Turkey threatens to seize factories unless they sell masks to government
Turkish authorities will seize factories of mask-producing firms unless they agree to sell products to the government by Monday night, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying, as Ankara seeks to contain the local coronavirus outbreak.
Weeks after Thai soldier kills 29, Amnesty report describes conscript abuses
Thai military conscripts face widespread violence and sexual assaults, Amnesty International said in a report on Monday, calling the abuse institutionalized and systematically hushed up by the hierarchy.
China sees drop in new coronavirus cases; all of them imported
Mainland China on Monday reported a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, reversing four straight days of increases, as the capital, Beijing, ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad.
Indonesia coronavirus cases rise by 65 to 579, official says
Indonesia reported 65 new positive cases of coronavirus disease on Monday, bringing the total number of cases in Southeast Asia’s largest economy to 579, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto told reporters.
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo arrives in Kabul to meet Afghan political rivals
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived on Monday in the Afghan capital, on a previously unannounced visit to help salvage a historic deal between Washington and the Taliban, struck in February but marred by a political feud.
Ireland likely to give further recommendations on public spaces
Ireland’s national public health emergency team is likely to recommend measures to government on Tuesday on how to implement social distancing in public spaces to battle the spread of coronavirus, Health Minister Simon Harris said.
Germany reports 22,672 coronavirus cases, 86 deaths
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 22,672 and 86 people have died from the disease, a tally by public health agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed on Monday.
Hong Kong to ban all tourist arrivals, weighs suspension of alcohol sales
Hong Kong said on Monday it was banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial center amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus, as it joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of the disease.
Southeast Asians consider emergency powers, Singapore carrier grounds fleet
Southeast Asian countries considered more emergency powers on Monday to tackle the threat of the coronavirus as Singapore Airlines said it was grounding almost all of fleet in the face of the “greatest challenge” it has ever faced.
‘Optimistic’ Merkel not infected with coronavirus: chief of staff
German Chancellor Angela Merkel only had brief contact with a doctor who later tested positive for coronavirus so there is a good chance she is not infected, her chief of staff said late on Sunday.
