Foreign
Biden announces US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11
April 15, 2021, 2:34 pm
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that all United States troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, a decision to end the longest war in American history. "The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year," Biden said in his… Read More
Pfizer jab drastically reduces virus infections: study
April 14, 2021, 1:02 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – The Pfizer vaccine is highly effective in preventing Covid-19 infections, deaths, and hospitalizations, according to a new study in Spain. The investigation followed more than 116,000 nursing home residents, staff, and healthcare workers who were vaccinated in Catalonia starting… Read More
US health agencies call for halt to J&J vaccine shots
April 14, 2021, 7:07 am
ANKARA – US federal health agencies on Tuesday called for an immediate pause for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine amid reports of clotting issues. The announcement came after the discovery of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot that developed about two weeks after… Read More
UN chief calls for 6 measures to finance recovery from Covid-19
April 13, 2021, 6:13 pm
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for six measures to help countries recover from Covid-19 and keep them on track toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Financing for development in the context of Covid-19 means an unprecedented effort to mobilize… Read More
Japan decides to dump Fukushima wastewater into sea amid concerns
April 13, 2021, 5:57 pm
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday that his government has decided to discharge contaminated radioactive wastewater in Fukushima Prefecture into the sea amid domestic and international opposition. Suga made the announcement after convening a meeting of relevant… Read More
Myanmar military slaps Suu Kyi with another charge
April 13, 2021, 1:56 pm
ANKARA – Myanmar’s military regime on Monday filed another lawsuit against ousted state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing her of “violating natural disaster law." "A new charge of violating natural disaster law was added to charges ... bringing the total to six cases," Myanmar Now news… Read More
Europe has most new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours: WHO
April 12, 2021, 12:44 pm
GENEVA – More than 646,000 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed globally in the past 24 hours, which pushed the total number of infections to 134.95 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Sunday. According to the WHO updates, coronavirus-related deaths… Read More
6 dead, 1 injured in East Java quake
April 11, 2021, 5:28 pm
JAKARTA – Six persons died and one sustained serious injuries after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Malang district, East Java on Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency informed. Three deaths were reported in Lumajang district, one in Malang district, and two between Lumajang and… Read More
Prince Philip funeral set April 17
April 11, 2021, 5:22 pm
LONDON – Prince Philip’s funeral will take place next Saturday and there will be a national minute’s silence at 3 p.m., local time (1400GMT), local media reported on Saturday. Due to the pandemic, the public will not be allowed to attend the funeral that will be televised. “While this is… Read More
No state funeral for Prince Philip due to pandemic
April 10, 2021, 1:37 pm
LONDON – Arrangements of Prince Philip’s funeral have been revised due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to exclude lying in state and other ceremonies with public participation, the College of Arms said on Friday. "The funeral will not be a State Funeral and will not be preceded by a Lying-in-State.… Read More
Covid-19 cases worldwide reach 132 million: WHO
April 9, 2021, 5:17 pm
GENEVA – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has exceeded 132.73 million across the globe, growing by more than 667,000 cases in the past 24 hours, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday. It was the highest single-day figure since January 17, the WHO said. As of 5:08 p.m.… Read More
French Senate OKs proposal to ban prayers at universities
April 8, 2021, 8:02 pm
PARIS – France’s Senate approved the addition of a ban on religious practices in university corridors to a controversial bill to fight "Islamist separatism" late Wednesday. Discussing the draft bill, which has been criticized for alienating Muslims, the center-right Republicans (LR) party… Read More
IMF: Uncertainty on fiscal outlooks ‘unusually high’
April 8, 2021, 3:59 pm
ANKARA – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday said that uncertainty on fiscal outlooks is “unusually high,” adding the longer the pandemic lasts, the greater the challenge for public finances will be. "At present, the evolution of Covid-19 and its fallout on economic and social… Read More
Asean+3 to remain lucrative for global value chains investment
April 7, 2021, 8:46 pm
JAKARTA – Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) Chief Economist Dr. Hoe Ee Khor said the Asean+3 region will remain a highly attractive location for global value chains (GVC) investment during the post-pandemic era. "Although we have seen some cross-border relocation of GVCs globally, the… Read More
Not enough data to support vaccine passports: WHO
April 7, 2021, 6:21 pm
GENEVA – There is not enough data to suggest whether vaccines prevent transmission of the coronavirus and whether the use of vaccine passports would be an effective strategy, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday. In a UN news briefing, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said… Read More
Cyclone Seroja: At least 157 dead in Indonesia, East Timor
April 6, 2021, 6:43 pm
JAKARTA – At least 157 people have died, dozens more are missing, and thousands have been rendered homeless after a tropical cyclone battered Indonesia and neighboring East Timor, authorities said on Tuesday. The death toll stands at 67 in Lembata regency, 49 in East Flores, 12 in Alor,… Read More
Putin signs law allowing him to run for 2 more terms
April 6, 2021, 2:40 pm
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a bill into law enabling the incumbent head of state to run for two more terms starting 2024. The bill was approved by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, and the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, last month.… Read More
India records highest Covid-19 daily spike of over 100K cases
April 5, 2021, 2:27 pm
NEW DELHI – India recorded a single day spike of 103,558 Covid-19 cases on Monday, the highest so far, thus taking the total tally to 12,589,067. With 478 deaths since Sunday morning, the death toll stood at 165,101. There are still 741,830 active cases in the country, while 11,682,136 people… Read More
Nguyen Xuan Phuc elected as Vietnam's new president
April 5, 2021, 2:22 pm
HANOI – The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam on Monday elected Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as the state president. A resolution on electing Phuc as the new president was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5 percent at the ongoing 11th session of the 14th NA, Vietnam News Agency… Read More
WTO predicts strong but uneven global trade upturn after pandemic
April 1, 2021, 7:07 pm
GENEVA – The World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday global trade was primed for a strong but uneven recovery, forecasting an increase of 8 percent in world merchandise trade this year. Prospects for a quick recovery in world trade have improved as merchandise trade expanded more… Read More
