UN urges no forced returns to Afghanistan

GENEVA (AFP) -- The United Nations on Tuesday called on countries to ban all forced returns of Afghans to their conflict-torn nation, following the Taliban‘s stunning military takeover that triggered panic in Kabul. The UN refugee agency said it had released a “non-return advisory” for Afghanistan, insisting no Afghan nationals should be forced to return, including asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected. “In the wake of the rapid deterioration in the securit

Aug. 17, 2021

Powerful quake adds to Haiti's misery, killing at least 304

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) -- A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake added to the misery in Haiti, killing at least 304 people, injuring a minimum of 1,800 others and destroying hundreds of homes. People in the Caribbean island nation rushed into the streets to seek safety and to help help rescue those trapped in the rubble of collapsed homes, hotels and other structures. Saturday‘s earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, almost razing some towns an

Aug. 15, 2021

Japan ministers visit controversial shrine on WWII anniversary

TOKYO (AFP) -- Three Japanese cabinet ministers visited a shrine seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Tokyo‘s past militarism on Sunday, the anniversary of the nation’s World War II surrender. It came after two other members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga‘s cabinet, including the defence minister, visited Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, drawing angry reactions from China and South Korea. The shrine in central Tokyo honours 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who hav

Aug. 15, 2021

Taliban enters Kabul, awaits ‘peaceful transfer’ of power

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday and said they were awaiting a “peaceful transfer” of the city after promising not to take it by force, but panicked residents raced to the leave, with workers fleeing government offices and helicopters landing at the US Embassy.  In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the Taliban has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of

Aug. 15, 2021

Biden to host summit for leaders to promote democracy: White House

　　 　US President Joe Biden will host a summit of leaders from U.S. allies and other democratic countries this year to promote their shared values, the White House said Wednesday. 　The leaders will discuss three key issues: how to defend against authoritarianism, fight corruption and advance human rights, according to the White House. 　 　“The president has said that the challenge of our time is to demonstrate that democracies can deliver by improving the lives of their own people and by a

Aug. 11, 2021

China sentences Canadian to 11 years in case tied to Huawei

A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday in a spying case linked to Beijing’s effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual joint show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments. 　China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the United States to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran

Aug. 11, 2021

[Graphic News] Fewer Americans OK with how Asian people are treated: Gallup

　More Americans disapprove of the way Asian people are treated in the wake of a string of violent attacks, according to a Gallup poll released recently. 　The poll found that 46 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way society treats Asian people - down from 60 percent last year. Gallup surveys have found that satisfaction has been declining since 2016. Previously, more than 7 in 10 Americans were satisfied with society’s treatment of Asian people. 　The poll, conducted June 1 t

Aug. 11, 2021

China restarts coal mines to meet surging power demand

BEIJING (AFP) -- China's top planning authority has allowed shuttered coal mines to restart production as the country works to meet surging power demand while forging ahead with ambitious climate goals. Fifteen mines across China's northern regions ranging from Inner Mongolia to Shanxi have restarted operations, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. Last week authorities announced the restart of another 38 mines in Inner Mongolia, bringing the total

Aug. 5, 2021

Obama curtails 60th birthday bash because after virus surge

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The party for the nation’s 44th president will go on, but only for family and close friends. Former President Barack Obama has scaled back his 60th birthday bash set for this weekend due to the surge of infections blamed on the delta variant of the coronavirus, his office said Wednesday. Attendance is now limited to family and close friends. Published reports had said hundreds of celebrities, politicos and others were expected at Obama’s sprawling Martha’s

Aug. 4, 2021

Workers at world's biggest copper mine in Chile agree to strike: union

SANTIAGO (AFP) -- Workers at the world's biggest copper mine, Chile's Escondida, have approved a strike after rejecting the latest offer proposed by Anglo-Australian owners BHP. Following the results of a vote that lasted until Saturday night, the union reported in a statement that there were 2,164 votes in favor of starting the strike against 11 for accepting the employer's offer. Chile is the world's top producer of copper, making up 28 percent of global output. The mineral accounts for 10-

