International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — At a busy market in a poor township outside Harare this week, Nyasha Ndou kept his mask in his pocket, as hundreds of other people, mostly unmasked, jostled to buy and sell fruit and vegetables displayed on wooden tables and plastic sheets. As in much of Zimbabwe, here the coronavirus is
The United Nations said on Friday it wants proof of the whereabouts of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, missing ever since she made sexual assault allegations against a former vice-premier. The UN Human Rights Office called for a fully-transparent investigation into the former Grand Slam doubles champion’s claims against Zhang Gaoli. “It would be important
BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Iraqis who had camped for weeks at Belarus’ borders with the EU seeking to cross into the bloc flew back home on Thursday. Around 430 would-be migrants, mostly Iraqi Kurds, touched down in Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdistan region on a flight from Minsk. The plane
An email purportedly from a Chinese professional tennis player that a Chinese state media outlet posted on Twitter has increased concerns about her safety as the sport’s biggest stars and others abroad call for information about her well-being and whereabouts. So far, those calls have been met by silence. Chinese officials have said nothing publicly
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — As many parts of western Washington began drying out Tuesday after a storm that dumped rain for days, waters in some areas continued rising, more people were urged to evacuate and crews worked to restore power and reopen roads. Officials in the small city of Sumas, Washington, near the Canada border
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An 86–year–old great-grandmother was crowned “Miss Holocaust Survivor” on Tuesday in an annual Israeli beauty pageant designed to honour women who endured the horrors of the Nazi genocide. Ten contestants – ranging in age from 79 to 90 – trod the catwalk at a museum in Jerusalem, their hair styled and make-up applied and dressed to the nines with sashes adorning their
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says coronavirus deaths in Europe rose 5% in the last week, making it the only region in the world where COVID-19 deaths increased. The U.N. health agency said confirmed cases jumped 6% globally, driven by increases in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In its weekly report on the
WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Nov 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden pressed his Chinese counterpart on human rights in a video call lasting more than three hours, while Xi Jinping warned that China would respond to provocations on Taiwan, according to official accounts of the exchange. The talks, which began on Monday evening in Washington – Tuesday
Doha, Qatar (AFP) – An American journalist jailed for six months by Myanmar’s military rulers said after his shock release that he battled to stay sane and feared his ordeal would not end, while insisting he should never have been detained. Danny Fenster — handed an 11-year sentence last week for incitement, unlawful association and breaching visa rules
Washington (AFP) – The United States denounced Russia on Monday for conducting a “dangerous and irresponsible” missile strike that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the International Space Station’s crew to take evasive action. Washington wasn’t informed in advance about the test, only the fourth ever to hit a
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden opened his virtual meeting with China’s XI Jinping on Monday by saying their goal is to ensure competition “does not veer into conflict.” The two leaders are meeting by video amid mounting tensions in the U.S.-China relationship. Biden has criticized Beijing over human rights abuses against Uyghurs in northwest
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping have slurped noodles together in Beijing. They’ve shared deep thoughts about the meaning of America during an exchange on the Tibetan plateau. They’ve gushed to U.S. business leaders about developing a sincere respect for each other. The American president has held up his relationship with Xi
