The country's Interior Ministry also announced a new round of hefty fines for quarantine violators.

The Donald Trump administration stepped up its criticism of Russia’s role in Libya’s civil war on Thursday.

Ankara’s haste to reopen shopping malls may be an effort to revive sagging consumption, but it also has to do with a tight nexus between politicians and businesses in the country.

Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has been living in Lebanon since escaping house arrest in Japan in late December.

The Thai Airways International union has made clear its stance against privatisation and spinning off potentially profitable units as part of a rescue plan for the ailing national carrier.

Chinese researchers have found Covid-19 in the sperm of a small number of men, raising the possibility that the virus could be spread via sex.The study by physicians at China’s Shangqiu Municipal Hospital looked at only 38 men at the hospital who had tested positive with disease, and of that already small group found that a minority – only six – were found to have SARS-CoV-2 in their semen.Eyes are ‘important route’ for coronavirus into body, Hong Kong experts find“The virus responsible for…

As many as 44 million people in Africa could be infected with Covid-19 in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail – causing 83,000 to 190,000 deaths – according to modelling by the World Health Organisation, reflecting fears of a potential widening crisis on the continent.The study, released on Thursday by WHO Africa, looked at 47 countries with a combined population of 1 billion people and suggested smaller countries alongside Algeria, South Africa and Cameroon were at a…

China’s military may have been spared any coronavirus infections, but the global health crisis has slowed the progress of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a modern fighting force capable of long-range power-projecting operations, experts say.According to China’s defence ministry, the world’s largest armed force – with about 2.3 million personnel – has had zero confirmed cases of Covid-19. In contrast, the US and Russian militaries, ranked second…

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday said the coronavirus pandemic keeps unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering” and appealed for “an all-out effort to end hate speech globally”.The UN chief said “anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred”. Migrants and refugees “have been vilified as a source of the virus – and then denied…

These days, as Wilson Mak drifts off to sleep after another 14-hour day at a New York funeral home, images of Covid-19 victims flash through his mind.“When I close my eyes, I still see those ugly sights,” says Mak, manager of Ng Fook Funeral Services in New York City. “It’s unbearable.”Ng Fook’s four funeral homes in the city’s various Chinese communities are a microcosm of an overwhelmed industry as corpses pile up in hallways, trucks and makeshift morgues across hotspots of the disease in the…

A US regulator on Thursday pulled approval for dozens of companies making industry-standard masks in China, citing substandard performance, and warned health care providers to reconsider using any of the now-blacklisted products.After the US Food and Drug Administration’s determination that many of the made-in-China N95-style masks filter out less than 95 per cent of particulate matter – the filtration level that gives the N95 mask its name – the approved number of manufacturers dropped to 14…

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Myah Ward on politico.com on May 7, 2020.Melinda Gates on Thursday gave the Trump administration low marks for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that more money is needed for testing and vaccine development in the United States and across the world.Gates – co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has donated billions of dollars to health research – gave the…

The African Union (AU) said it has held discussions with officials from Madagascar to find out more about a herbal drink recently touted by the island nation’s president as a possible treatment for Covid-19.According to a statement issued on Tuesday, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira El Fadil held a meeting with the chargé d’affaires of Madagascar’s embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on April 30, at which it was agreed that more information would be provided about the…

Donald Trump has not donned one. Emmanuel Macron boasted a small French flag on his. Slovakia’s president made a fashion statement by sporting a fuchsia-coloured one to match her outfit.As the world starts emerging from coronavirus lockdowns, political leaders are being closely scrutinised over their choice to wear a mask – or not – with many people questioning the seemingly mixed messages about the value of face coverings as infection barriers.Many Western governments counselled against face…

South African Fredie Blom celebrated his 116th birthday on Friday unfazed by the coronavirus crisis, over 100 years since the Spanish flu pandemic killed his sister.“I have lived this long because of God’s grace,” said Blom, possibly one of the oldest men in the world.Lighting a cigarette, he recalled the 1918 pandemic that left tens of millions dead worldwide including his sister.Blom was born in 1904 in the rural town of Adelaide, tucked near the Great Winterberg mountain range of South…

