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GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations said Monday that Myanmar security forces had cordoned some 200 peaceful protesters in Yangon, voicing concern about their safety and demanding they be allowed to leave. “We are deeply concerned about the fate of some 200 peaceful protesters — incl. women — who have been cordoned by security forces in Yangon,” the UN rights office said in a tweet, warning that the cordoned protesters “may be at risk […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — A drone struck a Saudi oil port and a ballistic missile targeted facilities of energy giant Aramco in the country’s east on Sunday, the energy ministry said. “One of the petroleum tank areas at the Ras Tanura Port in the Eastern Region, one of the largest oil ports in the world, was attacked this morning by a drone, coming from the sea,” the ministry said in a statement released by […]
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel took another step towards post-pandemic normalcy on Sunday, opening restaurants, bars and cafes to vaccinated “green pass” holders, with about 40 percent of the population fully inoculated against the coronavirus. “We are coming to life,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, as he cut into a pastry at a Jerusalem cafe, according to a video posted on Facebook. Israel, which launched its vaccination campaign in December, has given the recommended two […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan extended a virus state of emergency in the Tokyo area by two weeks on Friday, less than five months before the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the decision, which affects the capital and three nearby regions, and warned people against holding traditional spring picnics under cherry blossom trees. “I ask you all to refrain from eating in large groups — even at graduation ceremonies, enrollment ceremonies, welcome […]
by Natsuko FUKUE TARO, Japan (AFP) — The Japanese town of Taro had sea walls that were supposed to be able to survive almost anything the ocean could offer up, but the 2011 tsunami still brought utter destruction. A decade after the deadly waves unleashed by one of the most powerful earthquakes in recorded history, the lesson learned in many coastal towns was: build higher. That has left a legacy cast in concrete along hundreds […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will extend a coronavirus state of emergency in the Tokyo area by a fortnight, officials said Friday, less than five months ahead of the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics. The emergency measure, which primarily calls for bars and restaurants to close from 8pm, was supposed to end on Sunday and has been lifted early in other regions. It has brought infections down in the capital but the rate of decline is slowing […]
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait on Thursday announced a minimum one-month curfew aimed at curbing a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, after it recorded its highest daily infection count. Kuwait has since February 7 cut opening hours for non-essential retail shops and banned non-citizens from entering the country, but a steep increase in cases in the past week has forced the government to take more stringent measures. “There will be a daily curfew from […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — At least 38 people died Wednesday in the “bloodiest” day of Myanmar’s crisis, the United Nations said, as the military junta defied growing international condemnation of its coup with a violent crackdown that the US said left it “appalled and revulsed.” Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 1 when the military ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending the nation’s decade-long experiment with democracy and sparking […]
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait’s ruler Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah greenlighted Wednesday the Gulf country’s new cabinet after the previous one resigned just a month into its mandate amid disputes with parliament. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was re-appointed as prime minister in January, shortly after the government quit, was again tasked with forming the new one. The cabinet members were sworn in before the emir on Wednesday, reported the official Kuwait News Agency […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech said Wednesday its domestically developed vaccine, criticized for being rolled out before final trials, was found in interim late-stage data to have almost 81 percent efficacy in preventing Covid-19 infection. Questions had been raised by Indian medical experts about the effectiveness of Bharat Biotech’s “Covaxin” after officials authorized it for emergency use in January even though its Phase 3 trials — the last stage before […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — At least six people were killed as Myanmar security forces fired on pro-democracy protesters Wednesday, after the junta hit half a dozen detained journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, with criminal charges. The country has been in chaos since February 1 when the military launched a coup and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending Myanmar’s decade-long experiment with democracy and sparking daily mass protests. International pressure is mounting […]
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron he wants their countries to cooperate to fight terrorism, as Ankara moves to ease tensions with Paris. The two leaders, who have clashed over a range of issues including the conflicts in Syria and Libya as well as the eastern Mediterranean, spoke in a video call for the first time since September. According to a statement by the Turkish […]
