Google News - TRT World

Turkey says UAE spreading chaos in Middle East

Turkey has accused the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday of bringing chaos to the Middle East through its interventions in Libya and Yemen, allegations which are likely to inflame tensions between the regional rivals. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was responding to criticism of Turkey's role in the Libyan conflict, where it has deployed military personnel to support the internationally recognised government in Tripoli. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt and some other countries including France back warlord Khalifa Haftar's militias, which are trying to topple the Libyan UN-backed government...

TRT World1 hour ago

Nearly 1,000 Africa health workers contracted virus - WHO

Nearly a thousand health workers, mostly nurses, have contracted coronavirus in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, as the world marks International Nurses Day 2020. "Stakeholders must ensure that nurses have the supplies and equipment they need to deliver care safely. Nurses are essential in keeping communities healthy! #NursesDay2020," the WHO African Region tweeted. The day is observed on May 12 every year to mark the contributions of nurses to the society. It also celebrates the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, a British social reformer and the founder...

TRT World1 hour ago

UK reports another spike in coronavirus deaths – latest updates

Tuesday, May 12 UK coronavirus death toll rises to 32,692, an increase of 627 A total of 32,692 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in the United Kingdom, a rise of 627 in a 24-hour period, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. India announces huge relief package Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will spend the equivalent of nearly 10 percent of the country's GDP on a virus economic relief package designed to make the world's second-most populous nation more self-reliant. “The package’s main aim is to build a self-reliant India,” Modi ...

TRT World2 hours ago

Air travel to get a corona makeover

What does the novel coronavirus need to keep spreading? Plenty of people, crammed spaces, proximity and perhaps a bit of oversight. Airports and airlines meet all those requirements. When thousands of people from different countries or cities are converging at one place, the job of maintaining social distancing becomes a daunting challenge. The fact that many of the Covid-19 patients don’t show any symptoms make the job of aviation officials to fight the pathogen even more difficult. Air travel has come to a near halt with jets being grounded and airlines going belly up under the weight of ...

TRT World2 hours ago

London nurses mark Florence Nightingale's bicentenary

Nurses in central London admired a giant projection of Florence Nightingale onto the buildings of Guys and St Thomas' hospitals on Monday night to mark 200 years since her birth and her legacy to modern nursing. The projection will be repeated on Tuesday night and includes a tribute to all those who serve today in the care sector. Nightingale became famous after she and a small team of nurses travelled to modern-day Istanbul in 1854 to treat British soldiers wounded in the Crimean War, in which British, French and Ottoman forces fought the Russian Empire. In a filthy hospital she saw thousa...

TRT World2 hours ago

Coronavirus may push more asylum seekers towards EU - agency

The coronavirus lockdown has cut the number of asylum seekers able to reach Europe, but the pandemic could trigger more arrivals in future if it worsens turmoil to the Middle East and North Africa, the European Union asylum agency said. With global travel all but grounded, the EASO agency said that in March the bloc logged only about half as many asylum claims as in February. The bloc's border agency has also said illegal crossings into Europe halved from February to March. But EASO said coronavirus outbreaks in the Middle East and North Africa could potentially cause food shortages, destab...

TRT World3 hours ago

What is Facebook’s new ‘oversight board’?

Social media giant Facebook has announced the initial 20 members for its oversight board, a quasi-independent panel that is tasked with making decisions on contentious issues. The board’s members were named by Facebook and hail from a broad swathe of regions around the world. They include Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Yemen, Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of the British newspaper The Guardian, and Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former prime minister of Denmark. The oversight committee is aimed at deciding on tricky content issues, like whether Facebook or Inst...

TRT World5 hours ago

Who is Iraq's prime minister-designate and will he stay in power?

Under intense protests and growing economic crisis, Iraq has finally found a new prime minister, Mustafa al Kazimi, a Shia political figure, who led the Iraqi National Intelligence Service until last month, when he was designated the top government post. Kazimi, a 53-year-old former journalist, is known to be a pragmatist, a quality thought to have put him in this position to help bring together opposing sides in the politically fractured country. On Wednesday, during a parliamentary session, Kazimi pledged that he "will provide solutions, not add to the crises”. But Mehmet Bulovali, an Ira...

TRT World5 hours ago

Tripoli trapdoor trounces Khalifa Haftar

It has not been a good year for Khalifa Haftar. The Libyan warlord has made a career of costly failures, but even by his standards, the gamble to capture Libya’s capital Tripoli and cement his place as the country’s generalissimo has proven costly. Haftar, and his so-called Libyan National Arab Army, long reaped the benefits of two perfect storms – the incompetence of their rivals in the aftermath of the 2011 revolt, and the willingness of foreign sponsors to foot the bill for the ageing warlord’s ambitions in the name of stability. With the year-long Arab Army assault on Tripoli and its en...

TRT World6 hours ago

Turkey lambasts joint declaration on Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey severely criticised the joint declaration by Greece, Egypt, France, the Greek Cypriot administration and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) alleging that Turkey’s activities are "illegal" in Eastern Mediterranean. "The joint declaration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Greece, GCA, France and the UAE on the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya, is a case in point of the hypocrisy of a group of countries who are seeking regional chaos and instability through the policies they pursue and seeing no harm in sacrificing the democratic aspirations of the peoples to the callous aggressi...

TRT World6 hours ago

Russia to investigate safety of ventilators after hospital fire kills five

Russian authorities said they would look into the safety of artificial lung ventilators being used at two hospitals after a fire broke out in St Petersburg at one of them on Tuesday morning and killed five people. The blaze erupted after a ventilator in an intensive care ward treating 20 patients with the novel coronavirus burst into flames, one source told the TASS news agency. It was the second fire to break out at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in less than a week. A similar fire erupted at a Moscow hospital on Saturday, killing one person. A TASS law enforcement source said th...

TRT World6 hours ago

Gulf rights group slams UAE culture of ‘impunity’

A US-based Gulf rights group has slammed the culture of ‘impunity’ that it says allows human rights abuses in the UAE to take place. The report by Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) accuses the UAE of instituting an autocratic police state through the use of widespread censorship laws and its surveillance infrastructure. According to the rights group, tactics used by Emirati authorities to stifle dissent include the censorship of critical reporting on the royal families that rule each emirate and through direct initmidation of dissidents through the use of torture a...

