UK says COVID track and trace system will be ready despite app issues
Britain is dealing with technical issues of its track and trace app that it hopes will help it keep the novel coronavirus outbreak under control, but will use traditional tracking means until it is rolled out, the security minister said on Thursday.
U.S. envoy in Afghan peace shuttle demands reduction in violence
The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan has demanded that all sides reduce violence, he said on Thursday, after shuttling from Kabul to the Gulf to push a peace effort that looks increasingly precarious.
Lebanon at risk of major food crisis, PM warns
Lebanon is at risk of a major food crisis and many Lebanese may soon find it hard to afford bread because of an acute financial crunch and the fall-out of COVID-19, the prime minister warned.
What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Cyclone leaves trail of devastation along coast of eastern India, Bangladesh
Rescue teams searched for survivors in eastern India and Bangladesh a day after the most powerful cyclone in over a decade devastated coastal villages, destroying mud houses, ripping out electricity poles and washing away bridges.
Australian states argue over opening borders for domestic tourism
Australian state and territory leaders bickered on Thursday over whether to reopen internal borders, a major step to rejuvenating the country’s A$80 billion ($50 billion) domestic tourism industry, as part of measures to ease coronavirus restrictions.
Pompeo: HK’s treatment of activists makes autonomy assessment more difficult
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday recent treatment of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists made it more difficult to assess that the territory remains highly autonomous from China, a requirement for the special treatment it enjoys unde…
Japan’s Abe wants to build ventilators that hospitals probably don’t need
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to build 2,000 new ventilators for coronavirus patients that even the government says hospitals are unlikely to need.
China says U.S.’s Pompeo ‘blackmailing’ Hong Kong government
China said on Thursday U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is “blackmailing” the Hong Kong government with the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and that Washington’s recent actions amount to blatant interference on China’s internal affairs.
Japan to lift state of emergency for Osaka, nearby Kyoto, Hyogo
Japan will lift its state of emergency in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo on Thursday as the number of new coronavirus infections drops, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said, amid hopes the move will help the world’s third-largest economy to recover.
