Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SINGAPORE, April 24 (NNN-BERNAMA) —  Twenty port authorities around the globe today signed a declaration to keep ports open to seaborne trade to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 20 members of the Port Authorities Roundtable (PAR) from Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America recognise the critical role played by the maritime sector in keeping trade flows open in the global fight against COVID-19, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

BEIJING, Apr 25 (NNN-XINHUA) – China, on Friday, urged the United States not to go against the international community.

The United States believes that, itself being the largest funder of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the WHO should follow its command, which is a typical hegemonic mentality, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, said, at a press briefing.

BEIJING, April 24. /TASS/: The crusade by US state governments to pursue damages from the novel coronavirus pandemic at the expense of China points to the hegemony of the US ruling elite and the desire to shift its own responsibility on to others, Zhou Weidi, professor and vice dean of the Institute of Economics and Business Administration with the Central China Normal University (Wuhan), told TASS on Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has directed the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning Unit (EPU), and the Prime Minister’s Department to formulate a comprehensive Economic Recovery Plan for the short, medium and long term.

He said the plan was aimed at ensuring the economic activities could be revived quickly after the Movement Control Order (MCO) period has ended.

BEIJING, April 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — China’s first Mars exploration mission has been named Tianwen-1, announced the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday, China’s Space Day.

The name comes from the long poem “Tianwen,” meaning Questions to Heaven, written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the greatest poets of ancient China.

In “Tianwen,” Qu Yuan raised a series of questions in verse involving the sky, stars, natural phenomena, myths and the real world, showing his doubts about some traditional concepts and the spirit of seeking the truth.

SINGAPORE, April 24 (NNN-CNA) — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Singapore will care for Indian migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Lee outlined his phone call with Modi where both leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 situation in their respective countries.

TOKYO (Reuters) - As many as 91 crew of an Italian cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Nagasaki are infected with coronavirus, officials said on Friday, as questions persist over how they might return to their home countries.Authorities have tested about half the vessel’s crew of 623 and are racing to screen the rest. Those who test negative will be repatriated, the government said.

The vessel, the Costa Atlantica, was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki in February for repairs and maintenance after the pandemic prevented its scheduled repairs in China.

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China's first Mars exploration mission has been named Tianwen-1, announced the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday, China's Space Day.

The name comes from the long poem "Tianwen," meaning Questions to Heaven, written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the greatest poets of ancient China.

In "Tianwen," Qu Yuan raised a series of questions in verse involving the sky, stars, natural phenomena, myths and the real world, showing his doubts about some traditional concepts and the spirit of seeking the truth.

BEIJING (AP) — From Asia to Africa, London to Berlin, Chinese envoys have set off diplomatic firestorms with a combative defense whenever their country is accused of not acting quickly enough to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

They belong to a new generation of “Wolf Warrior” diplomats, named after patriotic blockbuster films starring a muscle-bound Chinese commando killing American bad guys in Africa and Southeast Asia with his bare hands.

BEIJING, April 23 (APP): China has decided to donate another US$ 30 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support global fight against COVID-19 and help building of developing countries’ health systems, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang announced here on Thursday.

In March, China already donated US$ 20 million to the organization to support it in carrying out international cooperation in fighting the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease and for helping developing countries improve their response capacities.