a

Former PM Blair says Britain is a mess

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday that Britain was in a mess, warning that neither his own Labour Party nor the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, deserved to win a Dec. 12 election.




a

Tories and Labour 'peddling fantasies', says Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair argued that the two major UK parties, Conservative and Labour, are 'peddling fantasies' ahead of the upcoming election.




a

'No-deal Brexit not off the table' warns Blair

Former British Primer Minister Tony Blair cast doubt on that timetable for Brexit negotiations and said there was still a risk that Britain could exit the EU in a year's time without having struck a deal with its biggest trading partner.




a

Britain must rebuild 'sensible politics' says Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the UK to 'rebuild sensible mainstream politics' in the future.




a

'Revolutions always end badly' says Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his party was now controlled by its "Marxist-Leninist wing" and that its leader Jeremy Corbyn was promising a revolution, but warned 'revolutions always end badly'.




a

Don't hold breath for UK-U.S. trade deal - Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday that a UK-U.S. trade deal would be very difficult to agree, saying protectionist sentiment worldwide was making trade agreements harder to negotiate.




a

Reuters Newsmaker: Tony Blair

Tony Blair Reuters Newsmaker event on 'The challenging state of British politics’.




a

Eight Indian soldiers die in gunbattles amid major Kashmir offensive

Three Indian soldiers were killed in a gunbattle with militants in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Monday, a day after a similar incident in which five were killed.




a

Delhi imposes 70% 'corona tax' on alcohol to deter large crowds

Officials in India's capital imposed a special tax of 70% on retail liquor purchases from Tuesday, to deter large gatherings at stores as authorities ease a six-week lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.




a

Exclusive: Bangladesh's Beximco to begin producing COVID-19 drug remdesivir - COO

One of Bangladesh's largest drugmakers, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, will start production this month of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting the new coronavirus, a senior company executive said on Tuesday.




a

Pakistan concerned at workers returning from UAE with coronavirus

Pakistan has raised concerns with the United Arab Emirates that many citizens were returning home from the Gulf Arab state infected with COVID-19 and that crowded living conditions for workers in the UAE may be helping spread the virus, officials said on Tuesday.




a

Afghanistan distributes free bread as prices soar amid coronavirus

Afghanistan's government began distributing free bread to hundreds of thousands of people across the country this week as supplies have been disrupted during the coronavirus shutdown and prices have soared, officials and experts said.




a

Pakistan defers probe into private power sector's alleged wrongdoing

Pakistan on Tuesday deferred for two months an inquiry into suspected contract violations by independent power producers which may have cost the national exchequer billions of dollars.




a

Taliban not living up to commitments, U.S. Defense Secretary says

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday that the Taliban were not living up to their commitments under an agreement signed this year, amid signs the fragile deal is under strain by a political deadlock and increasing Taliban violence.




a

India's plans airlift for 400,000 stranded abroad by virus travel restrictions

India will begin flights on Thursday to bring home some 400,000 citizens stranded overseas by travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, prompting some worries over the risk that imported infections could fuel contagion in the country.




a

Members of Islamic State-Haqqani network arrested over Kabul attacks

Afghan security forces arrested eight members of a network grouping Islamic State and Haqqani militants responsible for bloody attacks in the capital including on Sikh worshippers, the country's security agency said on Wednesday.




a

Pakistan government to share lending risk with banks to save jobs in pandemic

Pakistan's finance ministry will share part of the risk banks face in lending to struggling small businesses, in a bid to protect jobs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the central bank said on Wednesday.




a

Sri Lanka central bank cuts rates by another 50 bps to support economy

Sri Lanka's central bank cut its benchmark interest rates by a further 50 basis points on Wednesday, its third reduction since the coronavirus crisis struck there in March.




a

Indian troops kill militants, triggering clashes across Kashmir

Indian troops killed four militants in gun battles in Kashmir on Wednesday, including the commander of the biggest separatist group fighting New Delhi, a police official said, triggering clashes across the disputed region that left dozens injured.




a

United States' Khalilzad to meet Taliban in Qatar, visit India, Pakistan

The U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan is on a mission to press Taliban negotiators in Doha and officials in India and Pakistan to support reduced violence, speeding up intra-Afghan peace talks and cooperating on the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said on Wednesday.




a

Pakistan excludes religious sect from minority commission

Pakistan's cabinet has declined to include a religious sect that rights group says suffers widespread persecution in a newly formed commission for minorities, after opposition from conservatives in the government, officials said on Thursday.




a

Pakistan to start easing lockdown amid sharp coronavirus spread

Pakistan will begin lifting its coronavirus lockdown on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, hours after the country announced its highest daily increase in new cases.




a

Exclusive: Large number of COVID-19 cases among Afghan medics spark alarm in Kabul

More than a third of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Afghan capital have been among doctors and other healthcare staff, two senior health officials said on Thursday, in a sign that the war-torn country is struggling to deal with the pandemic.




a

Pakistan coronavirus cases surge past 25,000, pace quickens: Reuters tally

Coronavirus cases in Pakistan surged past 25,000 on Friday, just hours before the government was due to lift lockdown measures, with the country reporting some of the biggest daily increases in new infections in the world.




a

Bangladesh quarantines hundreds of Rohingya boat people on island: officials

The Bangladesh navy has rescued around 280 Rohingya Muslims from the Bay of Bengal, towing their stranded boat to an island where they will be quarantined as a precaution against the coronavirus, coast guard and naval officials said on Friday.




