Master, president, god? On the trail of Peru’s mysterious new political power broker
In Peru’s capital, a group dressed in biblical-style robes, veils, and sandals gathered one recent Sunday night to celebrate an unlikely victory: their congregation had overnight become a major force in the country’s new Congress.
Coronavirus fear: UK stocks and bonds tumble, PM to chair emergency meeting
British stocks had the biggest intraday fall since 2008 and benchmark bond yields turned negative for the first time on Monday on investor fears that the coronavirus outbreak could stall the global economy.
Judge says downing of MH17 ‘almost incomprehensible’ as murder trial begins
A Dutch judge described as “almost incomprehensible” the 2014 shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine that killed all 298 passengers and crew on board, as the trial of three fugitive Russians and a Ukrainian began on Monday near Amsterdam.
Qatar suspends schools and universities because of coronavirus outbreak: state news agency
Qatar announced on Monday it was suspending schools and universities from Tuesday, March 10 to control the coronavirus outbreak, according to the state news agency.
Tokyo man dies from new coronavirus: Kyodo News
A man in his 90s living in Tokyo has died from the coronavirus on Monday, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the Tokyo government.
Even mask-wearers can be ID’d, China facial recognition firm says
A Chinese company says it has developed the country’s first facial recognition technology that can identify people when they are wearing a mask, as most are these days because of the coronavirus, and help in the fight against the disease.
Turkey’s Babacan applies to launch new party, calls for more democracy
A former close ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan applied on Monday to register a new political party to challenge his ruling AK Party, saying Turkey needed a “fresh start” and calling for reforms to strengthen the rule of law and democracy.
South Korea sees coronavirus ‘stable phase’ but ‘too early to be optimistic’
South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed guarded hope for the country’s fight against the coronavirus on Monday, saying a downward trend in new infections could lead to a phase of stability, but he warned that it was too early to be optimistic.
Malaysia’s new PM names CIMB chief executive as new finance minister
Malaysia’s new prime minister on Monday named CIMB group chief executive Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as finance minister, as he unveiled his cabinet after a week of political turmoil that saw the end of Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.
Afghan president-elect delays inauguration to continue talks with rival
Afghan President-elect Ashraf Ghani on Monday delayed his planned inauguration ceremony until the afternoon, as his rival Abdullah Abdullah also postponed a scheduled competing swearing-in ceremony.
