The tiny Pacific nation of Micronesia banned its citizens from visiting mainland China Tuesday in the latest move by regional leaders to protect island populations highly vulnerable to infectious outbreaks.
A measles epidemic in Samoa late last year showed the devastating impact infectious outbreaks can have in remote and under-resourced Pacific islands, killing 83 people, most of them babies and toddlers.
Samoa's initial measles response was criticised for a lack of urgency and bureaucratic inertia, but preventative action against the coronavirus has been swift.
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President David Panuelo declared a state of emergency last Friday, banning anyone who had been in mainland China from January 6 from entering his country.
"It is imperative that immediate precautionary measures are put in place in FSM in order to protect (the) lives and safety of its citizens," he said in a public health declaration.
A follow-up statement Tuesday said citizens of ...

Vulnerable Pacific islands take hard line on China virus

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South Korea's largest automaker Hyundai Motor halted operations at one of its assembly lines on Tuesday because of a lack of parts due to the coronavirus outbreak in China and is reviewing a wider suspension, a company spokeswoman said.
The global car industry operates on tight supply lines and was thrown into turmoil when Japan's Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in 2011 knocked out a Renesas Electronics factory producing a vital and widely used computer chip.
The virus outbreak in China had disrupted wiring component procurement, a Hyundai spokeswoman said.
"For now, the production line for the Genesis sedans at the Number 5 plant in Ulsan has been temporarily suspended," she said.
She could not estimate when production might resume and added the company was discussing possible suspensions of operations at more plants with its labour union.
"The situation doesn't look good," she said.
The deadly virus that first appeared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan -- a centre for the auto ..

Hyundai suspends production line over China outbreak

Britain and the European Union set out clashing opening gambits on striking a post-Brexit trade deal, making it clear that each side is willing to walk away without an agreement rather than compromise on key issues.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent a bravado-filled salvo toward Brussels on Monday, three days after Britain left the bloc, the first country to exit.
In a speech to business leaders and international diplomats in London, Johnson said, "We want a free trade agreement", but not at any cost.
"I see no need to bind ourselves to an agreement with the EU," he said, insisting that the UK would "restore full sovereign control" over its borders, rules and economy.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier was equally emphatic that the EU's 27 remaining nations wouldn't agree to any British trade deal just to avoid a costly, chaotic "no-deal" at the start of 2021, when an 11-month post-Brexit transition period ends.
"We are in favour of free trade, but we are not going to be naive," ...

UK and EU clash over trade with 11 months to make a deal

Singer Thomas Yorke-fronted English rock band Radiohead is taking a "year away" from working together.
Drummer Philip Selway made the revelation in an interview with NME.
"There are always conversations going on, but we've always got other projects going on. This is kind of a year away from Radiohead, but we will pick that up again," Selway said.
Asked whether they would return in 2021, he teased, "We'll see. We're talking."
The band also features brothers guitarist Jonny and bassist Colin Greenwood, and guitarist Ed O'Brien.
Radiohead's most recent album, "A Moon Shaped Pool" released in 2016.

Radiohead to go on a year-long sabbatical

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was on Tuesday ruled out of the first two ODIs against India owing to a left shoulder injury he sustained during the third T20I here at Seddon Park.
He hadn't featured in the last two T20Is in Wellington and Mt. Maunganui afterwards. There is no official confirmation if Williamson will be available for the last ODI either, albeit he will start batting again later this week and is expected to fully recover ahead of the two-Test series beginning February 21.
Left-handed batsman Mark Chapman has been called up to the ODI squad. Tom Latham will lead the side in Williamson's absence with the series starting here on Wednesday.
Tim Southee had led New Zealand in the last two T20Is.

