Kazakhstan president vows to destroy ‘bandits and terrorists’ behind protests
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tells security forces to ‘use lethal force without warning’
The president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has promised an uncompromising crackdown on demonstrators in the country, telling security forces they should “use lethal force without warning” against protesters he called “bandits and terrorists”.
As relative calm returned to the country on Friday, after several days in which internet and mobile phone networks were disabled, the human cost of the week started to become apparent.
The interior ministry said 26 protesters were killed in the clashes as well as 18 people from police and security forces. Witness reports of shootouts and casualties suggest that the real figures may be considerably higher. More than 3,800 people had been detained, the ministry said.
Germany tightens COVID-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants
Customers will now need to provide a negative COVID test or proof of a booster shot to enter restaurants. The latest rules change follows a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state leaders.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and leaders of the country's 16 states agreed on a new raft of rules and restrictions on Friday to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Scholz outlined new rules for restaurants and bars, while also shortening quarantine and self-isolation periods.
It was the first meeting in the new year between Scholz and state leaders, coming at a time when the new German government is looking to ramp up vaccination and booster campaigns amid a surge driven by the omicron variant.
Caught up in war, Ethiopian holy town hosts pilgrims for Christmas
In the dawn gloom, among throngs of pilgrims in white clutching burning candles, Hailu Abera gave special thanks on Friday as Orthodox Christmas celebrations unfolded at Ethiopia's stone-hewn churches in Lalibela.
Just weeks ago, the UNESCO-listed site and its astonishing houses of worship were under rebel control, Lalibela having changed hands once more as Ethiopia's war dragged into a second brutal and unpredictable year.
But with the holy site and its 12th-century icons retaken by government forces in late December, Hailu joined tens of thousands of devotees flocking to Lalibela to mark the day for orthodox Christmas.
Alleged creator of app ‘selling’ Muslim women arrested in India
India’s police say they have arrested a 20-year-old man they suspect created an online app that shared pictures of Muslim women for a virtual “auction”, as an investigation into the case of religious hatred widens.
An open-source app on the Microsoft-owned Github platform called “Bulli Bai” – a derogatory term to describe Muslim women – had shared pictures of dozens of women without their consent before it was taken down a week ago.
The 'anti-woke' crusade has come to Europe. Its effects could be chilling
Updated 0718 GMT (1518 HKT) January 7, 2022
If 2020 renewed calls for racial equality as Black Lives Matter protests exploded throughout Europe, 2021 brought in the backlash as parts of the political establishment waged a so-called "war against woke."
Myanmar coup: The doctors and nurses defying the military
South East Asia correspondent
A significant proportion of healthcare in Myanmar is now being delivered outside state hospitals, by doctors and nurses who oppose the military and are loyal to the National Unity Government challenging the junta's legitimacy, medical workers in the country told the BBC.
Most interviewees' names have been changed for their security.
Organised resistance to the 1 February coup in Myanmar started with healthcare workers announcing a boycott of state-run hospitals. They led the first street protests, calling it the "white coat revolution".
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