Merkel protegee struggles to assert control after far-right row
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s would-be successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, struggled to assert her control over her conservative party on Friday after a regional branch defied her by backing a local leader helped into office by the far right.
Passenger plane makes emergency landing to avoid coming under Syrian fire: Russia
A passenger plane carrying 172 passengers from Tehran to Damascus made an emergency landing at the Russian-controlled Hmeimim Air Base in Syria on Thursday to avoid coming under fire from Syrian air defenses, Russia said on Friday.
Coronavirus cases on cruise ship marooned off Japan rise to 61
Dozens more people on a cruise ship quarantined in a Japanese port tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and thousands of passengers remained confined to their cabins, only allowed on deck briefly for fresh air.
“We will be independent,” Catalan regional leader says
Catalonia’s regional leader Quim Torra told Reuters on Friday that he wants to agree on a date for an independence referendum as part of talks with the Spanish government, arguing that the region’s path towards secession is “irreversible”.
Roll up! Mexico’s presidential plane to be raffled off at 500 pesos a ticket
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will raffle off his predecessor’s luxury plane in a bid to raise funds for the country’s public hospitals, he announced on Friday.
Scientists question work suggesting pangolin coronavirus link
Independent scientists questioned research on Friday that suggested that the outbreak of coronavirus disease spreading from China might have passed from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins.
Italy contradicts China over possible air traffic restart
Italy on Friday contradicted China’s assertions over a possible resumption of flights between the two countries, in a move that could further raise diplomatic tensions after Rome’s decision to shut air traffic due to the coronavirus emergency.
India extends detention of Kashmir’s political leaders
India has extended the detention of four political leaders in Kashmir and a prominent lawyer who have been held since August to quell dissent after the federal government stripped the region of its autonomy, officials and a lawyer said on Friday.
Factbox: Events affected due to coronavirus epidemic
The following is a list of international sports events affected by the coronavirus, which has killed almost 640 people and infected over 31,100 in China after it first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year:
Death of Chinese coronavirus doctor sparks online anger at government
A Chinese doctor reprimanded for warning against a “SARS-like” coronavirus before it was officially recognised died of the illness on Friday, triggering online expressions of anger at the government and fuelling suspicions of censorship.
