German asparagus season faces peril as coronavirus shuts out pickers
German growers of white asparagus, an expensive delicacy savoured by food lovers in spring, fear this year’s harvest may go to waste as coronavirus lockdowns shut out seasonal pickers from Eastern Europe.
Dutch-Belgian border village left half open, half shut by virus
Measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus have created an odd situation in a village straddling the Dutch-Belgian border where opposite sides of the road are in different countries.
Mali opposition leader taken hostage with six others: party
Mali’s main opposition leader Soumaila Cisse is being held hostage with six members of his delegation, his party said on Thursday, after they were attacked on the campaign trail in a region where jihadists often strike.
Russia thanks ‘real friend’ Jack Ma for gift of a million masks
Russia has received more than a million masks and 200,000 coronavirus testing kits as a gift from Chinese billionaire businessman Jack Ma, its Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. indicts Venezuela’s Maduro, a political foe, for ‘narco-terrorism’
The U.S. government on Thursday indicted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and more than a dozen other top Venezuelan officials on charges of “narco-terrorism,” the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign aimed at ousting th…
Kenya confirms first coronavirus death
Kenya confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday, government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said, without providing further details.
Coronavirus death toll in Italy’s Lombardy rises by more than 385 in a day: source
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy’s contagion, has risen by more than 385 in a day to around 4,860, a source familiar with the data said on Thursday.
South Africa coronavirus cases exceed 900, Ramaphosa urges G20 aid
The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa jumped to more than 900 on Thursday and President Cyril Ramaphosa called for richer countries to help African nations deal with the economic fallout, hours before the start of a countrywide lockdown.
U.S.-led forces depart Iraqi military base near Mosul in drawdown
Troops with the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State began departing an air base in northern Iraq on Thursday, handing it over fully to the Iraqi military as part of a reduction of foreign forces in the country.
Netanyahu and Gantz move closer to unity government in surprise twist
A surprise maneuver on Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, Benny Gantz, appeared to herald a political partnership that could keep the long-ruling Israeli leader in power.