a

Taliban blow up police chief in latest Afghanistan attack

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents killed a provincial police chief and two others in a roadside bomb attack, the local governor said on Friday, in the latest violence hindering a U.S.-brokered peace process.




a

Seven killed in protests over food distribution in Afghanistan, local MP says

Seven people were killed when protesters angry over what they see as unfair food aid distribution during the coronavirus pandemic clashed with police in Afghanistan's western Ghor province on Saturday, according to a local member of parliament.




a

Indigenous elders channel tough love in Earth Day film

Indigenous elders from Alaska to Australia have come together to deliver some tough love in a new film for Earth Day. Francis Maguire reports.




a

South Korean artist crafts cornstarch furniture

Artist Ryu Jong-dae experiments with various cornstarch-based bioplastic in the bid to protect the Earth. Rosanna Philpott reports.




a

Carbon Shift: Big oil is competing on net zero targets

Shell has raised the environmental stakes among major oil and gas producers with plans to dramatically reduce the carbon impact of its business.




a

'Act, or Die': Walter Cronkite's First Earth Day

CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite hosted a special broadcast on the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 to report on the nationwide protests that took place that day.




a

Replanting the Amazon

Local NGOs are working hard to plant seedlings over thousands of square miles of deforested land in Brazil.




a

German youth jazz-up social distancing for climate demo

Young German climate-strikers on Friday (April 24) got creative with their social distancing, set up hundreds of cardboard cutouts to represent protesters taking part in the Fridays for Future demonstration.




a

Carbon Shift: How Trump and Biden compare on climate issues

One has been promoting environmental regulation for decades, while the other is bent on dismantling such policies. It makes for clear battle lines in the upcoming presidential election.




a

EXPLAINED: How do koalas drink?

Scientists have solved a lingering mystery about koala behavior. A new study describes the animal's drinking habit in the wild for the first time.




a

Carbon Shift: Lockdown might not fix the climate crisis

Sorry. A short dip in carbon emissions won’t save the planet after all. Things may even get worse, say the experts.




a

Britain to welcome first wild storks in centuries amid lockdown

Storks are famous in folklore for delivering human babies to their parents. Conservationists are looking to return the favour with the imminent hatching of several white stork eggs on a 'rewilding' estate in southern England - as the coronavirus outbreak provides a noticeable boost for some wildlife.




a

BMW cuts outlook, sees coronavirus pain lasting all year

BMW expects the coronavirus pandemic to hit demand and earnings throughout this year, while Volkswagen sees some green shoots with higher Chinese demand. Francis Maguire reports.




a

Facebook names first members of content oversight board

Facebook's new content oversight board will include a former prime minister, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and several constitutional law experts and rights advocates in its first 20 members.




a

Record 20.2 million jobs lost in April

U.S. private employers laid off a record 20.236 million workers in April as mandatory business closures in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak savaged the economy. Fred Katayama reports




a

Avoid small caps but bet on REITs: advisor

Wealth Enhancement Group's Nicole Webb says small cap stocks make good bets emerging from a recession but not amid the current market volatility.




a

Trade worries drive Dow, S&P down

The S&P 500 and the Dow fell on Wednesday but the Nasdaq ended higher. The indexes pulled back late in the session after U.S. President Donald Trump said China may or may not keep a trade deal between the two countries. Fred Katayama reports.




a

Africa Now: Senegal’s startup scene

Senegal is quickly becoming a tech hub leader in Francophone West Africa, having raised $22 million in investments for tech and digital companies in 2018, according to Partech, a global investment platform. However, the business ecosystem in the region remains beset by a critical funding gap.




a

'Animal Crossing' helps Nintendo smash Switch sales forecast

Japan's Nintendo said Thursday it sold 21 million Switch units in the year ended March, smashing its forecast of 19.5 million units, with hit title Animal Crossing: New Horizons shifting 13.4 million units in its first six weeks. Ciara Lee reports




a

Gas leak at LG plant leaves hundreds hospitalized

A chemical gas leak at an LG Polymers plant in southern India on Thursday killed at least 9 people, and emergency services rushed more than 300 to hospital and evacuated hundreds more from nearby areas, a police official in Andhra Pradesh state said. Libby Hogan reports.




a

Bank of England predicts worst slump in 300 years

The Bank of England says the UK faces its worst slump in 300 years, but on Thursday held off from any moves on rates or bond buying. Julian Satterthwaite reports.




a

Air France-KLM and Rolls-Royce eye job cuts

Air France-KLM and jet engine maker Rolls-Royce are considering job cuts as lockdowns take a toll on first-quarter earnings. Francis Maguire reports.




a

Pfizer, BioNTech race to test vaccines

Pfizer's chief scientific officer tells Reuters his company got a head start on vaccine development for the coronavirus because it had already been working for two years on the flu with its German partner, BioNTech. Fred Katayama reports.




a

Top brewer AB InBev sees worse ahead, but hope in China

The world's biggest brewer, AB InBev, says it sees signs of a rebound in China, but warns the next quarter will still be worse overall. Julian Satterthwaite reports.




a

Breakingviews TV: Cord cutting

U.S. cable firms are in for pain even after the pandemic starts to fade. Sports rights to air football games and other matchups are expected to soar and so will monthly bills. Jennifer Saba explains why non-sports lovers will choose Netflix and Disney+ and ditch their cable.