National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) crew carry the body of a victim following rescue efforts from Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli on February 14, 2021, after flash floods thought to have been caused when a glacier broke off on February 7. (VIRENDER SINGH NEGI / AFP) NEW DELHI – Authorities in the northern Indian state of […]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech as he holds a press conference following the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on February 1, 2021. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP) ANKARA – The common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh their differences and Ankara wants improved cooperation with Washington, President Tayyip […]
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) DUBAI – Iran’s decision to end snap inspections by UN inspectors on Feb 23 would not mean abandoning its 2015 nuclear […]
An image grab taken from Kurdistan 24 TV channel on Feb 19, 2021 shows damage following a rocket attack two days ago targeting a military complex inside the Arbil airport that hosts foreign troops deployed as part of a US-led coalition. (KURDISTAN 24 CHANNEL / AFP) BAGHDAD – Three Katyusha rockets on Saturday landed on […]
Police security forces stand guard behind a barricaded section of Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, Feb 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) YANGON – Myanmar's Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of 10 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signatories on Saturday announced a suspension of political dialogues with the military. The PPST demands the release of […]
This file photo illustration taken on March 25, 2020 shows a Facebook App logo displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia in the United States. (Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) CANBERRA – Facebook Inc is back at the negotiating table, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday after the tech giant this week blocked news […]
Vendors register to be vaccinated for COVID-19 coronavirus at the Tanah Abang textile market in Jakarta on Feb 17, 2021. (ADEK BERRY / AFP) WELLINGTON / SYDNEY / DUBAI / JAKARTA – Indonesia extended movement curbs in several areas after signs that the measures helped contain the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions are extended until March […]
This file photo illustration taken on March 25, 2020 shows a Facebook App logo displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia in the United States. (Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) CANBERRA – Facebook Inc is back at the negotiating table, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday after the tech giant this week blocked news […]
Vendors register to be vaccinated for COVID-19 coronavirus at the Tanah Abang textile market in Jakarta on Feb 17, 2021. (ADEK BERRY / AFP) WELLINGTON / SYDNEY / DUBAI / JAKARTA – Indonesia extended movement curbs in several areas after signs that the measures helped contain the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions are extended until March […]
Men walk past a closed restaurant in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on Feb 5, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP) DUBAI – Saudi Arabia will invest more than US$20 billion in its domestic military industry over the next decade as part of aggressive plans to boost local military spending, the head of the kingdom’s military industry regulator […]
Rescue personnel paddle a raft through a flood-affected neighbourhood in Jakarta on Feb 20, 2021, following heavy overnight rains. (DASRIL ROSZANDI / AFP) JAKARTA – Severe flooding across several areas in the Indonesian capital forced more than a thousand people to flee their homes on Saturday, with the country’s meteorology agency warning the conditions were […]
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha speaks to the press after a special cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok on Oct 16, 2020. (PHOTO / AP) Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha survived a no-confidence vote in parliament after a four-day debate in which the opposition criticized his government for its handling of the COVID-19 […]
In this photo taken on Sept 27, 2020, a policeman keeps watch at an outpost set up against Taliban fighters at Aziz Abad village in Maiwand district of Kandahar province. (PHOTO / AFP) WASHINGTON – The United States should consult the Taliban on any extension of a May 1 deadline for a full US troop […]
An Iranian flag flys outside the Vienna International Centre hosting the United Nations headquarters and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on July 3, 2014. (JOE KLAMAR / AFP) VIENNA/PARIS – The UN nuclear watchdog found uranium particles at two Iranian sites it inspected after months of stonewalling, diplomats say, and it is preparing […]
This file handout photo provided by United Arab Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Dec 24, 2018 shows Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (left) having a meal with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, at the Latifa's home in Dubai. (STRINGER / WAM / AFP) ZURICH/DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates said on Friday […]
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart following their talks in Moscow on Jan 26, 2021. (HANDOUT / RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY / AFP) Iran will “immediately reverse” actions in respect of its nuclear programme when US sanctions are lifted, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday, […]
A worker sweeps snow from a street in Seoul on Feb 16, 2021. (ED JONES / AFP) SEOUL – South Korea's economy faced with uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic despite a recent recovery in export, a government report said Friday. The number of jobs tumbled 982,000 in January from a year ago, marking the fastest […]
A group of women walk past a shop window displaying traditional hanbok dresses, along an alleyway in Seoul on Feb 16, 2021. (ED JONES / AFP) KABUL / SYDNEY / DHAKA / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / CAIRO / DUBAI / KUALA LUMPUR / JERUSALEM / SINGAPORE / HANOI – South Korea’s prime minister assured there were […]
SEOUL – Senior diplomats of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United States and Japan have held virtual talks over the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK's Foreign Ministry said Friday. They also assessed the "utility" of the trilateral cooperation for peace and stability in the peninsula and Northeast Asia Noh Kyu-duk, ROK's […]
In this Jan 23, 2020 photo, a Russian national flag flies in front of one of the Kremlin ruby stars in downtown Moscow. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) ISLAMABAD – Russian president's special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov arrived in Pakistan on Friday on a day-long visit for talks on the Afghan peace process, the Foreign […]
Front pages of Australian newspapers are displayed featuring stories about Facebook in Sydney on Feb 19, 2021. Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news stories, escalating a fight with the government over whether powerful tech companies should have to pay news organizations for content. (RICK RYCROFT / AP) CANBERRA – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has […]
This combo photo shows Afghan President Mohammed Ashraf Ghani (left) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (PHOTOS / AFP) WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday discussed the US' ongoing review of its strategy in Afghanistan, the State Department said on Thursday. The Secretary reiterated […]
This handout satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on Jan 8, 2020 shows an overview of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, southeast of the city of Bushehr. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies / AFP) WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Britain, Germany, and France (E3) discussed the Iran nuclear […]
Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator attends a meeting about the situation in Venezuela at the United Nations in New York on April 10, 2019 in New York City. (JOHANNES EISELE / AFP) UNITED NATIONS – UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affair Mark Lowcock warned Thursday that Yemen is speeding toward the […]
A man receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination for traders and workers at Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb 17, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) ANKARA / JERUSALEM / BEIRUT / KUWAIT CITY – Getting a COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia will be mandatory for eligible citizens, the government said, with the […]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds her baby daugther Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford outside a hospital in Auckland on June 24, 2018. (PHOTO / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's total fertility rate in 2020 was down to 1.61 births per woman, its lowest recorded level, and below the population replacement rate of 2.1, […]
Indian government forces patrol in Srinagar on Feb 17, 2021 before the arrival of foreign envoys. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP) SRINAGAR – India is hosting international diplomats in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir to showcase efforts to restore normalcy over a year after it stripped the region’s special status, officials said. A group of 24 […]
In this March 25, 2020 photo illustration, a Facebook App logo is displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia. (Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) SYDNEY – Australians woke to empty news feeds in their Facebook Inc accounts on Thursday after the social media giant blocked all local media content in a surprise and dramatic escalation of a […]
This file photo taken on March 22, 2020 shows Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacting during a press conference at Australia's Parliament House in Canberra. A former Australian government staffer has said she was raped in a minister's office in parliament and failed by her bosses after coming forward, prompting an apology from Morrison on […]
Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, wearing a face mask arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb 18, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian court on Thursday ordered Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, to enter a defence in a […]