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, either with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, offers no benefit for COVID-19 patients, according to a large observational study.
The research, published in the journal The Lancet, analysed data from nearly 15,000 patients with COVID-19 who received chloroquine or its analogue hydroxychloroquine, taken with or without the antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin, and 81,000 controls.
According to the researchers, including Mandeep Mehra from Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, COVID-19 patients on these drug regimens, experienced an increased risk of serious heart rhythm complications.
The scientists said these drugs should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients outside of clinical trials until results from randomised clinical trials are available to confirm their safety and efficacy for COVID-19 patients.
They explained chloroquine, an antimalarial drug and its analogue, hydroxychloroquine, are commonly .

Lancet study finds no benefit for hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients

The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it has reached an agreement with authorities in Ukraine to allocate USD 5 billion to help the country cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.
This will ensure that Ukraine is well-poised to return to growth and resume broader reform efforts when the crisis ends. The arrangement is also expected to catalyze additional bilateral and multilateral financial support, said Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, the IMF official at the helm of the negotiations with Ukraine.
She added that the agreement with Ukraine was reached on staff level and requires approval by the IMF executive board.
Earlier this year, Ukraine adopted laws lifting the ban on the sale of farmland and preventing former owners of nationalised or liquidated banks from regaining ownership or receiving state compensation.
Both were listed by the IMF among conditions for providing aid to Ukraine last year.
Ukraine has so far reported over 20,000 confirmed cases of the new ...

IMF to give Ukraine $5 billion to cope with virus fallout

Nepal reported 50 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the total number of infections in the country to 507.
The coronavirus has so far claimed three lives in the country, which continues to impose a nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.
The Health and Population Ministry on Friday said another 21 COVID-19 patients had fully recovered and discharged from hospitals. The total number of coronavirus recovery cases stand at 70. There are 434 active coronavirus cases in the country.
Of the 50 new COVID-19 cases, nine were from Kapilvastu district -- eight men aged between 24 and 53 and an eight-year-old girl, the ministry said.
Similarly, 14 men aged between 22 and 39 and an 18-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus in Sarlahi district. A 73-year-old woman from Chitwan district tested COVID-19 positive.
There were five new cases from Nawalparasi district -- four males aged between 33 and 74 and a 15-year-old girl.
In Banke district, fourteen men aged between ..

Nepal reports 50 new coronavirus cases; total infections at 507

England paceman Chris Woakes is glad to be suffering the "normality" of familiar aches and pains following his first bowling net practice since the coronavirus lockdown.
Warwickshire's Woakes was back at his Edgbaston home ground in Birmingham on Thursday for an hour-long stint after being chosen for an individual session.
Batsmen and wicketkeepers are due to return from June 1.
The players are seeking to build up their fitness ahead of a three-Test series at home against the West Indies, which looks set to be rescheduled for July behind closed doors.
"It's what we know, it's what we do," Woakes told a conference call on Friday.
"Obviously it's the job, so it was nice to have some form of normality going back to some training."
England have selected 18 bowlers to take part in individual training sessions across seven grounds, with just a physiotherapist in attendance.
Under strict health measures they are not allowed to use changing rooms and must work with a set of balls they alone ..

England Test star Woakes glad of training 'normality'

The UK government is set to unveil tough new procedures later on Friday for international travellers coming into the country as the coronavirus pandemic lockdown is gradually eased, including 14-day mandatory quarantines and possible fines for a breach.
Under the plans, to be formally announced by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel at the daily Downing Street briefing, health officials would be able to carry out spot checks to ensure people comply with their self-isolation at a designated address and impose a 1,000 pound fine on anyone breaking the quarantine.
The new rules, which will also apply to British people returning from abroad, are not expected to come into force until next month.
"The reality is we are saying to people if you are going to go abroad you need to look at the fact you may well need to do quarantine when you come back," UK Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the BBC, in reference to the expected announcement.
As part of the plans, which are aimed at guarding 

International travellers to UK set to face 14-day quarantine, fines

Borussia Dortmund will again be without Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel when they travel to Wolfsburg on Saturday on the Bundesliga's second week of action since it restarted, coach Lucien Favre said.
Witsel has not recovered from muscular problems he suffered trying to regain fitness before last weekend's resumption of matches.
But former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can is fit again and available for selection as Dortmund aim to keep their pursuit of leaders Bayern Munich on track with a victory.
Giovanni Reyna, the 17-year-old son of former US international Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan Reyna, is also set to play some part after what would have been his first Bundesliga start was thwarted last weekend when he injured himself in the warmup before the 4-0 win against Schalke.
Favre also said he was still hopeful German international Marco Reus, who injured groin muscles in February before matches were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, could return to action before the end .

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