Reuters World News Summary


Reuters | Updated: 29-02-2020 18:29 IST | Created: 29-02-2020 18:29 IST
Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Turkey's Erdogan asks Russia's Putin to step aside in Syria

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian government forces alone. After the death of its soldiers in a Syrian government air strike on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe. Global downturn looms as countries struggle to contain coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus spread further on Friday, with cases reported for the first time in at least six countries across four continents, battering markets and leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise its impact risk alert to "very high." Hopes that the epidemic that started in China late last year would be over in months, and that economic activity would quickly return to normal, have been shattered. Greek police fire teargas on migrants at Turkish border

Greek police fired teargas towards migrants gathered on its border with Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Union's doorstep. Greece, which has tense relations with its neighbor Turkey at the best of times and was a primary gateway for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, reiterated it would keep migrants out. Malaysian turmoil takes new twist as Mahathir and Anwar ally again

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad will stand for the premiership on behalf of the former ruling coalition, the interim prime minister said on Saturday, less than a week after he quit and plunged the country into turmoil. "I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support," Mahathir said in a statement. Iran calls on people to stay at home as death toll rises to 43

Deaths in Iran from coronavirus have hit 43, the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people has risen to 593, an Iranian health official said on Saturday. As several countries in the Middle East reported cases of the coronavirus stemming from Iran, the country is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the region. Russian march combines tribute for opposition leader with Putin protest

Thousands of people gathered in Moscow on Saturday to mark five years since the murder of prominent Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, joining a march that organizers said was also a protest against planned changes to Russia's constitution. The annual march is the first major demonstration organized by Russia's political opposition since President Vladimir Putin proposed a raft of changes to the constitution last month. Taiwan accuses China of waging cyber 'war' to disrupt virus fight

Taiwan's foreign minister on Saturday accused giant neighbor China of waging cyber "war" on the island to disrupt its fight against the coronavirus by using fake news, as the island Beijing claims as its own reported a jump in new cases The coronavirus outbreak has strained already poor ties between Taipei and Beijing, with Taiwan especially angry at China's efforts to block its participation at the World Health Organization (WHO). Pope resumes individual official audiences, cancels group meetings

Pope Francis, who has been suffering from what the Vatican says is a "slight indisposition," resumed official audiences with individuals in his residence on Saturday but three with groups were canceled. A statement said the pope, who had canceled most official audiences on Thursday and Friday, celebrated his customary early morning Mass in the chapel of the Santa Marta guest house where he lives. Afghans hope for peace as U.S.-Taliban gear up for troop withdrawal deal

Millions of Afghans are anticipating that America's longest war fought in their country will end on Saturday as U.S. and Taliban negotiators are expected to sign a deal to allow a U.S. troop reduction and a permanent ceasefire. If the U.S-Taliban agreement gets signed, then Afghanistan, which has been at war since American bombings began in response to the Sept.11, 2001 attacks, will witness the potential end of violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Slovaks poised to oust Smer party in election clouded by graft

Voters look poised to oust the centre-left Smer party that has dominated Slovakia's political landscape for more than a decade in a national election on Saturday overshadowed by anger over high-level graft. Opinion polls ahead of a two-week moratorium before the ballot pointed to a rapid rise for anti-corruption movement Ordinary People (OLANO), increasing chances it may form a centre-right majority with smaller conservative and liberal parties to outmanoeuvre Smer.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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