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Coronavirus: China deaths crosses 563 as 10 more cruise passengers test positive (Live Update)

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Coronavirus: China deaths crosses 563 as 10 more cruise passengers test positive (Live Update) Here’s a summary of what we know so far today about the spread of the coronavirus. China’s death toll grew to 563, with 28,018 confirmed cases. 10 more persons have been diagnosed with the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, moored at Yokohama in Japan Canada has told its citizens to leave China by commercial means if their presence in the country is “not essential” Taiwan has banned all international cruise ships from docking Adidas has closed China stores over virus outbreak Virgin Australia has announced it will cease flying to Hong Kong Shares have risen strongly again on Asian markets

Karadzic boycotts start of trial

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has failed to appear at his trial on 11 charges including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mr Karadzic denies the charges, which relate to the Bosnian war of the 1990s. The judge adjourned the court for one day, and requested Mr Karadzic, who is representing himself, to appear. However, a legal adviser for Mr Karadzic told the BBC he would not appear as he still needed at least nine months to prepare his defence. Mr Karadzic, 64, was taken to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague last year, after 13 years in hiding. His legal counsel in Belgrade said he would not attend on Tuesday unless the lengthy delay was granted, and he would also reject any counsel imposed by the court. Judges' options Judges began the trial, which has already been put back twice, at The Hague on schedule on Monday, with the prosecution present. Judge O-Gon Kwon adjourned proceedings less than 30 minutes a...

Turkey chastises the West on Iran

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Turkey's prime minister has accused the West of treating Iran unfairly over its nuclear programme. Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Britain's Guardian newspaper Western fears Iran wanted to build the bomb were "gossip". His comments come as a team from the UN nuclear watchdog continues its inspection of a previously secret uranium plant near the city of Qom. Mr Erdogan is due in Tehran for talks with both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's Supreme Leader. The Turkish leader suggested that there was a dual standard in the West's approach towards Iran. He said any military strike against Iran would be "crazy". Mr Erdogan also said many of the states which objected to any move by Iran to build a nuclear arsenal - including all the permanent members of the UN Security Council - possessed one themselves. "There is a style of approach which is not very fair because those [who accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons] have very strong nuclear infr...

Afghan crashes kill 14 Americans

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At least 14 Americans have been killed in a series of air crashes in Afghanistan, military officials say. In the first incident, four US soldiers died and two were hurt when two helicopters collided mid-air in the south, Nato-led forces said. In a separate incident seven soldiers and three civilians were killed in a helicopter crash in the west. Hostile fire was ruled out as a cause of the collision but no cause has yet been identified for the crash. Twelve Americans and 14 Afghans were injured in that incident. This year has seen the highest death toll of international troops in Afghanistan since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001. There have been dozens of American soldiers among those killed.

German on trial for Muslim murder

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The trial of a man accused of stabbing a pregnant Egyptian woman to death inside a German courtroom has begun in the city of Dresden. The defendant, 28-year-old Alex W, had earlier been fined for calling Marwa Sherbini "a terrorist" and "Islamist". The defendant is alleged to have smuggled a kitchen knife into an appeal hearing where he killed Ms Sherbini. The attack in July sparked outrage in the Muslim world, with protests in Egypt, Iran and Turkey. The defendant is accused of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm. Security is tight for the trial, with 200 police securing the courthouse and bullet-proof glass installed in the courtroom. Abuse It had begun with an argument in a playground in 2008. Ms Sherbini, a pharmacist, is said to have asked the defendant to let her child use a playground swing he was sitting on. He allegedly refused and instead called her abusive names. Ms Sherbini took the defendant to court and he was fined 780 euros ($1,170; £7...

S Korea clone scientist convicted

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A South Korean court has convicted the disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk of fraud over his stem cell research. He was given a two-year sentence suspended for three years. The 56-year-old scientist's work had raised hopes of finding cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's. But his research was declared bogus in 2005, and he was put on trial the following year for embezzlement and accepting money under false pretences. Hwang's research made him a South Korean hero until revelations that it was false shocked the nation. "He was guilty of fabrication," the Seoul court said, adding that Hwang illegally diverted a portion of the money he received for research for his personal use. Prosecutors had demanded a four-year prison term but instead the court suspended his two-year sentence, saying "he has shown he has truly repented for his crime". Awe, then shock As soon as his colleagues at Seoul National University had concluded Hwang's work had been ...