World

The Little League World Series, a global youth baseball championship for pre-teen children, will not be contested in 2020, organizers said, citing issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A London judge Friday struck out elements of the Duchess of Sussex's high profile claim against a tabloid newspaper group for publishing a letter she wrote to her estranged father.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair said on Friday it planned to axe 3,000 pilot and cabin crew jobs, or 15 percent of staff, with air transport paralyzed by coronavirus.

A mosaic featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin will no longer be displayed in a grand military church being built outside Moscow after the leader objected, a cleric said on Friday.

British band Queen on Friday released a new version of their rock classic "We Are The Champions" to raise money for health workers tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

Iran has slammed Germany's ban on the activities of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement on its soil, saying it would face consequences for its decision to give in to Israeli and US pressure.

At least 10 different drug compounds ranging from cancer therapies to antipsychotics and antihistamines may be effective at preventing the new coronavirus from multiplying in the body, according to a multidisciplinary study conducted by a team of scientists in the United States and France

Beijing (AFP) - A journalist who had worked for some of China's most powerful propaganda outlets has been jailed for 15 years after being accused of attacking the ruling Communist Party, court documents showed.The sentence handed down on Chen Jieren is one of the harshest moves yet against free speech by China's government under President Xi Jinping, who has muzzled the press and ordered Chinese media outlets to serve the ruling Communist Party's interests.It comes as China faces international scrutiny over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including questions over whether authorities ...

London (AFP) - Stranded on superyachts or confined to their sprawling mansions worrying about their wine cellars, the world's super rich have invited ridicule throughout the coronavirus pandemic with their apparent insensitivity to the plight of ordinary people."Sunset last night... isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus. I'm hoping everybody is staying safe," US media mogul David Geffen wrote on his Instagram account at the end of March.  Above his message, he shared a picture of a huge yacht sailing in calm waters off islands in the Caribbean. The message triggered an avalanche of onl...

Hong Kong (AFP) - Workers were forced to scale back May Day rallies around the world on Friday because of coronavirus lockdowns, although some pushed on with online events and others hit the streets in face masks.The traditional festival of the workers' movement usually attracts millions of people to loud and boisterous marches through the streets -- and occasional violent confrontations with police forces.This year the date carries extra significance after the COVID-19 outbreak sent the global economy into a historic tailspin and put unprecedented numbers of people out of work. But with drast...

Hong Kong (AFP) - Riot police hit Hong Kong's streets on Friday ahead of planned rallies by pro-democracy protesters who were looking to defy restrictions on gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic to voice anger against authoritarian Chinese rule.The semi-autonomous financial hub was upended by seven months of violent protests last year, hammering its reputation for stability and leaving the city deeply divided.Widespread arrests, the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures ushered in four months of comparative calm. But small protests have bubbled up in the past week and activ...

Berlin (AFP) - A fringe protest group of extremists from the left and right of the political spectrum is plotting further rallies against Germany's coronavirus restrictions on Friday, to coincide with traditional May 1 demonstrations.In the capital Berlin, 5,000 police officers are set to be deployed to enforce rules which limit registered protests to 20 people on a day usually characterised by large left-wing demonstrations and street festivals.The city's hard-left scene has vowed to adapt its traditional May 1 march to observe social distancing and reduce infection risk, but authorities face...