UN nuclear agency reaches deal with Iran on surveillance equipment

VIENNA (AFP) -- Iran and the UN nuclear agency said Sunday they have agreed to allow inspectors to service the agency‘s surveillance equipment as Tehran has restricted access since earlier this year. “IAEA’s inspectors are permitted to service the identified equipment and replace their storage media which will be kept under the joint IAEA and (Iran‘s) AEOI seals in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The way and the timing are agreed by the two sides,” they said in a j

Sept. 12, 2021

Taliban say will allow women at universities, but mixed classes banned

KABUL (AFP) -- Afghan women will be allowed to attend university as long as they study separately from men, the Taliban‘s new higher education minister said Sunday. Women’s rights in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule, though since returning to power last month the hardline Islamists have claimed they will implement a less extreme rule. But speaking to reporters about the new regime’s plans for the country‘s education, Minister

Sept. 12, 2021

Hong Kong police raid shuttered Tiananmen museum

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong police on Thursday raided a museum that houses exhibits commemorating Beijing‘s deadly crackdown on Tiananmen Square in 1989, a day after they arrested four members of the group that ran the venue. The raid came as police accused one of the four arrestees -- prominent barrister Chow Hang-tung, vice-chairwoman of the group -- of inciting subversion, according to Chow’s lawyers and relatives. Officers from the newly created national security unit w

Sept. 9, 2021

Sri Lanka asks women to delay pregnancy over Covid risks

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankan women were urged to delay getting pregnant after more than 40 expectant mothers died of Covid-19 in four months, the health ministry said Thursday. 　The island nation, which recorded its first maternal coronavirus death in May, is battling a spike in Delta variant infections after travel restrictions were eased for local new year celebrations in mid-April. 　“Usually, we have 90 to 100 maternal deaths a year, but since the start of the third wave we have record

Sept. 9, 2021

[Photo News] Hurricane Ida pummels US East Coast

Hurricane Ida originated from the Caribbean sea on Aug. 26. After drenching Cuba on Aug. 27, Ida made landfall in Louisiana. The hurricane then barreled into New York and New Jersey, causing flash flooding and claiming lives. The National Weather Service in the US announced a “flash flood emergency” in New York City for the first time in history, with Central Park in Manhattan recording 7.9 centimeters of rain in an hour. The hurricane has halted hundreds of flights to New York

Sept. 4, 2021

IS claims rocket attack on Kabul airport: statement

The Islamic State-Khorasan group claimed a rocket attack Monday on the airport in Afghanistan's capital. "The soldiers of the caliphate targeted Kabul's international airport with six... rockets," the group said in a statement. The rockets fell as US troops were racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies. President Joe Biden has set a deadline of Tuesday to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan, drawing to a close his nation's longest military conflic

Aug. 30, 2021

Rockets fired at Kabul airport as US troops pull out

Rockets were fired at Kabul's airport on Monday where US troops were racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies under the threat of Islamic State group attacks. President Joe Biden has set a deadline of Tuesday to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan, drawing to a close his nation's longest military conflict, which began in retaliation for the September 11 attacks. The return of the hardline Islamist Taliban movement, which was toppled in 2001 but took back pow

Aug. 30, 2021

[Photo News] Sea Turtles Returning to Their Native Sea

Hanwha Aqua Planet officials send sea turtles back to their homes at the Sea Turtle Discharge Event on Thursday, hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Hanwha Aqua Planet officials and observers watch a sea turtle waddling to the waters of Jungmun Saekdal Beach in Jeju Island. Hanwha Aqua Planet officials gently place sea turtles onto the sand for the first time. Hanwha Aqua Planet officials carefully examine the sea turtles one last time before releasing them back home. (Photos: Y

Aug. 28, 2021

[Photo News] Flames of the French Fire Burn Northern California

Northern California has faced one of the worst wildfires in its history. Called the “French Fire,” the wildfire has been scorching through communities in the state since Aug. 18, severely damaging the environment and necessitating evacuations. It has already burned 8,368 hectares of forest in California and is expected to persist this week due to the windy climate. The photo above shows a fire burning in Sequoia National Forest near Lake Isabella.  A firefighter named Bruce We

