In Syria rebel stronghold, building makeshift ventilators to fight virus
A team of volunteers in Syria have cobbled together prototypes of a ventilator and a testing machine – homemade equipment to fight the new coronavirus if it hits the last rebel stronghold, where hospitals lie in ruins after nine years of war.
South Africa’s itinerant wastepickers lose livelihood in lockdown
They perform one of South Africa’s most important services, collecting recyclables that would otherwise swell the country’s rubbish dumps and burden municipal trash collection, but the coronavirus lockdown has left thousands of wastepickers jobless.
Vietnam says accusations it hacked China for virus information ‘baseless’
A report which said Vietnamese government-linked hackers had attempted to break into Chinese state organisations at the centre of Beijing’s effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak is “baseless”, Vietnam’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Indonesia finds 357 new coronavirus cases, 11 new deaths
Indonesia on Thursday reported 357 new COVID-19 cases and 11 new deaths, taking the total number of infections and fatalities to 7,775 and 647, respectively, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.
Many of Japan’s pachinko parlours stay open despite state of emergency
As stores have closed across Japan during a state of emergency, some pachinko parlours remain defiantly open, sparking concern the noisy gambling halls could undermine the government’s fight against the novel coronavirus.
Botswana’s president, lawmakers out of quarantine after testing negative for coronavirus
President Mokgweetsi Masisi and all of Botswana’s lawmakers have been released from two weeks in quarantine after testing negative for the coronavirus, a senior official said on Thursday.
Chinese citizen journalist resurfaces after going missing in Wuhan
A Chinese citizen journalist who posted videos about the coronavirus situation in the city of Wuhan has resurfaced after going missing for almost two months, saying in a YouTube video that he had been forcibly quarantined.
Taiwan says Chinese carrier group has ended South China Sea mission
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that a Chinese aircraft carrier group which this month sailed down Taiwan’s east coast had ended its mission in the South China Sea on Wednesday.
Finland PM to work from home as precaution against coronavirus
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin will work from home from Thursday as a precaution against possible exposure to the coronavirus, her office said.
WHO is indispensable partner for Germany, Merkel says
The World Health Organisation is an indispensable partner for Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, distancing her government from President Donald Trump’s pause in U.S. funding to the global body.