TRT World6 hours ago

Europe's undocumented migrants eat once a day to survive the pandemic

The economic impact of the pandemic is being felt across the globe amongst different sectors of society - from furloughed workers to small business facing challenges. For others in more vulnerable positions like undocumented Africans across Europe and their dependent families back home, lockdowns have made life difficult. "Imagine being without work and without an income,” said Farah, a 38-year-old undocumented Algerian in Madrid. “I’ve been eating one meal a day and it’s been two months since paying my bills and rent.” Pew Research Center suggests there are up to 4.8 million undocumented w...

TRT World6 hours ago

Will the US presidential election be postponed?

Not only is the American economy being hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic, but individual states are also wondering just when the situation will return to normal. This debate is the result of warnings being issued by various health authorities who are stressing the fact that the risk will not completely disappear, and that there may very well be a resurgence of the pandemic this coming autumn or winter. Both Democrats and Republicans have agreed to postpone fifteen state primaries until June at the very earliest. This postponement is giving rise to speculation that the November election may ...

TRT World8 hours ago

Gunmen attack Afghan hospital where aid group runs clinic

Violence flares in Afghanistan as hospital, funeral attacked

Gunmen stormed a hospital on Tuesday in an ongoing attack in the Afghan capital Kabul, as a suicide blast killed 15 people at a funeral in the country's restive east. Special forces rescued 80 people including mothers and babies from the Kabul hospital after three gunmen launched a morning assault, killing at least four people, the interior ministry said in a statement. Heavily armed forces were seen carrying babies wrapped in blankets away from the scene, as the clearance operation continued. The facility, which has a large maternity ward, is located in the west of the city, home to the ca...

TRT World6 hours ago

South Korea investigators comb digital data to trace club virus cluster

South Korean authorities were combing through mobile phone data, credit card statements and CCTV footage on Tuesday to identify people who visited nightclubs at the centre of one of the capital's biggest novel coronavirus clusters. More than 100 new cases linked to the nightclubs have brought fears of a second wave of infections in a country held up as a coronavirus mitigation success story. Health authorities have tracked and tested thousands of people linked to the nightclubs and bars in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife neighbourhood, but want to find others who they have not been able to identi...

TRT World11 hours ago

Yemen govt says separatists refuse to de-escalate situation in south

Yemen's government forces will confront an "armed rebellion" by separatists in the south, the government said on Tuesday, adding that the group had refused to de-escalate the situation after declaring self-rule last month. On April 25, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule in Aden and nearby areas, threatening to renew a conflict with the Saudi-backed government, its nominal ally in a coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi group. Foreign Minister Mohammed al Hadhrami said the STC had refused calls from the government and the international community to reverse its declaration...

TRT World11 hours ago

Safety screening: Czech cinemas open with new virus rules in place

After two months under a coronavirus lockdown in the Czech Republic, 16-year-old Tomas Fohler was eager to go to the movies –– a novel outing that now comes with new rules in a world gripped by a pandemic. "We wanted to see what it's like just to go and see a film with my friends again," the teen told AFP before settling in for a Czech film with two pals in Prague. "We'll sit further from each other, in a single row, and we'll probably shout at each other," he joked, wearing a face mask which is now required in all public places. The theatre –– which requires all guests to sit two metres (o...

TRT World15 hours ago

As nations reopen, warning emerges about virus tracing voids

A top world health official on Monday warned that countries are essentially driving blind in reopening their economies without setting up strong contact tracing to beat back flare-ups of the coronavirus. The warning came as France and Belgium emerged from lockdowns, the Netherlands sent children back to school, and many US states pressed ahead by lifting business restrictions. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the company's 10,000-worker electric car factory near San Francisco was operating on Monday in defiance of coronavirus health orders that closed nonessential businesses. Authorities have ...

TRT World15 hours ago

$50K Fusion Rocket League tourney announced

Three game-playing modes will be part of the action during the Fusion Rocket League, a $50,000 event that was announced Monday. The tournament will be split into to two regions, North America and Europe, with each having a $25,000 prize purse. Qualifying events for both brackets will run May 21-22, with 32 teams making it into each qualifier and eight earning spots in each main draw. South American players are eligible to compete in the North American qualifier, and Middle Eastern players may enter the European qualifier. The North American tournament is scheduled for May 25-31, and the Eur...

TRT World16 hours ago

Bulgarian fossils show early arrival of Homo sapiens into Europe

Fragmentary bone fossils and a molar found in Bulgaria dated to roughly 45,000 years ago show that Homo sapiens populations swept into Europe - until then a bastion for the Neanderthals - earlier than previously known, scientists said on Monday. Researchers said DNA from the five fossils from Bulgaria's Bacho Kiro cave demonstrated they belonged to anatomically modern Homo sapiens. This evidence resolved a debate over who made a remarkable array of artifacts at the site including stone and bone tools and pendants made of the teeth of cave bears - it was our species in the cave and not Neand...

TRT World16 hours ago

Report: Gaming revenue to top $159B in 2020

With video gaming and esports one of the most ready-made transitions for sports fans during the coronavirus-induced shutdown, projections for industry-wide revenue are up. Way up. According to a recent report by Newzoo senior market analyst Tom Wijman, the global gaming market will generate $159.3 billion in revenue in 2020. That would be 9.3 percent year-over-year growth. What's more, Newzoo projects the industry to surpass $200 billion in revenue in 2023. In contrast, Disney's earnings fell by more than 50 percent and the company took a $1.4 billion loss last quarter. The movie industry a...

TRT World16 hours ago

Sports documentary 'Last Dance' continues to reel in viewers

Ratings for ESPN's "The Last Dance" dipped again on Sunday, but the documentary about Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls continues to draw more viewers than almost all other sports programming. The 10-part documentary series, divided into 10 one-hour episodes, chronicles the Bulls' path to the 1997-98 NBA championship. Episodes 7 and 8 drew 5.3 million and 4.9 million viewers, respectively, on Sunday, ESPN announced on Monday. The first six episodes were watched initially by 6.3 million, 5.8 million, 6.1 million, 5.7 million, 5.8 million and 5.2 million viewers. The odd-numbered epi...

TRT World17 hours ago

Zinc-hydroxychloroquine found effective in some Covid-19 patients – study

The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine has shown mixed results against the coronavirus in early studies, but a new paper out of New York suggests combining it with the dietary supplement zinc sulfate could create a more effective treatment. The research by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine was posted on a medical preprint site on Monday, meaning it hasn't yet been peer-reviewed. Records of about 900 Covid-19 patients were reviewed in the analysis, with roughly half given zinc sulfate along with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin. The other half only received hydroxychlor...

