SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea and the United States staged joint air drills featuring an American strategic bomber and stealth fighter planes in response to threats from North Korea, the Yonhap news agency said, drawing an angry rebuke Thursday from Pyongyang. The planes flew Wednesday over the Yellow Sea, located between China and the Korean peninsula, in the first such exercises this year, Yonhap said, citing South Korea’s military. The display of military […]
Tag: politics
Myanmar junta extends state of emergency, likely delaying polls
Myanmar’s junta was granted a six-month extension to a state of emergency, state media reported Wednesday, likely delaying elections the military had pledged to hold by August. The country has been in turmoil since the army’s power grab in 2021, and a subsequent crackdown on dissent has sparked fighting across swathes of the nation while tanking the economy. On the second anniversary of the putsch, state media reported that the National Defence and Security Council […]
Myanmar streets empty in protest on coup anniversary
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Streets emptied and shops closed in protest across Myanmar on Wednesday, the second anniversary of the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, with the junta hinting it may extend a state of emergency and delay new elections. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military’s power grab and bloody crackdown on dissent, which has sparked fighting across swathes of the country and tanked the economy. Western powers launched a […]
Protest artist calls for peace amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — An exhibition of anti-war drawings was unveiled in Russia on Tuesday despite government efforts to snuff out any criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine. Elena Osipova, a 77-year-old protest artist from Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg, presented 15 of her drawings created between 2014 and 2022. One work shows the face of a little girl with big eyes. “Mom, I am afraid of the war,” read the words […]
Myanmar junta hints may extend state of emergency, delay polls
Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday said the country had “not returned to normalcy” almost two years after its coup, casting doubt over plans for elections and ending a state of emergency. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military toppled democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, alleging massive fraud during elections her party won in 2020. A junta-imposed state of emergency is due to expire at the end of January, after […]
Who is India’s Adani and why is his company tanking?
The business empire of Gautam Adani has shed tens of billions of dollars in value on the back of a report alleging accounting fraud that the Indian tycoon’s firm has strenuously rejected. Who is Gautam Adani? Adani, 60, is a publicity-shy school dropout of humble origins who rose to become the world’s third-richest man with a fortune — until last week — of around $130 billion. Moving to Mumbai in his teens to work sorting […]
Large investors pull Adani’s $2.5 bn share sale through after stock rout
Adani Group’s ambitious share sale exceeded its subscription targets Tuesday in a relief for the Indian conglomerate, which is reeling from allegations of “brazen” corporate fraud that wiped more than $65 billion off its value. The success of India’s biggest follow-on public offer (FPO) is the first reprieve in a horror week for the sprawling business empire of Gautam Adani — still Asia’s richest man despite a bruising $36 billion hit to his personal […]
China angered by new Czech president’s Taiwan call
China criticised Czech president-elect Petr Pavel on Tuesday for holding a telephone call with Taiwan’s president and foreign minister the day before. Beijing is trying to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and opposes countries having official exchanges with Taipei. It claims self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary. “Pavel… trampled on China’s red line,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. “This severely […]
UN says Myanmar junta elections will fuel violence
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Junta plans for elections in coup-hit Myanmar this year will “fuel greater violence”, a United Nations special envoy said on Tuesday, calling for the international community to unite in opposition. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military toppled democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government almost two years ago, alleging massive fraud during elections her party won in 2020. The junta-imposed state of emergency is due to expire at […]
White House says US Covid emergency status to end May 11
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Monday that the national and public health emergencies declared just as the Covid-19 pandemic took grip three years ago will officially end May 11. The end to both federal emergency declarations, which took effect in January 2020 under then-president Donald Trump, will see funds used to subsidize Covid medicines, medical insurance and other types of government aid related to the pandemic come to an end. In […]
Peru mulls bringing elections forward as protests boil
by Carlos MANDUJANO Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s Congress on Monday debated a bill to bring forward elections in a bid to end weeks of protests and roadblocks that have left dozens dead. The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily street protests since December 7, when then-president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. In seven weeks of demonstrations, 48 people […]
France braces for new strikes against Macron’s pension reform
France braced Monday for another day of mass protests and strikes over proposed pension overhauls being pushed by President Emmanuel Macron, with the government and its left-wing opponents trading blame for the expected disruptions. Around 1.1 million people took to the streets for the first strike day on January 19, according to official statistics, the biggest demonstrations since the last major round of pension reform under right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010. A police source […]





