European countries rally around WHO as Trump threatens agency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) must be strengthened in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, European politicians leaders said on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump threatened to stop funding the UN agency.

Mass evacuations for major cyclone in South Asia

Millions of people were being moved to safety as one of the fiercest cyclones in years barrelled towards India and Bangladesh on Tuesday, but with evacuation plans complicated by coronavirus precautions.

Eight Afghan soldiers die fighting off Taliban attack on key city

Eight Afghan soldiers were killed on Tuesday while repelling a fierce Taliban attack on Kunduz, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan that had briefly fallen to the militants twice in the past, officials said.

Man abducted as child reunited with parents after 32 years

A Chinese man kidnapped as a toddler 32-years-ago has been reunited with his biological parents, after police used facial recognition technology to help track him down.

Defection robs France’s Macron party of parliamentary majority

Left-leaning lawmakers defected Tuesday to rob President Emmanuel Macron’s party of its outright majority in France’s National Assembly in a symbolic but non-paralysing setback for the embattled reformist leader.

Xi backs virus inquiry as Europe eases out of lockdown

China supports an independent inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic after it is “brought under control”, President Xi Jinping said Monday, as Europe accelerated its reopenings with landmarks Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Acropolis in Athens welcoming visitors again.

Geopolitics cast shadow over WHO Covid-19 conference

The coronavirus pandemic was supposed to be the only issue on the agenda for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual conference, but geopolitical tensions over the status of Taiwan are taking the spotlight as the two-day talks started on Monday.

Jacinda Ardern surges in polls on Kiwi virus success

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s success containing coronavirus has driven an extraordinary popularity surge that has put the youthful leader on course for a landslide win in September’s national election.

Afghan President Ghani and rival sign power-sharing deal

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal on Sunday, ending a bitter months-long feud that plunged the country into political crisis.

China warns US of ‘all necessary measures’ over Huawei rules

China’s commerce ministry says it will take “all necessary measures” in response to new U.S. restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei’s ability to use American technology, calling the measures an abuse of state power and a violation of market principles.

Rwanda genocide financier held

French police on Saturday arrested one of the last key suspects in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, describing him as its “financier” and one of the world’s most wanted fugitives.

Race to prevent coronavirus ‘nightmare’ in Rohingya camps

Emergency teams raced Friday to prevent a coronavirus “nightmare” in the world’s largest refugee settlement after the first confirmed cases in a sprawling city of shacks housing nearly a million Rohingya.

UN won’t vote electronically in Security Council election

The UN General Assembly will cast ballots in-person for five new non-permanent Security Council seats, its president said Thursday, effectively ruling out electronic voting despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic hampers Philippines mass evacuation as typhoon hits

The coronavirus pandemic is complicating Philippine efforts to move hundreds of thousands of people into evacuation centres where social distancing is hard to enforce as a strong typhoon pummeled through its eastern provinces.

Trump lashes out at Dr. Fauci for voicing caution about reopening schools

President Trump said he wanted American schools to be reopened because ‘our country isn’t reopened if they’re closed.’

The lonely last journey of husband and wife who both died of coronavirus

A sombre image in a funeral hall of the coffins of an elderly husband and wife who both died from Covid-19 captures the tragic reality of the pandemic as the pair were laid side by side with no mourners in attendance.

‘Major’ mental health crisis looming from pandemic: UN

The coronavirus outbreak risks sparking a major global mental health crisis, the United Nations warned on Thursday, calling for urgent action to address the psychological suffering brought on by the pandemic.

New Zealand reports zero new coronavirus cases

New Zealand reported zero new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, the second day in a row without any new cases and the fourth day since early last week.

Russia records more than 10,000 new virus cases

Russia reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, continuing a grim trend that has seen the country register the world’s second-highest number of infections.

China pressured WHO to downplay risk of coronavirus: CIA

The CIA believes that China pressured the World Health Organization into delaying public warnings about coronavirus early in the outbreak, according to a new report.

India launches jets as Chinese choppers spotted near Ladakh

After the scuffle between the Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops and Indian troops along the LAC in North Sikkim which led to injuries on both sides, China appears to be continuing on the path of belligerence towards India, this time along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

UK stock of PPE outdated when Covid-19 struck

Millions of pieces of personal protective equipment in the UK’s stockpile were out of date when coronavirus hit. A report found that over half of all surgical face masks in the national inventory had expired, along with 80% of respirators - 20.9 million respirators from a total of 26.3 million

Newborns among 13 killed in Kabul hospital attack

Gunmen attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday where the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders runs a maternity clinic, killing 13 people, including two newborn babies, officials said.

China urges France to scrap Taiwan arms deal

China called on France on Tuesday to cancel a weapons contract with Taiwan, warning that the deal with the self-ruled island could harm diplomatic relations between Paris and Beijing.

Nineteen dead 15 injured, Iranian warship fires on own vessel

An Iranian warship has accidentally opened fire on one of its own support vessels during a training exercise in the Gulf of Oman, killing 19 and leaving 15 injured.

Earthquake hits Rome as the city emerges from lockdown

A mild earthquake shook Rome on Monday morning as the city tries to adjust to life following coronavirus lockdown.

Nepal summons Indian envoy, protests opening road to Lipulekh

The Nepal government summoned the Indian envoy on Monday to protest against the construction of a road in Lipulekh area that is claimed by Kathmandu, signalling an intensification of the diplomatic row on the matter.

South Korea warns of second wave of virus infections

South Korea’s capital has ordered the closure of all clubs and bars after a burst of new cases sparked fears of a second coronavirus wave, and President Moon Jae-in urged the public to remain vigilant.

Obama calls Trump’s handling of pandemic a ‘chaotic disaster’

Former president Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it an “absolute chaotic disaster.” In a leaked web call Friday night with former members of his administration, Obama also said the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, endangers the rule of

Three members of White House coronavirus task force quarantined

Three members of President Trump’s coronavirus task force, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, said they will self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesman and media reports.