Bangkok, March 9 (AP): Myanmar's military-controlled government is seeking to suppressing media coverage of protests against their seizure of power as journalists and ordinary citizens strive to inform people inside and outside of the country about what is happening. Authorities on Monday cancelled licenses of five local media outlets that had been offering extensive coverage of the protests, attempting to fully roll back such freedoms a decade after the country began its falter

Brussels, March 9 (AP): The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to lift the immunity of the former president of Spain's Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, a move that could pave the way for their extradition. In the decision on Puigdemont, 400 legislators voted for the waiver of immunity, 248 were against and 45 abstained. The measures to lift the immunity of his associates former Catalan Health Minister Toni Comin and former regional Education M

Beijing, March 9 (PTI): Summers in the Northern Hemisphere may last for six months by 2100 without efforts to mitigate climate change, which could have far-reaching impacts on agriculture, human health and the environment, says a study. The research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, found that the Mediterranean region and the Tibetan Plateau have experienced the greatest changes to their seasonal cycles. The researchers noted that the four seasons arrived in

  Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article249773503.html#storylink=cpy Yangon (Myanmar), March 5 (AP) Demonstrators in Myanmar's biggest city came out Monday night for their first mass protests in defiance of an 8 pm curfew, seeking to show support for an estimated 200 students trapped by security forces in a small area of one neighbourhood. The students and other civilians earlier took part in one of the many daily protests across the

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 8 (IANS): The new US administration under President Joe Biden has chalked out a four-point strategy for the Afghanistan government under President Ashraf Ghani, with a vision to end the decades long war, warning of dangerous and dire consequences if the peace deal with the Taliban is scrapped. In a letter, written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, addressed to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Head of the Afghan peace council Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, it has

KABUL, MARCH 8 (IANS): The UN said on Monday that it sought a leading role for Afghan women in the country's peace process that is expected to enter a new phase in the coming weeks or months. In a statement marking International Women's Day, the UN said that to give Afghan women a leading role in peace, support was required from all sectors of society as well as from the government and the international community, reports Xnhua news agency. This is also an opportunity to

NAIROBI, MARCH 8 (IANS): The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequities in Africa, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said here. The remark was made in a statement on Sunday by Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Regional Director for Africa ahead of International Women's Day to on March 8, reports Xinhua news agency. WHO said that African women bore the brunt of income losses, social marginalisation, and health risks that escalated at the peak of the

Baghdad, March 8 (AP): Pope Francis on Monday wrapped up his historic whirlwind tour of Iraq that sought to bring hope to the country's marginalised Christian minority with a message of coexistence, forgiveness and peace. The pontiff and his travelling delegation were to be seen off with a farewell ceremony at the Baghdad airport, from where he will leave for Rome following a four-day papal visit that has covered five provinces across Iraq. At every turn, Francis urged Iraqis

Hong Kong, March 8 (AP): Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday the city's government fully welcomes changes to the city's electoral system that will substantially increase central government control over Hong Kong politics and exclude Beijing's critics. Chinese authorities have said the draft decision before China's National People's Congress would mean the largely pro-Beijing committee that elects Hong Kong's leader would also choose a large part of the le

Mandalay (Myanmar), March 8 (AP): Security forces shot dead two people in northern Myanmar on Monday, local media reported, as the military government continued its attempt to stamp out opposition to its February 1 coup. The Irrawaddy newspaper said the victims were shot in the head during anti-coup protests in Myitkyina in Kachin State. Graphic video on social media showed protesters in the street backing away from tear gas, responding with rocks, then fleeing after a fusillade of

London, March 8 (IANS): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the reopening of schools in England as a "national effort" to beat coronavirus, even though some experts warned that the country is still not "out of the woods". On Februay 22, Johnson had announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown, under which schools in England are scheduled to reopen from Monday as first part of the four-step plan, Xinhua news agency reported. Acc

Brasilia, March 8 (IANS): The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso has announced that its hospital network has started to collapse, as there is a lack of intensive care unit beds due to the increasing number of Covid-19 patients suffering from Covid-19. The health authorities of Mato Grosso, the largest grain producer in the country, said in a statement on Sunday that 59 patients needing intensive care beds were turned away from the state's hospitals, asking other areas to treat

Seoul, March 8 (IANS): The combined forces of South Korea and the US kicked off their joint annual military exercises in a scaled-back manner in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Monday. The Combined Command Post Training (CCPT), or the annually-held computer-simulated command post exercise in springtime, was scheduled to last until March 18, reports Xinhua news agency. No field manoeuvers will be staged this year amid the continue

Wellington, March 8 (IANS): New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that everyone in the country will have access to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after it secured an additional 8.5 million doses. "The government has signed an advance purchase agreement for 8.5 million additional doses, enough to vaccinate 4.25 million people. "The vaccines are expected to arrive in New Zealand during the second half of the year," Ardern told a press confere

Islamabad, March 8 (IANS): Aurat Marches are scheduled to take place on Monday across Pakistan to mark International Women's Day, during which participants will demand for the protection of female rights in the country. The first-ever Aurat March took place in 2018 in Karachi, after which it extended to other major cities, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Larkana, and Hyderabad, reports Dawn news. According to organisers, Monday's marches are expected to take place i

Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Mar 8 (AP) A series of explosions at a military barracks in Equatorial Guinea killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 600 others on Sunday, authorities said. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said the explosion at 4 pm local time was due to the negligent handling of dynamite in the military barracks located in the neighbourhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata. The impact of the explosion caused damage in almost all the houses and buildings in Bata,&

Bangkok, March 8 (AP): The escalation of violence in Myanmar as authorities crack down on protests against the February 1 coup is raising pressure for more sanctions against the junta, even as countries struggle over how to best sway military leaders inured to global condemnation. The challenge is made doubly difficult by fears of harming ordinary citizens who were already suffering from an economic slump worsened by the pandemic but are braving risks of arrest and injury to voice o

UNITED NATIONS, MARCH 7 (IANS): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an inclusive justice system that is intolerant of discrimination and works for all. High levels of inequality are associated with economic instability, corruption, financial crises, increased crime and poor physical and mental health. Crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law have a key role in renewing the social contract between states and their populations, he said on Saturday during

Kathmandu, March 7 (PTI): Nepal's reinstated lower house of Parliament held its first meeting on Sunday during which the lawmakers belonging to the ruling Nepal Communist Party's (NCP) splinter faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda' boycotted the session. President Bidya Devi Bhandari last week summoned the session of the House of Representatives in accordance with the Supreme Court's February 24 ruling which annulled embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli'

Qaraqosh (Iraq), March 7 (AP): Pope Francis urged Iraq's Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices committed against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community's historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group's horrific reign. At each stop in northern Iraq, the remnants of its Christian population turned out, jubilant, ululating, decked out in colourful dress,