Coronavirus: What could the West learn from Asia?
The number of coronavirus cases in the West is skyrocketing, and countries have announced drastic measures, including school closures and lockdowns.
The outbreak hit many countries in Asia several weeks earlier - and some have been praised for containing the number of infections. For example, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan all kept case numbers relatively low - despite their proximity to mainland China.
What did they do differently - and are there any lessons for other countries?
North Korea fires missiles amid coronavirus pandemic
Tokyo says Pyongyang appeared to have fired a missile, which landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone waters.
North Korea fired two projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, South Korea's military said on Saturday, after what analysts said was a show of confidence during the coronavirus pandemic by announcing an April legislature session.
The launch follows two earlier this month, when North Korea launched short-range missiles and multiple projectiles, according to South Korea's military, drawing US and Chinese appeals for Pyongyang to return to talks on ending its nuclear and missile programmes.
Fate of US brewery in drought-hit Mexico goes to Amlo poll
President continues direct democracy drive that critics say is skewed towards his desired outcome
The fate of a giant US brewery under construction in Mexico’s parched borderlands will be put to a vote this weekend in the latest attempt at direct democracy by the country’s populist president.
The brewery in Mexicali has provoked controversy in a region where the climate crisis has already caused droughts, and where farmers and residents have taken exception to a US company, Constellation Brands, extracting water to produce beer for export.
But the vote over its construction, due to be held on Saturday and Sunday, has drawn criticism from both sides in the row, and unsettled critics of the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Coronavirus: Reported spike in pneumonia cases in Moscow as Russia accuses critics of fake news
'I have a feeling they are lying to us,' says doctor's union chief
A reported spike in pneumonia cases in Moscow is fuelling fears about the accuracy of official coronavirus data in Russia.
The country of 144 million has reported just 253 cases, far fewer than in many other European countries with smaller populations.
The figures have led some doctors to question how far the official data reflects reality, given what they say is Russia's patchy nature and quality of testing.
COVID-19 is pushing the healthcare systems of even some of the world’s most developed states to the edge, with governments and medical professionals battling to prevent infections from rising every day.
Meanwhile, the threat to less-developed states is even greater, as dilapidated health systems in these countries means that unless stringent measures are taken, a disaster is likely.
Considering the situation, all states should be expected to put aside petty differences and combine forces against the coronavirus — a foe that knows no borders.
French police accused of fining homeless people amid virus lockdown
French homeless charities on Friday accused police of issuing fines to rough sleepers for failing to comply with a coronavirus lockdown as officials in Cannes said they would open the town’s world-famous festival pavilion to the homeless.
The FAS federation of homeless organisations said fines had been issued to homeless people in the French capital Paris, in Lyon in the east and Bayonne in the southwest, without providing numbers.
"We request that clear instructions be given... so that these sanctions cease immediately," Florent Gueguen, head of the federation, told AFP.
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