Chinese troll campaign on Twitter exposes a potentially dangerous disconnect with the wider world
Hong Kong (CNN)At first, it seemed like a straightforward Chinese internet controversy. After Thai actor Vachirawit Chivaaree liked a photo on Twitter that listed Hong Kong as a “country,” Chinese fans inundated his Instagram and other social media with comments “correcting” him, and he soon...
Prominent scientists have bad news for the White House about coronavirus antibody tests
In a phone call last week, some of the nation’s top scientists briefed White House officials about antibody testing, according to two doctors who were on the call. Much of the news wasn’t very good. Antibody tests check to see if a person has previously...
Coronavirus India lockdown: What will change under new guidelines?
A day after extending a nationwide lockdown, India has relaxed restrictions on farming, banking and public works, but transport services and most businesses remain closed. The rules which come into effect on 20 April, are expected to ease the supply chain and alleviate economic impact....
Coronavirus: The children struggling to survive India’s lockdown
The sudden imposition of a 21-day lockdown in India to stop the spread of the coronavirus has thrown the lives of millions of children into chaos. Tens of thousands are calling helplines daily while thousands are going to bed hungry as the country shuts down...
How new technology is transforming Vietnam’s economy
In 1975, Vietnam emerged from its 20-year-long war as one of the poorest nations in the world. Since then, its economy has been transformed — largely thanks to a package of economic and political reforms, designed to engineer growth, that was launched by the government...
10 million students in China are facing the toughest exam of their lives in a pandemic
Every day, student Xiong Yanfei sits at her desk in her parent’s small apartment in Wuhan, studying for an exam that could change the course of her life. She starts at 8 a.m. and finishes at 11 p.m. Normally, at school she’d get little breaks...
People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in ‘decades,’ as the lockdown eases air pollution
People in the northern Indian state of Punjab are reacting with awe at the sight of the Himalayan mountain range, which is now visible from more than 100 miles away due to the reduction in air pollution caused by the country’s coronavirus lockdown. Indians in...
Coronavirus: Should the world worry about Singapore’s virus surge?
Singapore had been a master class in how to handle the Covid-19 outbreak. Before the disease even had a name, the country had stringent travel restrictions and an efficient contact-tracing operation which contained the virus’s spread. But in recent days, the number of confirmed cases...
Asia shares ease after two days of gains
A summary now on the economic situation across Asia. Shares in Asia fell early Wednesday after two straight days of gains. That’s being driven by volatile oil prices and continued concern over the spread of the coronavirus. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.7%, South Korea’s KOSPI...
Coronavirus: The race to stop the virus spread in Asia’s ‘biggest slum’
On 23 March, a 56-year-old man living in a vast, labyrinthine slum in the western Indian city of Mumbai went to see a doctor. He was feeling feverish and had a bad cough. The garment trader lived in Dharavi where more than half-a-million people are...
Oil slides as Saudi Arabia-Russia talks delayed
Global oil prices have dropped after Saudi Arabia and Russia postponed a meeting about a deal to cut output as the virus pandemic hits demand. The two countries have been locked in an oil price war for the last month. Traders are concerned that, with...
China wins key seat to UN Human Rights council despite troubled record, disastrous coronavirus response
China has won a seat on a panel on the controversial U.N. Human Rights Council, where it will help vet candidates for important posts — despite its decades-long record of systematic human rights abuse that the U.S. has said fueled the coronavirus pandemic. Jiang Duan,...
Coronavirus: India’s bailout may not be enough to save economy
Mohammad Alam is one of thousands of workers standing in a food queue in India’s capital, Delhi. The factory where he worked shut down after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. A daily-wage labourer, he has no...
Tablighi Jamaat: The group blamed for new Covid-19 outbreak in India
The Tablighi Jamaat have come into the spotlight after an event they held in the Indian capital Delhi has spawned a number of Covid-19 clusters across the country. But exactly who is this group and why did they hold a big gathering in Delhi? BBC...
Pakistan’s blame game shifts to Iran as coronavirus cases surge
All hell broke loose in a coronavirus quarantine site in the Pakistani city of Sukkur last week. Those inside, including Shiite pilgrims who had just returned from Iran, brought the doors down in protest. The heated crowd included people who had tested positive for coronavirus...
WHO Warns Coronavirus Pandemic ‘Far From Over’ in Asia-Pacifc
A senior official at the World Health Organization warned that the coronavirus pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region, and said states must “keep preparing for large-scale community transmission.” Based on available data, the U.S. has now overtaken China as the epicenter of...
Taiwan invites US newspapers expelled by China to move their operations
Taiwan’s foreign minister on Friday invited three U.S. newspapers to move their operations to the island after China expelled journalists stationed in Beijing. China’s expulsion of The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post reporters was the latest tit-for-tat between Beijing and Washington,...
It’s not too late for Europe and the US to learn lessons from Asia to fight COVID-19 ǀ View
As some Western governments face a barrage of criticism for bumbling and delayed responses to the coronavirus, there are still lessons to be learned from looking east. Despite claims by some US officials that it is too late to learn from Asia, policies in Singapore,...
Coronavirus: Asian ‘poster child’ heads for recession due to virus
The world has been given an indication of the economic impact of coronavirus as Singapore released its initial growth figures for this quarter. The trade-reliant city state now looks to be heading for its first full-year recession in about two decades. The figures suggest that...
Asian markets open in freefall amid coronavirus fears
Global stock exchanges suffered historic crashes as coronavirus panic gripped the financial world. On Friday morning, stock markets across Asia opened to a freefall in numbers, with benchmarks in Japan, Thailand and India sinking as much as 10% after Wall Street suffered its biggest drop...