Double take as Brazil’s Bolsonaro hams it up with impersonator
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro sent out a trumpet-playing, banana-throwing impersonator to work a crowd in Brasilia on Wednesday, before joining him for a standup routine in one of the most surreal moments of his unorthodox presidency.
France says it now has 285 confirmed cases of coronavirus
France has 285 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Wednesday, which in an increase of 73 compared to a day earlier.
Ukraine president jettisons PM in search for ‘new brains’ to revive economy
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy ousted Oleksiy Honcharuk as prime minister after just six months in a reshuffle on Wednesday, saying that “new brains and new hearts” were required to revive the economy and tackle corruption.
Iraq announces first coronavirus death in capital
Iraq announced on Wednesday its first coronavirus death in the capital Baghdad, the health ministry said.
Peace eludes parts of Colombia as humanitarian situation worsens: ICRC
Peace eludes many parts of Colombia and conditions worsened in 2019 as forced displacements and attacks against medical missions increased, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
U.S. carries out air strike on Taliban, calls for halt to ‘needless attacks’
The United States on Wednesday carried out its first air strike on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan since the two sides signed a troop withdrawal agreement on Saturday.
‘Putin’s cook’ seeks to distance himself from U.S. election meddling
A Russian businessman dubbed “Putin’s cook” for his close ties to Russia’s president sought in a court filing on Wednesday to distance himself and his company from accusations by American prosecutors of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
Singaporean defeats Chinese candidate to head U.N. patent office
A Singaporean beat a Chinese candidate in the race to lead the world patent office, heading off Beijing’s bid for a fifth U.N. leadership role, much to the satisfaction of the United States.
North Korea exported sand to China in violation of U.N. sanctions, group says
For several months last year, a steady stream of ships was observed dredging sand in a North Korean bay then transporting it to China, a Washington-based think-tank said on Wednesday.
Italian coronavirus death toll jumps to 107, all schools shut
Italy closed all schools and universities and prepared other emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe’s worst-hit country as the death toll and number of cases jumped.
