Poland critical of Russia 10 years after Smolensk air crash
Poland’s ruling nationalists held scaled-down events on Friday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of a plane crash in Russia that killed top politicians and military officers, and they renewed criticism of Moscow’s handling of the disaster.
Russia tells Czechs to hand over dismantled statue of Soviet commander
Russia has told the Czech Republic to hand over the statue of a prominent Soviet military commander that was dismantled in Prague last week despite Moscow’s protests, escalating a rancorous diplomatic dispute over the issue.
South Korea reports recovered coronavirus patients testing positive again
South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again.
Malaysia extends curbs even as coronavirus infection rate slows
Malaysia extended movement and travel restrictions on Friday for another two weeks until April 28 to stem the coronavirus outbreak even as the country reported a slowdown in new infections.
German minister criticises U.S. coronavirus response as too slow: Spiegel
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticised the United States’ handling of the coronavirus outbreak as too slow, the latest sign of tensions between the two allies as they respond to the crisis.
PM Johnson recovering from COVID-19 as Britons told to shun outdoors
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was resting in hospital on Friday as he recovered from COVID-19 while Britons were told to avoid the temptation of spring sunshine during the Easter break with the coronavirus outbreak approaching a peak.
Head of stricken Kiev monastery says underestimated gravity of coronavirus
The head of a 1,000-year-old Orthodox monastery that became a hotspot for coronavirus infections in Kiev said he had underestimated the gravity of the pandemic and that measures had now been introduced to curb the spread of the disease.
Swiss coronavirus death toll passes 800, positive tests top 24,000
The Swiss death toll from coronavirus has reached 805, the country’s public health ministry said on Friday, rising from 756 people on Thursday.
China imposes more checks on mask exports to ensure quality control
China tightened restrictions on exports of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) on Friday, calling for shipments of the items to be subjected to a mandatory customs inspection, with immediate effect.
Philippines stops health workers going abroad to fight coronavirus
The Philippines has stopped doctors, nurses, medics and other healthcare workers from going abroad while it needs their skills to meet the threat of the coronavirus spreading at home, a foreign affairs official said.
