Coronavirus in North Korea: Kim Jong-un claims ‘shining success’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has hailed his country’s “shining success” in dealing with Covid-19, according to state news agency KCNA. Speaking at a politburo meeting, Mr Kim said the country had “prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained a stable situation”. North...
Zheng Yanxiong: China appoints hard-line Hong Kong security chief
China has appointed a hard-line figure as head of its new security agency in Hong Kong. Zheng Yanxiong is best known for his role in dealing with a protest over a land dispute in the southern Chinese village of Wukan. The new agency, answering directly...
China reports three new coronavirus cases
China recorded three new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced today. Two of the cases were imported. The third was a local transmission in Beijing, where a new coronavirus outbreak emerged from a wholesale food market last month. The country...
Former Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev tests positive for coronavirus
Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first president of Kazakhstan, is self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus, his office said in a statement today. “Unfortunately, the last test of Elbasy for coronavirus infection showed a positive result,” the statement read, referring to Nazarbayev by his formal title, Leader...
India records more than 10,600 new cases
India recorded 10,667 new coronavirus cases and 380 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of confirmed cases in the country stands at 343,091, including 9,900 deaths. India has conducted almost 6 million Covid-19 tests in total, with 154,935 taken in...
Coronavirus: Fear of second wave in Beijing after market outbreak
An area of the Chinese capital Beijing has been put under strict lockdown measures after the city’s first coronavirus cases in more than 50 days. The outbreak has been linked to the city’s largest wholesale market. A total of 45 people out of 517 tested...
India overtakes the UK to become fourth worst affected country from Covid-19
India reported 10,956 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day increase and the first time the numbers have risen by more 10,000. The total number of reported coronavirus infections now stands at 297,535 with 8,498 deaths, according to India’s Ministry of Health...
Coronavirus: Why does India deny Covid community transmission?
Despite a surge in cases, India insists there is no community transmission of Covid-19 in the country. “India is such a large country and prevalence is very low,” said Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Medical Research Institute. Mr Bhargava was speaking at a press...
Hong Kong: City of two masks faces a new crisis
One year ago, black-clad youth of Hong Kong gathered outside parliament. Bricks and projectiles met rubber bullets and tear gas. Many protests and one pandemic later, the territory is facing another existential challenge. Will it survive? In the past 12 months, almost everyone in Hong...
In India’s richest city, hospitals are overrun and doctors are collapsing
India’s richest city is buckling under the weight of the coronavirus crisis. Mumbai is considered the country’s financial and entertainment capital, home to international businesses and the glamorous world of Bollywood. But it’s also a transport hub with a dense population and dramatic wealth inequality...
Afghans condemn Iran police after refugees die in car fire
The deaths of three Afghan refugees in a car fire in Iran has prompted an outpouring of anger towards police there, after it emerged the blaze began when officers shot at the vehicle. Another four were injured, including a boy seen begging “Give me some...
Compulsory quarantine on entry relaxed for bosses at 480 listed companies in Hong Kong
Directors and executives of around 480 listed companies can apply for exemption from the 14-day compulsory quarantine when arriving in Hong Kong from mainland China, according to a government statement issued on Monday morning. Companies can start to apply for the exemption from Monday. Companies...
Delhi’s Chief Minister in isolation after showing Covid-19 symptoms
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went into self-isolation on Monday at his official residence in New Delhi after showing coronavirus symptoms. Spokesman Sanjay Singh said the Chief Minister had been complaining of a fever, cough, cold and sore throat since Sunday evening. The 51-year-old chief...
China says US senator’s accusations of vaccine sabotage are “slandering and smearing” China
China’s Foreign Ministry has called on US Senator Rick Scott to “produce the evidence” after he accused China of trying to “sabotage” US vaccine efforts. “The Senator claims there is evidence showing China is sabotaging and slowing down Western countries’ [vaccine] efforts, I hope he...
Japan reports no new deaths for the first time in 3 months
Japan recorded no new coronavirus deaths on Sunday — the first time this has happened since March 6, around the time when the pandemic saw infection rates soar in the country. A total of 38 new infections were recorded on Sunday, according to the country’s...
