As Wuhan unlocks, queues at restaurants, also at expressway tolls
Dylan Wong hopped onto his friend’s e-bike and took a ride around Wuhan city on Wednesday morning for some guozao, a popular name for “having breakfast” in Wuhan. “It was a wonderful morning. My friend took me out to eat some dumplings in heavy oil. It was the best breakfast in a long time,” he […]
Afghan government releases 100 Taliban prisoners
The Afghan government has released 100 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday, a government official said, a day after the armed group said it was walking out of talks with Kabul. Javid Faisal, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Office of the National Security Council, said: “The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on […]
Virus-hit Iran urges IMF to approve its loan request
Tehran, Apr 8 (AFP) Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani appealed to the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday to approve a USD 5 billion emergency loan request to combat its novel coronavirus outbreak. “I urge all international organisations to fulfil their duties,” Rouhani said during a cabinet meeting. “We are a member of the IMF… if there’s going to […]
Australia passes record $80 billion employment-rescue package
Australia’s parliament passed a record A$130 billion ($80 billion) jobs-rescue plan on Wednesday, as the government continues efforts to buttress the economy from the coronavirus outbreak. “It’s unprecedented in its scale and its scope, and around six million workers should be able to use this program to stay in a job,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a […]
Trump threatens to slash US funding to World Health Organization
US President Donald Trump threatened to freeze American funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it “missed the call” on the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed more than 82,000 people around the world. Trump said on Tuesday the WHO “called it wrong” on the virus and the UN organisation was “very China-centric” […]
US Reports 2000 Coronavirus-related Deaths In 24 Hours
The United States had a gloomy day on Tuesday as it reported a record daily figure of 1,939 deaths bringing up the total toll of COVID-19 positive deaths to 12,844, which is fast closing on tolls in the other worst-hit countries such as Italy and Spain. Italy so far has reported 17,127 deaths and Spain […]
Omar Sheikh was let go because someone in Pakistan wanted him freed, like mentor Masood Azhar
On 14 October 2009, American ambassador to Pakistan Ann Patterson cabled Washington that Omar Saeed Sheikh’s case before the Sindh High Court was adjourned indefinitely. Her comment was that this was nothing to worry about as the court didn’t look eager to overturn the death sentence given by the trial court. Sheikh was accused of involvement in the 2002 kidnapping […]
Coronavirus: Wuhan emerges from the harshest of lockdowns
For the first time in months, people have been allowed to leave the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged before spreading across the world. The authorities have hailed this moment as a success – but residents had markedly different experiences of what is arguably the largest lockdown in human history. It took 76 […]
Trump sets stage for UNSC meet on Covid-19 on April 9; pans WHO, China
After US President Donald Trump virtually blamed the World Health Organisation for playing the Chinese side on the coronavirus pandemic, heat will now mount on Beijing at an informal discussion on the virus outbreak in the UN Security Council on Thursday, April 9, at 3 pm EST (April 10 12.30 am). The informal discussion will be […]
Life may never get back to normal, says US coronavirus scientist
“Normal” life around the world before the coronavirus pandemic struck may never return, the top US scientist tackling the outbreak said. Dr Anthony Fauci said at a White House press briefing that gradually countries will again “function as a society but … if you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in […]