TRT World19 hours ago

Trump touts testing numbers as US Covid-19 deaths top 80,000

US coronavirus deaths topped 80,000 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University, as nearly all states taking steps to relax lockdown measures and President Donald Trump hailing testing efforts. Deaths in the United States, the epicentre of the global pandemic, have averaged 2,000 a day since mid-April despite efforts to slow the outbreak. President Trump emphasised the increase in equipment to test for coronavirus as well as testing locations. "In the span of just a few short months, we've developed a testing capacity unmatched and unrivaled anywhere in the world," Trump told media in ...

TRT World20 hours ago

Twitter to label disputed Covid-19 tweets

Twitter announced on Monday it will warn users when a tweet contains disputed or misleading information about the coronavirus. The new rule is the latest in a wave of stricter policies that tech companies are rolling out to confront an outbreak of virus-related misinformation on their sites. Twitter will take a case-by-case approach to how it decides which tweets are labelled and will only remove posts that are harmful, company leaders said on Monday. Some tweets will run with a label underneath that directs users to a link with additional information about Covid-19. Other tweets might be c...

TRT WorldYesterday

France reports spike in coronavirus deaths – latest updates

Monday, May 11, 2020 France reports spike in coronavirus deaths Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in France rose by 263 on Monday, against 70 the day before, the Health Ministry said, as the country started unwinding an almost two-month national lockdown put in place to contain the spread of the disease. In percentage points, the 1 percent rise is the highest in five days. But figures often tend to register a spike after the weekend lull. The total death toll since the outbreak now stands at 26,643 the ministry said, the fifth highest in the world after those of the United States, Britain,...

TRT WorldYesterday

Turkey to impose four-day curfew from May 16 amid Covid-19

Turkey will impose a four-day partial curfew beginning on Friday midnight in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's president said on Monday. Quarantine has been lifted in 300 settlements, while it continues at 112 locations, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised address following a Cabinet meeting in Istanbul. Erdogan said the four-day partial curfew will be effective as of May 15 midnight. The first curfew was declared on April 11-12 and it was followed by others in the past weeks. People over 65 years will be allowed to leave their homes, remaining within...

TRT WorldYesterday

Covid-19 death toll in New York worse than official tally - study

New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus may be thousands of fatalities worse than the official tally kept by the city and state, according to an analysis released on Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between mid-March and early May, about 24,000 more people died in the city than researchers would ordinarily expect, based on the season, the report said. That’s about 5,300 more deaths that had been previously attributed to the coronavirus during that time period. These so-called "excess deaths" could have been caused by byproducts of pandemic, the report fou...

TRT WorldYesterday

Turkey to send medical aid to Palestine

Turkey will send medical aid to Israel and Palestine to help them combat coronavirus, according to the country’s official gazette on Monday. The supplies will include 100,000 masks, 40,000 PCR test kits, two tonnes of hand sanitizer and other equipment as part of a grant agreement between Turkey and Palestine signed on April 14. After originating in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions. The pandemic has killed over 283,400 worldwide, with total infections numbering more than 4.13 mi...

TRT WorldYesterday

UK U-turns on masks as lockdown-easing steps spark confusion

The British government performed an about-face on masks Monday, telling people to cover their mouth and nose in shops, buses and subway trains. The change came as part of a plan to gradually lift a nationwide lockdown imposed seven weeks ago to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. In a 50-page document outlining cautious steps to ease restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government said "people should aim to wear a face-covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and they come into contact with others that they do not normally meet, for example on p...

TRT WorldYesterday

Are Zionists and Evangelicals turning against each other in the Holy Land?

Many Israelis and the world’s Evangelical communities have long been allies. ‘Christian Zionists’ as they are often referred to believe that the return of Jews to the ‘Holy Land’ and the creation of the state of Israel confirms a Biblical prophecy. But now much to the surprise of some, an international Evangelical network, God TV, which recently gained approval from the Israeli broadcasting regulatory authority to launch its Hebrew-language channel, Shelanu, has run into trouble with the Zionist state. The friction emerged after God TV CEO Ward Simpson suggested that the network, which broa...

TRT WorldYesterday

Meet the 9th-century Muslim polymath who discerned smallpox from measles

Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al Razi was the early advocate of applying a rigorous evidence-based scientific approach to medicine. He was the first person to draw a distinction between smallpox and measles and also conclude that the former disease occurs only once in a lifetime. Born in Rayy, near present-day Tehran, in 865, Al Razi was a polymath with a sharp focus on general medicine, philosophy, chemistry, music and mathematics. For his outstanding contributions to science, he became known as Rhazes in the West. He wrote at least 224 books on various subjects but one of his most influe...

TRT WorldYesterday

Lebanon's poorest city faces grave threat to stability as poverty mounts

Living in a slum built precariously on the banks of a sewage-tainted river in Lebanon, Faiqqa Homsi feels her family being pushed closer and closer to the edge. A mother of five, she was already struggling, relying on donations to care for a baby daughter with cancer. The coronavirus shutdown cost her husband his meager income driving a school bus. She hoped to earn some change selling carrot juice after a charity gave her a juicer. But as Lebanon’s currency collapsed, carrots became too expensive. "It is all closing in our face," Homsi said. Forty-five percent below poverty line Lebanese a...

TRT WorldYesterday

Men have high levels of enzyme key to Covid-19 infection - study

Men's blood has higher levels than women's of a key enzyme used by the new coronavirus to infect cells, the results of a big European study showed on Monday — a finding which may help explain why men are more vulnerable to infection with Covid-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is found in the heart, kidneys and other organs. In Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, it is thought to play a role in how the infection progresses into the lungs. The Covid-19 pandemic has infected more than four million people worldwide and killed almost 277,000, according to...

TRT WorldYesterday

Turkey to reopen airports with an eye on containing the pandemic

As the world slowly comes to terms with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and learns to adjust to life with social distancing protocols, Turkey is aiming to reopen two of its busiest airports. The new Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International, which is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, will once again start handling passenger traffic from May 28 albeit with strict restrictions which will force people to change their habits. The two airports together handled more than 90 million passengers and hundreds of thousands of flights last year. But travel restrictions have ...

TRT WorldYesterday

Turkey's balancing act in reopening businesses amid the pandemic

As part of a controlled transition, Turkey allowed the reopening of shopping malls from Monday onward, while several business sectors continue to follow the lockdown restrictions. Nearly 356 shopping centres across the country reopened after following more than a month of strict lockdown measures imposed by state officials to minimise the effects of novel coronavirus on Turkish society. Soon after identifying the initial curve of coronavirus cases, Turkish authorities were quick to change the working hours of shopping malls and then completely shutting them down following the advice of the ...

