Anxious lunar new year period in China as millions travel while Covid spreads
Dora Wang* longs to see her family over lunar new year, but despite the recent scrapping of Covid travel restrictions across China she has decided against travelling the 286 miles (461km) from Beijing to her home city, Dalian, in the north-east.
“I am really worried because the train stations will be packed,” said the 31-year-old illustrator, who is five months pregnant. Not having been vaccinated, the expectant mother is concerned that she might catch Covid during the long journey.
“Even though my parents have recovered from Covid, there are now so many variants out there I worry that I might catch it,” she said.
Iran executes two more men in connection with protests
The execution by hanging of Mohammad Karami and Mohammad Hosseini by Iran's regime have have raised the number of protest-related executions to four.
Iran executed two men convicted of allegedly killing a security official during protests that erupted across the country, following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini while in custody of the country's moral police.
The two men were hanged on Saturday were identified by Iran's judiciary as Mohammad Karami and Mohammad Hosseini. They were convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian who was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij Force.
Besides Karami and Hosseini, the judiciary sentenced three others to death and 11 others to prison in relation to the same case. Two men have already been executed in December 2022, sparking global outrage.
Eight years after deadly attacks, Charlie Hebdo back in the headlines for angering Tehran
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo made headlines again this week for mocking Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomenei, angering the Iranian regime and prompting it to close a French research institute in Tehran. The latest controversy comes as France on Saturday marked the eighth anniversary of the attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices that killed 12.
Today, the irreverent, militantly atheist publication operates from a secret location with round-the-clock police protection to protect its staff, eight years after it was attacked by Islamist gunmen.
Charlie Hebdo continues to mock politicians, public figures and cultural icons from across the spectrum, often with vulgar caricatures.
Myanmar’s military holds election talks with armed ethnic groups
The Shan State Progress Party, United Wa State Party and National Democratic Alliance Army have attended elections talks.
Myanmar’s military government has held talks with three ethnic armed groups on staging elections in areas under rebel control, a spokesman for one of the groups has said.
Leaders from the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), United Wa State Party (UWSP) and National Democratic Alliance Army – which have largely stayed out of a growing conflict that has gripped the country since the military staged a coup in February 2021 – are holding three days of talks in the capital, Naypyidaw, state media reported on Friday.
A spokesman for the SSPP, which controls territory in northern Shan state, said that the military had “asked us to let them hold free and fair elections in our area”.
Extradition of ‘El Chapo’ son to the US halted after 29 killed in arrest operation
A Mexico City federal judge halted the extradition of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán’s son, alleged drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán, to the United States on Friday, a day after he was arrested in an intense operation in northern Mexico that led to the deaths of 29 people.
The US is seeking Guzmán’s extradition for drug trafficking and has offered up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the man they say is “a senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel.”
On Thursday, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that there is an arrest warrant in the US dated September 19, 2019, but said the possible extradition of Guzmán would not be immediate due to the formalities of the law. He also stated that Guzmán has ongoing legal proceedings in Mexico.
Jetstar flight makes emergency landing in Japan due to bomb threat
A Jetstar flight made an emergency landing at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture on Saturday due to a bomb threat, though no device was found, officials said.
The runway at the airport was closed after the flight from Narita airport, bound for Fukuoka in southern Japan, landed at 7:41 a.m., but resumed operations at 12:15 p.m. after safety was confirmed, the spokesman said.
There were 136 passengers and 6 crew members on board, the spokesperson said. Five sustained minor injuries while evacuating from the plane, an official at the Chubu airport police said.
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