In this June 1, 2018 photo, flags of the Group of Seven (G7) nations and the European Union flag fly over the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelie hotel, the location for the G7 summit, in La Malbaie, Quebec. (ALICE CHICHE / AFP) Japan has raised concerns about British proposals to invite Australia, India and South Korea […]
A handout picture released by the Israeli Intelligence Ministry shows Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen (L) elbow-bumping Sudanese Defence Minister Yassin Ibrahim in Sudan's capital Khartoum on January 25, 2021. (ARYE SHALICAR / ISRAEL INTELLIGENCE MINISTRY/ AFP) JERUSALEM – Israel and Sudan will finalize a diplomatic deal to normalize relations at a signing ceremony in […]
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a meeting at the COVID-19 coronavirus infection control headquarters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on January 22, 2021. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / POOL / AFP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized on Wednesday after lawmakers from his ruling coalition visited night clubs despite his government’s […]
Indonesia is expanding programs to mitigate the impact from climate change following a recent spate of natural disasters that has added pressure to economic recovery. A mangrove planting campaign to boost the ecosystem and landscape resilience will target areas of 600,000 hectares across the nation, a jump from 15,000 in 2020, Environment and Forestry Minister […]
Protesters shout slogans in front of the Red Fort as farmers continue to protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms in New Delhi on Jan 26, 2021. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP) NEW DELHI – Hundreds of police guarded the historic Red Fort in the heart of the Indian capital on Wednesday following violent clashes […]
This file photo shows Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. (PHOTO / AP) SYDNEY – Google is reviving plans to launch its own news website in Australia within weeks, according to a local media outlet contracted to provide articles for the venture, as the search giant fights world-first proposed laws on content payments. The launch […]
Houthi supporters chant slogans as they attend a demonstration against the United States over its decision to designate the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan 25, 2021. (HANI MOHAMMED / AP) WASHINGTON－The administration of US President Joe Biden on Monday suspended some of the "terrorism sanctions" that former US secretary of state […]
Israeli army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Aviv Kohavi delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the arrival of the first of four new German-built Saar 6 naval vessels purchased by the navy, in the northern Haifa city naval base, on Dec 2, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP) JERUSALEM – Israel’s top general said on Tuesday that […]
Foreign passengers wearing protective suits line up for their flight to China at Manila's International Airport, Philippines, Jan 18, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) BEIRUT / JERUSALEM / BAGHDAD / MELBOURNE – Of the 428,000 people who were eligible for a “green passport” — meaning at least a week had passed after their second dose of […]
Myanmar's military spokesperson Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun speaks during a press briefing at the DefenSe Service Museum in Naypyidaw on January 26, 2021. (THET AUNG / AFP) NAYPYITAW, Myanmar – Myanmar’s army warned on Tuesday it would “take action” if an election dispute was not settled and declined to rule out staging a coup if […]
A farmer throws back a tear gas shell towards police during a tractor rally as farmers continue to protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms in New Delhi on Jan 26, 2021. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP) NEW DELHI – One person was killed as protesting farmers Tuesday marched in huge numbers and drove their tractors inside […]
This handout aerial photo taken on Jan 24, 2021 and released by the Indonesia Coast Guard shows a seized Iranian tanker and Panamanian vessel suspected of illegally transferring oil in Indonesian waters. (HANDOUT / INDONESIA COAST GUARD / AFP) JAKARTA – The Iranian and Panamanian-flagged vessels seized by Indonesian authorities for suspected illegal oil transfers […]
This general view shows shows members in the chamber during the opening session of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Jan 18, 2021. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP) TOKYO – Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament is expected to pass on Tuesday this year’s third extra budget despite criticism it focuses too much on […]
In this file photo, a technician works at the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the city of Isfahan, Iran. (PHOTO / AP) TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that if the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal, do not adhere to their commitments, Iran […]
An Iranian cleric walks past a mural painting of the national flag in the capital Tehran on August 27, 2019. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Iran will re-embrace its nuclear commitments if the United States removes sanctions against it. Following the US exit from the nuclear […]
