BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing said Thursday it has suspended an economic agreement with Australia, an apparent tit-for-tat response to Australia scrapping a Belt and Road infrastructure pact and threat to undo a deal leasing Darwin Port to a Chinese company. The China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue deal has been suspended “based on the current attitude” of the Australian government, China’s National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement, blaming some officials of “ideological discrimination.” […]
Tag: politics
Myanmar rebels claim military helicopter downing
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — yanmaA leading Myanmar ethnic rebel army said it had shot down a military helicopter on Monday, a day after a renewed junta crackdown on anti-coup protests left at least five civilians dead. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) said it downed the helicopter gunship during fierce clashes near the town of Momauk in the country’s far north. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi […]
Algerian president seeks to calm social anger
ALGIERS, Algeria (AFP) — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday urged his government to open “a dialogue” with social partners to appease mounting social anger. Unemployment at 15 percent, soaring prices and shortages of basic food items have all added to turmoil caused by a deep economic crisis due to the fall in oil revenues and political deadlock since the popular Hirak pro-democracy uprising two years ago. During a cabinet meeting, Tebboune ordered “a dialogue […]
Myanmar junta launches fresh air raids in rebel territory
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Myanmar’s military launched air assaults for the second day in a row into rebel-held territory after gunfire was heard from neighbouring Thailand, a Thai official said Wednesday, as fighting escalates along the border. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, its power grab angering much of its population. The anti-junta movement has also garnered some support from some […]
Myanmar junta wants ‘stability’ before heeding pleas on violence
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta said Tuesday it will heed regional pleas to stop violence only when the coup-hit country “returns to stability”, as fresh fighting erupted with a major ethnic rebel group along its eastern border. The nation has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, triggering an uprising that has seen security forces mount deadly crackdowns against protesters. The violence — […]
California to hold recall vote as anti-governor campaign hits goal
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A Republican-backed petition to recall California’s governor has achieved its goal of forcing a special election, which is set to be held later this year, officials said Monday. The vote on Democratic governor Gavin Newsom’s tenure will be only the second ever held in California, after the 2003 election that brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to power — and the fourth in the nation’s history. As of Monday, “the requisite number […]
Myanmar shadow govt welcomes ASEAN call to end violence
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to “military violence” after their crisis talks in Jakarta with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The general attended a high-level summit Saturday with leaders from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar’s mounting crisis. Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, […]
Myanmar crisis summit a test for ASEAN’s credibility: Thailand
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A weekend summit on the Myanmar coup crisis will be a test for ASEAN’s credibility and unity, a senior Thai official said Thursday, amid an escalating death toll and violence across its western border. Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 739 people since a February 1 military coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a local monitoring group. The Myanmar military has stepped up the use […]
Biden hails ‘stunning’ US achievement in giving 200 million vaccine doses
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday hailed his government’s “stunning” achievement in administering 200 million Covid-19 vaccine shots across the United States ahead of schedule. Biden said the landmark had been reached a week before he hits his administration’s 100-day mark — the deadline he’d announced for meeting the 200 million doses challenge. “Today we did it, today we hit 200 million shots,” he said in a televised speech from the […]
Junta attacks displace nearly 250,000 people in Myanmar: UN envoy
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The Myanmar military junta’s crackdown on anti-coup protesters has displaced close to a quarter of a million people, a United Nations rights envoy said Wednesday. The military has stepped up its use of lethal force to quash mass demonstrations against a February 1 coup which ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. At least 738 people have been killed and 3,300 are languishing in jails as political prisoners, according to a […]
Russian government’s main task is to boost incomes: Putin
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin, whose United Russia party is deeply unpopular ahead of September elections, said Wednesday that the government’s main task was to boost Russians’ falling personal incomes. Putin’s popularity has long been based on his ability to provide stability and better living standards to Russians, but the economy has in recent years been hit by Western sanctions, stagnant oil prices and now the coronavirus pandemic. “The main thing is to […]
‘Justice’: America reacts to Floyd murderer’s conviction
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Politicians, rights activists and family members and even world leaders reacted with jubilation and relief Tuesday as sacked Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died when the officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes last year. Here are some the immediate reactions following the announcement of the guilty verdicts on all three counts — second degree murder, […]
