Iran’s Khamenei says voting in parliamentary election ‘a religious duty’
Casting a vote in Iran’s parliamentary election is “a religious duty”, the country’s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated on Friday after voting in Tehran, broadcast live on state TV.
As Japan coronavirus concerns grow, hundreds to leave quarantined cruise ship
Hundreds of Japanese and foreign passengers were set to disembark from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship near Tokyo on Friday amid growing disquiet in Japan about whether the government is doing enough to stop the virus spreading.
China finds spike in coronavirus cases in two jails, officials fired
The new coronavirus has spread in two prisons in China, infecting 234 people, and top officials deemed responsible for the outbreaks have been fired, authorities said on Friday.
Coronavirus widens Hong Kong anger at government, China
Pro-democracy protesters have all but vanished from the streets of Hong Kong over the past month as residents avoid the new coronavirus, but the outbreak has broadened discontent with the city’s leadership and China’s influence on the financial hub.
Tokyo to cancel or postpone major indoor events for next three weeks: jiji
The Tokyo Metropolitan government said it will to cancel or postpone major indoor events planned for the next three weeks as Japan tries to halt the spread of the coronavirus, Jiji newswire reported.
Coronavirus to be big topic for G20 as China reports uptick in cases
China reported an uptick in new cases of coronavirus on Friday although the rise in infections remained at its slowest pace since January, a downward trend which the World Health Organization (WHO) has called encouraging.
China says earliest coronavirus vaccine to be submitted for trials late April
The earliest vaccine for the coronavius that has killed more than 2,000 in China alone will be submitted for clinical trials around late April, China’s Vice Science and Technology Minister Xu Nanping said on Friday.
China says January-February trade to take sharp hit from virus outbreak
China’s exports and imports will fall sharply in January and February as the coronavirus outbreak severely disrupts activity in the world’s second-largest economy, the commerce ministry said on Friday, adding more measures are being studied to support …
Brazil’s Vale knew Brumadinho dam was unsafe as early as 2003: internal report
An independent investigation requested by Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA into the causes of the Brumadinho tailings dam disaster that killed 270 people a year ago found the company knew about the problem but failed to deal with it.
Australian university offers Chinese students $1,000 to return via third country
One of Australia’s leading universities said on Friday it is offering Chinese students A$1,500 ($992) if they travel through a third country as higher education providers seek to minimize the impact of a ban on foreigners arriving from mainland China.
