News archive of February 2020

France will arrange air transport to the city of Istres.
In that French city, they will be inspected and further health care measures will be taken, RTS reports.
Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said on Friday that three Serb citizens from Wuhan would be evacuated with the assistance of France and that the plane was expected to arrive within a day.

Turkey commemorated Barış Manço, one of the most prominent figures in Turkey who had a great cultural influence, on Jan. 31, 21 years after his passing.

Suffering a heart attack, Manço, one of Turkey's most beloved figures, died on Jan. 31, 1999 at the age of 56. His death came just before the release of his album "Mançoloji" which marked his 40 years of experience in music.

Testifying on Friday in the probe into the alleged bribery scandal implicating Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and Greek politicians and doctors, deputy prosecutor Ioannis Angelis alleged that there was an organized plan to jail three politicians, including former prime minister Antonis Samaras, on the eve of national elections last year. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to cut security ties with both Israel and the U.S. on Feb. 1, in a lengthy speech delivered at an Arab League meeting in Egypt's capital that denounced a White House plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama and US Ambassador Yuri Kim in a meeting on 31 January 2020. Photo: Edi Rama/Twitter

As winter tightens its grip in Turkey, Cappadocia's beautiful scenery under a blanket of new pristine snow mesmerizes visitors. (IHA Photo)

The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Jan. 31 for an uncertain Brexit future, turning its back after 47 years on the post-World War Two project that sought to build the ruined nations of Europe into a global power.   

Soaring temperatures and strong winds stoked unpredictable bushfires near Australia's capital city on Feb. 1, closing a major highway and prompting warnings for some residents that it was too late to evacuate.

Skies along the Monaro Highway in the Australian Capital Territory turned orange-red as an uncontrolled blaze ballooned to more than 35,000 hectares (74,000 acres) in size.

A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has killed 259 people in China and spread around the world since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.    

On Feb. 1, China's National Health Commission said nearly 12,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus.    

China has put in orders for a total of 200 million protective face masks from Turkish medical firms over the past 10 days, as the country wrestles an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.