Williamson ruled out of first two ODIs against India

Opener Prithvi Shaw on Tuesday made a comeback in the Indian Test team for the two-match series against New Zealand and also named in the 16-man squad was Shubman Gill.
Shaw, who last played for India in October 2018,  returns to the side after Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the ODI and Test series due to a left calf muscle strain.
The two-Test series begins in Wellington on February 21.
For the three-match ODI series beginning here on Wednesday, Mayank Agarwal replaced Rohit in the side.
"Vice-captain Rohit Sharma sustained a left calf muscle strain during the fifth T20I against New Zealand at Tauranga on Sunday.
"He underwent an MRI scan in Hamilton on Monday. The opening batsman has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI and the Test series and will be referred to the National Cricket Academy for further management of his injury," said the BCCI in a statement.
India's Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane ...

Shaw makes Test comeback, Agarwal replaces Rohit for ODI series

A 39-year-old man in Hong Kong who was being treated for the novel coronavirus has died, medical authorities confirmed Tuesday, the first fatality connected to the illness in the financial hub and only the second outside of mainland China.
A spokesman for the Hospital Authority said the victim was a resident of Hong Kong who travelled to the Chinese city of Wuhan -- the epicentre of the outbreak -- on January 21 and who returned to the financial hub two days later.

Patient infected with coronavirus has died in Hong Kong: authorities

The death toll in China's coronavirus rose sharply to 425 with 64 deaths on Monday alone while 3,235 new confirmed cases were reported, taking the number of those infected with the deadly disease to 20,438, Chinese health authorities said on Tuesday.
The 64 people who died on Monday were all from the Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus, China's National Health Commission said.
Also, 3,235 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported, a big increase in a day.
Another 5,072 new suspected cases were reported on Monday, said the commission, adding that 492 patients became seriously ill.
The commission said that 2,788 patients remained in severe condition and 23,214 people were suspected of being infected with the virus, a pointer that it is increasingly turning virulent.
The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 20,438 by the end of Monday, the commission said, noting that a total of 425 people had died of the disease.
A total of 632 people 

Death toll in China's coronavirus jumps to 425, confirmed cases soar to over 20,000

Google parent Alphabet missed revenue expectations in the fourth quarter despite stellar growth at YouTube and in the cloud, earnings figures released Monday showed.
Detailing its cloud computing and YouTube revenues for the first time, Alphabet reported that profits rose 19 percent from a year ago in the quarter to nearly $10.7 billion as revenues increased 17 percent to $46 billion.
Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai touted YouTube as a revenue star at the company, with ad revenue reaching $15 billion last year in an increase of about 36 percent from 2018.
YouTube music and television premium services now have more than 20 million paid subscribers, according to Pichai.
Despite assurances by executives that Alphabet sees plenty of money-making potential ahead and is investing to capitalize on long-term trends, Alphabet shares slipped more than four percent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures.
The California tech giant, which dominates ..

Disappointing growth hits Google parent Alphabet shares

Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,500 people and was testing passengers for the new coronavirus on Tuesday after a passenger who departed in Hong Kong tested positive for the virus.
Television footage showed images of several quarantine officers entering the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the port of Yokohama on Monday evening to check the health of all 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members.
The move comes after an 80-year-old passenger who disembarked on January 25 in Hong Kong tested positive for the deadly virus.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that Japanese authorities would quarantine the vessel, which arrived at Yokohama Bay a day earlier than originally planned.
A woman in her twenties who was sailing with her mother on the ship told private broadcaster TBS on Tuesday that all passengers "were asked to stay in their rooms to wait for virus tests".
She said they had been waiting inside their room since Monday and had no word of when 

Japan quarantines 3,500 on cruise ship over new coronavirus

US President Donald Trump on Monday won the Iowa Caucus with the members of his Republican party standing solidly behind him.
While the focus of this year's Iowa Caucus  which formally kicks off the 2020 presidential season  has been on the tough race among the over a dozen odd Democratic presidential aspirants, Trump, according to the local Des Moines Register, garnered the support of more than 95 percent of his party votes Monday night when the reports last came in.
"President Trump recaptures overwhelming Iowa Republican support," Des Moines Register said.
"Republicans in Iowa, go out and Caucus today. Your great Trade Deals with China, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea and more, are DONE. Great times are coming, after waiting for decades, for our Farmers, Ranchers, Manufacturers and ALL. Nobody else could have pulled this off! Trump had said earlier in the day.
In the US presidential elections system, the political parties have to undergo a democratic exercise in each of the 50 ..

