A deluge of disinformation about a flu-like virus called HMPV is stoking anti-China sentiment across Asia and spurring unfounded concerns of renewed lockdowns, despite experts dismissing comparisons with the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago. AFP’s fact-checkers have debunked a slew of social media posts about the usually non-fatal respiratory disease human metapneumovirus after cases rose…
A fire aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia on Tuesday was not linked to Houthi attacks, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center said on Wednesday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, JMIC said. A maritime security source told Reuters that the fire resulted from hazardous cargo on board. There has been a…
Qatar plans to introduce three new laws as part of a sweeping review of legislation designed to make the Gulf Arab state more attractive to foreign investors, the new minister of commerce and economy told Reuters. Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani said in an interview that Qatar plans to introduce new legislation including a…
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc would raise the issue of Russian bases with Syria’s new leadership, arguing Moscow has no place in the country’s future. Russia, along with Iran, were the key backers of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and propped him up militarily during the brutal civil war. “Russia and…
In his first major NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, new Secretary General Mark Rutte set an agenda for deeper engagement in the Middle East and Africa. Tuesday’s meeting marks the first time King Abdullah II of Jordan will join the meetings of ministers, with Rutte telling press the region’s strategic importance is climbing. “Jordan is one of NATO’s…
Russian drone and missile attacks have damaged 321 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities since July last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. Twenty merchant ships belonging to other countries were also damaged by Russian strikes, he added. “Overall, Ukrainian food exports provide food for 400 million people in 100 countries around the world,” Zelenskyy said….
UNITED NATIONS: They gathered at the United Nations surrounded by unsettling warnings of an escalating conflict that could engulf the Middle East and further shatter international relations that are based on “multilateralism” — nations working together and sharing power. A week later, world leaders headed home with the prospect of a broader war intensifying and…
UNITED NATIONS — Facing a swirl of conflicts and crises across a fragmented world, leaders attending this week’s annual U.N. gathering are being challenged: Work together — not only on front-burner issues but on modernizing the international institutions born after World War II so they can tackle the threats and problems of the future. U.N….
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly adopted a “Pact for the Future” to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Now comes the hard part: uniting the world’s divided nations to move quickly to implement its 56 actions. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked the 193-member world body for approving the pact and unlocking the…
