Morocco to evacuate nationals from Wuhan area
King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Monday ordered the repatriation of 100 Moroccan nationals, mostly students, from the Wuhan area of China, which is at the centre of an outbreak of coronavirus, the Royal Cabinet said.
Catalan leader stripped of lawmaker rights, protesters scuffle with police
Catalonia’s parliament stripped the head of the region’s pro-independence government of his rights as a regional lawmaker on Monday, angering supporters who scuffled with police outside the assembly.
‘Stunning defeat’: Fujimori’s ghost fades in Peru after legislative gamble
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra took a gamble last year when he shuttered Congress after a bruising battle over a corruption crackdown with opposition lawmakers allied to the powerful Fujimori political dynasty.
German car supplier Webasto halts China corporate travel over coronavirus: spokeswoman
The German auto supplier Webasto has halted all corporate travel to and from China because of the coronavirus outbreak and the infection of an employee, a spokeswoman for the company said on Monday.
Iraq’s Abdul Mahdi stresses the importance of de-escalation in the region
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stressed, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, the importance of de-escalation in the region, according to a statement from his office.
DNA tests show Belgian ex-king is father of artist, lawyer says
DNA tests have revealed that Belgium’s former King Albert II is the biological father of Belgian artist Delphine Boel, a lawyer for the retired monarch said on Monday, putting an end to a decade-long paternity claim.
Auschwitz survivor returns to death camp for final time
Edith Notowicz first saw Nazi SS doctor Josef Mengele when she arrived at the Auschwitz extermination camp in May 1944, after several days crammed into a cattle train so packed that by journey’s end she and her family had to sit on the dead.
Lebanon’s parliament passes 2020 budget amid financial crisis
Lebanon’s parliament passed the 2020 budget on Monday although its finance committee chief said the forecast revenues might be unrealistic as the country wrestles with a major economic and financial crisis.
Wary of Iran, Gulf Arab states seen shrugging off new Lebanese government
Gulf Arab states have long channeled funds into Lebanon’s fragile economy but its rich neighbors, alarmed by the rising influence of their arch-rival Iran’s ally Hezbollah, now appear loath to help ease Beirut’s worst financial crisis in decades.
Brexit withdrawal deal must be implemented ‘with rigor’: EU’s Barnier
The European Union will monitor the Northern Ireland elements of Britain’s Brexit agreement very closely and will not allow London to re-open the deal “under the guise of implementation,” the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said on Monday.
