CHINA CORONAVIRUS: DEATH TOLL RISES TO 41, MORE THAN 1,300 INFECTEDWORLDWIDEChina said 41 people have now died from a new coronavirus that has infectedmore than 1,300 people globally, as health authorities around the worldscramble to prevent a global pandemic. The total number of confirmed casesin China now stands at 1,287, the National Health Commission said in astatement on January 25.The death roll has risen from 26 reported on Friday. All the latest deathsoccurred in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak that has been in virtualquarantine as China scrambles to contain the virus spread.The vast majority of the cases and all of the confirmed deaths to date havebeen in China, but the virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam,Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, France and the United States.Human-to-human transmission has been observed in the virus, which healthauthorities believe to have originated in a market in Wuhan that tradedillegally in wildlife.The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus an"emergency in China" this week but stopped short of declaring it ofinternational concern. However, the virus continues to spread globally.IRAN RAID LEFT '34 US TROOPS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES'The Pentagon has said that 34 US troops were diagnosed with traumatic braininjuries (TBI) following an Iranian attack on their base in Iraq.Seventeen troops are still under medical observation, a spokesman said.President Donald Trump had said no Americans were injured in the 8 Januarystrike, which came in retaliation for the US killing of an Iranian general.Mr Trump had cited the supposed lack of injuries in his decision not tostrike back against Iran.But last week, the Pentagon said 11 service members had been treated forconcussion symptoms from the attack.Asked about the apparent discrepancy this week at the World Economic Forumin Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump said: "I heard that they had headaches, anda couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it's not veryserious.""I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries Ihave seen," he said when asked about possible TBIs.The Pentagon says no Americans were killed in the Iranian missile strike onthe Ain al-Asad base, with most sheltering in bunkers as missiles raineddown.On Friday, defence department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters thateight of the affected soldiers have been sent back to the US for furthertreatment, while another nine are being treated in Germany.Sixteen troops were treated in Iraq and one in Kuwait before all 17 werereturned to active duty, officials say.US FINANCIER GEORGE SOROS IN DAVOSUS financier and philanthropist George Soros on Thursday pledged one billiondollars for a new university network project to battle the erosion of civilsociety in a world increasingly ruled by "would-be and actual dictators" andbeset by climate change.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros said humanity was at aturning point and the coming years would determine the fate of rulers likePresident Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping as well as the world itself."We live at a transformational moment in history. The survival of opensocieties is endangered and we face an even greater crisis: climate change,"said the Hungarian-born billionaire.He described the plan of the Open Society University Network (OSUN) as "themost important project of my life" and would be an international platformfor teaching and research.He expressed grief that the World's strongest powers-the United States,China and Russia under President Putin-were "in the hands of would-be oractual dictators and the ranks of authoritarian rulers continued to grow."With nationalism making further headway around the world, Soros said thatthe "biggest and most frightening setback" was in India, accusing PrimeMinister Narendra Modi of "creating a Hindu nationalist state."BORIS JOHNSON SIGNS AGREEMENT FOR BRITAIN TO LEAVE EUUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday hailed "a new chapter" inBritain's history as he signed its divorce treaty with the EU, clearinganother hurdle before the country exits the bloc next Friday.It allows Britain to end its decades-long membership of the European Unionand leave its closest neighbours and trading partners after several years ofdomestic acrimony and delays."The signing of the withdrawal agreement is a fantastic moment, whichfinally delivers the result of the 2016 referendum and brings to an end fartoo many years of argument and division," Johnson said in a statement."This signature heralds a new chapter in our nation's history," he added onTwitter, alongside a photo of the occasion.Johnson signed the agreement in Downing Street, seated in front of two UnionJack flags, with European and British officials who had brought it fromBrussels looking on.EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel had already put theirnames to the treaty overnight at a ceremony held behind closed doors in theearly hours of the morning.It will now return to Brussels, where the original will be kept in EUarchives along with other international treaties, while three copies will bedispatched back to London.On Wednesday next week, the text will go to the European Parliament forratification and on Thursday diplomats from the EU member states willapprove the deal in writing.Then, on Friday, January 31, Britain spends its last day in the EU beforeleaving the bloc at 2300 GMT as clocks strike midnight in Brussels.In another move to prepare Brussels for relations with Britain as an outsidepower, the European Commission named an ambassador - veteran diplomat JoaoVale de Almeida - to London.AT LEAST 18 DEAD, HUNDREDS HURT AS QUAKE HITS EASTERN TURKEYAt least 18 people have been killed and hundreds hurt in a powerfulearthquake in eastern Turkey, officials say.The 6.8 magnitude quake, centred on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province,caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street.Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Syria, Lebanon and Iran.Earthquakes are common in Turkey - about 17,000 people died in a massivequake in the western city of Izmit in 1999.Friday's quake struck at about 20:55 local time (17:55 GMT).According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD),there were 60 aftershocks recorded after the earthquake.It said more than 400 rescue teams are heading towards the region, alongwith beds and tents for those displaced. It warned people not to return todamaged buildings in case of aftershocks.The governor of Elazig said eight people had died in the province, while thegovernor of neighbouring Malatya said six died there.INDIA'S 'PASSIVE' FOREIGN POLICY YIELDING TO ONE ADVANCING ITS INTERESTS:U.S. OFFICIALIndia is moving away from having a passive foreign policy to the onevigorously advancing its interests, a top American diplomat said on Friday,attributing the trend to New Delhi's "broadening strategic horizons" overthe past two decades.It's clear that India's broadening strategic horizons over the past twodecades have resulted in a shift away from a passive foreign policy to theone that advances Indian interests more vigorously, acting AssistantSecretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells told reporters ata news conference.Ms. Wells, who has just returned from a trip to the region besides attendingthe Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, said nowhere this shift is more visiblethan in the Indo-Pacific region.Whether it's in our growing maritime and naval cooperation, the Quad,India's Act East Policy, there's virtually no daylight in our approaches tothe Indo-Pacific, she said. Deputy National Security Advisor MattPottinger's remarks at Raisina Dialogue endorsing an Indo-Pacific regionstretching from California to Kilimanjaro only further reinforced thestrategic convergence, she added.While in New Delhi, she had meetings with her Indian counterparts, which shesaid were focused on how to build on the diplomatic and defence gainsachieved during the 2+2 ministerial dialogue last December.With continued progress on defense cooperation, peacekeeping operations,space, counterterrorism, trade, people-to-people initiatives, and more, shesaid the quality and frequency of India-US naval cooperation, especially theinformation sharing, have reached unprecedented levels.The two countries also remain focused on achieving a trade deal thatpromotes fairness and reciprocity, she noted.HAVE TO WAIT FOR INDIA'S INVITATION: QURESHI ON PAK'S PARTICIPATION IN SCOSUMMITForeign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said Pakistan would wait forIndia's invitation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summitbefore taking any decision on Islamabad's participation in the event to beheld later this year.Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi on January 16, Ministry of ExternalAffairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India will invite Pakistan PrimeMinister Imran Khan along with other leaders for the annual meeting ofcouncil of heads of government of the SCO.For the first time, India will host the annual meeting of the council ofheads of government of the SCO.During an interaction with reporters, when asked about Pakistan'sparticipation in the SCO summit to be hosted by New Delhi, Mr. Qureshi said,"We will have to wait for the invitation."The Indian government's announcement on inviting Pakistan to the mega eventcame in the midst of frayed ties between the two countries over India'swithdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the stateinto two union territories.ANGELA MERKEL TO MEET ERDOGAN AMID MIDDLE EAST TENSIONGermany and Turkey have rarely seen eye-to-eye lately, but instability inthe Middle East and North Africa is a growing concern for both countries.Keeping dialog channels open, as well as cooperation is crucial to tacklinggrowing conflicts in the region.For the German government, one of the major concerns is the possibility of anew wave of refugees. This continues to make Turkey an important actor inthe region, which Merkel has to come to terms with.Andreas Nick, a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lawmaker who also sits onthe Foreign Affairs Committee in the German parliament, told DW that "anysustainable solution for the region will also have to take Turkey'slegitimate security interests into account," referring to Syria and themigration flow from the neighboring country.Turkey sees the YPG forces in northern Syria as a branch of the PKK, whichis classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey and