Tajikistan says eight killed in landslides By: AFP on May 12, 2021Dushanbe: Tajikistan’s government said on Wednesday that eight people had died and many properties were devastated in landslides in different parts of the country following heavy rainfall. Fatal landslides affect mountainous Central Asian Tajikistan every year around springtime, blocking off important roads in a country lacking transport infrastructure and forcing families to rebuild homes from […]
Washington Post appoints first woman editor in its 144 history By: Web Desk on May 12, 2021Sally Buzbee has been named the first woman to be The Washington Post’s new executive editor. She was the executive editor and senior vice – president for Associated Press journalist since 2017. Buzbee, from 2010 to 2016, has also served news agency’s the Washington bureau chief. Sally has the experience of being AP’s Middle East […]
Computer game helps health workers combat Covid spread By: AFP on May 12, 2021Swiss health workers busy fighting the pandemic are being encouraged to unwind with a computer game that offers not only distraction but also knowledge to battle Covid-19 in real life. Players of “Escape Covid-19” are guided through a series of scenarios that health workers at hospitals and long-term care facilities encounter on a daily basis. […]
IS-linked militants kill four farmers in Indonesia By: AFP on May 12, 2021 Palu: Islamic State-linked extremists have killed four farmers in a remote village on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, police confirmed Wednesday, with one of the victims reportedly beheaded. Five sword-wielding attackers ambushed a group of farmers who were harvesting their coffee plantation in Kalimago village in Poso regency on Tuesday morning, Central Sulawesi police […]
Hunger-striking Thai protest leader vows to keep fighting for royal reform By: AFP on May 12, 2021 A severely ill hunger-striking Thai democracy activist released from prison vowed Wednesday to keep fighting for reform to the country’s monarchy, defying his bail conditions. Parit Chiwarak, who goes by the nickname Penguin, was held in pre-trial detention for nearly 100 days for multiple royal defamation charges. He is one of several protest leaders […]
French MPs back Macron’s Covid ‘pass’ after changes By: AFP on May 12, 2021PARIS: France’s parliament on Wednesday backed President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to introduce a Covid “health pass”, after deputies pushed back against the move arguing it was discriminatory for those not yet vaccinated. Macron wants the pass to help speed up the lifting of coronavirus restrictions as his Covid vaccination programme gathers pace. It will be […]
Indian gov’t website declares 97% Muslim Kashmir ‘predominantly Hindu’ By: agency on May 12, 2021At a time when fears of a demographic invasion are running rife in Indian administered Kashmir, a government website has declared the conflict-ridden Muslim majority region a Hindu majority. The InvestJK website, run by the Industries and Commerce Department, describes under its heading on Temples that, “be it Kashmir or Jammu, the population is predominantly […]
Indian doctors warn against cow dung as COVID cure By: Agencies on May 12, 2021Doctors in India are warning against the practice of using cow dung in the belief it will ward off COVID-19, saying there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness and that it risks spreading other diseases. The coronavirus pandemic has wrought devastation on India, with 22.66 million cases and 246,116 deaths reported so far. Experts […]
Israel to step up Gaza strikes as death toll hits 30 By: AFP on May 12, 2021Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to intensify attacks on Islamist militants in Gaza as the foes traded heavy fire that killed at least 30 people, in an escalation of tensions sparked by unrest in Jerusalem. World powers urged calm and Muslim countries voiced outrage amid the worst flare-up of violence in years that saw Hamas […]
Saudi Arabia to require arriving visitors to quarantine for a week By: Agencies on May 12, 2021Foreign citizens arriving in Saudi Arabia must quarantine for a week in government-approved accommodation starting May 20 to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Saudi civil aviation authority (GACA) said on Monday. As the kingdom reopens, exempted individuals such as Saudi citizens, flight crews and diplomats will have to quarantine at home unless they are […]