In the seven years that Guangzhou native Grace Hexiaoya has called Spain her home, she has mastered the language, become enamoured with the weather and developed a soft spot for all the friendly people that she has met. She likes it in Madrid, where she works behind the counter at the I Love Dulces corner shop and confectionery store. Hers is one of the many Asian faces that can be seen running the Spanish capital’s vital food shops, even as the country – one of Europe’s hardest-hit by the…

China’s early lead in containing and recovering from the coronavirus outbreak bodes well for the resumption of its massive multi-year Belt and Road Initiative. But as a Chinese saying goes, “a solitary bloom does not herald spring”. As the world’s largest manufacturing and trading nation and a growing technology power, its deep integration with the global economy underscores its keen interest in seeing the world recover as soon as possible.China’s rise from the pandemic will revive demand and…

Hair salons, restaurants and even street-food stalls in Bangkok’s Chinatown came back to life this week, albeit with social distancing in place, as Thailand eased its lockdown rules and an alcohol ban after making progress in controlling the spread of Covid-19.The country has reported single-digit increases in cases in recent days, and has 2,988 confirmed infections and 54 deaths. More than 2,700 patients have recovered from the disease.However, it will be some time before the Thai capital’s…

The Singapore government is reviewing the sale and slaughter of live animals at wet markets, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, said on Tuesday. The relevant agencies are doing so while taking into consideration international benchmarking and scientific evidence, she added.Her comments were in response to a parliamentary question from MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency Louis Ng. He asked whether her ministry would consider banning the…

Gourmet takeaway delivered by a butler in a black sedan – Thailand’s super-rich have not forgone luxury during a pandemic which has locked the country down, crushed the economy and left millions unemployed.Thailand is one of the most unequal nations in the world and the chasm between rich and poor is widening as the coronavirus eviscerates jobs, leaving 22 million registering for a government cash handout.Hundreds line up daily for food donations across Bangkok, a grim sign of an economic…

The Indonesian government said on Thursday it was seeking clarification and investigation from the Chinese and South Korean governments over the deaths of four Indonesian seamen working on a Chinese longliner.The request follows South Korean media reports quoting Indonesian crew members of Chinese-flagged Long Xing 629 tuna longliner as saying their crewmates were denied medical treatment and subjected to physical abuse.Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference that she spoke with…

South Korea confirmed 12 new coronavirus cases on Friday, its first increase above 10 in five days, as authorities warned numbers would increase as it had identified a new cluster of infections linked to a 29-year-old man.The IT company employee had spread the virus to at least 14 others as he wandered around the capital Seoul and four neighbouring cities over a long weekend period at the start of the month, said the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.While the 12 cases were those…

A group of 150 Chinese workers believe the world’s largest maker of trainers used the coronavirus as an excuse to fire them, having helped Taiwanese firm Pou Chen successfully expand its production into Vietnam for more than a decade.Pou Chen, which makes footwear for the likes of Nike and Adidas, informed the group in late April that they would no longer be needed as they were unable to return to Vietnam from their hometowns in China due to the coronavirus lockdowns.“We believe we contributed…

President Vladimir Putin told Russians they are “invincible” when they stand together as the country on Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of second world war on lockdown from the coronavirus.With the number of virus cases surging and authorities urging Russians to stay in their homes, celebrations of this year’s Victory Day were muted after the Kremlin grudgingly agreed to postpone plans for a grand parade with world leaders.Instead of columns of military hardware and thousands of…

Prague Daily Monitor

There are about 90 Czech students studying in China from all over the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that due to the coronavirus, they will assist students in getting back to the Czech Republic if the students are interested. Students should follow updates from the ministry.

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Prague Daily Monitor

A suspect has been caught on camera during an incident which set ablaze nine cars in Prague 9 on street Na Obratce. The damage is estimated to be about CZK 5 million, four cars being totally gutted. Police are looking for a suspect with serious burns on his/her hands.

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Prague Daily Monitor

Tuesday saw a small return of winter to the Czech Republic. Temperatures dropped during the morning as clouds cleared. Soon heavy winds followed and reaped destruction on infrastructure. At the height of the destruction there were almost 18,000 households across the country with electricity outages during the day. The worst outages were felt in Southern Moravia according to E.ON. Meteorologists are also warning people to be safe in the mountains as wet snow can break branches and fell trees.

