WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday announced sanctions against two more leaders of Myanmar’s junta and warned of further action as hundreds of thousands defiantly rallied for the restoration of the nation’s democracy. The United States said it was blocking any US property and suspending the entry into the country of two members of the newly ruling State Administrative Council — General Maung Maung Kyaw, who commands the air force, […]
Asia
Hong Kong Chief Executive, top officials get Chinese Sinovac jabs
(Eagle News) — Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam, along with members of her cabinet, received the first dose of Sinovac vaccines which were shipped on Friday from mainland China. Friday’s delivery of the Sinovac doses were part of the first shipmemt of one million Sinovac jabs. Lam, on Monday, Feb. 22, said that she and her senior officials decided to make the public their vaccination to set as examples to the Home Kong […]
Huge anti-coup rallies in Myanmar after junta threat
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Tens of thousands of anti-coup protesters rallied across Myanmar again on Monday despite a clear threat from the junta that it was prepared to use lethal force to crush what it branded “anarchy”. The warning came after three demonstrators were shot dead over the weekend, and the funeral on Sunday for a young woman who died from bullet wounds at an earlier rally. Massive street demonstrations have taken place since Myanmar’s […]
Russia starts giving Covid vaccine to homeless
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — Forty homeless people in Saint Petersburg received coronavirus vaccine jabs on Sunday, under a charity initiative that has received the backing of local officials. “Here there are many people at risk. It is important for them to be vaccinated,” said Taysia Suvorova, of the Nochlezhka non-governmental that organisation provides aid to the homeless in Russia’s second city. The 40 people receiving the vaccine are currently housed by the charity. According […]
Dozens of whales die stranded on Indonesian beach
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Forty-six small whales stranded on a beach in Indonesia have died, after rescue efforts succeeded in saving three others, local officials said Friday. Starting Thursday, at least 49 short-finned pilot whales arrived at a beach on Madura Island in northern Java, authorities said in a statement. Large crowds gathered as a rescue operation was launched, with volunteers using tarpaulins or just their bare hands to try to push the pod […]
First death hits Myanmar’s anti-coup movement as pressure swells against generals
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A young protester died Friday, more than a week after being shot in anti-coup demonstrations in Myanmar, offering a fresh source of anger inside the country as international pressure grows on the generals who seized power. Much of the country has been in open revolt since troops deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, with disparate strands of Myanmar society uniting to protest against a return to […]
Biden pledges $4bn for global Covid-19 vaccine program
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden will pledge $4 billion in US aid to the Covax global Covid-19 vaccination program during his virtual meeting with other G7 leaders on Friday, White House officials said. An initial $2 billion will be released “by the end of this month,” with the rest coming over the next two years, said a senior White House official, who asked not to be identified, on Thursday. Covax is a […]
Hong Kong fast tracks China’s Sinovac vaccine approval
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s government on Thursday approved the Chinese-made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine for emergency use after a panel of experts fast-tracked its recommendation despite the drug’s comparatively low efficacy. “The first batch of one million jabs of Sinovac vaccines will arrive in Hong Kong soon,” the government statement said. Local media reported that the first vaccinations could arrive as soon as Friday, finally kicking off the financial hub’s delayed inoculation […]
Japan starts vaccine rollout with healthcare workers
by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan began vaccinating healthcare workers against the coronavirus on Wednesday, as it rolled out a cautious inoculation programme with just over five months until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Japan has so far approved only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and started administering the first shots at a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday morning. Tokyo Medical Centre director Kazuhiro Araki volunteered to be the first at the facility to receive the shot. […]
North Korea ‘tried to hack’ Pfizer for vaccine info – South’s spies: reports
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean hackers tried to break into the computer systems of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in a search for information on a coronavirus vaccine and treatment technology, South Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday, according to reports. The impoverished, nuclear-armed North has been under self-imposed isolation since closing its borders in January last year to try to protect itself from the virus that first emerged in neighbouring China and has gone […]
Myanmar junta cuts internet as troops fire to break up protest
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar cut internet service and deployed troops around the country on Monday in signs of a feared crackdown on anti-coup protests, hours after security forces fired to disperse a demonstration in the country’s north. The junta has escalated efforts to quell a burgeoning civil disobedience campaign which is demanding a return of the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Monday’s internet shutdown and a request from the United Nations for […]
Strong 7.3-quake rattles east Japan, no tsunami risk
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s east coast late Saturday, rattling the region hit by the powerful 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown just weeks before the disaster’s 10th anniversary. The quake produced powerful shaking along parts of Japan’s eastern coast, and was felt strongly in Tokyo, but triggered no tsunami alert. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that no major casualties were reported, according to Kyodo news agency, […]