TRT WorldYesterday

Report: Greek forces killed migrant on the Turkish border earlier this year

A new report has found that Greek soldiers were likely responsible for the shooting of a migrant attempting to cross the Greek-Turkish border at the beginning of March 4 and who was later pronounced dead. The man, Muhammad Gulzar, was one of seven people shot by Greek border forces, who were also using tear gas to repel migrants and asylum seekers from passing through the heavily fortified no man’s land. The report by Bellingcat, an investigative platform that uses open-source information, raises critical questions about what happened after Turkey announced in late February that it would no...

TRT WorldYesterday

Yemen declares Aden an 'infested' city as coronavirus spreads

Yemeni authorities declared Aden, the interim seat of the internationally-recognised government, an "infested" city on Monday after the number of coronavirus cases there jumped and clashes erupted elsewhere in the south between separatists and government forces. A five-year war has shattered Yemen's health system, pushed millions to the brink of famine and divided the country between the internationally recognised government and the Houthi group that ousted it from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is a full-blown transmission of the v...

TRT WorldYesterday

Could Russia be preparing to abandon Syria's Bashar al Assad?

At first glance, the rift between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his cousin, notorious tycoon Rami Makhlouf, seems surreal. Estimated to own up to 60 percent of Syria’s economy, the multibillionaire has long been the quintessential symbol of the regime’s corruption. Some attribute recent attempts to confiscate Makhlouf’s funds to Assad’s wife, Asmaa, an apparent sign of elite infighting. But does elite competition explain the full story? Makhlouf’s arrest, commonly traced to a string of regime crackdowns, was initially reported last September, in which he and other businessmen were ta...

TRT WorldYesterday

Saudi bots continue to push reports of non-existent coup in Qatar

If Saudi bot accounts were someone’s sole source of news, they would be forgiven for thinking that Qatar was in the midst of political turmoil. For days now, accounts linked to Riyadh, including verified ones run by actual people, have been amplifying tweets claiming that a military coup is taking place in Qatar. For the record, as is evidenced by the thousands of rebuttals by Qataris and residents of the country, nothing of the sort is taking place. In fact, Twitter users have provided near instantaneous rebuttals of videos claiming to be of military maneuvers taking place over Qatar. In a...

TRT WorldYesterday

Jerry Stiller, comedian and 'Seinfeld' actor, dies at 92

Comedy veteran Jerry Stiller, who launched his career opposite wife Anne Meara in the 1950s and reemerged four decades later as the hysterically high-strung Frank Costanza on the smash television show "Seinfeld," died at 92, his son Ben Stiller announced on Monday. He died of natural causes, his son –– a comedy star himself –– said in a tweet. I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5 — Ben Sti...

TRT WorldYesterday

Amnesty accuses Damascus, Moscow of 'war crimes' in Syria

Amnesty International on Monday said it has documented 18 attacks in northwest Syria carried out by regime and Russian forces over the past year that amounted to "war crimes". Russia-backed regime forces have since late April 2019 waged two deadly military campaigns against Syria's last major opposition bastion of Idlib, which has become home for some three million people. A ceasefire has largely held since early March, but hundreds of thousands remain displaced and highly dependent on aid even as the opposition-dominated region braces for a possible outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Groun...

TRT WorldYesterday

Massive bombardment hits Tripoli as water supplies threatened

A withering bombardment shook Tripoli on Sunday as the eastern-based militants of renegade warlord Khalifa Haftar fought overnight for new territory in the southern suburbs after losing ground recently around the city. Adding to the misery of Tripoli residents, the main water supplier to northwest Libya said armed men in the south had stormed one of its facilities, reducing supply. "My father said we should be ready to leave at any moment... the fighting last night was heavier than at any time before," said a resident of Abu Salim district, near a frontline. "We would leave to survive, but ...

TRT WorldYesterday

What’s behind the Ertugrul craze in Pakistan?

At first, Lubna Shahid, who works for a private bank in Karachi, was not in the least interested in Dirilis (Resurrection) Ertugrul, the immensely popular Turkish drama series. A friend had recommended the show but Shahid thought it would be just another romantic soap opera. Then she heard Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan insisting in a video that everyone must watch the series and she finally decided to log in to Netflix to see what the fuss was about. “The first episode was a bit slow. But then I don’t know what happened and I was completely bowled over. Some nights I would go through...

TRT WorldYesterday

Covid-19, like Grenfell, exposes the rotten deal for minorities in the UK

"This virus doesn't discriminate," was the conclusion of government minister Michael Gove following the news that Covid-19 had reached deep into the halls of power in the UK, striking down Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself. Of course, Gove's sentiments are accurate on the surface – viruses, in terms of raw biology, don't 'care' about your ethnicity, postcode, social status or bank balance. But the truth is that Covid-19 does discriminate. It exposes and preys upon the cultural, economic and political discrimination within a society with devastating effect. Data released by the Office of ...

TRT WorldYesterday

Four back-to-back bomb explosions rock Kabul

Four back-to-back roadside bombs exploded in a northern district of Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Monday, wounding four civilians, including a child, police said. Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said a clearance team was at the site of the attacks. Militants have carried out several roadside bombings and rocket attacks inKabul and other parts of the country in recent weeks, but Monday's four consecutive explosions appeared to be the first coordinated effort for some months. The Taliban has not carried out any large attacks in the city since they signed a landmark withdrawal deal wi...

TRT WorldYesterday

Over 65s in Turkey go outside for first time since March

Turkish people aged 65 and over on Sunday described their joy after the government allowed them to go outside for the first time in nearly two months in an easing of coronavirus restrictions. While 24 provinces including Ankara and Istanbul are subject to a weekend lockdown, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week senior citizens could leave their homes between 0800 GMT and 1200 GMT on Sunday. They had not been permitted to go outside since March 21. Women wearing protective face masks, sit at a required social distance along the seaside on May 10, 2020, at Kabatas in Istanbul. (AFP) ...

TRT WorldYesterday

France and Spain ease virus lockdowns but UK wary

Millions of people in France and Spain were set to embrace a relaxation of stay-at-home rules on Monday, but Britain extended its lockdown as countries plot their way tentatively through the coronavirus crisis. Fears of a second wave of the pandemic, which has killed more than 280,000 people worldwide and wrecked the global economy, stalked much of Europe and the world. With millions out of work and economies flatlining – including in the United States, where 20 million people lost their jobs in April – governments are desperate to reopen, but most are choosing a gradual approach. In France...