India’s worst-hit state now has more cases than the whole of China
The west Indian state of Maharashtra now has a total of 85,975 coronavirus cases, including 3,060 deaths, the country’s health ministry announced Monday. The updated tally means Maharashtra now has more cases than all of China, which has 83,040 cases as of today, according to...
George Floyd death: China takes a victory lap over US protests
The US mass protests are raising eyebrows around the world, but China is watching with particular interest. As anti-racism protests sweep across the US, Beijing has seized upon them to hit back at Washington for supporting last year’s Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrations. Chinese state media...
Court bans Australian Black Lives Matter rally over coronavirus
An Australian court has banned a Black Lives Matter protest that was planned this weekend in Sydney, saying it posed a coronavirus health risk. New South Wales (NSW) Police had sought a court order to halt it. Thousands were expected to attend the rally in...
Tiananmen anniversary: Hong Kongers mark crackdown despite ban
People across Hong Kong are finding ways to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, despite the official vigil being banned. On 4 June 1989 troops and tanks opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing – estimates of the dead vary from a few...
HSBC and StanChart back China security laws for HK
HSBC and Standard Chartered have given their backing to China’s new security laws for Hong Kong. Both banks made statements saying the proposed law can help maintain long-term stability in the troubled city. On Wednesday, HSBC’s Asia Pacific chief executive Peter Wong signed a petition...
South Korean balloons: Plans to stop people sending cross-border messages
The South Korean government plans to stop people sending balloons with anti-North Korean messages across the border. The announcement came after Kim Yo-jong – sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – said recent balloon-senders were “human scum”. For years, activists and defectors have sent...
China hopes the US will take “concrete” measures against racial discrimination
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has again voiced its hope that the United States will take “concrete” measures against racial discrimination. “We hope the US government will take concrete measures to fulfil its obligations under the international convention on the elimination of all forms of...
Coronavirus: Australia set for first recession in three decades
Australia is set for its first recession in 29 years as the country feels the impact of the virus pandemic. Official figures show that the economy shrank by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, amid bushfires and the early stages of the...
Cyclone Nisarga makes landfall on its way to Mumbai
A cyclone racing in from the Arabian Sea has struck India’s west coast after intensifying on its approach to the densely populated city of Mumbai. Cyclone Nisarga will be the first major cyclone to make landfall in India’s financial capital in decades. Tens of thousands...
Iran criticizes “oppressive” US reaction to protests
The Iranian government has criticized the reactions of the US administration and US police to the protests which have broken out following the death of George Floyd, according to governmental statements published on Iran’s state news agency IRNA. On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary chief, Hojjatoleslam Raeesi,...
Asia’s fishermen and farmers go digital during virus
During a national lockdown, farmers from Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands were faced with throwing away tons of fresh vegetables. Wet markets were shut down as social restrictions were introduced to stop the virus spreading. E-commerce was their saviour as they went online for the first time...
China calls racial discrimination in the US a “social ill”
China’s foreign affairs ministry has called on the US to prevent racial discrimination against minorities. “We are following the latest developments around the death of Mr. Floyd, Black Lives Matter and their human rights should be protected,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Foreign...
Tiananmen: Police ban Hong Kong vigil for victims of 1989 crackdown
Hong Kong police have banned a vigil marking the Tiananmen Square crackdown for the first time in 30 years. Authorities said the decision was due to health concerns over coronavirus. However, there are fears this may end the commemorations, as China seeks to impose a...
Bars, gyms and restaurants in South Korea to keep a QR-code log of customers
Recreational venues in South Korea, including bars, nightclubs and indoor gyms, will be required to keep a QR code-based customer log from June 10, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Sunday. This data will be automatically erased after four weeks to safeguard customer information. The minister...
He walked and hitchhiked 1,250 miles home. India’s lockdown left him no choice.
Rajesh Chouhan had covered 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) in five days. His legs were swollen and his blisters had burst. A piece of Styrofoam trash he’d found on the roadside was soaking up the pus seeping from his feet. But he didn’t stop walking. He...