World Briefs

IRAN A staggering 50 people have died in the holy city of Qom from the new coronavirus this month, a lawmaker was quoted as saying yesterday, even as the Health Ministry insisted only 12 deaths have been recorded nationwide. The new death toll reported by the Qom representative, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, is significantly higher than the 47 total cases of infections state TV had reported just hours earlier.

CHINA announced yesterday it has postponed its most important political meetings of the year because of the outbreak of the new virus, a significant step for an authoritarian government that has always kept tight control over its political calendar. The decision indicates the importance that President Xi Jinping places on the battle against the virus, which has killed more than 2,500 people and sickened more than 77,000 in mainland China.

CHINA’s government promised tax cuts and other aid to help companies recover from its virus outbreak. At a news conference, Chinese finance and planning officials expressed confidence the ruling Communist Party’s growth targets can be achieved this year despite anti-disease controls that shut down much of the world’s second-largest economy. Still, forecasters say it is likely to be at least mid-March before automakers and other companies return to full production.

GERMANY A key indicator of German business optimism unexpectedly ticked up in February despite concerns about how the spread of the coronavirus might affect the economy through key trade partner China. The Ifo institute index crept up to 96.1 points from 96.0 in January, the third increase in the last four months. Economists, however, cautioned that some survey responses may have come in earlier in February.

MALAYSIA’s king yesterday accepted Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s shocking resignation but reappointed him as interim leader following the collapse of the ruling alliance in a major political upheaval less than two years after its historic election victory. The stunning turn of events come amid plans by Bersatu party to team up with opposition parties to form a new government.

INDIA As President Donald Trump was being feted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, Hindu nationalist and communist groups held pro- and anti-U.S. street demonstrations in the capital. A group of Hindu nationalists held a prayer meeting in which they put a vermilion mark on the forehead of Trump’s photograph on a poster, blessing him, while a priest chanted Hindu hymns wishing Trump success in his endeavor for strong ties with India.

WIKILEAKS The U.S. government began outlining its extradition case against Julian Assange in a London court yesterday, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder is not a free-speech champion but an “ordinary” criminal who put many lives at risk with his secret-spilling. Assange is facing espionage charges that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison over the 2010 publication of hundreds of thousands of secret military documents and diplomatic cables. Assange argues he was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.