TRT WorldYesterday

Coronavirus interrupts world's longest-running cartoon

Production of the world's longest-running cartoon and a mainstay of the Japanese weekend has been interrupted by the coronavirus, forcing the broadcast of re-runs for the first time in decades. "Sazae-san", which first aired in 1969, revolves around the life of Mrs Sazae, a cheerful but klutzy full-time housewife who lives with her parents, husband, son, brother and sister. The 30-minute episodes aired Sunday nights are very popular, and for many in Japan have come to denote the end of the weekend. But the cartoon, recognised as the longest-running animated TV series by Guinness World Recor...

TRT WorldYesterday

Shanghai Disneyland in muted reopening after coronavirus closedown

Thousands of visitors streamed into Shanghai Disneyland on Monday for the first time in three months as the Chinese park became the first reopened by Walt Disney Co after the coronavirus pandemic brought the Magic Kingdom to a standstill. While Mickey Mouse joined familiar Disney characters welcoming the crowds, the Shanghai experience will not be as it was: Instead of parades and fireworks, there are mandatory masks, temperature screenings and social distancing for visitors and employees. Among the crowd on Monday was Shanghai Disneyland passholder Kay Yu. "I think (these measures) make to...

TRT WorldYesterday

Face masks and slippers: Museums preserve lockdown life

Would you put your slippers on display? The global coronavirus pandemic is still raging but museums are already gathering testimony and objects to remember life under lockdown. "It's such an extraordinary experience," Beatrice Behlen, senior curator at the Museum of London, told AFP. "When we knew there was going to be a lockdown, we started straight away talking about what we needed to collect something for the future." The museum, dedicated to the history of the British capital, launched an appeal for Londoners to donate items that reflect their lives during the Covid-19 outbreak. "It cou...

TRT WorldYesterday

WHO suspends staff activity in Yemen's Houthi-held areas, ops continue

The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended staff activity at its hubs in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, a directive seen by Reuters showed, in a move sources said aimed to pressure the group to be more transparent about suspected coronavirus cases. War-ravaged Yemen, one of the countries most vulnerable to disease, is divided between the internationally recognised government temporarily based in the south and the Houthi group that ousted it from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The Saudi-backed government has so far reported 34 cases of the novel coronavirus with seven deaths ...

TRT WorldYesterday

To celebrate mothers trapped in quarantine, Sao Paulo gets creative

On Friday, musician Rodrigo Cunha and his piano zipped down an elevated highway in a gritty section of downtown Sao Paulo, playing tunes written by Brazil's most famous composers, from Tom Jobim to Vinicius de Moraes. Dressed in a dark blue suit, wearing a plastic face shield and riding atop a modified flatbed truck, Cunha is a conspicuous presence on the Minhocao, a highway weaving through graffiti-covered buildings that has become a symbol the city's urban grit. But with South America's largest metropolis under quarantine, the surreal has become increasingly normal in recent weeks. This i...

TRT WorldYesterday

UFC's return could provide blueprint for other pro leagues

UFC President Dana White wanted a major fight card weeks ago. He was confident his team could pull it off whether it took place on a tribal land, on a private island or in any of the 10 states offering to host it. Coronavirus testing. Fan-free arena. Social distancing. Self-isolation. White looked at all those unprecedented details that seemed too complex and too risky to some outsiders as merely extra challenges. “I knew we could do this,” he said following UFC 249 on Saturday night. “I knew we could figure it out. Even with all the hurdles that we had early on, this has been fun. It’s bee...

TRT WorldYesterday

South Korea scrambles to contain new coronavirus outbreak threatening Seoul

South Korean officials scrambled on Monday to contain a new coronavirus outbreak that is threatening to spread throughout the densely populated capital city of Seoul, leading the country to reconsider plans to reopen schools. Officials reported 35 new infections across the country as of midnight on Sunday, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month, reinforcing fears the country could be entering a second wave outbreak. The 69 cases reported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) over the past 48 hours were ...

TRT WorldYesterday

Three UN troops killed in northern Mali mine blast

Three UN troops were killed and four more wounded when their convoy hit a roadside bomb early Sunday, officials said, in the latest violence to hit the war-torn West African state. UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and called on the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Chadian peacekeepers were on a routine patrol in Aguelhok commune in the north of the country, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said in a statement. Three soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded in the blast, it added. "We will have to make every effort to identify and apprehe...

TRT WorldYesterday

Australian children begin to return to school as virus curbs eased

Children in some Australian states began returning to school on Monday after an extended break due to the new coronavirus, as the country's rate of new infections continued to slow. Students of New South Wales, the most populous state, and the northern state of Queensland began going back to school on a limited basis to lessen the risk of spreading the illness, state leaders said. The NSW government said it has delivered thousands of litres of soap and hand sanitiser to schools, as well as personal protective equipment and temperature monitors. Class sizes will be reduced and activities wil...

TRT WorldYesterday

At least 20 dead as Iranian vessel hit by friendly fire – reports

An Iranian destroyer mistakenly shot and sank a second Iranian vessel during a naval exercise Sunday in the Persian Gulf, killing at least 20 people, according to unofficial reports. Initial reports claim a C-802 Noor missile was fired from the Jamaran and accidentally struck the Konarak, a general-purpose vessel. Reports said there were 30 to 40 crew members on board the Konarak, which had recently been added to the Iranian Navy's fleet. The Konarak's commander is among the dead, according to initial reports. Sources in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have deemed the incid...

TRT WorldYesterday

US Vice President Pence, task force members isolate after virus exposure

Vice President Mike Pence is self-isolating after an aide tested positive for the coronavirus last week, joining three of the nation's top scientists in taking protective steps after possible exposure, in another stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus. An administration official said Pence is voluntarily limiting his exposure to other people. He has repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19 since his exposure but is following the advice of medical officials. “Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Med...

TRT WorldYesterday

Poland's presidential election to be held within 74 days

Poland's top electoral body gave the speaker of parliament 14 days to set a new date for presidential elections that were to have been held on Sunday but were suspended amid debate over how voting could be done during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The election must be held within 60 days of this announcement, or by late July, according to the resolution by the State Electoral Commission. The conservative government had proposed an all-postal vote, but criticism of the plan and infighting complicated preparations and led to the postponement announced late Wednesday. It was the first time i...

TRT WorldYesterday

English FA bracing for long spell without fans

English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke does not believe fans will be allowed into stadiums "any time soon" and has warned that the coronavirus crisis could cost the governing body £300 million ($373 million). Football across England has been indefinitely suspended, with the 2019/20 season in all leagues below the top four divisions already declared over. However, there are growing fears that the 2020/21 campaign also faces huge disruption due to social-distancing guidelines. "With social distancing in place for some time to come we do face substantial changes to the whole footbal...

