Uncategorized

West should not cross Russia’s “red lines”: Vladimir Putin

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

MOSCOW (RUSSIA) – Warning the west President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow would respond swiftly and harshly to any provocations and those responsible would regret it. He also asked the countries not to cross Russia’s “red lines”. At a time of acute crisis in ties

Asia

South Korea looks up to US for COVID-19 vaccine aid

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea hopes its ally the United States will help it tackle a shortage of coronavirus vaccine in return for test kits and masks Seoul sent to Washington earlier in the pandemic, the foreign minister said on Wednesday. The government has drawn fire from the media for not doing enough to […]

Asia

General Min will attend ASEAN summit, activists hold ‘blue shirt’ protests

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

As junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing was reported to be planning to attend Saturday’s summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss the crisis in the country, anti-coup activists have launched protests, calling for the release of detained prisoners. The summit would be its first since the coup in Myanmar on […]

Middle East

Enough vaccine supplies, Israel no longer wants AstraZeneca delivery

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

JERUSALEM (ISRAEL) – Israel’s pandemic coordinator has informed that the country no longer wants AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and is exploring with the company whether a big shipment in the pipeline could be sent elsewhere. “We are trying to find the best solution. After all, we don’t want (the vaccines) to get here and have to […]

World

Panama bolsters action to protect forests, drought-stricken canal

Editorial Bureau April 20, 2021

BOGOTA (COLUMBIA) – Deforestation rates in Panama are likely to show a decline as the Central American nation speeds up its efforts to prevent the illegal logging of forests largely driven by the expansion of agriculture, said environment minister Milciades Concepcion. Panama boasts one of the highest levels of forest cover in Central America, with […]

Tech

Apple in a dispute with Spotify in premium podcast push

Editorial Bureau April 20, 2021

Apple Inc is fighting to retain control of the fast-growing podcasting market it popularised years ago but did not monetize, analysts and industry experts told. Nearly 16 years after Apple added the ability to find podcasts — a portmanteau of “iPod” and “broadcasting” coined by a Guardian journalist — to its iTunes software, the iPhone

World

Despite new virus case, New Zealand expects Australia ‘travel bubble’ to stay open

Editorial Bureau April 20, 2021

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – Australia and New Zealand opened a travel bubble on Monday, after both countries had closed borders in March 2020 to non-citizens and permanent residents to contain the pandemic. However, New Zealand authorities reported on Tuesday that a worker in Auckland airport has tested positive for COVID-19,and doubts whether the new case would […]

Europe

German conservatives pick Laschet as chancellor candidate

Editorial Bureau April 20, 2021

BERLIN (GERMANY) -Bavarian premier Markus Soeder accepted defeat on Tuesday against Christian Democrat chairman Armin Laschet to be on the forefront of their conservative alliance into Germany’s federal election in September. As chancellor candidate for the alliance of the Christian Democrats and their Bavarian CSU sister party, Laschet faces an uphill battle to

UK

UK health minister: India to be added to COVID-19 travel red-list

Editorial Bureau April 19, 2021

LONDON (UK): India will be added to Britain’s travel ‘red-list’ on Friday after detection of 103 cases of COVID variant first identified in the country, health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday. “We’ve made the difficult but vital decision to add India to the Red List. This means anyone who is not a UK or […]

Middle East

Israel leaves outdoor COVID mask order

Editorial Bureau April 19, 2021

JERUSALEM (ISRAEL) – Israelis went about barefaced on Sunday after the order to wear masks outdoors was cancelled in another step towards walking back to normality thanks to the country’s mass-vaccination against COVID-19. With about 81% of citizens or residents over 16 – the age group eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Israel – having […]