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Prague Daily Monitor

The Prince of Lichtenstein Foundation has lost its case concerning ownership of 600 hectares of forest close to the city of Říčany, outside of Prague. The Constitutional Court upheld the prior verdict in the case which was not to return the 600 hectares of forest to the foundation. "The Prince of Lichtenstein will in this case use all possible tools and opportunities to get justice in an international court and international institutio," said the foundation's spokesperson.

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Prague Daily Monitor

The Liberec Technical University has created a replaceable filter which can be used in the homemade masks people are sewing. The masks are worn to comply with laws designed in preventing the spread of Covid-19. The Nano-material is 70-90% effective in stopping the coronavirus cells. The university with the help from the Liberec region and the private sector is now producing 100,000 filters a day. The price per one should not exceed CZK 10.

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Virtual learning will leave out a significant proportion of learners.

Julie and Moses saw the disease shut down their events’ planning business, but this did not put them down. They now run a grocery store

Well-wishers are distributing relief supplies to victims.

We should come up with innovations that respond to societal needs.

It’s been almost two months since Kenya announced its first Covid-19 case. It’s also been more than a month since President Uhuru Kenyatta first announced cessation of movement for some counties and the nationwide night curfew.

Set out to give value and brighten the world. Champions always have energy and momentum.

The Covid-19 outbreak could favour Nike, Metzler argues.

Currently, platform has attracted over 100 million users.

They had visited more than 20 countries before coronavirus struck.

The 26-year-old joined Barca from Lyon in 2016.

Kenya Police Sacco distributes face masks, gloves and sanitisers in Trans Nzoia.

The production of reusable masks for all Hongkongers was not for profit, a government official said as she revealed the manufacturer’s identity and defended the lack of a public tender for the project worth hundreds of millions of dollars.Annie Choi Suk-han, permanent secretary of the Innovation and Technology Bureau, said most of the masks were being made by Crystal International Group at a facility in Vietnam.The rest were assembled, disinfected and packed using three local facilities offered…

Hong Kong recorded four new coronavirus infections on Thursday, all involving returnees from Pakistan the previous night, as the city prepared to bring back more residents stranded in South Asia.The diagnoses ended a two-day streak without any new cases, and takes the city’s total number of confirmed infections to 1,044.Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable diseases branch of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), said the patients in question, aged between 11 and 47, all returned to…

Bars will reopen across Hong Kong on Friday after a month-long coronavirus shutdown, as Lan Kwai Fong venues prepare to slash prices and the nightlife hub’s founder predicts takings as low as half normal levels.More than 100 frontline workers have been tested for the virus as part of the Central party zone’s relaunch, which comes as the government eases social-distancing restrictions in response to the improving Covid-19 situation in the city.Pubs and bars will only be allowed to operate half…

Disqualified lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied the opportunity to respond to allegations of not genuinely upholding Hong Kong’s mini-constitution before she was barred from trying to win back her seat in the Legislative Council, a judge has observed.Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming made the remark on Thursday while hearing an election petition from Lau, who has asked the High Court to determine whether pro-establishment lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan had been duly elected to the office of Kowloon West…

The eyes are an important route for the coronavirus into the human body, according to University of Hong Kong research which found the strain was up to 100 times more infectious than severe acute respiratory syndrome and bird flu in two facial orifices tested by the public health experts.Laboratory tests revealed the “virus level” of SARS-Cov-2 – the strain of coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease – was far greater than for Sars in the upper respiratory airways and conjunctiva, the cells…

The commitment of students in bringing people together will be the focus of the 39th annual Student of the Year Awards organised by the South China Morning Post.With the theme “Leading for a better society”, two new awards this year include a special prize for the most nurturing environment, which will go to a school and its students, and another for mentorship.A total of 11 awards in nine categories, including science, maths, languages, sports, and visual and performing arts, will be presented…

The post Freedom of the Press as a Guarantee for Human Dignity and Well-Being appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The KALPA pilots union at Kenya Airways on Thursday withdrew a strike notice issued last month, saying there had been progress on issues it had raised regarding the carrier's turnaround strategy.

The murder trial over human rights lawyers, Willy Kimani death had to be postponed when lawyer, Cliff Ombeta failed to pitch in court.

A mobile clinic which was donated by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta remains unused causing much frustration.