Worldwide

Japan decided on Friday to declare quasi-emergency measures in three regions in order to stem a COVID-19 surge that some officials have linked to US military bases in the country. According to reports, it would mark the first such measures since September, when Japan lifted emergency controls that had prevailed …

At least 18 Kazakh police have reportedly been killed and more than 740 others injured as authorities in the ex-Soviet country try to quell unrest triggered by a sharp rise in fuel prices. The ongoing unrest is far from over, even after protests resulted in the resignation of the government. …

At least three people were shot dead after Sudan’s security forces attacked thousands of anti-coup protesters with tear gas in the African country’s major cities, including capital Khartoum and Omdurman. Thousands of protesters filled the streets of the two major cities Thursday to express their strong dissent against the ruling …

US President Joe Biden has accused his predecessor, Donald Trump, of posing “a continuing threat to democracy.” Biden was speaking on Thursday at the US Capitol on the anniversary of the brief January 6 occupation of that building by a large crowd of Americans protesting the outcome of the disputed …

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bassam Sabbagh has affirmed Damascus’ condemnation of the use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime by anyone and under any circumstances, saying Western states fabricate lies on his country’s cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). During a session of …

The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors on Monday (Jan 10) to discuss the testing of what North Korea said was a hypersonic missile, according to diplomatic sources. The meeting was requested by the United States, France and the United Kingdom – three of the five permanent members on …

The American economy is getting hit as the US federal government is grappling with the Omicron variant which has prompted Covid-19 cases to surge to record levels. This might cause US lawmakers to revisit relief strategies from earlier in the pandemic, according to CNBC. Discussions on Capitol Hill have turned …

The UK’s economic recovery paused prior to the arrival of the Omicron variant of Covid and the dampening impact of the government’s plan B restrictions on consumer spending in the Christmas shopping period, a new survey shows. Businesses put the blame for a decline in sales in the fourth quarter …

US President Joe Biden is set to tell Americans that former president Donald Trump carries “singular responsibility” for the deadly January 6 Capitol attack as he prepares to mark the first anniversary of the riot by Trump’s supporters. Two weeks before Biden’s presidency, Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building, where lawmakers …

North Korea says it has successfully test-fired a hypersonic missile, in the first such launch of the year, as the country pursues new military capabilities. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that the projectile, which was fired from the east coast of North Korea and landed in …

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev says he will act as tough as possible on those who broke the law by staging “massive attacks” on security forces during the ongoing protests prompted by a sharp rise in fuel prices. According to Press TV, in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, …

The administration of US President Joe Biden has placed a record number of migrants under detention, in a move that heightened alarm among advocates who call for the prisons to be closed amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the facilities. The detention centers run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement …

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has urged the US to impose restrictions on the troops stationed in Japan amid a spread of COVID-19 cases among the US military personnel. According to Press TV, the request to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday came as virus cases surged on …

Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren says some Republicans are using every possible means to maintain their position in power. “Today, Republican opponents of democracy are exploiting every possible avenue to allow their party to maintain control,” Warren said during a speech on the Senate floor on the eve of the anniversary …

Russia has reacted to the ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan, warning against any outside interference into the internal affairs of the Central Asian nation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Kazakhstan could solve its own problems and it was important that no one interfered from the outside. He also urged “dialogue” …

Taiwan’s air force has conducted a drill simulating a war situation to show the self-ruled island’s combat readiness amid heightened tensions with Beijing. The exercises were carried out at a base in the southern city of Chiayi on Wednesday, where Taiwanese jets took off into the sky as part of …

Clashes between protesters and security forces have left dozens killed in Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Almaty, as nationwide protests continue over fuel price hikes in the oil-rich Central Asian country. Police spokesman Saltanat Azirbek said on Thursday that tens of rioters had been “eliminated” overnight in Kazakhstan’s financial capital as they …

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has announced his resignation amid political impasse and large-scale protests, just two months after being restored in the post as part of a political deal with military rulers of the restive African country. According to Press TV, Hamdok announced the decision in a televised address …

A massive fire in South Africa’s houses of parliament in Cape Town has completely destroyed the National Assembly where parliamentarians sit, a spokesman said on Sunday as the blaze continued to rage. “The entire chamber where the members sit… has burned down,” Moloto Mothapo said, adding that the blaze had …

Yemen’s Army Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the country’s forces carried out two major operations against the Saudi-led coalition and their mercenaries in 2021, liberating 12,000 square kilometers of land in five provinces. In a statement carried by Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network on Sunday, the Brig. General he …