Trump wins Iowa Caucus

Americans on Monday kicked off the first vote of the 2020 presidential race as the state of Iowa opened its caucuses, the first step in determining which Democrat faces incumbent Donald Trump in November.
Just 41 Iowa delegates are up for grabs, a fraction of the 1,991 needed to secure the Democratic nomination, but the vote is a critical early look at the viability of the 11 candidates still in the race and who will carry momentum forward.
Far-left Senator Bernie Sanders and moderate former vice president Joe Biden are the frontrunners. But polling has fluctuated and Iowa's quirky caucus system -- where voting is by public declaration for a candidate and not by secret ballot -- can make the night hard to predict.

Iowa caucuses start, kicking off Democratic White House race

The Seattle City Council, one of the most powerful city councils in the US, on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning India's recently-enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Reaffirming Seattle as a welcoming city and expressing solidarity with the city's South Asian community regardless of religion and caste, the resolution "resolves that the Seattle City Council opposes the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act in India, and finds these policies to be discriminatory to Muslims, oppressed castes, women, indigenous, and LGBT people".
Introduced by Indian American City Council member Kshama Sawant, the resolution urges the Parliament of India to uphold the Indian Constitution by repealing the CAA, and to stop the National Register of Citizens, and take steps towards helping refugees by ratifying various UN treaties on refugees.
"Seattle City's decision to condemn CAA should be a message to all who wish ..

Seattle City Council passes resolution against CAA, NRC

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a career foreign service official, arrived here Monday as India's ambassador-designate to the United States.
"Ambassador of India to the United States" Sandhu "arrived this morning and assumed charge," the Indian Embassy said in a tweet soon after his arrival.
He was given a warm welcome by the Deputy Ambassador, Amit Kumar, and other senior officials at the Indian Embassy here.
A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service Official, Sandhu has had two successful stints at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC -- the last one being as Deputy Ambassador from July 2013 to January 2017.
He succeeds Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who has been promoted as the Foreign Secretary. Sandhu till last week was India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
Sandhu is soon expected to present his credentials to the US President Donald Trump at the White House.
One of the most experienced Indian diplomats on US affairs, Sandhu was Deputy Chief of Mission here from July 2013 to January 2017. Earlier, he 

Taranjt Singh Sandhu arrives in US as ambassador-designate, to present his credentials shortly

The death toll in mainland China from the new type of virus has risen to 425, with the total number of cases now standing at 20,438, officials said Tuesday.
The new figures come after the country opened a new hospital built in 10 days, infused cash into tumbling financial markets and further restricted people's movement in hopes of containing the rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact.
Japanese officials were deciding whether to quarantine more than 3,000 people on a cruise ship that carried a passenger who tested positive for the virus.
The latest figures are up from 361 deaths and 17,205 confirmed cases.
Other countries are continuing evacuations and restricting the entry of Chinese or people who have recently traveled in the country. In the province at the epicenter of the outbreak, a specialized 1,000-bed hospital started treating patients and a second hospital with 1,500 beds is to open within days.
Other countries continued evacuating citizens from hardest-hit Hubei ..

China virus death toll rises to 425, total cases now 20,438

The World Bank called on Monday for countries to step up programs to fight the new coronavirus outbreak, and said it was considering mobilizing its own resources against the disease.
"We are calling on all countries to strengthen their health surveillance and response systems, which is essential to contain the spread of this and any future outbreaks," the institution said in a statement.
"The World Bank Group is reviewing financial and technical resources that can be mobilized quickly to support affected countries," and also "closely coordinating with international partners to accelerate the international response."
Since breaking out in China, the virus has killed 425 people in the country, exceeding the 349 dead in the Chinese mainland from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which eventually killed nearly 800 globally.
The new virus has infected 17,200 people and spread to more than 20 countries amid fears it could paralyze China and harm the global ...

