ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey on Thursday announced the arrest and planned expulsion of seven Syrian migrants over social media posts showing them eating bananas. The state migration service said the posts were “provocative” because they allegedly made fun of the economic hardships being experienced by many Turks. The service said the seven have been arrested and will be deported back to Syria. The incident highlights rising anti-migrant sentiment in Turkey during a new wave […]
International
Biden denounces coup and ‘horrific violence’ in Myanmar
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Tuesday denounced the military coup and “horrific violence” in Myanmar at a summit with ASEAN leaders, the White House said. Addressing the virtual summit, Biden “expressed grave concerns about the military coup and horrific violence in Burma and called on the country’s military regime to immediately end the violence, release those unjustly detained, and restore Burma’s path to democracy,” a statement said. Myanmar’s military […]
Moscow shuts non-essential services after virus surge
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow on Thursday shut shops, schools and restaurants for 11 days in a bid to stop a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths that came after vaccination efforts stalled. All non-essential services, including retail outlets, restaurants, and sporting and entertainment venues will be closed until November 7, along with schools and kindergartens. Only shops selling food, medicine and other essentials will remain open, as authorities try to tackle a coronavirus […]
Which Asia-Pacific countries are re-opening to foreign visitors?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Thailand’s re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists marks a major easing of border controls for Asia, where governments have been far slower to roll back coronavirus travel curbs than in much of the West. Here is a look at which countries are opening up across the Asia-Pacific region and those staying sealed off from the world. – Southeast Asia – Thailand will allow vaccinated travellers from 46 countries and territories […]
Ecuadorans block roads on Day 2 of fuel price protests
by Paola Lopez and Santiago Piedra Silva / Paula Lopez and Santiago Piedra Silva QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Indigenous and rural Ecuadorans blocked roads in several provinces Wednesday on the second day of protest against soaring fuel prices amid a countrywide state of emergency. On Tuesday, 37 people were arrested, and five police officers, a journalist and at least one demonstrator were injured in the largest protests since conservative President Guillermo Lasso took office in […]
Rio de Janeiro lifts outdoor mask requirement
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Attention beach-lovers seeking a break from the pandemic: Rio de Janeiro is lifting its Covid-19 mask requirement for outdoor areas effective from Thursday, the state’s governor said, as once-pandemic-battered Brazil advances quickly with vaccinations. “We are going to relax the requirement on wearing masks outdoors, which is cause for celebration,” Governor Claudio Castro wrote on Twitter. “More than a year and a half after the state of public emergency […]
Hong Kong to further tighten Covid travel restrictions
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong will tighten coronavirus travel restrictions to bring it more into line with the Chinese mainland, its leader said Tuesday, as the city extended its streak of more than two months without a major local outbreak. The announcement came despite concerns from the international hub’s business community that the city remains indefinitely cut off from the rest of the world, with one of the strictest mandatory quarantine regimes of […]
Chinese hypersonic test like a “Sputnik moment’: top US general
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon’s top general said Wednesday that China’s recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union’s stunning launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers’ space race. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against. “What we saw was […]
Israel to reopen to vaccinated tourists from November
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Vaccinated tourists will be allowed into Israel from November 1, the government said on Wednesday, after a campaign to get booster shots into arms succeeding in driving down infections. Israel was the first country to launch a mass booster campaign, with more than 3.9 million getting a third dose since the summer. In late August and early September, cases rose to more than 10,000 a day, a number that has since […]
Taiwan leader says she has ‘faith’ US will defend island
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has said she has “faith” that the United States will defend the island in the event China launches a military strike, in an interview with CNN broadcast Wednesday. “I do have faith” that US forces would help defend Taiwan, Tsai told the news network, highlighting the “wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability.” US President Joe Biden last week said the […]
Swiss authorize Covid booster jabs for the vulnerable
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Switzerland on Tuesday authorized booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines for the over-65s, as it urged those with no protection at all to get immunized. The Swissmedic regulatory authority said the booster would be one shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or a half-dose of Moderna. “People at especially high risk can receive a booster dose of a vaccine in order to remain adequately protected against severe episodes of Covid-19,” the agency said. […]
Sudan PM released as protesters face tear gas
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AFP) — Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was brought home late Tuesday, his office said, after a day of intense international pressure following his removal in a military coup. Hamdok was “under close surveillance” while other ministers and civilian leaders remained under arrest, his office added, after the army dissolved Sudan’s institutions on Monday. Earlier in the day, the US had said it would suspend aid over the coup and the EU had […]
