Ex-Kremlin aide says Ukraine will never reclaim rebel east
MOSCOW — A former senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine will never be able to regain control over the country’s separatist-controlled east, where Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces have fought for almost six years.
Syrian army hits civilian sites in relentless Idlib campaign
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces bombed civilian targets in the northwestern Idlib province Wednesday, pushing ahead with a fierce military campaign that has sent nearly a million people fleeing from their homes and killed hundreds over the past three months.
China slams US over ‘attack’ on its candidate to UN body
GENEVA — A Chinese ambassador on Wednesday ripped into the U.S. for an “attack” on China’s candidate to head a United Nations agency that monitors and tracks intellectual property like patents, trademarks and industrial designs — a lucrative and crucial part of the growing digital age.
World battles virus epidemic as cases multiply outside China
SEOUL, South Korea — Crews scrubbed everything from money to buses, military bases were on high alert and quarantines were enforced Wednesday from a beachfront resort in the Atlantic to a remote island in the Pacific, as the world worked to halt the fast-spreading virus that for the first time counted more new cases outside China than inside the country, where the epidemic originated.
Pope observes usual Ash Wednesday customs in time of virus
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis celebrated the Ash Wednesday ritual that marks the opening of the Catholic Church’s Lenten season in traditional fashion while greeting the public in Rome as other Masses were canceled in northern Italy over fears of the coronavirus outbreak.
Desperate to stop virus’ spread, countries limit travel
SEOUL, South Korea — Officials scrambled Tuesday to halt the spread of the burgeoning new virus, from northern Italy where troops were dispatched to enforce quarantines and schools were shuttered, to South Korea, where some neighborhoods in a city of 2.5 million were brought to a near standstill.
Iran says official who played down virus fears is infected
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who had urged the public not to overreact about its spread has tested positive for the illness himself, authorities said Tuesday, as new cases emanating from the country rapidly emerged across the Middle East.
Italy sees virus cases rise 45%; 11 dead
ROME — Italy reported a 45% one-day increase in people infected with the coronavirus as other countries in Europe recorded their first cases Tuesday, producing evidence that travelers are carrying the virus from the European outbreak’s current epicenter.
Mubarak, Egypt’s autocrat ousted in uprising, dies at 91
CAIRO — Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian leader who was the autocratic face of stability in the Middle East for nearly 30 years before being forced from power in an Arab Spring uprising, died Tuesday, state-run TV announced. He was 91.
Syrian troops press ahead with campaign as strikes kill 16
ANKARA, Turkey — Airstrikes on rebel-controlled northwest Syria killed at least 16 people Tuesday, including two students and two teachers, opposition activists said, as government forces captured a town considered a symbol of the uprising against President Bashar Assad.
Japan govt panel experts say ship quarantine was not perfect
TOKYO — Japanese health officials and experts on a government panel acknowledged Monday that the quarantine of the virus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess was not perfect, but defended Japan’s decision to release about 1,000 passengers after 14 days.
Virus pushes beyond Asia, taking aim at Europe, Mideast
SEOUL, South Korea — The new virus took aim at a broadening swath of the globe Monday, with officials in Europe and the Middle East scrambling to limit the spread of an outbreak that showed signs of stabilizing at its Chinese epicenter but posed new threats far beyond.
Italy tries to contain virus as isolated towns hunker down
CODOGNO, Italy — Police manned checkpoints around quarantined towns in Italy’s north on Monday and residents stocked up on food as the country became the focal point of the outbreak in Europe and fears of its cross-border spread.
UN reiterates support for 2-state Israel-Palestine solution
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council on Monday reiterated its support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
German man drives car into Carnival crowd, injures 30
BERLIN — A man intentionally drove a car into a crowd at a Carnival parade in a small town in central Germany, injuring around 30 people including children, officials said Monday.
South Korea put on high alert, Italy battles virus outbreak
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president said Sunday that he was putting his country on its highest alert for infectious diseases, ordering officials to take “unprecedented, powerful” steps to fight a soaring viral outbreak, while a continent away in Italy, authorities battled to contain Europe’s first major outbreak of the virus.
Italy cancels Venice Carnival in bid to halt spread of virus
CODOGNO, Italy — Italy scrambled Sunday to check the spread of the new viral disease amid rapidly rising numbers of infections in the country and a third death, calling off the Venice Carnival attended by thousands of revelers, scrapping major league soccer matches in the stricken area and shuttering theaters, including Milan’s legendary La Scala.
Nine dead in Turkey as 5.7 earthquake strikes western Iran
ANKARA, Turkey — Nine people were killed in eastern Turkey by a magnitude 5.7 earthquake early Sunday morning, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
Germany’s Social Democrats on course to win in Hamburg vote
BERLIN — The center-left Social Democrats won the most votes in the Hamburg state election Sunday, according to projections, followed by the environmentalist Green party in a vote that was overshadowed by a racist massacre and political turmoil in Germany.
Colombians grapple with a big problem: wandering hippos
DORADAL, Colombia — Maria Jaramilla awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of her panicked mule. When she looked out across her small yard, her confusion turned to shock: A hippopotamus had wandered down her driveway and was inspecting her house.