International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A key U.N. committee has again blocked Myanmar’s military junta from taking the country’s seat at the United Nations, two well-informed U.N. diplomats said Wednesday. The General Assembly’s credentials committee met Monday and deferred action on the junta’s request, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity before a formal announcement
Creating a new global fund for biodiversity — a core demand of developing countries at UN talks in Montreal — “would take years” and be less effective than reforming existing financial mechanisms, Canada’s environment minister said Tuesday. Ottawa’s position reflects the consensus among developed nations on the thorny issue, which has emerged as a key
(AFP) – BTS star Jin starts his mandatory South Korean military duty on Tuesday, the band’s first member to enlist since a hiatus announcement this year left fans heartbroken over the K-pop juggernaut’s uncertain future. The septet is widely considered the country’s biggest-ever cultural phenomenon — selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the
(AFP) – A French court will issue verdicts Tuesday for eight suspects charged in the harrowing 2016 terror attack in Nice, where an allegedly radicalised Islamist attacker is accused of ploughing his truck into a crowd celebrating the July 14 national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian resident, killed 86 people and injured over 450
(AFP) – NASA’s Orion space capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific on Sunday, completing the Artemis 1 mission — a more than 25-day journey around the Moon with an eye to returning humans there in just a few years. After racing through the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) per
EU member states’ energy ministers plan to hold another emergency meeting on the 13th of this month to discuss an intervention in the natural gas market. The European Commission recently proposed to set the upper limit of natural gas at 275 euros per megawatt hour, but 12 EU member states, including Belgium, Greece and Poland require the ceiling to be set at 220 euros. However, Germany, Denmark and other
(AFP) – Taiwan’s premier on Sunday accused China of violating international trade rules and “discriminating” against the island after it halted more Taiwanese imports. According to Taiwan’s finance ministry, Chinese customs authorities “suddenly suspended” imports of certain alcoholic beverages from the island on Friday. It said the move was related to a regulation Beijing imposed
(AFP) – Protests against Peru’s new government turned deadly on Sunday, with two people killed as police clashed with angry demonstrators calling for a national strike, fresh elections and the release of detained former president Pedro Castillo. The protests have swollen, notably in the northern and Andean towns, since the South American country’s legislature on
The winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine shared their visions of a fairer world and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine during Saturday’s award ceremony in the Norwegian capital. Oleksandra Matviichuk of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties dismissed calls for a political compromise that would allow Russia
Ukraine attacked occupied Melitopol in the country’s southeast on Saturday evening, the Russian-installed and exiled Ukrainian authorities of the strategically located city said. The pro-Moscow authorities said a missile attack killed two people and injured 10, while the exiled mayor said scores of “invaders” were killed. Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the
BAODING, China, Dec 11 (Reuters) – When Li tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in Baoding in northern China, he braced for a five-day quarantine at a makeshift local hospital as part of the country’s strict pandemic controls. Instead, China the next day abruptly relaxed the policy that has made the world’s most-populous country an
SYDNEY, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Australia’s foreign minister said on Saturday the government would place targeted sanctions on Russia and Iran in response to what it called “egregious” human rights violations. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement Australia was imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on 13 individuals and two entities, including Iran’s Morality Police and