Aug. 1, 2021

Scuffles in Berlin as Covid sceptics defy protest ban

BERLIN (AFP) -- Hundreds of anti-lockdown demonstrators defied a court-ordered protest ban on Sunday and gathered illegally in the streets of Berlin, resulting in scuffles with police. Police said some protesters had "harassed and attacked" officers in the capital's western Charlottenburg district and ignored roadblocks. "They tried to break through the police chain and pull out our colleagues. This led to the use of irritants, batons and physical violence," Berlin police t

Aug. 1, 2021

Pizza for shots: UK targets young with vaccine incentives

LONDON (AP) -- Restaurants, ride-hailing apps and food delivery services are backing Britain's COVID-19 vaccination drive, offering discounts and even free slices of pizza to persuade young people to roll up their sleeves and get the shot. The program, announced Sunday by the Department of Health and Social Care, is designed to boost the vaccination rate among adults under 30 as Britain races to inoculate as many people as possible before colder weather arrives. While more than 90% of adults i

Aug. 1, 2021

Chinese cities test millions as virus cases surge

BEIJING (AFP) -- Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battled Sunday to contain the country's most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months. China on Sunday reported 75 new coronavirus cases with 53 local transmissions, with a cluster linked to an eastern airport now reported to have spread to over 20 cities and more than a dozen provinces. The outbreak is geographically the largest to hit China in several mon

Aug. 1, 2021

Myanmar junta chief says new elections in two years

YANGON (AFP) -- Myanmar's junta chief said Sunday that elections would be held and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, extending the military's initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi six months ago. The country has been in turmoil since the army ousted the civilian leader in February, launching a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 900 people according to a local monitoring group. A resurgent coronavirus wave has also amplified havoc, with many hospi

Aug. 1, 2021

Olympics chief admits ‘sleepless nights’ over troubled Tokyo Games

　TOKYO (AFP) - Olympics chief Thomas Bach revealed “doubts” and “sleepless nights” over the postponed Tokyo Games on Tuesday as the opening ceremony nears after a year‘s delay and coronavirus chaos that has made them deeply unpopular with the Japanese public. 　Bach, speaking at the International Olympic Committee session in Tokyo, said the unprecedented step of postponing the Games “weighed on me” as it proved more complicated than he thought. 　The b

July 20, 2021

UK PM resisted 2nd lockdown as ‘most dying over 80’: ex-aide

LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to avoid a second lockdown last autumn, arguing that most of those dying were over 80, according to his former aide-turned bitter foe Dominic Cummings. 　In a BBC interview airing on Tuesday, the mastermind of Johnson‘s anti-EU Brexit campaign said his former boss “put his own political interests ahead of people’s lives”. 　In the latest of a series of attacks on the government following his resignation as chi

July 20, 2021

Over 60 dead, dozens missing as severe floods strike Europe

More than 60 people have died and dozens were missing Thursday as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse. Among those killed were nine residents of an assisted living facility for people with disabilities and two firefighters involved in rescue efforts across the region. "I grieve for those who have lost their lives in this disaster,'' German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to

July 16, 2021

Myanmar's Suu Kyi vaccinated against Covid-19 in military custody: lawyer

NAYPYIDAW (AFP) -- Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her personal staff have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 since being taken into military custody, her lawyer said Tuesday, as the country battles a spike in cases. Suu Kyi has been all but invisible since being detained by the military in February, with a handful of court appearances in a special court in Naypyidaw her only link to the outside world. Coronavirus infections are rising sharply in Myanmar, with authorities report

July 6, 2021

Merkel's party readies campaign to keep Germany's top office

BERLIN (AP) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's party on Tuesday presented a campaign for Germany's September election that portrays would-be successor Armin Laschet as a conciliatory, experienced leader and mixes classic center-right themes with portraying the fight against climate change as an economic opportunity. The Christian Democratic Union's campaign to hold on to Germany's top public office after Merkel's 16-year tenure will take account of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the party's ge

July 6, 2021

Report: Serbian arriving for Tokyo Olympics tests positive

TOKYO (AP) — A member of the Serbian Olympic rowing team has tested positive for COVID-19 while trying to enter Japan for the Tokyo Olympics that are to open in just under three weeks. The news was reported Sunday by the Japanese agency Kyodo and cited Japanese health ministry officials. Officials said the athlete was isolated at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Four others traveling along with the athlete were reportedly transferred to a facility near the airport. They had been scheduled to tra

July 4, 2021