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US President Joe Biden announced “devastating” Western sanctions against Russia on Thursday and was shortly to address the American people on the unfolding invasion of Ukraine. After a virtual, closed-door meeting which lasted an hour and 10 minutes, the group of rich Western democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — said it was standing firm against Russia’s “threat to the rules-based international order.” Biden tweeted that the G7 leaders […]
by Su Xinqi and Jerome Taylor HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s finance chief on Wednesday unveiled a costly HK$170 billion ($21.79 billion) budget, including tax breaks and consumer spending vouchers, as the city reels under its worst coronavirus outbreak to date. While rival finance centres emerging from pandemic isolation and reopening to the world, Hong Kong has found itself overwhelmed by the highly infectious Omicron variant after the city’s previously successful zero-Covid strategy […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japan will impose sanctions on Russia and individuals linked to eastern Ukrainian regions controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists, the country’s prime minister said Wednesday, after Moscow ordered troops into the disputed territory. The measures follow decisions by the United States, Britain and the European Union to penalize Russian entities in the wake of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send soldiers into Donetsk and Lugansk. Tokyo’s sanctions include a ban on issuing visas […]
by Jerome Taylor and Su Xinqi HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong parents are being separated from children and babies who test positive for the coronavirus, compounding public anger over the financial hub’s lack of readiness for a major outbreak now sweeping the city. The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of its worst-ever Covid wave, registering thousands of cases every day as hospitals and isolation units run out of space. A strict […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he does not plan to restore Russia’s empire, a day after he ordered Russian troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty. “We predicted speculation that Russia plans to restore (its) empire within imperial borders,” Putin said at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in the Kremlin, adding: “This absolutely does not correspond with reality”. On Monday, Putin recognized the […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s population must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus testing, the city’s leader said Tuesday, as she confirmed that mainland Chinese officials were now coordinating the response to the financial hub’s worst outbreak. The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of a record virus surge with thousands of confirmed cases every day as hospitals and isolation units run out of space. On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam revealed […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines’ top diplomat in Hong Kong said Tuesday it was illegal and “immoral” for residents to fire and turf out domestic workers who test positive for the coronavirus, as the Chinese city endures its worst outbreak yet. Charities said last week that foreign domestic workers in the wealthy city were being “abandoned” amid the Covid-19 wave, with some forced to sleep outdoors or being denied treatment after testing positive. Residents […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Russia’s military to act as peacekeepers in two breakaway regions of Ukraine, just hours after he recognized them as independent. In two official decrees, Putin instructed the defense ministry to assume “the function of peacekeeping” in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Moscow provided no details or date for any deployment, with the order saying only that it “comes into force from the day it was […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong will launch a vaccine pass scheme this week, officials said Monday, as hospitals struggle under an Omicron-fuelled outbreak and the finance hub sees record-high departures. The densely populated metropolis is currently in the throes of its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak, registering thousands of confirmed cases every day as hospitals and isolation units run out of space. Starting Thursday, all residents aged 12 and above entering restaurants and clubhouses […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An Iranian fighter jet crashed Monday in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz killing three people, including two crew, state television reported. The head of the local Red Crescent organization said the plane smashed into a school and that one of the dead was a resident of the neighborhood. Local official Mohammad-Bagher Honarvar told state television that the school was closed at the time due to the coronavirus […]
by Jerome TAYLOR Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s foreign domestic workers are being “abandoned” in the current coronavirus wave sweeping the city, with some forced to sleep rough or being denied treatment after testing positive, charities said Friday. The warning came as Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam told residents to encourage helpers to stay indoors and said police would step up social distancing fines. The Chinese financial hub is […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Construction crews from mainland China were helping Hong Kong build two temporary isolation facilities to house thousands of coronavirus patients on Sunday as a senior official declared the city “in full combat mode”. The crowded Chinese financial hub is in the throes of its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak, registering thousands of confirmed cases a day as hospitals reach breaking point. A strict zero-Covid policy like China uses kept infections at […]
