China virus toll crosses 130; Japan, U.S. evacuate citizens

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The United States and Japan flew citizens out of the Chinese city at the epicentre of a new virus outbreak on Wednesday, as the death toll rose sharply to 132 and the first case appeared in the Middle East. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is confident in

China virus toll crosses 130; Japan, U.S. evacuate citizens

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The United States and Japan flew citizens out of the Chinese city at the epicentre of a new virus outbreak on Wednesday, as the death toll rose sharply to 132 and the first case appeared in the Middle East. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is confident in

Virus in China affects sports events, Olympic qualifiers

Amid growing concern at the spread of a new virus outbreak in China, international sports have been postponed and Olympic qualifying tournaments are being taken elsewhere. The international ski federation on Wednesday canceled the first World Cup races scheduled for testing the mountain venue for alpine

British Airways suspends direct flights to mainland China amid virus fears

British Airways has suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China, one of the biggest names in aviation to do so, as worries grow about the impact of a spreading coronavirus on global travel. BA.com, the airline's website, shows no direct flights to mainland China are available to book

From marching bands to The Boss to Lady Gaga at halftime

Regardless of your musical tastes, it seems the Super Bowl halftime show has gone there. From the sublime (Tony Bennett) to the ridiculous (Janet Jackson's “uncovering”), and from Michael Jackson's moonwalks to U2's majestic remembrance of the 9/11 victims, the halftime presentations have

Syrian troops capture key town in rebel-held Idlib province

Syrian troops are in full control of a key rebel-held town in the country's northwest after days of intense fighting and airstrikes that displaced tens of thousands of people, the Syrian army said Wednesday. The capture of the town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province marks another victory for President

Navratilova sorry for protocol breach, not for Court protest

Martina Navratilova has apologized after getting caught on a technicality in her on-court campaign to have a stadium renamed at the Australian Open. Navratilova has regularly objected to Margaret Court Arena being named to honor the Australian tennis great who has become a religious minister and made

Zverev ousts Wawrinka at Australian Open; into 1st Slam semi

Alexander Zverev began 2020 with three consecutive losses, which meant he had plenty of problems -- and plenty of time on his hands ahead of the Australian Open. Zverev, a 22-year-old from Germany, reached his first major semifinal by overcoming a terrible start Wednesday at Melbourne Park and putting

UAE confirms first cases of new Chinese virus in Mideast

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday confirmed the first cases in the Mideast of the new Chinese virus that causes flu-like symptoms, saying doctors now were treating a family that had just come from a city at the epicenter of the outbreak. The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency made the announcement

The Latest: British Airways suspends flights to China

British Airways says it's immediately suspending all of its flights to and from mainland China after the U.K. government warned against unnecessary travel to the country amid a virus outbreak. The airline operates daily flights from London's Heathrow Airport to Shanghai and Beijing. It took

Factbox: Countries evacuating nationals from China virus areas

Wuhan, a city of 11 million in the province of Hubei and the epicentre of the outbreak, is in virtual lockdown and much of Hubei, home to nearly 60 million people, is under some kind of travel curb. Following are some countries' evacuation plans, and how they are planning to manage the health risk

U.S. House Democrats call for $760 billion in infrastructure spending over five years

U.S. House Democrats on Wednesday will unveil a proposed $760 billion infrastructure spending bill over five years that aims to rebuild sagging roads and bridges and reduce carbon pollution. The proposal is also intended to get U.S. President Donald Trump to return to the bargaining table. Trump campaigned

China virus turns Macau into gambling ghost town

The Chinese territory of Macau has become a near-ghost town during what is typically the busiest time of year in the world's biggest casino hub, after authorities announced a raft of measures to keep visitors away and contain the new coronavirus. The local government late on Tuesday said it would

Crash-warning device might not have saved Bryant helicopter

The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant didn’t have a recommended warning system to alert the pilot he was too close to land but it’s not clear it would have averted the crash that killed nine as the aircraft plummeted toward a fog-shrouded hillside, federal regulators and experts said. Pilot Ara Zobayan

Israel headed for clash with ICC over West Bank settlements

Emboldened by a supportive White House, Israel appears to be barreling toward a showdown with the international community over its half-century-old settlement enterprise in the West Bank. With the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court poised to launch a war crimes probe of Israel’s settlement

Toll rises to 21 from New Zealand volcano eruption

The death toll from last month's volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island rose to 21 after another person died in hospital from injuries, police confirmed on Thursday. The name of the deceased will be released after family members have been informed, New Zealand police said in a statement

Japanese evacuation flight brings back workers from Wuhan

Pastor's fight against KKK becomes movie that may aid battle

Not many years ago in a small, rural South Carolina town stood The Redneck Shop — a racist emporium and Ku Klux Klan museum housed in an old theater, where white supremacist neo-Nazis gave heil-Hitler salutes and flaunted swastikas and Rebel flags. The Rev. David Kennedy plans to transform it into a

Chinese students return to virus quarantine in Singapore

Students in Singapore have been hurriedly clearing out dormitory rooms to be used as quarantine facilities for their peers as the city-state ramps up precautionary measures against the fast-spreading coronavirus. The city-state said this week it is contacting some 2,000 people with recent travel history

Jet lands in US with Americans from China outbreak zone

An airplane that a federal official said was evacuating as many as 240 Americans from a Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak departed Wednesday has landed in the U.S. The U.S. government chartered the plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the latest coronavirus

Australian Open glance: Federer faces Djokovic for 50th time

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be playing each other for the 50th time when they meet in the semifinals at Melbourne Park. It's a blockbuster matchup between two men with a combined 36 Grand Slam trophies (Federer has a record 20, Djokovic 16), 13 Australian Open championships

No hot meals, blankets, magazines as airlines step up fight on virus

Passengers on some flights to China will have to make do without hot meals or blankets and newspapers, as airlines step up measures to protect crew and travellers from a coronavirus that has killed more than 130 in the country. Seeking to contain the spread of the new virus by reducing personal contact