Asia Today: China asks residents in 2 cities to stay home

Chinese authorities have asked residents in two cities south of Beijing to stay home for seven days as they try to stamp out a COVID-19 outbreak in which more than 300 people have tested positive in the past week

UK to vaccinate out of pandemic by looking to local GPs

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock turned up at a doctor’s office in London this week to highlight the start of coronavirus vaccinations by local general practitioners

Japan declares emergency for Tokyo area as cases spike

Japan has declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three nearby areas as coronavirus cases continue to surge, hitting a daily record of 2,447 in the capital

Wong questioned, US lawyer released in Hong Kong crackdown

Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested on a new charge under the national security law while an American rights lawyer who was detained in a sweeping crackdown was granted bail

Virus Outbreak Olympics Tokyo 2020

Virus Outbreak Britain Lockdown

Albert Roux, major influence on UK dining habits, dies at 85

Albert Roux, the French-born chef and restaurateur who along with his late brother Michel had a profound influence on British dining habits, has died at 85

Dates, plans of WHO expert visit to China under negotiation

China says it is still in negotiation with the World Health Organization on the dates and itinerary for a visit by international experts looking into origins of COVID-19, after the head of the WHO criticized Beijing for not finalizing permissions for the mission

Reports: Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures arrested

An opposition party and local media say about 50 Hong Kong pro-democracy figures have been arrested by police under the new national security law

UK hospitals stagger as new virus variant takes huge toll

England is entering a third national lockdown that will last at least six weeks, as authorities struggle to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals around the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a tough new stay-at-home order for England until at least mid-February to combat a new, more contagious coronavirus variant