Iraqi religious authorities say U.S. air strike hit civilian airport
A U.S air strike hit an Iraqi civilian airport under construction in the holy Shi’ite Muslim city of Kerbala and killed one worker, Iraqi religious authorities said on Friday.
Catholics rail against ‘Christ in quarantine’ church closures in Rome
Catholics criticized a cardinal’s order to close churches in Rome on Friday to help contain the spread of coronavirus and Pope Francis cautioned against “drastic measures”.
Singapore revises electoral boundaries as election looms
Singapore has revised its electoral boundaries, an official report said on Friday, a move usually seen as a precursor to a general election, which one analyst saw as imminent, before a coronavirus outbreak could worsen.
South African ex-president Zuma’s bid to stop corruption trial is rejected
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has rejected former president Jacob Zuma’s application to appeal a lower court’s decision that he should stand trial for corruption, a registrar of the court said on Friday.
Swiss court overturns acquittal of Muslim group officials in video case
Switzerland’s highest court overturned the acquittals of two officials from the country’s biggest Islamic religious group and rejected a third’s appeal of his conviction, in a case over videos that prosecutors say illegally glorified violence.
Expainer: Keep calm and carry on – what is the logic behind Britain’s coronavirus bet?
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cautioned that more families will lose their loved ones to the coronavirus but has taken a distinctly different approach to tackling the outbreak.
World’s biggest water fights called off as Southeast Asia scales back New Year
Southeast Asian countries are cancelling or scaling back traditionally boisterous Buddhist New Year celebrations next month, citing the coronavirus pandemic as they call off water-soaked street parties and festivals.
Kenya bans public events after confirming first coronavirus case
Kenya has banned all major public events after confirming East Africa’s first case of the new coronavirus, a woman who had returned to the capital Nairobi from the United States, the health minister said on Friday.
Croatia closes down schools for two weeks for coronavirus: PM
Croatia has decided to close schools and universities for two weeks, starting from Monday, to fight the spreading of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday.
WHO officials rethink epidemic messaging amid pandemic debate
The World Health Organization is considering changing the way it classifies and describes international epidemics, amid a protracted public debate over whether to call the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic.
