US President Donald Trump has responded to criticism over his Tweets supporting anti-lockdown protests in three states.
During his White House briefing, he defended his Tweets that urged to “liberate” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan, claiming the Democratic governors are being "too tough" while implementing the stay-at-home orders.
"What they've done is very powerful. You know you could get the same result with doing a little bit less," he explained.
On Thursday, Trump said he was sympathetic to the demonstrators, but "they seem to be protesters who like me... my opinion is just about the same as all of the governors".
Several people have protested against the stay-at-home orders, claiming they are unreasonably limiting movement and affecting the economy.
This comes as the country records more than 710,000 positive cases and over 37,000 deaths.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.