TRT World2 days ago

Remains of at least 25 people found in mass grave in Mexico

The remains of at least 25 people were found buried in a mass grave outside the western Mexican city of Guadalajara, the Jalisco state prosecutor's office said Sunday. The mass grave was found on Thursday and searchers have so far "extracted the remains of 25 unidentified dead people, as well as five bags that are presumed to also contain human remains," the agency said in a statement. Neighbours said dogs uncovered bones in an abandoned farm, in the town of El Salto south of Guadalajara. The remains were transferred to a local morgue for further examination. So far this year, 115 bodies ha...

TRT World2 days ago

Twenty villagers killed in attacks in Niger - regional governor

Bandits riding motorbikes killed 20 villagers in a string of attacks in Niger's western region of Tillaberi, the governor said on Sunday. An unknown number of "armed bandits" attacked three villages on Sunday evening, said governor Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella. He said that the assailants "pillaged shops" and looted cereal as well as cattle before heading off towards the north. One local source named the villages that were targeted as Gadabo, Zibane Koira-Zeno and Zibane-Tegui, all administered by Anzourou, a commune some 50 kilometres from Tillaberi city, the main town in western Niger and som...

TRT World2 days ago

No end to UK lockdown but some measures will be eased – PM Johnson

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a modest easing of the country’s coronavirus lockdown on Sunday and outlined his government's road map for further lifting restrictions in the coming months. In a televised address to the nation, Johnson said people in Britain who can’t work from home such as those in construction or manufacturing jobs, "should be actively encouraged to go to work" this week. However, he said they should not travel by public transport and should abide with social distancing guidelines when at work. Johnson said that starting Wednesday, a restriction limiting outdoor...

TRT World2 days ago

Turkish intelligence agency rescues a kidnapped Italian citizen in Kenya

Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MIT) has rescued an Italian citizen, who has been kidnapped in Kenya and taken to Somalia, as a result of coordinated efforts. According to the information obtained from Anadolu Agency's security sources, the Italian authorities made a request to MIT for the 25-year-old Italian citizen Silvia Constanzo Romano, who was abducted in the Chakama region of Kenya and taken to Somalia in November 2018. Thereupon, MIT started to examine the situation of Romano in December 2019. Activating the local intelligence network in the region, MIT first determined that ...

TRT World2 days ago

China's Wuhan says first virus infection in over a month – latest updates

Sunday, May 10, 2020 Bangladesh sees highest one-day virus death toll Bangladesh suffered its highest daily death toll from the virus, with 14 people succumbing to the disease, according to the latest data from the government. The country has now recorded 228 deaths from the coronavirus. Confirmed cases surpassed the 14,000 mark including 887 new infections, bringing the total to 14,657, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Older Turks enjoy walks outside Turkey’s senior citizens got their first chance to venture outside in seven weeks under relaxed coronavirus restrictio...

TRT World2 days ago

Concerns raised in UK as "stay at home" slogan replaced with "stay alert"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday urged people to "stay alert" to coronavirus risks, as he prepared to outline plans for gradually easing lockdown measures that have shuttered much of the economy for nearly seven weeks. The government's decision to replace its flagship "stay at home" slogan drew criticism from opposition parties who argued that "stay alert" – used by Johnson in a Twitter message ahead of a televised address at 1800 GMT – is too ambiguous. Housing minister Robert Jenrick said Johnson would set out a five–tier warning system to track the outbreak in England as th...

TRT World2 days ago

Anti-government rallies resume in Iraq seeking early polls, accountability

Anti-government rallies resumed in some Iraqi cities on Sunday, clashing with security forces and ending months of relative calm just days after Prime Minister Mustafa al Kazimi's government came to power. The protests first erupted in Baghdad and southern cities in October, demanding an end to corruption and unemployment and an overhaul of the ruling class. But internal splits, a rise in US-Iran tensions and a lockdown imposed by coronavirus effectively snuffed out the movement earlier this year, leaving a few desolate protesters camped out in squares across the country. This week, after I...

TRT World2 days ago

Riot police chase Hong Kong Mother's Day protesters

Riot police chased protesters through Hong Kong shopping malls on Sunday as anti-China activists launched Mother's Day flash mob rallies calling for independence and the city's unpopular leader to resign. The semi-autonomous Chinese city was convulsed by seven straight months of often-violent protests last year with millions hitting the streets. Mass arrests and the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a period of enforced calm. But with the finance hub successfully tackling its outbreak small protests have bubbled up once more in the last fortnight. Small flashmob demonstrations broke out in at...

TRT World2 days ago

Libyan PM criticises international community for silence on Haftar attacks

Attacks by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces left the Libyan government "no choice but to respond," according to a statement from by the prime ministry's press office. Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj criticised the international community for staying silent in the face of attacks orchestrated by the warlord. "The insane attacks carried out by the war criminal Haftar against the capital Tripoli these days are a sign that he was despaired as a result of his successive defeats and that he was nearing the end of his bloody project, which he carried out to take over the administration. T...

TRT World2 days ago

Starved for culture, Czechs hold drive-in festival

A Prague festival producer said on Sunday the coronavirus pandemic has forced him to swap out real stages for a safer drive-in cultural festival that has nonetheless been cheered by honking horns and flashing lights. Concert halls, cinemas and theatres in the EU member of 10.7 million people have been closed since mid-March because safe social distancing could not be ensured. "The Art Parking festival has been running for two weeks now, and we have held about 25 or 30 film screenings, theatre performances and concerts," festival producer Jakub Vedral told AFP. After driving in, audience mem...

TRT World2 days ago

Muslim contributions to the Soviet and allied victory over Nazi Germany

The 9th of May is a holiday that marks the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Celebrations are held across Russia, Central Asia, satellite states such as Transnistria and the Soviet empire’s former dominions. It’s well-known that the USSR paid a heavy price for defeating the Nazis, the loss of over 26 million of its citizens and troops. What is less known is the large Muslim contribution to the Soviet Union’s victory. It’s estimated over 3.5 million Muslims from Central Asia and the Caucasus fought on the frontlines of the Red Army agains...

TRT World2 days ago

Iran ready to swap prisoners with US "without preconditions"

Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei was quoted as saying by Khabaronline news website on Sunday, adding that Washington has yet to respond to Iran's call on a prisoner swap. "We are ready to exchange Iranian and American prisoners and we are prepared to discuss this issue but Americans have not responded yet," Rabiei said, according to Khabaronline. "We are worried about the safety and health of Iranians in jail ... We hold America responsible for Iranians' safety amid the new coronavirus outbreak," Khabaronline quoted R...

