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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Dubai emergency services put out a “small fire” after residents reported a loud explosion that shook buildings near Jebel Ali port, Emirati officials said Thursday. Nobody was hurt in Wednesday night’s incident, which came six months after an explosion on a container ship unleashed a fireball at one of the world’s busiest ports. Dubai civil defence teams “brought under control a small fire that originated from electric cable in […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Two hospitals in China’s locked-down city of Xi’an, including one that refused to treat an eight-month pregnant woman who later miscarried, have been closed while they “rectify” mistakes, authorities said Thursday. The historic city, one of several in China experiencing coronavirus outbreaks, has been subject to strict home confinement for three weeks in line with Beijing’s “zero-Covid” strategy. Top health officials were forced to apologise last week after a distressing social […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday laid out its most detailed case yet against Beijing’s “unlawful” claims in the South China Sea, rejecting both the geographic and historic bases for its vast, divisive map. In a 47-page research paper, the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs said China had no basis under international law for claims that have put Beijing on a collision course with […]
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday downplayed the Omicron coronavirus variant amid a surge in hard-hit Brazil, ruling out new containment measures as he defended the pursuit of herd immunity through widespread infection. In the country with the world’s second-highest Covid-19 death toll, Bolsonaro said the arrival of the Omicron variant posed little threat, even as experts warn of growing pressure on hospitals. “Omicron has not killed anyone,” the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States imposed sanctions Wednesday on five North Koreans linked to the country’s ballistic missile program, a day after Pyongyang carried out what it said was the launch of a hypersonic missile. The Treasury Department said the five North Koreans being sanctioned were “responsible for procuring goods for the DPRK’s (North Korea’s) weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile-related programs.” “Today’s actions, part of the United States’ ongoing efforts […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia had two weeks to prepare for a fresh wave of coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant after the WHO warned of a surge in Europe. Russia has lifted nearly all the restrictions designed to limit new cases, despite an increasing caseload and growing Omicron infections. It is currently the worst-hit country in Europe in terms of virus-related deaths. “We see what is happening in […]
by Cat Barton SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile, state media said Wednesday, and urged North Korea to press ahead with building more “strategic military muscle” despite international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program. Pictures in state media showed Kim using binoculars to observe the second missile launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week. Hypersonic missiles are listed among the “top […]
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — The Canadian province of Quebec, struggling to control the Omicron variant, will impose a new health tax in the coming weeks on those who are not vaccinated against Covid-19. “We are working on a health contribution for all the adults who are refusing to get vaccinated” because they represent a “financial burden for all Quebecois,” said Quebec Premier Francois Legault. The 10 percent of Quebecois who have not yet received any […]
by Cat Barton SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile, state media reported Wednesday, the second such launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week. The missile carrying a “hypersonic gliding vehicle” hit “the set target in waters 1,000 km off,” the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Photographs posted on the website of Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates has threatened to jail people who make fun of its anti-Covid measures after mocking photos and videos appeared online. Federal prosecutors said social media users could be punished under new laws which allow at least two years’ jail and 200,000 AED ($54,000) fines for sharing misleading information during a pandemic. The UAE has introduced a number of measures to tackle a wave of Omicron variant […]
by Rigoberto DIAZ HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cubans are no strangers to queuing for everything from bread to toothpaste, often standing for hours under a blazing sun with no access to a toilet or drinking water, and always with the fear of leaving empty-handed. It is a daily ordeal Cubans have endured for about 60 years of communist rule, now worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, a steep economic downturn and tightened US sanctions. “I spent […]
by Gersende RAMBOURG CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP) — A South African court charged a man suspected of starting a devastating fire that gutted South Africa’s parliament with terrorism, adding to robbery and arson accusations, as he made his second appearance in court on Tuesday. Zandile Christmas Mafe, 49, was arrested around the parliament complex after the fire broke out on January 2 and appeared in court three days later. He was initially charged with […]