the European Union.Not only does Ankara want this aspect to be explicitly recognized but it isalso persistent about establishing a safe zone to which Syrian refugeescould be returned.The CDU's Nick said he expects the return of "at least some of the refugeesin Turkey to their homelands in Syria" over time. However, Nick once againemphasized that Germany will not support any forced resettlement.It is yet to be seen what Merkel will do to prevent Turkey from providingmilitary support to warring parties or taking unilateral military action inthe region. Turkey's commitment to the UN weapons embargo at the BerlinConference on Libya has been welcomed by Germany.NORTH KOREA NAMES SENIOR ARMY OFFICER AS NEW FOREIGN MINISTERNorth Korea on Friday named Ri Son Gwon, a former defense commander withlimited diplomatic experience, as its new foreign minister.Some experts say the move is a sign that North Korea is ready to toughen itsstance on nuclear talks with the US.The official state news agency KCNA reported that Ri gave a speech asminister at a New Year dinner reception hosted by the foreign affairsministry on Thursday in Pyongyang.Ri has led numerous inter-Korean talks over the past 15 years as thechairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, theorganization which handles South Korean affairs. However, he lacksexperience negotiating with the United States and with nuclear issues.The appointment surprised North Korea experts amid stalled denuclearizationtalks with Washington, as Ri's predecessor had significantly more experiencenegotiating with the US.Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at South Korea's Private Sejong Institute toldthe AP news agency: "From now on, it's difficult to expect meaningfulprogress in North Korea-US diplomacy."DEMOCRATS BLAST TRUMP'S ATTEMPT TO SULLY RIVAL BIDENDemocrats worked methodically at US President Donald Trump's impeachmenttrial on Thursday to dismantle his long-standing allegation that Democraticpresidential contender Joe Biden acted improperly toward Ukraine while beingVice President.On the second day of their arguments for Trump's removal from office,Democratic House of Representatives members acting as prosecutors arguedthat Biden was carrying out official US policy when he pressured Ukraine tofire its top prosecutor, Victor Shokin, because of corruption concerns.Trump and his allies maintain that Biden wanted Shokin out in order to headoff an investigation into a natural gas company, Burisma, where his sonHunter served as a director.Democrats said no evidence supported that allegation. They argued, instead,that Trump pushed the Ukrainian government to probe Biden and his sonbecause he was worried about facing the former vice president in November'selection.Biden is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.ALREADY PROTECTING ROHINGYA: MYANMARMyanmar has put in place measures to protect Rohingya Muslims, a spokesmanfor the ruling party said on Friday, shrugging off an order from theInternational Court of Justice a day earlier to stop genocidal acts againstthe ethnic minority.The Hague-based court ordered Myanmar to protect the persecuted Rohingyaagainst further atrocities and preserve evidence of alleged crimes after TheGambia launched a lawsuit in November accusing Myanmar of genocide."The government is already doing most of the orders," Myo Nyunt, a spokesmanfor the ruling National League for Democracy, told Reuters by phone, withoutelaborating. "One more thing we need to do is submit reports," he said,referring to one of several measures approved by the court requiring Myanmarto write regular summaries of its progress.But he said the civilian government, who rule jointly with the military inan awkward constitutional arrangement that reserves great powers for thecommander-in-chief, could not control troops. "Under the current politicalcircumstances, we have difficulties solving some issues - such as the(order) that the government must ensure its military or armed insurgents donot commit genocide or attempt to commit genocide against Rohingya orBengali," he said.ITALY WARNS FB OF FINE FOR SELLING USERS' DATAItaly's competition authority has warned Facebook it faces a further fine offive million euros for persisting in selling users' data without informingthem.The non-compliance procedure by Italy's AGCM consumer and market watchdogfollows five million euro fine against the social media giant in November2018 for failing to tell users "how the data they will provide will beharvested for commercial purposes." Facebook has also failed to publish a"corrective statement" about its commercial practices on its homepage andapp, the authority said in a statement on Friday.ISRAEL, US CONDEMN IRAN AT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL EVENTIsrael and the US on Thursday called for action against Iran, comparing itto the threat once posed by Nazi Germany, as world leaders marked 75 yearssince the liberation of Auschwitz."There will not be another Holocaust," Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu toldthe Jerusalem gathering of more than 40 heads of state and government,slamming what he called "the tyrants of Tehran". He lamented that "we haveyet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semiticregime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weaponsand annihilate the one and only Jewish state".