TRT World2 days ago

Zero turnout as Poland holds bizarre ghost election

Poland's election day on Sunday will be one for the history books as polling stations remain closed and turnout will clock in at zero due to a political crisis set off by the coronavirus pandemic. The EU member of 38 million people has found itself in the bizarre "Twilight Zone" predicament in which the presidential ballot is formally neither postponed nor cancelled, because the government and opposition were unable to agree on a constitutional and safe solution. "We're in a fog of legal absurdity," Warsaw-based political scientist Stanislaw Mocek told AFP, echoing the widespread head-scrat...

TRT World2 days ago

Vanessa Bryant files claim over crash-site photos

Vanessa Bryant filed a claim against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, contending deputies shared unauthorised photos of the site where her husband and daughter died in a helicopter crash in January. The claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit, was filed Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Retired Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant and the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were killed along with seven others in the January 26 crash. In the claim, Vanessa Bryant contends that Sheriff Alex Villanueva "personally assured her" that the family's privacy would be protected ...

TRT World2 days ago

Reopenings bring new cases in South Korea, virus fears in Italy

South Korea's capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots on Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country's first weekend of eased restrictions. The new flareups — and fears of a second wave of contagion — underscored the dilemma authorities face as they try to reopen their economies. Around the world, the US and other hard-hit countries are wrestling with how to ease curbs on business and...

TRT World2 days ago

Blow for Bundesliga plans as Dynamo Dresden squad put in quarantine

Germany's plans to restart competitive football on May 16 suffered an early setback after the entire team of second tier Dynamo Dresden were placed in a two-week quarantine following two positive coronavirus tests. The Bundesliga 2 club announced on their website that tests taken on Friday had revealed two new positive cases and local health authorities had ordered the team into quarantine. "After an intensive analysis of the situation, the health authority in Dresden... decided on Saturday that the entire second division squad, including the coaching and support team, must now go into a 14...

TRT World2 days ago

Fifty people die in Yemen from mosquito-borne disease

Fifty people lost their lives in Yemen's temporary capital of Aden due to the chikungunya fever, according to an anonymous government official late on Saturday. More than 3,000 people were infected, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Anadolu Agency. Governor of Sheikh Othman district of Aden in southern Yemen is also among the dead, said the source. It is believed that the disease came about because of swamps caused by a flood disaster on April 21. Eight people, including five children, died and houses were partially or completely destroyed by floods caused by heavy r...

TRT World2 days ago

Musk threatens removing Tesla from California over virus restrictions

Tesla Inc's chief executive Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday that Tesla will move its headquarters and future programs to Texas or Nevada from California immediately. "If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen (sp) on how Tesla is treated in the future," he wrote on Twitter, referring to the facility in the San Francisco Bay area that is Tesla's only US vehicle factory. Musk also tweeted about suing Alameda County, California, after its health department said the electric carmaker must not reopen the Fremont factory as local lockdown measures to curb the spre...

TRT World2 days ago

France, Spain move toward reopening as global economies suffer

People in France and Spain, two of Europe's countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, were preparing Saturday for an easing of lockdown rules starting Monday, as governments struggled to balance a desperate need for economic revival against the grim prospect of new deaths. In the US, the country with the world's highest death toll, President Donald Trump faced sharp new criticism with his predecessor Barack Obama saying on a leaked tape that Trump's handling of the crisis was an "absolute chaotic disaster". The virus has claimed more than 79,000 lives in the United States, while th...

TRT World2 days ago

Hamilton gets empty feeling thinking about F1 without fans

Driving around Formula One tracks without fans cheering at Silverstone and Monza would literally feel “very empty” for world champion Lewis Hamilton. The first 10 races this season have been postponed or cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the iconic Monaco Grand Prix scrapped for the first time in 66 years. F1 remains hopeful that the season can start in early July with a doubleheader at the Austrian Grand Prix, and that 15 to 18 of the 22 scheduled races can yet be completed. But all of them would be held without any spectators until it is safe. “It’s going to be very empty," Ha...

TRT World3 days ago

Italian aid worker kidnapped in Kenya freed – PM Conte

Silvia Romano, an Italian aid worker who was kidnapped in Kenya 18 months ago, has been freed and is expected back in Italy on Sunday, the Italian government announced on Saturday. "Silvia Romano has been freed. I thank the men and women of the external intelligence service. Silvia, we await for you in Italy!," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wrote on his Twitter account. Speaking to state broadcaster RAI, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Romano was found in Somalia and was released thanks to the external intelligence agency. "She is now at the Italian embassy in Mogadishu (the Somali capi...

TRT World3 days ago

Rare syndrome tied to Covid-19 kills three children in New York - governor

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for children. Cuomo had on Friday disclosed the death of a five-year old linked to the coronavirus and a syndrome that shares symptoms with toxic shock and Kawasaki disease, which was the first known fatality tied to the rare illness in New York. The governor told a daily briefing on Saturday that the illness had now taken the lives of at least three young people across the state. He did no...

TRT World3 days ago

France records 80 new coronavirus deaths – latest updates

Saturday, May 9, 2020 France records 80 new virus deaths French health officials announced another 80 deaths from the virus, the lowest figure recorded over 24 hours since early April. The figures for those in intensive care also fell, with 38 people admitted for critical care. Nearly 90,000 people recover in Turkey Nearly 90,000 patients have so far recovered in Turkey from the novel coronavirus, the country’s health minister said. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the total number of recovered patients reached 89,480. The death toll rose to 3,739 as the country saw 50 more deaths, while...

TRT World3 days ago

Outbreaks in Germany, South Korea show the risks in easing up

South Korea's capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots on Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country's first weekend of eased restrictions. The new outbreaks – and the fears of a second wave of contagion – underscored the dangers authorities face as they try to reopen their economies. Around the world, the US and other hard-hit countries are wrestling with how to ease curbs on busines...

TRT World3 days ago

At least six killed in protests over food distribution in Afghanistan

At least six were killed when protesters angry over what they see as unfair food aid distribution during the coronavirus pandemic clashed with police in Afghanistan's western Ghor province on Saturday, according to officials. Four civilians and two police officers died in the incident, according Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior. "A delegation will be sent from Kabul to investigate today's incident in a comprehensive manner," he said, adding that ten police officers and nine civilians were injured. Gulzaman Nayeb, a lawmaker representing Ghor, said that seven people were k...