World Bank calls for global effort against virus

Nigeria is set to receive around $308 million seized from former military dictator Sani Abacha under a deal backed by the United States and the island of Jersey, US prosecutors said Monday.
The sum is the latest to be recovered from the accounts of Abacha, an army officer who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998 aged 54, which sparked an ongoing search for hundreds of millions of dollars he stole and hid abroad.
The repatriation of the money from Jersey, in the English Channel off the coast of northern France, follows a 2014 US court ruling authorizing the seizure of $500 million of cash laundered by Abacha in accounts worldwide, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
The $308 million recovered represents "corrupt monies laundered during and after the military regime of General Abacha" together with his son and a number of associates via US financial institutions and the purchase of bonds, the Justice Department said.
After several court challenges to the 2014 ...

Nigeria to receive $308m stolen by ex-dictator: US

Google's revenue didn't grow as much as what Wall Street expected, sending parent company Alphabet's stock down more than 4%, even as profits beat expectations.
Alphabet said Monday it earned $10.7 billion, or $15.35 per share, in the final three months of 2019. That's up 19% from $8.9 billion, or $12.77 per share, a year earlier and more than the $12.49 a share analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.
Net revenue, after subtracting advertising costs, was $37.6 billion, up 18% from $31.8 billion a year earlier. But analysts were looking for $38.4 billion.
While Google is still the clear leader in the digital advertising market, it is seeing growing competition from the likes of Facebook and Amazon.
Google - and with it, Alphabet - makes the majority of its money from selling targeted advertising across the web, apps and Google products including its search engine and video streaming site YouTube. Investors are now also closely watching the growth of Google's cloud business and its ..

Google parent Alphabet posts mixed 4Q results; profit soars

The Constitutional Court in the southern African nation of Malawi on Monday nullified the results of last year's presidential election, citing widespread, systematic and grave irregularities including significant use of correction fluid to alter the outcome.
A new vote will be held within 150 days, the court said in its unanimous ruling, saying at the end that it hoped the ruling would not "destroy the nation.' The two leading opposition candidates had challenged the narrow election win of President Peter Mutharika, alleging that irregularities affected over 1.4 million of the total 5.1 million votes cast.
Months of sometimes deadly unrest followed the announcement of the election results. The president and electoral commission acknowledged some irregularities but argued they were insufficient to affect the election's outcome.
Monday's ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court. The president's legal team refused to answer questions and hurriedly left the court premises. The attorney 

Malawi court nullifies presidential vote, orders new one

Two people were shot dead and another was wounded as an unidentified person opened fire on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus on Monday, the university police said.
The incident happened at the Pride Rock Residence Hall, they said in a tweet.
The surviving victim was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, the university police department said.
The shooter has not been identified yet.
Earlier, the police tweeted that they were investigating a crime scene and asked the campus community to shelter in place.  The university later posted a notice on its website that the "precautionary shelter in place recommendations" have been lifted, but Pride Rock and the surrounding areas remain blocked off.
Classes were also cancelled for the day, the administration said.
Police are actively investigating, they said.
As of August 2016, those who hold a current and valid concealed handgun license in Texas are allowed to carry a concealed handgun on certain parts of the campus.
Handgun ...

2 dead, 1 injured in shooting incident at Texas A&M University

The United States has requested a closed door UN Security Council meeting Thursday for President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, to present the administration's new Mideast peace plan, diplomatic sources told AFP Monday.
Kushner intends to set forth the plan that Washington unveiled last week and to listen to the positions of the council's other 14 members, the sources said.
The meeting would take place a few days before Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas comes to the United Nations -- he is expected February 11 -- to express opposition to the US plan and to demand adherence to international law.
On the occasion of Abbas' visit, the Palestinians have indicated they plan to submit a draft resolution to the Security Council, through Tunisia, a non-permanent member of the council.
The resolution's content has not been divulged as yet, but the United States would likely oppose it, using its veto, if necessary, should it gain the support of nine council members, the ..

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