International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four days. South Korea has been experiencing a prolonged surge in infections during the
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s most-populous state of New South Wales (NSW) reported eight new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, while neighbouring Victoria’s tally increased by three, as new measures to combat the disease kicked in. The NSW outbreak started around mid-December in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area, where a quarter of a million people are in strict
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Experts at India’s drugs regulator have recommended for emergency use two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other backed by a state-run institute, the government said on Saturday. A government minister said earlier the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine had been given the green light on Friday, paving the
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will consider issuing a new emergency declaration after governors in the capital region urged action to tackle a record surge in COVID-19 cases, the head of the nation’s pandemic response said on Saturday. The government needs to consult with health experts before deciding on a new declaration, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura
This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget. From the South Pacific to New York City, pandemic restrictions on open air gatherings saw people turning to made-for-TV fireworks displays or packing it in early since they could
US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed a relentless effort to fight Covid-19 the moment he takes office, as he warned that Donald Trump’s vaccination drive was falling dangerously short. Speaking after a briefing by experts, Biden promised that as president he will undertake the “greatest operational challenge we’ve ever faced as a nation” to
SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) -A Chinese court sentenced 10 Hong Kong activists to between seven months and three years in jail on Wednesday for illegally crossing the border, in a case that has drawn international attention and concern over the defendants’ treatment. The group had all faced charges in Hong Kong over anti-government protests in the
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – A Chinese court on Monday handed down a four-year jail term to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of this year’s coronavirus outbreak on the grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, her lawyer said. Zhang Zhan, 37, the first such person known to have
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain reported 41,385 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, a daily record, as a rapidly spreading variant of the coronavirus increases infection rates and the holiday weekend impacted the reporting of some new cases. There were 357 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the government’s coronavirus statistics portal said. “This
PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday signed into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and averting a federal government shutdown in a crisis of his own making. Trump, who leaves office on Jan. 20 after losing November’s election to President-elect
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will ban “buy one get one free” promotions for food high in fat, sugar or salt and free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants from April 2022, the government said on Monday, its latest step in its plan to tackle obesity and improve public health. The government says obesity is
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday, its Health Ministry said, just days after a new faster spreading variant was confirmed to be present in the country. The grim milestone comes nine days after the country, the worst hit in Africa, reported 900,000
