With Iran one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, a war of words has broken out over the impact of US sanctions. Iran says they're hampering its battle with the disease - but the US ... ( read original story ...)
Opinion: Iran’s Aggression Continues Even Amid Coronavirus And ‘Maximum Pressure’
In the early days of January, President Trump authorized the killing of Iran's top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, citing the need to reestablish deterrence after an Iranian proxy in Iraq killed ... ( read original story ...)
Philippines’ Duterte Threatens Martial Law-like Virus Crackdown
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened a martial law-like crackdown to stop people flouting a virus lockdown in the nation's capital. Duterte spoke a day after authorities reported an ... ( read original story ...)
2021 Olympics won’t provide much economic stimulus for Japan
IOC member John Coates, who oversees planing for next year's Tokyo Olympics, has claimed the postponed games could help “kick start” Japan’s economy. Japan has been ... ( read original story ...)
Japan airlines keep most domestic flights despite few takers for seats
Japan's top airlines are operating a majority of their domestic capacity even though the coronavirus outbreak has left seats on flights mostly empty, amid a lack of clear government directives on the ... ( read original story ...)
Bangladesh garment workers seek unpaid wages as orders stop
Hundreds of Bangladeshi workers who produce garments for global brands blocked a highway at a protest demanding their unpaid wages during a nationwide lockdown that ... ( read original story ...)
COVID-19: IMF approves nearly $1.4 billion to Pakistan to meet balance of payment crisis
This is in addition to the $6 billion bailout package that Islamabad signed with the IMF in July last year to stave off a balance of payment crisis. ( read original story ...)
In Modi’s India, virus fallout inflames divisions between Muslims and Hindus
It was also, he claimed, part of an effort by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to target Muslims like him, using health workers to gather data on the community under ... ( read original story ...)
‘I am so afraid’: India’s poor face world’s largest lockdown
The street peddler watched the prime minister’s speech on a battered TV, with her family of five crowded around her in a one-room house with no toilet and no running water. It’s squeezed into ... ( read original story ...)
Babita Phogat: India stars under fire for ‘anti-Muslim’ tweets on coronavirus
An international medallist and the sister of a Bollywood star have been criticised for tweets attacking Muslims over the spread of coronavirus in India. A hashtag calling on Twitter to ban wrestler ... ( read original story ...)