Human Rights Watch (HRW) demands an investigation into the United Nations’ data collection on Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh, saying the UN refugee agency has “improperly” shared the information with authorities in Myanmar. The UN Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has registered hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladeshi camps …
Read More »Yemen releases pics of Saudi troops, Sudanese mercs captured in Jizan
The media bureau of Yemen’s Operations Command Center has published the pictures and interviews of a number of Saudi troops and Sudanese mercenaries captured during a recent operation in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan region. In their confessions broadcast on Yemen’s al-Masirah television, the captives identified themselves and talked about military units …
Read More »Nicaragua says detained opposition ‘usurpers’ funded by US
Nicaragua says the recently detained opposition figures are “usurpers” funded by the United States to overthrow President Daniel Ortega. The opposition figures received “millions of dollars in cash from the American public through USAID,” the government said in a document on Monday. Nicaragua arrested five opposition figures over the weekend …
Read More »Gunmen kill four polio workers in Afghanistan’s east
Four polio vaccination workers were killed and three injured in separate attacks in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad, a provincial health department official said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks against health workers. A wave of assassinations has hit urban centres since peace talks began between the …
Read More »Health experts say India missed early alarm, let deadly coronavirus variant spread
A veteran public health expert warned top Indian officials in early March that a new variant of the coronavirus was spreading quickly in a rural district in the heart of the country and that the outbreak required urgent attention. Federal health authorities failed to respond adequately to that warning, Dr …
Read More »After NATO, Biden turns to EU for renewal of transatlantic ties
U.S. President Joe Biden will intensify his push to renew relations with Europe on Tuesday after a summit at NATO, meeting with European Union leaders to seek a truce in trade wars and a 17-year-long aircraft subsidy dispute. Seen as another opportunity to re-set ties after four tense years with …
Read More »South Korea holds naval drills amid row over Japan Olympics map
Spat about an Olympics map escalates as South Korea kicks off naval drills near disputed islands and leaders call off planned talks. South Korea’s military began annual drills on Tuesday around a set of islands also claimed by Japan, days after planned talks between the two countries leaders were called …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan says held ‘fruitful, sincere’ talks with Biden
After meeting US president, the Turkish leader says no Turkey-US issue cannot be resolved, despite months of animosity. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he held a “fruitful and sincere” meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. “We believe …
Read More »US Navy says carrier group operating in S.China Sea
A U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan has entered the South China Sea as part of a routine mission, the U.S. Navy said on Tuesday, at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, which claims most of the disputed waterway. China frequently objects to …
Read More »Australia says trade deal with Britain agreed
Britain and Australia have agreed to a trade deal after talks between their prime ministers ironed out outstanding issues, Australia’s Minister for Trade Dan Tehan said on Tuesday. Britain had made securing a trade deal with Australia a priority for its post-Brexit strategy as it seeks to build stronger commercial …
Read More »Huge blaze breaks out at Illinois chemical site after enormous explosion, locals evacuated
Several fire departments are tackling a huge blaze at a chemical plant in Rockton, Illinois. People living within a one-mile radius of the site are being evacuated from the area, the local fire chief said. The fire was reported at around 7 am local time (8 am ET) on Monday …
Read More »Canada: Man faces terrorism charges in attack on Muslim family
Police accuse Nathaniel Veltman of running down a Muslim family in London, Ontario ‘because of their Islamic faith’. A man accused of running down a Muslim family in the Canadian city of London, Ontario, this month, killing four people including a teenage girl, now faces terrorism charges, authorities announced on …
Read More »India gingerly eases COVID-19 rules as new cases dip to two-month low
Many Indian states eased coronavirus restrictions on Monday including the capital Delhi, where authorities allowed all shops and malls to open, as the number of new infections dropped to the lowest in more than two months. Experts have cautioned against a full re-opening as India has vaccinated only about 5 …
Read More »China denounces G7 after statement on Xinjiang and Hong Kong
China has accused the G7 of “political manipulation” after it criticised Beijing over a range of issues. In a joint statement at the end of a three-day summit, leaders of the G7 countries urged China to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms”. Issues highlighted included abuses against the Uyghur Muslim …
Read More »US journalist released from detention in Myanmar – lawyer
US journalist Nathan Maung has been released from detention in Myanmar and is due to fly out of the country on Tuesday, his lawyer Tin Zar Oo told Reuters. A court dismissed the case against the editor at Kamayut Media after the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit, Tin Zar Oo said …
Read More »South Korea eases COVID-19 restrictions on concerts, sports games
South Korea began easing restrictions on large concerts and sports events on Monday after announcing last week it would loosen a series of coronavirus curbs as the country pushes ahead with its vaccination drive. Up to 4,000 people will be allowed to attend K-Pop concerts and other cultural shows from …
Read More »29 people were injured — three critically — as vehicle crashes guard rail at Texas race track
29 people were injured Sunday night after a vehicle plowed into a crowd at a mud racing event in Texas. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that at 6:35 p.m., a vehicle left the mud track and crashed through a guard rail and into spectators. Three …
Read More »Suu Kyi’s trial set to start in Myanmar, junta rejects UN rights chief’s statement
The trial of Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to start on Monday, as the junta that overthrew her elected government rejected criticism by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights over its use of deadly force against protesters. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta …
Read More »American father and son plead guilty to helping former Nissan Chairman Ghosn flee Japan
An American father and son pleaded guilty in Tokyo on Monday to charges that they illegally helped former Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan hidden in a box aboard a private jet in December 2019. US Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter replied …
Read More »Swiss reject law to help country meet Paris carbon emissions goal
Swiss voters rejected a trio of environmental proposals on Sunday, including a new law intended to help the country meet its goal for cutting carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A new CO2 law was narrowly rejected, with 51.6% of voters opposing it in a nationwide referendum …
Read More »