Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused China of suppressing criticism of its response to the deadly novel coronavirus and said it had made the outbreak worse. HRW chief Kenneth Roth also criticised the Chinese government's lockdown on various cities in an attempt to contain the virus as a "sledgehammer" approach. "There have been big problems in China's response to the coronavirus that have worsened the outbreak," Roth told reporters in Geneva, although he also said China d

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump drew on staunch Republican support to defeat the gravest threat yet to his three-year-old presidency on Wednesday, winning acquittal in the Senate on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Only the third US leader ever placed on trial, Trump readily defeated the Democratic-led effort to expel him from office for having illicitly sought help from Ukraine to bolster his 2020 re-election effort. Trump immediately claimed &

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- US silver screen legend Kirk Douglas, the son of Jewish Russian immigrants who rose through the ranks to become one of Hollywood's biggest-ever stars, has died, his family said Wednesday. He was 103. One of the last survivors of the golden age of cinema and the father of Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker Michael Douglas, the "Spartacus" actor was renowned for the macho tough guy roles he took on in around 90 movies over a six-decade career. "It is with trem

BEIJING (AFP) -- The number of confirmed infections in China's coronavirus outbreak has reached 24,324 nationwide with 3,887 new cases reported, the National Health Commission said Wednesday. In its daily update, the commission said there had been 65 new deaths from the virus -- all in hardest-hit Hubei province, bringing the national toll to 490. (AFP)

MANCHESTER (AFP) -- Democratic White House candidate Pete Buttigieg seized a shock lead in the chaotic Iowa caucuses, closely trailed by leftist senator Bernie Sanders, according to partial returns released on Tuesday after an embarrassing delay in reporting the results. Progressive standard-bearer Elizabeth Warren was in third place followed by Joe Biden, a disappointing showing for the former vice president who has claimed he is best positioned to defeat Donald Trump in November. Buttigieg,

BEIJING (AFP) -- The number of confirmed deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak spiked to 425, after authorities in Hubei province reported 64 new fatalities Tuesday. In its daily update, figures from the health commission in Hubei, which has been hit hardest by the virus, also showed a sharp increase in confirmed infections with 2,345 new cases. That puts the national total at 19,550, based on numbers previously issued by the central government. The epidemic, which has spiralled into a gl

BEIJING (AFP) -- China's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared past 360 on Monday, with deepening global concern about the outbreak and governments closing their borders to people from China. The fresh toll came a day after China imposed a lockdown on a major city far from the epicentre and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. Authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 56 new fatalities, with one reported in the

LONDON (AFP) -- Steven Bergwijn's debut goal helped Tottenham to a remarkable 2-0 win over 10-man Manchester City on Sunday to breathe new life into their challenge for a top-four finish in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho's men had been completely outplayed for the first hour, but were kept in the game by City's profligacy and Hugo Lloris's first-half penalty save from Ilkay Gundogan. However, Oleksandr Zinchenko's sending off changed the course of the game as Spurs scored with their first

BEIJING (AFP) -- The Philippines reported the first death on Sunday outside of China from a new coronavirus, deepening global fears about an epidemic that has claimed more than 300 lives. The first foreign fatality came as an increasing number of governments around the world closed their borders to people from China in a bid to stop it spreading. Since emerging from the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected 14,000 people across China and spread to 24 count

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- As the United Nations enters its 75th year, the world is still rife with mistrust: the United States remains the dominant superpower but is on the wane, while Asian power is growing in the face of an increasingly fractured Europe, with an explosive Middle East sandwiched in between. In the New York headquarters of the United Nations, the Cold War never really ended, as demonstrated by a scene recently observed in its hallowed hallways: a US diplomat spotted hiding behin

LONDON (AFP) -- Britain began an uncertain future outside the European Union on Saturday, as it gears up for likely gruelling negotiations on future relations with the EU after the historic end to almost half a century of membership. There was joy and sadness on Friday night as the EU's often reluctant member became the first to leave an organisation set up to forge unity among nations after the horrors of World War II. Little has changed yet as the UK is now in an 11-month transition pe

BEIJING (AFP) -- The number of confirmed deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak rose to 304, as authorities in hardest-hit Hubei province on Sunday reported 45 new fatalities. In its daily update, figures from the provincial health commission also showed a sharp increase in confirmed infections in Hubei, with 1,921 new cases. That puts the national total over 13,700, based on numbers previously issued by the central government. The virus is believed to have emerged in December in the provi

BEIJING (AFP) - The nationwide death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak has risen to 213, with nearly 2,000 new cases confirmed, the National Health Commission said on Friday. In its daily update, the commission said 43 new deaths had occurred as a result of the virus, all but one of them in hardest-hit Hubei province where the virus first emerged. The latest numbers indicate that the daily death count and the overall spread of the virus within China were continuing to grow steadily, despit

GENEVA (AFP) -- The UN health agency on Thursday declared an international emergency over the deadly novel coronavirus from China -- a rarely used designation that could lead to improved international co-ordination in tackling the disease. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems," World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as he declared a "public health emergency of international concern&q

BEIJING (AFP) -- China ordered its farmers to ramp up food production Thursday following days of rising prices, with agricultural supplies disrupted by a deadly viral outbreak. The government in Beijing has taken extraordinary steps to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, restricting transport across the country and effectively locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei province, the epicentre of the disease. But officials said some local initiatives, such as roadblocks to stop tr

WUHAN (AFP) -- The nationwide death toll from China's viral epidemic has leapt to 170, the government said on Thursday, with more than 1,700 new infections confirmed. Thirty-seven of the 38 new deaths came in hard-hit Hubei province, the epicentre of a contagion that is causing mounting global fear. Another death occurred in southwestern Sichuan province, the National Health Commission reported. Tibet also reported its first case, the commission said. The 38 new deaths marked the biggest s

GHAZNI (AFP) -- A US military jet crashed in mountainous territory in eastern Afghanistan, where there is a heavy Taliban presence, the Pentagon confirmed Monday, rejecting the insurgents' suggestions that it was shot down. Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as a military airborne communications node in the region. "While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indi

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Global stocks and oil dropped Monday as panicked investors fled risky assets for safer bets gold, bonds, the dollar and the yen, after China warned that a deadly new coronavirus was spreading fast. Luxury goods makers and airlines suffered particularly on equity markets, as Chinese tourist spending is a key factor for them. Shares of energy and technology companies were also weak. China extended its traditional Lunar New Year holidays to buy time in the fight against the epi

GENEVA (AFP) -- The World Health Organization said Monday it remained unclear if the deadly coronavirus spreading in China and beyond is contagious during its incubation period, before symptoms appear. The virus, which can cause a pneumonia-like acute respiratory infection, has in a matter of weeks killed more than 80 people and infected some 2,740 in China, while cases have been identified in more than a dozen other countries. In a fresh report on the new virus, known as 2019nCoV, the UN hea

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Nine people were killed in the helicopter crash which claimed the life of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Los Angeles officials confirmed on Sunday. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said eight passengers and the pilot of the aircraft died in the accident. "There were no survivors... There were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individuals," Villanueva said. Early reports on Sunday said five people had been on board the hel