Iranians begin voting in parliamentary election: state TV
Iranians began voting on Friday in a parliamentary election that is unlikely to change the Islamic Republic’s troubled relations with the United States, after thousands of candidates were barred from the field in favor of hardliners.
Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond
China reported an uptick in new cases of coronavirus on Friday, although the pace of increase was at its slowest since January, a downward trend that the World Health Organization (WHO) called encouraging.
China’s Hubei province revises up coronavirus toll, adds 220 cases
China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 in the country, revised up its total number of confirmed infection cases by 220 to account for cases in the province’s prison system.
South Korean church leader says coronavirus outbreak is the ‘devil’s deed’
The leader and self-proclaimed messiah of a South Korean religious movement at the center of the country’s largest coronavirus outbreak on Friday called the disease the “devil’s deed” and a test of faith.
Factbox: Airlines suspend China flights due to coronavirus outbreak
Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.
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.
