Asia

South Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days on Sunday but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures, as it reported just eight new coronavirus infections, the lowest in two months. The slightly relaxed guidelines mean high-risk venues like churches will face fewer restrictions, while sports …

A strong earthquake shook the Ogasawara Islands south of mainland Japan Saturday. The United States Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.6 in magnitude. The quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean, about 885 kilometers (550 miles) south of Shizouka, Japan, to the west of the Ogasawara Islands, which are …

The United States has accused China of “bullying behavior” in the South China Sea and said it is concerned by the country’s “provocative actions” aimed at offshore oil and gas developments in the disputed waters. A Chinese government survey ship on Friday was tagging an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia’s …

Filipinos have been threatened with martial law-style enforcement if they do not comply with a month-long coronavirus lockdown, as police said 120,000 people have been arrested or warned for flouting rules. Over two weeks after he ordered law enforcement to shoot those who violate the lockdown, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte …

The United States is considering the withdrawal of CIA operatives from bases in Afghanistan, as part of an effort to further reduce violence in the war-ravaged Asian country, according to The New York Times. The paper reported on Friday that the discussions over CIA’s presence in Afghanistan are part of …

Nearly 1,300 people who died of the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, or half the total, were not counted in death tolls because of lapses, state media said on Friday, but Beijing dismissed claims that there had been any kind of cover-up. The central city where the outbreak …

China says it shouldn’t have to bother denying a report from the US State Department that suggests the Chinese government may have triggered secret nuclear blasts at an underground test site last year. The report, which was released on Wednesday and first revealed by the Wall Street Journal, raises concerns …

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied the authenticity of the US reports that it leaked the “Covid-19” Coruna virus from an institute of virology in Wuhan, China. “As for the so-called virus leakage and other hypotheses, it is devoid of any scientific evidence,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Li …

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has shaken the Myanmar-Indian border region, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The epicenter of the seismic activity was registered 35 kilometers southeast of Myanmar and 168 kilometers southeast of Aizawl in India, according to the EMSC. M5.8 #earthquake (#भूकंप) strikes 160 …

China’s Foreign Ministry has said that claims about the novel coronavirus originating in a lab are not based on science, citing the WHO as it rebuked the latest news story on COVID-19 ‘patient zero.’ “I want to remind you that the head of the [World Health Organization] has repeatedly stated …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the country’s nationwide lockdown until May 3 in a bid to contain the continued spread of the coronavirus, but said that some states which have avoided outbreaks may be allowed to resume “important activities.” Speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, Modi said …

In early April, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed that he would not hesitate to order the police to shoot and kill those Filipinos who defy the coronavirus-related lockdown in the country. Senator Bong Go, who is also President Rodrigo Duterte’s personal aide, has promised body bags for all those who …

North Korea launched a series of short-range cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast on the eve of the 108th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il-Sung. Fighter jets also fired several air-to-surface missiles in what appeared to be a military exercise ahead of South …

The Taliban militant group in Afghanistan says it plans to release 20 prisoners of the Afghan government in what would be the first handover since the beginning of a fragile peace process. “Today, 20 prisoners of the Kabul administration will be released,” Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said in a …

An Indonesian volcano that triggered a deadly tsunami 16 months ago has erupted again, spewing a column of ash up to 15km into the sky. Scientists said Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra, was continuously erupting until Saturday morning, making it the longest eruption there since its …

India has decided to extend a strict nationwide lockdown imposed last month to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a top official says. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with state ministers, and many of them urged the government to prolong the measure. Delhi’s chief minister …

The Chinese government has issued a new draft list of livestock that can be farmed for meat in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, which is suspected to have originated from wild animals in a Wuhan wet market. Beijing temporarily banned all trade in wild animals for food following the …

US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan say five rockets have hit a major American airbase in the country and that the attack, claimed by the Daesh terrorist group, left no casualties. “Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning,” the NATO-led mission, Resolute Support, said in a post on …

A man in Hyderabad has manufactured a single-seater vehicle shaped like the coronavirus under the microscope to spread awareness about COVID-19 among Indians. “I’ll take this on the road and show the people the dangers of the coronavirus,” says Sudhakar Yadav.

China has ended its lockdown of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, as the city, reemerges from a deadly outbreak that is now raging across the globe. But even as Wuhan reopens its borders after 76 days, some restrictions within the city will remain in place, and officials …