WorldReutersLobbyist says Myanmar junta wants to improve relations with the West, spurn China
An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar's junta said on Saturday that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China. Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official who has previously represented Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Sudan's military rulers, said Myanmar's generals also want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighboring Bangladesh.
WorldAssociated PressThailand charges more activists with sedition, royal insults
Prosecutors in Thailand charged 18 pro-democracy activists with sedition on Monday, while lodging additional charges of insulting the monarchy against three of them. The sedition charges, which carry a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison, stem from an antigovernment rally in September, though details on the alleged offenses were not immediately clear. The three charged with violating the lese majeste law, which outlaws criticism of senior members of the royal family, are Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and Panupong Jadnok.
WorldBBCWhat's causing vaccine delays in some Asian countries?
In others countries however, vaccine programmes are either yet to begin or are still at a very early stage. The reasons for this have been varied - ranging from an abundance of caution to high levels of vaccine scepticism. We looked at some of the countries in this situation and the different reasons behind it.
U.S.The WeekFor the first time since the 1850s, a black-browed babbler was spotted in Borneo
After 170 years, the black-browed babbler reappeared in a Borneo forest, leaving ornithologists stunned — and delighted. The first and only known specimen of the black-browed babbler was collected in Indonesia in the 1850s. Because it was wrongly labeled as being from Java instead of Borneo, people searching for more black-browed babblers never discovered any.
WorldReutersIndia seeks funds from Quad alliance to match China's vaccine push: source
India has urged the United States, Japan and Australia to invest in its vaccine production capacity, an Indian government source told Reuters, as the so-called Quad alliance tries to counter China's growing vaccine diplomacy. Beijing has committed to provide at least 463 million doses of its home-made COVID-19 vaccines through exports and donations across the world from Asia to Africa, Europe and Latin America, according to Reuters calculations. Two senior Indian officials said the Quad alliance, grouping the United States, Japan, Australia and India, was stepping up efforts to expand global vaccination to counter China's growing soft power.
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden order could change how colleges handle sex misconduct
President Joe Biden on Monday ordered his administration to review Trump administration rules around campus sexual assaults that bolstered the rights of the accused and narrowed the scope of cases colleges must address. In an executive order signed Monday morning, Biden directed the Department of Education to review policies implemented by Donald Trump's administration, including changes to Title IX regulations that prohibit sex discrimination in federally-funded institutions. Biden directed the agency to review all policies “that are or may be inconsistent” with the objective to prevent sex discrimination in education.
WorldBBCAfghanistan conflict: US makes new push for UN-led peace process
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has made a blunt new push for a UN-led peace effort in Afghanistan. In a letter to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Mr Blinken called for a 90-day reduction in violence and a transitional government formed from both sides. Mr Blinken also said no decision had been made about whether to stick to a planned US troop withdrawal by 1 May.
WorldReutersFrench billionaire politician killed in helicopter crash
French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician. Dassault was the eldest son of late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation, builds the Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. "Olivier Dassault loved France.
WorldReutersLooming China extradition deal worries Uighurs in Turkey
Joining hundreds of women in Istanbul to protest at China's treatment of Uighurs, Nursiman Abdurasit tearfully thinks of her jailed mother in Xinjiang and fears that Uighurs like her in Turkey may one day be sent back under an extradition deal. Beijing approved an extradition treaty between the two nations in December and with the deal awaiting ratification by Ankara's parliament, activists among some 40,000 Uighurs living in Turkey have stepped up efforts to highlight their plight. Abdurasit came to Turkey to study in 2015 and lost contact with her family four years ago.
TechnologyAssociated PressAt Dubai airport, travelers' eyes become their passports
Dubai's airport, the world's busiest for international travel, can already feel surreal, with its cavernous duty-free stores, artificial palm trees, gleaming terminals, water cascades and near-Arctic levels of air conditioning. It's the latest artificial intelligence program the United Arab Emirates has launched amid the surging coronavirus pandemic, contact-less technology the government promotes as helping to stem the spread of the virus. Dubai's airport started offering the program to all passengers last month.
PoliticsThe IndependentSupreme Court delivers final blow to Trump’s last election challenge
The Supreme Court has tossed out former President Donald Trump's last remaining challenge to the 2020 election after he lied about the results of the nationwide vote and urged states to wipe out thousands of ballots while promoting false claims of fraud. The court without comment rejected Mr Trump's appeal, which challenged thousands of absentee ballots filed in Wisconsin, an election battleground that the former president lost by more than 20,000 votes. It was the last of three petitions filed at the Supreme Court near the end of his presidency that the justices declined to take up.
WorldReutersThousands of women join Indian farmers' protests against new laws
Thousands of women joined protests by farmers on the outskirts of Delhi on Monday to mark International Women's Day, demanding the scrapping of new laws that open up agriculture produce markets to private buyers. Since December, many farmers accompanied by their families have camped at three sites on the outskirts of the Indian capital to oppose the biggest farm reforms in decades, which they say hurt them. Wearing bright yellow scarves representing the colour of mustard fields, the women took centrestage at one key site, chanting slogans, holding small marches, and making speeches through loudspeakers to target the laws.
