International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Sunday it struck a Huthi rebel camp in the capital Sanaa, as it intensified an aerial bombing campaign against the Iran-backed insurgents. The coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Huthis in a civil war, said it destroyed weapons storehouses in the rebel-held capital, according to the
South African anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, described as the country’s moral compass, died on Sunday aged 90, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” he said in a statement. “Desmond Tutu was a patriot
Pope Francis called for more solidarity with those living in poverty as he celebrated mass in the Vatican in front of a masked congregation of around 2,000 people, while billions around the world marked a second Christmas under the shadow of the coronavirus. An explosion in cases driven by the rise of the Omicron variant
ROME (Reuters) – Italy has tightened restrictions to curb surging COVID-19 infections, including banning all public New Year‘s Eve celebrations, as daily infections hit a record high, the government said on Thursday. Health Minister Roberto Speranza said mask wearing would be compulsory outdoors again and ordered people to use the more protective Ffp2 face masks on public transport and in public places, such
(Reuters) – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers. Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled about 90. Both said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports. “The nationwide spike
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s oldest university removed a statue commemorating the deadly 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square democracy protesters on Thursday, the latest step in China’s campaign to silence dissent in its southern city. The night-time operation was condemned by Hong Kong democracy activists and labelled a “despicable act” by one former student leader
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised outgoing Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun for helping to improve relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, state media reported on Thursday, as the envoy left office after seven years in the post. Kim‘s comments were conveyed to Li by Choe Ryong Hae, a top official in the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, state
London (AFP) – The WHO warned Wednesday that rich countries cannot use boosters to escape the coronavirus and France became one of the first nations to vaccinate children over five, as nations scrambled to contain Omicron surges. China meanwhile cracked down on the latest outbreak of the virus, shutting down a whole city. And Britain, which reported
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain reported more than 100,000 new daily COVID–19 cases for the first time since widespread testing was introduced, with 106,122 on Wednesday compared with 90,629 on Tuesday. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has driven a surge in cases in the last seven days, with the total rising by 643,219, or 59%, according to government data. Many industries are struggling with staff shortages as
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations. But they are offering one tantalizing
Antananarivo, Madagascar (AFP) – A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum some 12 hours to shore Tuesday after their helicopter crashed off the island’s northeastern coast, authorities said. A search was still ongoing for two other passengers after the crash Monday, whose cause was not immediately clear, police and port authorities said. Serge Gellé,
Countries across Europe were considering new curbs on movement on Tuesday as the fast-moving Omicron variant swept the world days before Christmas, throwing travel plans into chaos and unnerving financial markets. Omicron infections are multiplying rapidly across Europe, the United States and Asia, including in Japan, where a single cluster at a military base has grown
