The World Health Organization team in the Chinese city of Wuhan says viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 can be found in many animals, but they have been unable to find direct evidence of animal-human transmission. The team, along with Chinese experts and counterparts, held a press conference to announce the conclusion into their fact-finding mission into the origins of COVID-19 in the …

In a show of gratitude with his palms together and wearing a black blindfold, the first of 11 Chinese gold miners has been winched to safety on Sunday, 14 days after they were trapped by an underground explosion. Footage showed the first miner to be rescued, a black blindfold across his eyes, being lifted out of a mine shaft on …

He has nuclear weapons, a massive army and seemingly the adoration of his people. And much like his father and grandfather before him, Kim Jong-un likes to show the world his country is a force to be reckoned with. But in a fresh change of tack, the youngest Kim is happy for the women closest to him to help deliver …

In a provocative move certain to infuriate China, US secretary of State Mike Pompeo is lifting restrictions on contacts between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts. The move comes in the dying days of the Trump administration and will confront incoming President Joe Biden with further complications in his stated intention to re-establish harmonious relations Beijing after the frictions and …

Jacinda Ardern has won a historic victory in the New Zealand election, securing a thumping mandate and a likely parliamentary majority that may well see her Labour Party govern in its own right. With 98 per cent of party votes counted, Labour had won 49 per cent of the vote, putting it on track to be the biggest single-party haul …

Australia’s trade minister is investigating reports China has suspended lucrative imports of Australian coal. Chinese steel mills and power plants have reportedly been told to stop using Australian coking and thermal coal. State-owned ports have apparently been ordered not to offload shipments. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham confirmed there had been some disruptions to Australian shipments of coal into China, but …

A South Korea-based religious group named the Shincheonji Church of Jesus said that over 4,000 members of the church recovered from COVID-19 are willing to donate plasma for developing a new treatment. The amount of blood pledged to be donated is worth approximately $83 billion according to current prices in the United States. “It is difficult to accelerate developing a …

Since the very early days of coronavirus in the US, President Donald Trump has been quick to point fingers. He blamed the World Health Organization. He blamed the governors. He blamed the media. But he didn’t blame China. He even praised President Xi Jinping on several occasions, saying he was doing “a very good job with a very, very tough …

Wuhan residents believe up to 18 times the number of people died in their city from coronavirus than authorities are reporting. The seven funeral homes serving Wuhan have reportedly been running nonstop recently, prompting one resident to say “anyone with any ability to think” knows officials are lying about the death toll. China announced 2,535 deaths in Wuhan – the …

With another record amount of COVID-19 cases identified, the New Zealand government has been granted extraordinary operating powers to implement a nationwide lockdown. A State of National Emergency was declared by Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare on Wednesday, following Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s issuing of an Epidemic Notice on Tuesday. Those two measures have granted the government powers unseen in …