WorldReutersAustria suspends AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine batch after death
Austrian authorities have suspended inoculations with a batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as a precaution while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after the shots, a health agency said on Sunday. "The Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) has received two reports in a temporal connection with a vaccination from the same batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the district clinic of Zwettl" in Lower Austria province, it said. One 49-year-old woman died as a result of severe coagulation disorders, while a 35-year-old woman developed a pulmonary embolism and is recovering, it said.
WorldAssociated PressPhilippine police kill 9 in raids on suspected rebels
Philippine police backed by military forces killed nine people over the weekend in a series of raids against suspected communist insurgents, with authorities saying the suspects opened fire first. Others, however, said those killed were unarmed activists. Police said Monday that all of those killed were associated with “communist terrorist groups” and had shot at officers while being served search warrants.
WorldAssociated PressB-52s again fly over Mideast in US military warning to Iran
A pair of B-52 bombers flew over the Mideast on Sunday, the latest such mission in the region aimed at warning Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran. The flight by the two heavy bombers came as a pro-Iran satellite channel based in Beirut broadcast Iranian military drone footage of an Israeli ship hit by a mysterious explosion only days earlier in the Mideast. While the channel sought to say Iran wasn't involved, Israel has blamed Tehran for what it described as an attack on the vessel.
WorldAssociated PressHungary closes stores, schools to curb surge due to variants
Hungarians on Monday awoke to a new round of strict lockdown measures aimed at slowing a record-breaking wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths that are among the worst in the world. A rapid rise in pandemic indicators since February prompted Hungary's government to announce the new restrictions, including closing most stores for two weeks and kindergartens and primary schools until April 7. Most services are also required to cease operations, and the government urged businesses to allow employees to work from home.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Accountant faces pressure to turn on Trump in criminal probe
When lawyers asked Donald Trump more than a decade ago to identify who estimated values on some of his signature properties, he pointed to his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news - Cuomo faces fresh allegations as Obama praises president on Covid-19 relief bill
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly facing fresh allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, two more women have come forward to accuse Mr Cuomo of misconduct. Karen Hinton, a former press aide, has said Mr Cuomo invited her to his hotel room after a work event in Los Angeles in 2000.
U.S.Business InsiderA Trump appointee who was arrested over the Capitol riot asked a judge if he could be transferred to a cell with no cockroaches
A former State Department aide arrested over the Capitol riot has complained of his cell conditions. The former aide, Federico Klein, told a judge he felt "cockroaches crawling" all over him. Klein is believed to be the first Trump appointee arrested in connection to the Capitol riot.
PoliticsAssociated PressGOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri won't seek reelection in 2022
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate, he said Monday in a surprise announcement. Blunt, who turned 71 in January, was widely expected to seek a third term in 2022. Before election to the Senate he served seven terms in the U.S. House.
PoliticsThe IndependentLauren Boebert: Congresswoman linked to QAnon attacks Democrats for being ‘obsessed with conspiracies’
A freshman congresswoman who has previously expressed support for the false and fringe QAnon conspiracy theory attacked Democrats during a recent Fox News appearance and claimed they were “obsessed” with conspiracies following the Capitol insurrection. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Co) joined Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Saturday night to lambast House leadership and security officials over continued safety measures at the Capitol building in the wake of the attacks on 6 January, when pro-Trump extremists stormed the building.
BusinessFort Worth Star-TelegramEven Texans with fixed electricity plans may face high energy costs due to this fee
Heather Helton thought she was in the clear, at least when it came to her February electricity bill. Despite those headaches, Helton considered herself spared from the brunt of the electricity crisis. She has a fixed rate plan with Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy Services, which insulates her from the skyrocketing electricity prices faced by Texans who signed up for variable rate plans with companies like Griddy. “I didn't have any concerns for myself,” Helton said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, says he will fight for Republicans to get a say in Biden's infrastructure bill and block it if they don't
Sen. Joe Manchin told Axios that he wanted bipartisan backing for Biden's infrastructure bill. Manchin, a Democrat, said he'd oppose a bill without tax hikes and GOP support being sought. Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat, said in an interview with Axios broadcast Sunday that he'd block President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill if it didn't attract Republican support.
U.S.USA TODAYFact check: Image of Jill Biden handing out food to asylum-seekers in 2019 is missing context
The claim: Image shows Jill Biden handing out food and gifts to asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico; 'Has anybody seen her in Texas helping Americans yet? A viral meme shared by users across Facebook asserts that first lady Jill Biden traveled to Mexico to hand out food and gifts to asylum-seekers but did not provide assistance to those in Texas struggling in the aftermath of deadly winter storms. "Jill Biden handing out food and gifts to asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico," reads a Feb. 26 post with over 300 shares.
HealthBusiness InsiderMississippi governor says his goal 'has never been to get rid of the virus' in defense of his decision to end COVID-19 mask mandate
Mississippi GOP Gov. Tate Reeves defended his decision to end the state's mask mandate. Reeves told CNN's Jake Tapper that it was never his "objective" to eradicate the virus. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, in an interview Sunday defended his decision to roll back the state's mask requirement even as public health officials warn such actions are premature.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”