Teenage Afghan guitar player eyes Taliban peace deal with trepidation
Like many young Afghans, 13-year-old music student Sara Habib is nervous about an agreement between the Taliban and the United States due to be signed in Doha on Saturday, which would include pulling U.S. troops out of the country after 18 years.
Bombardment intensifies in Tripoli, patients evacuated
Bombardment of the Libyan capital Tripoli intensified on Friday, residents said, forcing the evacuation of some patients from a hospital near the capital’s only functioning airport and prompting condemnation by the United Nations.
Coronavirus now poses ‘very high’ risk at global level: WHO
The risk of a global spread and impact of the coronavirus is now “very high”, the highest level of alarm, but containment is still possible, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Spanish court refuses U.S. extradition request for ex-Venezuelan minister
Spain’s High Court on Friday denied a U.S. extradition request for former Venezuelan minister Javier Alvarado Ochoa in connection with an investigation into money-laundering.
Italian with coronavirus in Nigeria was not isolated for almost 48 hours
An Italian man who has been confirmed as Nigeria’s first coronavirus case after arriving from Milan was in the country for almost two full days, traveling through Lagos and visiting another state before being isolated.
Both Illinois coronavirus patients recovered and returned home-governor
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Friday said that the state had “successfully contained” the coronavirus to two confirmed cases, with both patients recovering fully and returning home.
White House adviser: Markets have ‘gone too far’ amid coronavirus
Global markets “have gone too far” and investors should not overreact, the White House’s top economic adviser said on Friday as a massive sell-off continued amid fears the coronavirus epidemic could spiral into a pandemic.
Airlines at center of storm as coronavirus spreads
European airlines stepped up their warnings over the coronavirus outbreak on Friday, with British Airways-owner IAG and Finnair flagging a hit to profits and easyJet reporting a big drop in demand into and out of a virus-affected region in Italy.
Vatican says pope ‘slightly unwell’, dismisses speculation
The Vatican moved on Friday to dismiss speculation that Pope Francis was anything more than “slightly unwell” as the 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader canceled official audiences for the second day.
Pompeo: ‘significant reduction’ in Afghanistan violence
The United States has seen a significant reduction in violence in Afghanistan during the past six days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, one day before Washington hopes to sign a U.S.-Taliban deal on an American troop withdrawal.
