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LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was hit by its first resignation Tuesday over the controversy surrounding top aide Dominic Cummings’ cross-country trip during the coronavirus lockdown when Douglas Ross, a minister for Scotland, quit in protest. Undermining attempts by ministers to try and move on from the crisis which has dominated British politics for four days, Ross said he could not justify Cummings remaining in post to his constituents. […]
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — China’s plans to impose a new security law on Hong Kong will not erode freedoms, the city’s leader said Tuesday, as she tried to reassure international businesses and investors alarmed by the proposal. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the controversial law would “only target a handful of lawbreakers” but she would not be drawn on what actions and opinions would be deemed illegal once […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Thousands of Spaniards answered a call on Saturday from far-right party Vox to protest against lockdown measures and the increasingly beleaguered government of leftist Pedro Sanchez. Motorists thronged the roads of central Madrid, tooting their horns as others held placards and shouted “Sanchez, resign” and “freedom”. Vox called demonstrations in dozens of cities with its leader Santiago Abascal alleging the government “has been incapable of protecting its people, its elderly […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s success containing coronavirus has driven an extraordinary popularity surge that has put the youthful leader on course for a landslide win in September’s national election. Ardern’s center-left Labour Party was up 14 points at 56.5 percent, a Newshub-Reid Research poll published Monday found, with her rating as preferred prime minister surging 20.8 points to 59.5 percent. The survey also indicated an overwhelming 91.6 percent […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a $3 trillion coronavirus response package, the largest yet, to fund efforts to fight the pandemic and provide emergency payments to millions of American households. The Heroes Act was introduced in the House of Representatives and could be voted on in the Democratic-led chamber as early as this week. But the 1,815-page measure faced immediate opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate, where leaders have said a […]
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US vice president’s spokeswoman became the second White House staffer this week to test positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II ,commemoration with veterans in their 90s. News that staffer Katie Miller had fallen ill boosted fears that the White House is at risk of becoming a viral hot […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s parliament on Wednesday voted to extend the country’s state of emergency, allowing stringent coronavirus lockdown measures to remain in place for at least two more weeks. The government imposed a nation-wide lockdown nearly eight weeks ago to curb the outbreak, which has killed more than 25,000 people and infected over 220,000 in the country — one of the hardest hit in the world. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China warned Hong Kong protesters Wednesday it would not tolerate them “stirring up trouble again” in the semi-autonomous territory that was rocked by months of pro-democracy demonstrations last year. Mass arrests of protesters and a ban on large gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak in the financial hub have stifled the protest movement, but small demonstrations have been held in recent weeks as contagion fears ease. Hong Kong police used pepper […]
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s opposition leader Keiko Fujimori was released on Monday from a 15-month pre-trial detention on corruption charges after just three months, an AFP reporter witnessed. Fujimori, who left the woman’s prison in the capital Lima on bail wearing a face mask and white gloves, had earlier announced on Twitter that she would head straight from the facility to take a coronavirus test before going home. The 44-year-old’s release came four days […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A former senior North Korean diplomat won a parliamentary seat in Seoul Thursday, becoming the first defector to be directly elected by South Korean voters. Thae Yong Ho, who was Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador to London before fleeing to the democratic South in 2016, shed a tear as he sang South Korea’s national anthem after his win was confirmed in the early hours. He stood for the main conservative opposition United […]
by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean voters turned out in force Wednesday to back President Moon Jae-in’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic, putting on compulsory face masks and gloves to give his Democratic party a parliamentary majority according to exit polls. South Korea was among the first countries with a major virus outbreak to hold a national election since the global pandemic began, and a raft of safety […]
by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Temperature checks on voters, separate booths for those with fevers, and special polling times for the quarantined: South Koreans headed to the polls Wednesday with a big turnout expected despite the coronavirus threat. South Korea is among the first countries with a major virus outbreak to hold a national election since the global pandemic began, and a raft of safety measures were in place […]
