Authorities in Nicaragua have arrested two more potential presidential challengers to veteran leader Daniel Ortega in elections later this year. Felix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro have been accused of terrorism and plotting against Nicaragua’s sovereignty and independence. They were held under a controversial new security law passed in December …
Read More »China administered a total of 808.96 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of June 8
China administered about 14.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on June 8, bringing the total number administered to 808.96 million, data from the National Health Authority showed on Wednesday.
Read More »France suspends aid, military support for Central African Republic
France has suspended aid and military cooperation in the Central African Republic because of what it says is the government’s failure to stop “massive disinformation campaigns” against France that have targeted its officials, the armed forces ministry said. France has cut 10 million euros ($12.18 million) in budget support for …
Read More »UN warns of ‘mass deaths’ in Myanmar after 100,000 flee fighting
UN says people fleeing military’s ‘brutal, indiscriminate attacks’ in eastern Kayah are in dire need of food and water. A United Nations rights expert has warned of “mass deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure” in eastern Myanmar after “brutal, indiscriminate attacks” by the military forced tens of thousands of people …
Read More »Haaretz: Israeli cyber firm selling spy-tech to Saudi Arabia
An Israeli company has sold cyber-espionage tech to Saudi Arabia in order to hack smartphones of dissidents and opponents of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and spy on their communications, Haaretz reports. The Israeli newspaper, citing sources and documents, reported on Tuesday that Quadream, led by a former Israeli …
Read More »Philippine military chief visits island in disputed waters
The head of the Philippine armed forces visited a coral-fringed island his country occupies in the South China Sea this week, a move that could stoke already heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing in disputed waters claimed by both countries. During Monday’s visit, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief …
Read More »With G7 summit the first stop, Biden embarks on 8-day trip to Europe
U.S. President Joe Biden departs for Britain on Wednesday on his first trip abroad since taking office, an eight-day mission to rebuild trans-Atlantic ties strained during the Trump era and to reframe relations with Russia. The trip represents a test of the Democratic president’s ability to manage and repair relationships …
Read More »Thousands of nurses go on strike in New Zealand
About 30,000 nurses in New Zealand walked off their jobs on Wednesday in a nationwide eight-hour strike after negotiations with the government for better pay and working conditions failed. The strike action came after the New Zealand Nurses Organisation rejected a 1.4% pay hike proposed by the District Health Board …
Read More »China’s parliament opposes U.S. bill on Chinese tech threat
China’s parliament expressed indignation and opposition on Wednesday to a U.S. bill aimed at countering a technology threat from the Asian giant, the official Xinhua news agency said. In a statement, the foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) said the bill displayed a Cold War mentality, smearing …
Read More »Attack in Afghanistan Kills 10 From Charity That Clears Land Mines
The government blamed the Taliban for the attack on the British-American charity, the HALO Trust. The militant group denied any responsibility. At least 10 people were killed and 16 others injured in an armed attack on staff members of a British-American charity in Afghanistan that has been clearing land mines …
Read More »US Senate passes sweeping bill to counter China
The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved an expansive bill to boost the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology. The Senate, in a 68-32 vote on Tuesday, passed the measure intended to expand American semiconductor production and foster the development of artificial intelligence and other technology. The move is one …
Read More »Harris says Mexico talks ‘candid,’ pledges investment to stem migration
US Vice President Kamala Harris told Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that relations were entering a “new era” as they agreed on Tuesday to deepen economic ties and invest in Central America to try to lower a record spike in migration. Harris said talks with Lopez Obrador billed as …
Read More »In Iran’s second presidential debate, lower tones, sketchy policy presentation
The second debate featuring all the seven candidates running in Iran’s 2021 presidential election has been marked by less aggressive confrontations but also overly broad delineations of policy, in what some of the candidates blamed on the format of the debate. The debate held on Tuesday (June 8), also meagerly …
Read More »China, ASEAN foreign ministers agree to avoid provocations in South China Sea
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China agreed during a meeting to exercise restraint in the South China Sea and avoid actions that could escalate tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Tuesday. The ASEAN statement referred to a meeting on Monday in China of the ministers …
Read More »US pullout from Afghanistan more than 50 percent complete: Pentagon
The US pullout from Afghanistan is more than 50 percent complete, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as it approaches its September 11 deadline to remove troops. Since President Joe Biden ordered the departure from Afghanistan in April, the Department of Defense has withdrawn the equivalent of approximately 500 C-17 loads of …
Read More »‘Black fungus’ new scare in India as second COVID wave ebbs
India battles a new challenge in mucormycosis, a rare fungal disease with a high mortality rate commonly referred to as ‘black fungus’. As a devastating second wave of COVID-19 ebbs with less than 100,000 new cases reported on Tuesday, India is now battling a new scare: Mucormycosis, commonly referred to …
Read More »Security Council votes to reelect Guterres as UN chief for second term
The United Nations Security Council has voted to reelect Antonio Guterres as the UN secretary-general, assuring a second term for the Portuguese statesman that will keep him in office until 2027. The Security Council on Tuesday formally recommended Guterres, the 72-year-old former prime minister of Portugal, who faced no competition …
Read More »Canada to move against far-right groups after Muslim family attack
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday promised to take more action to dismantle far-right groups after a hate-motivated attack that killed four members of a Muslim family in the city of London, Ontario. “This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities,” …
Read More »French President slapped by man in crowd (Video)
French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by a man in a crowd as he spoke to the public during a visit to southeast France on Tuesday, a video of the incident posted on social media showed. The footage shared BFM, showed Macron walking up to a metal …
Read More »Iraq, Iran border commanders discuss border security cooperation
Brigadier General Bakir Shakir Mahmud, the commander of Iraqi border police, met with Jahangir Ghaderi, Commander of Iran’s Qasr Shirin border regiment in Mandali and Khaneqien region to discuss cooperation. The meeting took place with the aim of developing and expanding relations between the Republic of Iraq, and the Islamic …
Read More »