Foreign
Japan's ruling party to pick new premier on Sept. 14
September 2, 2020, 4:43 pm
ANKARA – Japan's ruling party on Wednesday decided to pick Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's successor on Sept. 14, local media reported. The process to elect the Liberal Democratic Party's president will begin on Sept. 8, reported Kyodo News Agency. Over 394 lawmakers and 141 delegates from local… Read More
Asia-Pacific nations plan Covid-19 response to address hunger
September 2, 2020, 2:19 pm
JAKARTA – Asia-Pacific nations convened the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) virtual conference to plan coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response and recovery to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and tackle the hunger crisis. As Covid-19 continues to threaten… Read More
US Covid-19 cases surpass 6M: Johns Hopkins University
September 1, 2020, 8:49 am
NEW YORK – The total number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the United States surpassed 6 million on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The US' Covid-19 case count rose to 6,002,615, with the national death toll… Read More
90% of 105 nations' health systems hit by Covid-19: WHO
September 1, 2020, 8:48 am
GENEVA – Nine out of 10 countries surveyed in a recent report experienced disruptions in their health services during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Publishing its first survey on the impact of the outbreak on health systems based on 105… Read More
Covid-19 infections worldwide surpass 25M
August 30, 2020, 6:34 pm
ANKARA – The worldwide tally for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections surpassed 25 million Sunday, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University. The university's running data showed the global Covid-19 infections stood at 25,009,739, while death toll from the disease hit 842,709,… Read More
Japanese premier steps down over health concerns
August 28, 2020, 7:55 pm
ANKARA – Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, on Friday announced his resignation due to health concerns. “I have decided to step down as prime minister as poor health should not lead to wrong political decisions,” Abe, 65, said in a live address to the nation. Abe, who is… Read More
Japan PM Abe to step down after record-long tenure
August 28, 2020, 2:38 pm
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will step down from his post due to health concerns, a source from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Friday. Abe, who has been premier since December 2012 following his first one-year stint in the post between 2006 and 2007, just recently… Read More
China, Asean ministers applaud robust bilateral trade
August 28, 2020, 9:04 am
HANOI – Economic ministers from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members on Thursday welcomed the robust growth of their bilateral trade and investment despite the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the 19th AEM (Asean Economic Ministers)-MOFCOM (China's Ministry of… Read More
China fires carrier killer missiles 'in warning to US'
August 27, 2020, 7:45 pm
ANKARA – China and the US have witnessed a rare confrontation in the contested South China Sea as the Chinese army fired missiles to warn off US forces. According to South China Morning Post daily, China’s People’s Liberation Army launched two missiles including an “aircraft-carrier… Read More
ASEAN economic ministers discuss recovery from COVID-19 epidemic
August 26, 2020, 2:02 pm
HANOI – Economic ministers of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Tuesday discussed the response to and recovery from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and its impacts. At the 52nd Asean Economic Ministers' Meeting held online on Aug. 25, the… Read More
Covid-19 shows importance of investing in health: WHO
August 25, 2020, 9:07 pm
YAOUNDE, Cameroon/ANKARA – The coronavirus pandemic has shown the importance of investing in health systems that will improve readiness to prevent and control outbreaks, World Health Organization's (WHO) regional director for Africa said Tuesday. Matshidiso Moeti made the comments at a virtual… Read More
Republicans re-nominate Trump for 2020 election
August 25, 2020, 9:14 am
WASHINGTON – Republicans formally re-nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2020 national election on Monday as the party's four-day convention kicked off. The official naming of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence as the party's presidential ticket followed a roll-call vote of state… Read More
Over 7K fires burn 1.5M acres of land in California
August 25, 2020, 9:12 am
SAN FRANCISCO – The US state of California has seen 7,012 fires burn 1.5 million acres (about 6,070 square kilometers) as of Monday, compared to last year when 4,292 fires had burned 56,000 acres, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Fires in Northern… Read More
US authorizes convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19
August 24, 2020, 10:48 am
ANKARA – US President Donald Trump made a "truly historic announcement" Sunday on the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma to treat patients infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal agency of the US Department of Health… Read More
WHO chief warns against ‘vaccine nationalism'
August 19, 2020, 9:26 pm
GENEVA – World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday called on countries to share their supplies to fight coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) strategically and globally, warning against "supply nationalism" around the development of vaccines and… Read More
South Korea warns of new wave of Covid-19
August 19, 2020, 9:23 pm
ANKARA – South Korean officials on Wednesday warned of a new wave of the novel coronavirus, as the country reported 297 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily infections since March. According to Yonhap news agency, the country has recorded almost 1,300 new cases over the past week, mostly… Read More
Mali’s president resigns after military coup
August 19, 2020, 5:55 pm
DAKAR, Senegal – Mali's president announced his resignation and the dissolving of parliament early Wednesday after he was arrested by soldiers. "I want no blood to be spilled to keep me in power," Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said in a brief address broadcast on state television. Keita also expressed… Read More
Over 30 million Indians tested for coronavirus
August 18, 2020, 9:12 pm
NEW DELHI, India – In a new peak, India’s Health Ministry confirmed Tuesday that 899,864 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) tests were conducted in the country in the last 24 hours. The total number of tested samples now stands at 30,941,264. At this rate of testing, the country’s positivity… Read More
Lebanon's blast damage toll rises as assessment continues: UN
August 18, 2020, 10:26 am
UNITED NATIONS – The damage toll in Lebanon following the Beirut blast is rising as the United Nations and partners continue their assessment, now reporting more than 290,000 people who have been left jobless, a UN spokesman said on Monday. The statistics showed that an estimated 220,000 people… Read More
China slams US executive order on TikTok
August 18, 2020, 9:58 am
BEIJING – China on Monday slammed the recent US executive order requiring ByteDance to divest its interest in TikTok's operations in the United States within 90 days, saying that the so-called "freedom" and "security" are merely excuses for the "digital gunboat policy" pursued by some US… Read More
