International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
BEIJING (Reuters) – China reported one new coronavirus case for Friday, unchanged from the day before, data from the national health authority showed on Saturday. One new imported case was recorded on May 8, the National Health Commission said in a statement. The commission also reported 15 new asymptomatic cases for Friday, versus 16 the previous
The United States on Friday accused China and Russia of stepping up cooperation to spread false narratives over the coronavirus pandemic, saying Beijing was increasingly adopting techniques honed by Moscow. “Even before the COVID-19 crisis we assessed a certain level of coordination between Russia and the PRC in the realm of propaganda,” said Lea Gabrielle,
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Hundreds of people queued outside liquor stores in New Delhi on Monday as the Indian capital began easing some curbs after a 40-day lockdown against the coronavirus, while some offices resumed work with fewer staff and traffic trickled into the streets. The nationwide lockdown, among the world’s strictest, is being relaxed
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a “travel bubble” between the two countries, sources said on Monday, even as Australia reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will take part in a meeting of Australia’s emergency coronavirus cabinet on
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday there was “a significant amount of evidence” that the new coronavirus emerged from a Chinese laboratory, but did not dispute U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that it was not man-made. “There is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan,”
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to extend the country’s state of emergency on Monday until the end of May, public broadcaster NHK said. The government is also expected to determine new prevention measures for the coronavirus outbreak that has infected around 15,000 people and killed more than 500 in the
ROME (Reuters) – Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 174 on Sunday, against 474 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, posting the smallest daily toll of fatalities since March 10. The daily number of new cases also declined sharply to 1,389 from 1,900 on Saturday. In recent weeks of the
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he now believes as many as 100,000 Americans could die in the coronavirus pandemic, after the death toll passed his earlier estimates, but said he was confident a vaccine would be developed by the year’s end. Trump alternated during a two-hour virtual town hall broadcast
LONDON (Reuters) – The British government had a contingency plan for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s death as he battled COVID-19 in intensive care last month, he said in an interview with The Sun newspaper. Johnson, 55, returned to work on Monday, a month after testing positive for COVID-19. He spent 10 days in isolation in
SYDNEY (IDN) – Today the global media reports daily about the race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, but what they fail to understand is that this vaccine may not help us to overcome the severe human security crisis we face today. Rather than a vaccine for the body, we need a vaccine for the
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was “glad” about the reappearance of Kim Jong Un and that the North Korea leader is apparently healthy. “I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!” Trump tweeted, following Kim’s first public appearance in nearly three weeks after intense speculation that he was seriously
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore will start easing some curbs put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus over the next few weeks, authorities said on Saturday, as the city-state takes the first tentative steps towards reopening its economy. Selected activities such as home-based businesses, laundry services and barbers will be allowed to operate
