Category: WORLD NEWS

The European Union’s executive said Friday it wants to stop air travel from southern Africa to counter the spread of a new COVID-19 variant. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that she proposes, in close coordination with the member states, to activate the emergency brake to stop air travel from the southern African region. A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng,…

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday said his country will not seek dominance over Southeast Asia or bully its smaller neighbours, amid ongoing friction over the South China Sea. Xi made the remarks during a virtual conference with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, held to mark the 30th anniversary of relations between China and the grouping. Two diplomats said ASEAN member Myanmar was not represented at Monday’s meeting after its military-installed government refused to allow an ASEAN envoy to meet with ousted leader Aung…

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Coronavirus deaths in Russia hit record highs for the second straight day Thursday, while new daily cases appeared to be taking a downward trend but still remained higher than during previous waves of the pandemic. Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported that 1,251 people died of COVID-19 since the day before, the most since Russia had its first virus outbreak in March 2020. The previous record of 1,247 deaths was recorded Wednesday. The task force also reported 37,374 new confirmed cases. Until this week, Russian authorities had recorded higher daily…

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China on Thursday slammed the US for designating it along with Pakistan and others as ‘countries of particular concern’ for the violation of religious freedom and accused Washington of frequently using religious issues to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations. The US on Wednesday designated several nations, including China, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, as countries of particular concern for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.” China firmly opposes groundless accusations as it smears the country’s religious freedom, Foreign Ministry…

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Singapore will allow quarantine-free travel for fully-vaccinated people from countries including India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, it said Monday as it looks to safely move past the pandemic. Singapore has begun the arduous task of reestablishing itself as Asia’s international aviation hub, throwing its borders open to five more countries as it presses on with plans to reopen and live with Covid. The city-state will allow quarantine-free travel for fully-vaccinated people from countries including India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, it said Monday as it looks to safely move past the…

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Japan’s former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the governing party leadership election on Wednesday and is set to become the next prime minister, facing the imminent task of addressing a pandemic-hit economy and ensuring a strong alliance with Washington to counter growing regional security risks. Kishida replaces outgoing party leader Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after serving only one year since taking office last September. As new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida is certain to be elected the next prime minister on Monday in parliament,…

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said it is important to incentivise the Taliban so that the new rulers of Afghanistan fulfil the promises they made after they seized power in Kabul last month. The Taliban are yet to get international recognition. The heavily armed group have promised an inclusive government, a more moderate form of Islamic rule than that of their previous regime from 1996 to 2001, including respecting women’s rights. However, their recent moves indicate that they are returning to their repressive policies, particularly toward women. According to…

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President Joe Biden is set to host the first in-person gathering of leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as ” the Quad on Friday, wrapping up a tough week of diplomacy in which he faced no shortage of criticism from both allies and adversaries. Biden’s meeting with leaders from India, Japan and Australia at the White House gives the US president a chance to put the spotlight on a central aim of his foreign policy: turning greater attention to the Pacific in the face of what the US sees as…

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