China virus cases pass 70,000 as WHO mission begins

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in China passed 70,000 on Monday as international experts began meetings with their Chinese counterparts on how to tackle an epidemic that has caused global concern. The death toll jumped to 1,765 in mainland China after 100 more people died in

General Motors axes Aussie car brand Holden

General Motors announced Monday it would scrap struggling Australian car brand Holden, with engineering, design and sales operations to be wound down in the coming months. The more than 150-year-old company created Australia's first local mass-produced vehicle and was a dominant brand in the country

Trump, Turkey call for Russia to stop backing Syrian 'atrocities'

President Donald Trump has called for Russia to end its support for the Syrian regime's "atrocities" as he expressed US concern over violence in the Idlib region, the White House said Sunday. Turkey's foreign minister also pressed his Russian counterpart over the attacks by Damascus

Pneumonia forces Elton John to cut short Auckland gig

Elton John has tearfully apologised to fans after cutting short a concert in New Zealand due to illness, with the British superstar saying he was suffering from "walking pneumonia". Elton John's illness comes as health authorities worldwide are on high alert for signs of the novel coronavirus

Singapore lowers growth forecast as virus hits economy

Singapore cut its economic growth forecast for this year on Monday as the coronavirus batters tourist arrivals and trade. The city-state is one of the worst affected places outside China, with 75 cases of the virus so far. China has more than 70,000 infections.

US President Donald Trump warns Germany Huawei 5G deals will put intelligence sharing at risk

President Donald Trump warned Germany that the United States will cut off intelligence sharing if Berlin does not ban Chinese telecoms company Huawei Technologies from its 5G infrastructure.The warning, announced by the US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, heightened tensions in US-German relations

Khamenei loyalists may tighten grip at Iran elections

Hardliners are set to tighten control of Iran this week in a parliamentary election stacked in their favour, as the leadership closes ranks in a deepening confrontation with Washington. Big gains by security hawks would confirm the political demise of the country's pragmatist politicians, weakened

UK digital bank Monzo plans to hire 500 and relaunch paid accounts

Fast-growing British digital bank Monzo plans to hire up to 500 people and forecasts it will get 5.5 million users this year, as it prepares to have another crack at charging some customers to turn a profit. Launched in 2015, Monzo has attracted 3.8 million customers in Britain with its bright coral

Factbox: Choices curtailed - Iran's parliamentary election

Iranians vote on Friday in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's authority, as the country faces mounting U.S. pressure over its nuclear programme and growing discontent at home. Pro-reform and leading conservative hopefuls were barred from standing

Netanyahu says Israeli planes have started overflying Sudan

Israeli commercial planes have started overflying Sudan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, casting the new air corridor as the result of a breakthrough meeting with the African Muslim country's de-facto leader this month. Khartoum said on Feb. 5 it had given Israeli planes initial

Burnt to the bone: Uganda's acid attack survivors seek justice

Ugandan university student Linette Kirungi was on her way to class when she heard footsteps behind her. Today, Kirungi works to support survivors of acid attacks in Uganda -- and close a legal loophole that allows attackers to easily evade justice. In Uganda, in 2018, 42 cases were reported to the

Former DOJ officials call on U.S. Attorney General Barr to resign

More than 1,000 former U.S. Justice Department officials on Sunday called for Attorney General William Barr to resign over his handling of the trial of a longtime adviser of President Donald Trump. The former officials, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, criticized Barr

'Animals live for man': China's appetite for wildlife likely to survive virus

The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it?

The coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year has now killed nearly 1,800 people and spread around the world.

Japan keeps high coronavirus alert as more citizens return from China

Japan evacuated more citizens from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak on Monday, while the disease's spread prompted a hospital to stop accepting new patients and raised the possibility of restricting participants at next month's Tokyo Marathon. A fifth government-chartered flight carrying

Coronavirus: colleague of 57th infected Hongkonger tests positive

The colleague of a Hong Kong engineer diagnosed with the coronavirus has also tested positive, according to two medical sources, which if confirmed would bring the total number of cases in the city to 58.A 45-year-old man, who has twice tested positive for the virus, worked with the confirmed patient

'This is a special time': Reporting from the edge of China's virus lockdown

It was a late afternoon on a blue-sky day in Jiujiang, a city that borders Hubei, the central Chinese province worst hit by the coronavirus. Then we noticed a police car driving alongside us. On the roadside, a police officer checked our press passes and passports.

Virus jitters weigh on Asian markets

Fears about the economic fallout from the new coronavirus weighed on Asian markets Monday as the death toll in China from the epidemic rose and infections topped 70,500. Japan's economy suffered its worst quarterly contraction in more than five years, while Singapore cut its growth forecast for

Scramble to track Cambodia cruise ship passengers after coronavirus case reported

Holland America Line said it is working with governments and health experts to track passengers who disembarked from its Westerdam cruise ship docked in Cambodia after an American woman tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia. The cruise line, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival Corp, said none

Death squad disrupters: Filipina patrols help keep drug killings at bay

Late each night, a dozen women chat and share a meal before hitting the narrow streets of a Manila suburb where a death squad once roamed. Not long after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a war on drugs in 2016 and promised thousands would die, Pateros was being terrorised by attackers in

Taiwan embraces cute mascots for virus prevention campaign

While China deploys stern communist slogans in its battle against a deadly new coronavirus, democratic Taiwan has embraced cuddly mascots and humour to ease public anxiety and educate on best practices. Images of cute animals have featured in daily social media updates from government agencies to tackle

Two arrested after armed gang makes run for toilet rolls in HK$1,000 heist as coronavirus panic shows no signs of easing

Armed robbers stole more than HK$1,000 worth of toilet paper from outside a Hong Kong supermarket on Monday morning, as panic over the spread of the coronavirus showed little signs of easing.Three masked men stole 600 rolls in about 50 packets from a delivery man outside a Wellcome store in Mong Kok,

Canada's Trudeau scraps Barbados trip to try to resolve anti-pipeline protests

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has canceled his planned trip to Barbados to help resolve widespread rail disruptions caused by indigenous rights activists opposing the construction of a natural gas pipeline, his office said on Sunday. Indigenous communities across Canada have been blocking some

Trump threatens intelligence block over Huawei: US diplomat

The United States' ambassador to Germany said Sunday that President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off intelligence-sharing with countries that dealt with Chinese tech firm Huawei. Washington has been pressing allies to ban Huawei, one of the world's largest tech firms, from next-generation

US evacuates from Japan virus ship as China death toll climbs

The US evacuated citizens from a coronavirus-infected cruise ship in Japan Monday, with other nations preparing to follow suit as the death toll in the Chinese epicentre of the outbreak topped 1,700. The COVID-19 virus has sickened more than 70,500 across China and prompted global efforts to contain