Aug. 28, 2021

UK plea for US to extend Kabul airlift may fall on deaf ears

Britain urged the United States on Monday to extend its evacuation effort in Kabul past the Aug. 31 deadline - but conceded that if the US ignores the request, an international airlift of thousands fleeing the Taliban takeover will end within days. The UK government said Prime Minister Boris Johnson would press President Joe Biden for an airlift extension at an emergency summit of Group of Seven leaders on Tuesday. The virtual meeting has been convened by Britain, currently the president of th

Aug. 23, 2021

WHO head calls for two-month vaccine booster moratorium

The head of the World Health Organization on Monday called for a two-month moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a means of reducing global vaccine inequality and preventing the emergence of new coronavirus variants. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Hungary's capital, Budapest, that he was "really disappointed'' with the scope of vaccine donations worldwide as many countries struggle to provide first and second doses to more t

Aug. 23, 2021

Thailand to shift strategy to 'learning to live with COVID-19'

Thailand is preparing for life with Covid, with preliminary plans being drawn up to relax some restrictions and reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors even as new cases hover around 20,000 a day. The National Communicable Disease Committee on Monday approved a shift in the country’s strategy to “learning to live with Covid-19,” recognizing the endemic nature of the virus, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. The focus goi

Aug. 23, 2021

China starts probe into party boss of Alibaba’s home city

China is investigating Hangzhou’s top government official for serious disciplinary violations, casting a spotlight on the city that is home to Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Jiangyong, 53, has been placed under investigation for serious violations of party discipline and state law, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement Saturday. While the agency didn’t elaborate on Zhou&rs

Aug. 23, 2021

As Cuomo exits, Hochul to take office minus 'distractions'

Andrew Cuomo neared the end of his decade as New York's governor Monday, as he prepared to relinquish his tight grip on government to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul in a midnight power transfer that will break another glass ceiling for women in state politics. Cuomo, a Democrat, was set to end his term at 11:59 p.m., just under two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face a likely impeachment battle over sexual harassment allegations. Hochul was scheduled be sworn in as New York's fi

Aug. 23, 2021

Malaysia's new PM invites opposition to join COVID-19 effort

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -- Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sunday he will inviteopposition leaders to join the government's special committeesto address the COVID-19 crisis. Ismail Sabri took charge on Saturday with a slim parliamentary majority as the SoutheastAsian nation battles its worst COVID-19 surge and public angergrows over mismanagement of the pandemic. The 61-year-old was deputy premier in the administration ofMuhyiddin Yassin, which collapsed on Monday due

Aug. 22, 2021

Japanese FM discusses de-escalation with Iranian officials

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian president met Sunday with Japan's foreign minister in the capital of Tehran and the two discussed de-escalation of tensions in the region, Iranian news agencies reported. The president's official website, president.ir, said that Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi discussed bilateral, regional and international issues with President Ebrahim Raisi. The two-day visit is the first by a Japanese official since Raisi became Iran's new president and the first sin

Aug. 22, 2021

Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Taliban declared an ``amnesty‘’ across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee their rule. Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule

Aug. 17, 2021

UN urges no forced returns to Afghanistan

GENEVA (AFP) -- The United Nations on Tuesday called on countries to ban all forced returns of Afghans to their conflict-torn nation, following the Taliban‘s stunning military takeover that triggered panic in Kabul. The UN refugee agency said it had released a “non-return advisory” for Afghanistan, insisting no Afghan nationals should be forced to return, including asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected. “In the wake of the rapid deterioration in the securit

Aug. 17, 2021

Powerful quake adds to Haiti's misery, killing at least 304

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) -- A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake added to the misery in Haiti, killing at least 304 people, injuring a minimum of 1,800 others and destroying hundreds of homes. People in the Caribbean island nation rushed into the streets to seek safety and to help help rescue those trapped in the rubble of collapsed homes, hotels and other structures. Saturday‘s earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, almost razing some towns an

Aug. 15, 2021

Japan ministers visit controversial shrine on WWII anniversary

TOKYO (AFP) -- Three Japanese cabinet ministers visited a shrine seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Tokyo‘s past militarism on Sunday, the anniversary of the nation’s World War II surrender. It came after two other members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga‘s cabinet, including the defence minister, visited Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, drawing angry reactions from China and South Korea. The shrine in central Tokyo honours 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who hav

Aug. 15, 2021