International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
(AFP) – France and Britain on Friday joined a growing list of nations imposing Covid tests on travelers from China, and the World Health Organization pressed Beijing to be more forthcoming on real-time data amid an explosion of cases there. Spain, South Korea and Israel also said they would require proof of a negative test for
(AFP) – The death toll from a fierce winter storm that gripped much of the United States over Christmas rose to at least 61 on Thursday, officials said. Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz said two more deaths had been reported in the western New York region that bore the brunt of the historic storm, bringing
(AFP) – Doyenne of British design Vivienne Westwood, who melded music and fashion together to create punk and brought rebellious politics to the catwalk, died on Thursday aged 81, her family said. Westwood made provocation itself into an art form — from the leather bondage gear she popularised in the 1970s to the time she
CHICAGO/NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters) – As COVID-19 infections surge in China, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering sampling wastewater taken from international aircraft to track any emerging new variants, the agency told Reuters. Such a policy would offer a better solution to tracking the virus and slowing its entry into
China’s sprawling and thinly resourced countryside is racing to beef up medical facilities before hundreds of millions of factory workers return to their families for the Lunar New Year holiday next month from cities where COVID-19 is surging. Having imposed the world’s strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and relentless testing for three years, China reversed
A blizzard that paralyzed western New York over the Christmas weekend has killed more than two dozen people, local officials said on Monday, as crews struggled to dig out the snow-bound region around Buffalo from its fiercest winter storm in decades. With snow continuing to fall on top of more than 4 feet (1.2 meters)
China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine starting from Jan. 8, the National Health Commission said on Monday in a major step towards easing curbs on its borders, which have been largely shut since 2020. China‘s management of COVID-19 will also be downgraded to the less strict Category B from the current top-level
(AFP) – Russian air defence troops downed a Ukrainian drone as it approached an air base in southern Russia and three people died after being struck by debris, Russian news agencies said Monday. It was the second attack on the Engels base this month. Engels, in the southern Saratov region, lies more than 600 kilometres
(AFP) – South Korea accused the North of flying “several” drones across their shared border on Monday, prompting Seoul’s military to deploy warplanes and fire warning shots to ward them off. “Our military first detected a North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle around the Gimpo airspace at 10:25 am (0125 GMT),” the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(AFP) – A fearsome winter storm that pummelled the United States with blinding snow and powerful Arctic winds left over half a million customers without power Saturday as thousands of cancelled flights stranded travelers making last-minute dashes for Christmas. At least 17 weather-related deaths have been confirmed across eight states as heavy snow, howling winds
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, responsible for multiple murders in the 1970s across Asia, arrived in France on Saturday after almost 20 years in prison in Nepal. Nepal’s top court ruled on Wednesday that he should be freed on health grounds and deported to France within 15 days. On Friday, he was released and put on a
Representatives of France’s Kurdish community gathered in central Paris on Saturday for a demonstration to demand answers over the killing of three Kurds in the French capital they say has exposed the community’s vulnerability. A gunman carried out the killings at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby cafe on Friday in a busy part of Paris’ 10th
