Trump, Qatari leader agree Taliban need to reduce violence in Afghanistan, White House says
U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani agreed in a phone call on Wednesday on the importance of the Taliban reducing violence in Afghanistan, the White House said in a statement.
Libya’s GNA focused on Tripoli battle, interior minister says
Libya’s internationally recognised government is focused on trying to push its enemies out of artillery range of Tripoli after making advances in the main western battle fronts last week, the interior minister said.
Egypt amends emergency laws amid coronavirus outbreak
Egypt’s parliament approved on Wednesday amendments to the country’s emergency laws that give expanded powers to the presidency and the military prosecution as authorities try to counter the new coronavirus outbreak.
Factbox: Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world
Reported cases of the coronavirus have crossed 2.57 million globally and 178,574 people have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 1400 GMT on Wednesday.
Brazil’s Sao Paulo state to gradually reopen economy on May 11
Brazil’s Sao Paulo state plans to gradually reopen its economy in a “safe” way starting on May 11 by relaxing some social distancing measures put in place to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, Governor Joao Doria said on Wednesday.
Stephen Hawking’s family give his ventilator to UK hospital
The family of acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking has donated his ventilator to a hospital that had treated him in Cambridge, the English university city where he lived and worked, to help care for COVID-19 patients.
Bahrain extends closure measures for two weeks starting April 23
Bahrain extended the closure measures it took to limit the spread of coronavirus for two additional weeks which set to start from April 23 until May 7, state news agency reported on Wednesday.
Canada police face criticism for poor communication during mass shooting
Canadian police are facing mounting criticism for using social media and not a provincial emergency alert system to notify the public that a gunman was at large for some 13 hours after he murdered the first of his 22 victims over the weekend.
The bridesmaids wore masks: Colombian couple meets, marries in coronavirus shelter
The wedding was traditional – a white dress for the bride, a suit for the groom and a large entourage of around 240 guests.
Ex-Georgian president Saakashvili poised for another political comeback in Ukraine
The former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, said on Wednesday he had been invited to become deputy prime minister of Ukraine in charge of driving reforms, in what would mark another comeback for the maverick politician.