TRT World3 days ago

Founding father of rock Little Richard has died – Rolling Stone

Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," has died. He was 87 years old. Citing the rock 'n' roll pioneer's son, Rolling Stone magazine said on Saturday the cause of death was unknown. With a distinctive voice that ranged from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transfixed audiences and became an inspiration for artists including The Beatles as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll alongside Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. His raunchy 1955 s...

TRT World3 days ago

Russia, Belarus mark Victory Day in contrasting events

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic. In neighbouring Belarus, however, the ceremonies went ahead in full, with tens of thousands of people in the sort of proximity that has been almost unseen in the world for months. Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honouring the valour and suffering of the Soviet army during the war. Victory Day is Russia’s...

TRT World3 days ago

Libyan government attacks kill 70 members of warlord Haftar's militia

Scores of militiamen aligned with warlord Khalifa Haftar were killed in attacks targeting Al-Watiya air base, a Libyan military spokesman said on Saturday. In a statement, Muhammed Kununu said warplanes of the Libyan government carried out air strikes on Friday on Haftar's forces in the vicinity of the base. "The attacks resulted in killing and injuring 70 members of Haftar's terrorist militia," the spokesman said. Libyan government forces launched a military operation early Tuesday to liberate al Watiya air base, which is located southwest of the capital Tripoli and controlled by Haftar's ...

TRT World3 days ago

Russia to help Venezuela search for members of failed incursion – report

Russian soldiers are operating drones over Venezuela as part of a search operation for members of a paramilitary force that led a botched invasion this week, local media reported on Friday, citing deleted tweets from a state military command centre. At least eight Russian special forces members will be "operating drones to run search and patrol operations" near La Guaira, the coastal state just north of Caracas, Venezuela's capital, according to a report from local news outlet El Nacional. It posted a screenshot of a tweet it said was later deleted on Thursday from the profile of the milita...

TRT World3 days ago

Pandemic fuels historic US job losses, EU wants borders kept shut

The US on Friday recorded its steepest job losses in history over the coronavirus pandemic as Europe moved to keep its borders shut for another month. Hopes have been rising that the worst of the global catastrophe, which has killed more than 270,000 people, has passed, and the United States on Friday approved a new at-home saliva test to speed up diagnosis for Covid-19. But after weeks in which half of humanity was restricted from carrying on normal life, the effects have been painfully visible, with the global economy suffering its most acute downturn in nearly a century. In the US, 20.5 ...

TRT World3 days ago

Empty Las Vegas Strip counts losses as locals venture out

The marble statues at Caesars Palace are fenced off, the Venetian hotel's gondolas sit empty, and the New York-New York casino rollercoaster has ground to a halt. Even the Bellagio's famous dancing fountains are "completely shut" due to the coronavirus pandemic, says a surly security guard, before shooing an AFP correspondent away. In the absence of bustling crowds of drunken revelers, packed poker tables and overzealous club promoters, the slogan "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" has never felt more redundant. Last year, May was Las Vegas's second-busiest month, drawing nearly 3.7 mil...

TRT World3 days ago

Germany sees increased risk of Brexit if Britain refuses to extend deadline

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview on Saturday there was a growing risk of a hard Brexit in the midst of the coronavirus crisis as negotiations between Britain and the European Union so far on the future trade relationship had yielded hardly any progress. Britain left the EU in January, and talks with the bloc are now focused on setting new trading terms from 2021, when London's status-quo transition period ends. However the talks quickly hit an impasse when negotiations resumed last month, according to diplomats and officials. "It's worrying that Britain is mo...

TRT World3 days ago

Michael Jordan's first Air Jordans up for auction at Sotheby's

An autographed and well-worn pair of basketball legend Michael Jordan's Nike shoes hits the auction block at Sotheby's on Friday, in a celebrity-infused test of the market for sneakers as highly-prized collectibles. The Air Jordan 1s, designed for Jordan in 1985 and the first ever signature sneakers, are expected to fetch between $100,000 to $150,000 in the online auction that closes on May 17, Sotheby's in New York said. Sotheby's, better known for selling multimillion-dollar art, last year held its first auction dedicated entirely to sneakers. It set a new world record of $437,500 for a p...

TRT World3 days ago

Vaccine orders plummet in US amid coronavirus outbreak

Orders for vaccines against diseases such as measles have declined since a national emergency was declared in the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The number of vaccine doses ordered around the country has fallen sharply since mid-March, the CDC said, citing data from the Vaccine Tracking System. The study compared data from March 13 to April 19 of this year to the same period last year. "There is a drop of 2.5 million doses of all routine non-influenza vaccines and 250,000 doses of measles-containing vaccines ...

TRT World3 days ago

EU looks for evidence to rein in US tech giants

US tech giants such as Facebook and Amazon could face tougher rules as European Union regulators seek evidence to curb their role as gatekeepers to the internet and access to people, information and services, according to an EU tender seen by Reuters. The outcome could force Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to separate their competing businesses, provide rivals access to their data and open up their standards to them. The European Commission, which in February said it was considering legislation against large online platforms acting as gatekeepers, has put out a 600,000-euro ($649,800) te...

TRT World3 days ago

Despite pause in games, Real Madrid's Jovic injures foot

Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic has not conducted full training or played any matches for over two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he somehow still managed to break his foot and is expected to be out of action for around seven weeks. A statement from Real on Friday said the Serbia striker, who cost 60 million euros ($65.06 million) last year but has only scored two goals all season, had fractured a bone in his right foot but did not say when Jovic could hope to return. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Jovic had injured himself training at home in the Spanish capital and sa...

TRT World3 days ago

Clashes between DRC army, militias leave 23 dead

Twenty-three members of a militia were killed in fighting between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and militias in Ituri province, the army said on Friday. After fierce battles with members of the Cooperative For the Development of Congo (CODECO) militia group Thursday, the army regained control of four villages once occupied by militiamen in Bese, 90 kilometres north of Bunia, in the territory of Djugu, army spokesman Lt. Jules Ngongo, told reporters. “Twenty-three militias were killed, 12 others captured, and seven AK 47 weapons recovered,” he said. Fighting wa...

TRT World3 days ago

Anti-viral drug trio found to shorten Covid-19 illness in mild cases– study

Researchers in Hong Kong have found that patients suffering milder illness caused by the new coronavirus recover more quickly if they are treated with a three-drug antiviral cocktail soon after symptoms appear. Authors of the study, published in the Lancet on Friday, described the findings as "early but important". They called for larger-scale research on critically-ill patients to ascertain if the drug combo could be a viable treatment for them too. "Our trial demonstrates that early treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 with a triple combination of antiviral drugs may rapidly suppress ...

TRT World3 days ago