Foreign
Biden presents $2-T infrastructure plan to US public
April 1, 2021, 6:08 pm
WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden presented his USD2-trillion plan to revitalize America's badly aged infrastructure to the public on Wednesday, seeking a tax hike on corporations to cover its costs. Speaking in the blue-collar city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Biden said his proposal is a… Read More
Report forecasts rosy economic prospects for Asean+3 region
April 1, 2021, 4:14 pm
SINGAPORE – Asean and some of the bloc's closest trading partners have been forecast to enjoy an economic expansion of 6.7 percent this year and 4.9 percent in 2022. The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) released the forecast on the Asean+3 region, which includes the 10 Asean nations… Read More
Myanmar junta declares 1-month cease-fire
April 1, 2021, 3:40 pm
KUALA LUMPUR – Myanmar’s military, which overthrew the country’s elected government through a coup in February this year, declared a month-long cease-fire in the country Thursday. In an address to the nation, military chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said the army has declared a unilateral… Read More
Pfizer-BioNTech jab 100% effective on kids aged 12-15
April 1, 2021, 1:57 pm
ANKARA – US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced on Wednesday that their Covid-19 vaccine has shown “100 percent efficacy” among children aged between 12 and 15. “We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are… Read More
Putin, Merkel, Macron hold trilateral consultations
April 1, 2021, 8:36 am
MOSCOW – Russian, German and French leaders discussed the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, use of the Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in the EU, and the EU-Russia relations at a video conference held on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron focused on the measures that… Read More
White House announces new actions to curb anti-Asian violence
March 31, 2021, 3:00 pm
WASHINGTON – The White House on Tuesday announced new actions including additional funding and a cross-agency initiative to curb the alarming rise in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the Covid-19 pandemic. "Today's announcements are… Read More
US orders diplomats to leave Myanmar amid crackdown
March 31, 2021, 1:46 pm
WASHINGTON – The US ordered all non-essential diplomats to depart Myanmar on Tuesday after the military's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators hit its bloodiest day. The Biden administration allowed any non-emergency government employees and their families to leave the country on Feb. 14 in… Read More
Virus hits poverty reduction progress in Asia-Pacific: UN
March 30, 2021, 9:03 pm
ISLAMABAD – The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday said the Covid-19 pandemic has erased years of progress in poverty reduction in the Asia-Pacific region. The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2021, released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),… Read More
World leaders urge for treaty to protect countries from pandemics
March 30, 2021, 6:29 pm
LONDON – The world needs a global settlement, similar to the one that forged World War II, to protect countries in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, world leaders said in a joint letter on Tuesday. The letter that came after a G7 health ministers meeting on Monday, saying the pandemic had been… Read More
UN rights chief, special adviser warn Myanmar on killings
March 29, 2021, 2:37 pm
GENEVA – The UN human rights chief and the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide on Sunday issued a clear warning of a heightened risk of atrocity crimes in Myanmar, following another day of widespread bloodshed by the Myanmar military. Michelle Bachelet, the high commissioner for… Read More
Myanmar: 7-year-old girl 'killed by junta forces'
March 24, 2021, 6:55 pm
ANKARA – A seven-year-old girl was shot dead by junta forces in Myanmar’s second-largest city of Mandalay on Tuesday, becoming the youngest victim in the crackdown against the Feb. 1 military coup, her family said. Khin Myo Chit was sitting on her father’s lap when soldiers entered their… Read More
Germany declares stricter lockdown until April 18
March 24, 2021, 7:34 am
BERLIN – Germany has announced plans to extend lockdown restrictions until April 18 amid a sharp rise in the number of infections. "We have not yet been able to defeat the virus, it does not give up," Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday morning in Berlin after 12-hour marathon consultations… Read More
UN verifies 15 deaths, 400 missing in Rohingya camps fire
March 23, 2021, 9:39 pm
DHAKA, Bangladesh – The United Nations (UN) has confirmed that 15 people were killed and over 550 were injured in Monday's deadly fire in Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. "It has been confirmed that 15 people have tragically lost their lives, and around 560 are injured," UN High… Read More
US: Attack on supermarket in Colorado leaves 10 dead
March 23, 2021, 4:38 pm
NEW YORK – Ten people, including a police officer, died in an armed attack Monday on a supermarket in the US state of Colorado. The shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in the city of Boulder, US media reported. The police officer was killed when the attacker, a shirtless man, opened… Read More
UN chief profoundly concerned over rising violence vs. Asians
March 23, 2021, 4:05 pm
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed his profound concern over the rise in violence against Asians and people of Asian descent during the Covid-19 pandemic. The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying… Read More
Vaccine inequity 'catastrophic moral failure': WHO
March 23, 2021, 10:17 am
GENEVA – Michael Ryan, Executive Director of World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, said on Monday that the "inequitable" vaccine distribution was a "catastrophic moral failure" and a "failed opportunity." Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva on Monday about… Read More
Covid-19 cases up by over 535,000 worldwide: WHO
March 20, 2021, 1:41 pm
GENEVA – More than 535,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection were registered worldwide in the past day, with the overall number of such cases exceeding 121.46 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Friday. As of 17:44 Moscow time on March 19,… Read More
Benefits of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine outweigh risks: WHO
March 20, 2021, 1:29 pm
GENEVA - The World Health Organizations’ (WHO) Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has ruled that the benefits of vaccination with the UK-Swedish AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risks. "The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (including Covishield) continues to have a positive… Read More
Racism is a deeply rooted global evil: UN chief
March 18, 2021, 10:45 am
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for the condemnation of racism, which he described as a deeply rooted global evil. Last year, people around the globe took to the streets to protest the vicious "global pandemic of racism." They recognized racism for what… Read More
US: At least 8 killed in Georgia spa shootings
March 17, 2021, 4:25 pm
WASHINGTON – At least eight people were killed Tuesday in a series of shootings at massage parlors in the US state of Georgia, according to multiple reports. Four people were fatally shot at two spas in northeast Atlanta and four people were killed at a Cherokee County spa, WSB-TV reported. Four… Read More
