LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Kobe Bryant inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with both his sublime skills and his unquenchable competitive fire. He also earned Los Angeles' eternal adoration during his two decades as the fierce soul of the city's beloved Lakers. Less than four years into his retirement from the NBA, Bryant was seeking new challenges and working to inspire his daughters'...

BEIJING (AP) -- China says the death toll from a new virus has risen to 80, with 2,744 confirmed cases. The National Health Commission said Monday morning there were 769 new cases confirmed in the 24 hours through midnight Sunday. The government also reported five cases in Hong Kong and two in Macao. Small numbers of cases have been found in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the US, Vietna...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Nine people were killed in the helicopter crash which claimed the life of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Los Angeles officials confirmed on Sunday. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said eight passengers and the pilot of the aircraft died in the accident. "There were no survivors... There were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individua...

BEIJING (AFP) -- The Chinese city at the heart of a deadly virus outbreak is under effective quarantine, with outward flights and trains suspended, subways halted and large public events cancelled as doctors in full-body protective suits treat patients. The coronavirus has spread across China and beyond, with 17 people killed and more than 500 infected in an outbreak that started in Wuhan -- a c...

It is only the third time a US president has endured an impeachment trial, after Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868. Like his two predecessors, Trump looks almost certain to be acquitted by the Senate Republican majority in a trial that could be as short as two weeks. Showing some compromise, McConnell's initial draft was modified at the last minute, allowing 24 hours of arguments ...

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (AFP) -- The United States on Tuesday announced its first case of a new virus that has claimed six lives in China and sickened hundreds, joining countries around the world in ramping up measures to block its spread. The man, a US resident in his 30s who lives near Seattle, is in good condition, according to federal and state officials, and approached authorities himself after ...

BEIJING (AFP) -- Asian countries on Tuesday ramped up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll in China rose to six and the number of cases jumped to almost 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush. Nations across the Asia-Pacific region stepped up checks of passengers at airports to detect the SARS-like coronavirus, which first emerged in the centr...

DAVOS (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump branded his impeachment trial a "hoax" in the Swiss resort of Davos on Tuesday, hours before senators were to start debating a push to remove him from office. Asked by reporters why he was in Davos, not back in Washington, Trump said: "We're meeting with world leaders, the most important people in the world and we're bringing back tremendous business." ...

PARIS -- Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump have agreed to extend negotiations on a dispute over a French tax on digital giants to the end of the year, postponing Washington's threat of sanctions against Paris, French officials said Tuesday. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking before a Brussels meeting with EU counterparts, said: "Macron and Trump had a very constructive di...

LONDON (AFP) -- Britain's Prince Harry has left the UK to rejoin his wife Meghan and son Archie in Canada, British media reported, as the couple start a new life after their shock exit from the royal fold. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are bowing out entirely from representing the British monarchy, in a crisis that has shaken the centuries-old institution. The prince boarded an evening flight ...

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- A fourth person has died from pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan following the outbreak of a new coronavirus, health authorities said on Tuesday. The 89-year-old man developed symptoms on Jan. 13 and was admitted to hospital five days later after he experienced severe breathing difficulties, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a statement. He died on J...

DUBAI (AFP) -- More than 100 people were killed and dozens wounded in a missile and drone attack blamed on Huthi rebels in central Yemen, officials said Sunday. Saturday's strike follows months of relative calm in the war between the Iran-backed Huthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition. The Huthis attacked a mosque in a milit...

"It has been our privilege to serve you, and we will continue to lead a life of service." "I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander in chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family, for the support they have shown Meghan and I over the last few months." He also hinted at some trepidation at starting a new life away from his royal home. He and...

BEIJING (AFP) -- A mysterious SARS-like virus has spread around China -- including to Beijing -- authorities said Monday, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for the Lunar New Year in humanity's biggest migration. The new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the central city of Wuhan, has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, ...

BEIJING (AFP) -- China reported 17 new cases of the mysterious SARS-like virus on Sunday, including three in a severe condition, heightening fears ahead of China's Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds of millions of people move around the country. The virus -- a new strain of coronavirus that humans can contract -- has caused alarm because of its connection to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Synd...