'Dirty' depiction of Kim's wife outraged NKorea: Russian envoyNorth Korea’s fury over anti-Pyongyang leaflets launched from the South is driven by “dirty, insulting” depictions of leader Kim Jong Un’s spouse, Russia’s top envoy in the reclusive country has said. In recent weeks Pyongyang has issued a series of vitriolic condemnations over anti-North leaflets which defectors based in the South send across the militarised border — usually attached to balloons or floated in bottles. The campaigns have long been a point of contention between the two Koreas, but this time, Pyongyang upped the pressure, blowing up a liaison office and threatening military measures.


Thailand extends emergency decree until end of JulyThailand on Tuesday extended an emergency decree until the end of July in a bid to avoid the risk of a second wave of the coronavirus, an official said, as the country was poised to reopen bars and allow some foreigners into the country. The cabinet approved the extension of the emergency decree because the global pandemic was still ongoing, Narumon Pinyosinwat, a spokeswoman for the Thai government told a briefing. The emergency decree gives the government a range of additional powers including to deploy officials to investigate venues, bring in curfews, restrict gatherings and control travel.


Chinese scientists discover a new swine flu capable of triggering a pandemicResearchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published on Monday in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans", say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces and in a veterinary hospital, allowing them to …

George Floyd: At least one ex-officer intends to plead not guilty as judge sets tentative murder trial dateThe four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd could face a jury trial in March, as a judge warned the men to avoid speaking publicly about the case during a hearing on Monday.Three ex-officers appeared in-person at a Hennepin County court in Minnesota, while Derek Chauvin – who was captured on witness video kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck – attended the hearing remotely via video conference from Ramsey County Correctional Centre, where he is being held on a $1.25 million bail.


School teacher who self-quarantined at Connecticut home for three weeks vanishes after going for a walk in early MayGil Cunha was last seen just after midnight on May 7, 2020, at his parents’ home on Overlook Avenue in West Haven, Connecticut. Later that morning, Gil’s parents figured he was out for one of his daily walks. He never returned. Gil had been self-quarantining in his room the prior three weeks due to COVID-19 symptoms. He left behind two cell phones, his passport, credit cards and cash. The only item that appears to be missing is his driver’s license. The West Haven Police Department is inve