People clad in face masks meet in the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane on Jan 8, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP) JERUSALEM / ANKARA / BEIRUT / WELLINGTON / JAKARTA – The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 9,994 within one day to 999,256, with the death toll adding by 297 to 28,132, the Health Ministry […]
A woman poses for a photo before a political display at the National Convention Center, the venue for the Communist Party of Vietnam 13th National Congress in Hanoi on Jan 25, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP) HANOI – Delegates to the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) attended a preparatory session on […]
Farmers are being stopped by police during a rally in support of the ongoing farmers protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms in Mumbai on Jan 25, 2021. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP) NEW DELHI – Caravans of tractors clogged a key highway in northern India on Monday as tens of thousands of farmers protesting […]
Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli arrives for a meeting with then-Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (not in frame) at 10 Downing Street in London on June 11, 2019. (ISABEL INFANTES / AFP) KATHMANDU – Nepal’s caretaker Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was ejected from the country’s ruling Communist party on Monday, his opponents […]
In this photo taken on Jan 24, 2021, Panamanian-flagged MT Frea, left, and Iranian-flagged MT Horse tankers are seen anchored together in Pontianak waters off Borneo island, Indonesia. (PHOTO / AP) DUBAI / JAKARTA – Iran has asked Indonesia to provide details about the seizure of an Iranian-flagged vessel, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh […]
Pedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Jan 8, 2021. (KENTARO TAKAHASHI / BLOOMBERG) Japan is halfway through its second state of emergency, with officials set to examine the effectiveness of the measure this week. Experts will look to determine if the country can quickly return to normal like […]
In this file photo, passengers look at monitors displaying delayed and cancelled flights at Schipol International Airport near Amsterdam. Tse Chi Lop, one of the world’s most-wanted fugitives, was arrested by Dutch police at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Jan 22, 2021.(PHOTO / AFP) AMSTERDAM / SYDNEY – Dutch police have arrested the alleged leader of […]
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga faced renewed pressure on Monday over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with a new opinion poll showing many believed the government was too slow to respond to the latest wave of infections. Opposition lawmakers were also increasingly frustrated with Suga’s taciturn leadership style, demanding he provide detailed […]
Australia's Minister for Defense Linda Reynolds listens during a press conference at the US Department of State following the 30th AUSMIN on July 28, 2020, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP) SYDNEY – Australia will spend A$1 billion (US$770 million) developing new naval weaponry capabilities, including long-range missiles and torpedoes, the federal […]
Israeli soldiers stand in front of an Iron Dome defense system battery, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, in the Hula Valley in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, on July 27, 2020. (JALAA MAREY / AFP) Israel has agreed to let the US deploy Israeli-made Iron Dome missile […]
A health worker inoculates a doctor with COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at the BAPS Yogiji Maharaj Hospital in Ahmedabad on Jan 22, 2021. (SAM PANTHAKY / AFP) CAIRO / NEW DELHI / BAGHDAD /JERUSALEM / AMMAN / BEIRUT / ULAN BATOR / YANGON / WELLINGTON / SINGAPORE / ANKARA / SEOUL / MANILA / BANGKOK – […]
In this Dec 17, 2014 photo, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi enters the mission of the European Union building in Geneva. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) TEHRAN – A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Iran is "not interested" in direct contacts with the new US administration "at the moment," official IRNA news agency reported […]
A handout photo taken and released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on March 29, 2020 shows Saudi-led coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Malki giving explanations during a press conference, in Riyadh, on the displayed missile's debris fired on March 28 by Yemeni Houthi military group. (SPA / AFP) RIYADH – The Saudi-led coalition involved in […]
People wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus walk towards a train station in Tokyo, Japan, Jan 22, 2021. (HIRO KOMAE / AP) MELBOURNE / RAMALLAH / SINGAPORE / MANILA / NEW DELHI / BANGKOK / ULANBAATAR / TOKYO – Japan's COVID-19 death toll topped 5,000 on Saturday, according to the latest […]
The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javad Zarif, speaks during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez (out of frame), in Havana, on Nov 6, 2020. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP) NEW YORK – Iran urged new US President Joe Biden on Friday to “choose a better path” by returning to a […]