International

Israel began Monday administering fourth Covid vaccine shots to people over 60 and health workers amid a surge driven by the Omicron variant. Health workers at Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv lined up for the shot and over-60s received it at the nearby branch of Clalit, Israel's largest health fund. The shot was given to those who received their third inoculation at least four months ago. The health ministry on Sunday approved the fourth shot for the over-60s and medical staff, two days after those with weakened immunity started to take the shot, making Israel one of the first countries to do so. The health ministry on Monday reported 6,562 new Covid infections over the previous day, nearly double the daily average of last week. In an address late Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that cases could soon surge to around "50,000 cases per day". More than four million people out of Israel's population of 9.2 million have received three shots of coronavirus vaccine. A total of almost 1.4 million cases of Covid infection, including 8,244 deaths, have been officially recorded in Israel. 

A major fire raging Sunday in South Africa's seat of parliament in Cape Town had not been brought under control by firefighters after more than six hours, with authorities fearing "significant" damage. Images broadcast on television showed giant flames leaping from the roof of one large building, while several others in the parliament precinct including the National Assembly were enveloped in a thick cloud of black smoke. The fire was believed to have started in one of the older buildings in the  precinct, leading to a security cordon nearby the cathedral where the ashes of anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu were buried on Sunday. "The roof has caught fire and the National Assembly building is also on fire," said JP Smith, Cape Town's mayoral committee member for safety and security. No casualties had been reported and the cause of the blaze was not yet known. Smith said the "fire is not under control and cracks in the walls of the building have been reported". He added that the "fire is currently on the third floor -- initial reports indicate it started in the office space and is spreading toward the gymnasium". "The damage will be significant, especially if it's not contained soon," he warned. Emergency services feared the fire could spread swiftly through the old rooms, which are decorated with thick carpets and curtains. A team of 30 firefighters who first arrived at the scene battled the flames for several hours before being forced to retreat and call for reinforcements. Some 80 firefighters were later deployed, some using a crane to spray water on the blaze.   - Second major fire in a year -   The fire broke out at around 0300 GMT on Sunday.  The National Assembly building, which has a red and white facade, is where South Africa's last apartheid president FW de Klerk declared the end of the brutal white minority regime in 1990. Concerned Cape Town residents quickly shared pictures of the fire on Twitter. The area around the fire in the upmarket neighbourhood was quickly cordoned off.  The cordon stretched to a square where flowers were still displayed in front the nearby St. George's Cathedral, where Tutu's funeral took place on Saturday. After a simple, no-frills mass, with a cheap coffin -- according to the famously modest Tutu's instructions -- his ashes were interred in the cathedral on Sunday. Cape Town is home to South Africa's seat of parliament, including the National Assembly and upper House National Council of Provinces, while the government is based in Pretoria. The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town consist of three sections, including the original and oldest building that was completed in 1884. The newer additions -- constructed in the 1920s and 1980s -- house the National Assembly. Cape Town suffered a previous fire in April, when a blaze on the famed Table Mountain which overlooks the city spread, ravaging part of The University of Cape Town's library holding a unique collection of African archives.

Five people were killed and 21 were injured in a bus accident south of Moscow in the early hours of Sunday, Russian authorities said. Russia's Federal Road Traffic Inspection agency said the accident took place at around 5:45 am local time (0245 GMT) in the Ryazan region.  "As a result of the accident five people died. 21 were injured," the agency said on Telegram, adding that two of the injured were under-age. It said the injuries were of "various severity."  The agency said the bus could have hit a pillar by a railroad bridge. The accident took place on a highway near the village of Voslebovo around 270 kilometres (170 miles) south of Moscow, the agency said.  There was a total of 49 passengers onboard, according to authorities.  Police said it had opened a criminal case on violations of traffic rules.

* Anti-apartheid hero won Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 * Lauded by both Black and white South Africans * 'A giant among us, morally and spiritually' * Cathedral illuminated in purple, colour of Tutu's robes (Updates with Ramaphosa quotes, detail) President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "our moral compass and national conscience" as South Africa bade farewell at a state funeral on Saturday to a hero of the struggle against apartheid. "Our departed father was a crusader in the struggle for freedom, for justice, for equality and for peace, not just in South Africa, the country of his birth, but around the world," Ramaphosa said, delivering the main eulogy at the service in St George's Cathedral, Cape Town, where for years Tutu preached against racial injustice. The president then handed over the national flag to Tutu's widow, Nomalizo Leah, known as "Mama Leah". Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1984 for his non-violent opposition to white minority rule, died last Sunday aged 90. His widow sat in a wheelchair in the front row of the congregation, draped in a purple scarf, the colour of her husband's clerical robes. Ramaphosa wore a matching necktie. Cape Town, the city where Tutu lived for most of his later life, was unseasonably rainy early on Saturday as mourners gathered to bid farewell to the man fondly known as "The Arch". The sun shone brightly after the requiem Mass as six white-robed clergy acting as pall bearers wheeled the coffin out of the cathedral to a hearse. Tutu's body will be cremated and then his ashes interred behind the cathedral's pulpit in a private ceremony. "Small in physical stature, he was a giant among us morally and spiritually," said retired Bishop Michael Nuttall, who served as Tutu's deputy for many years. Life-size posters of Tutu, with his hands clasped, were placed outside the cathedral, where the number of congregants was restricted in line with COVID-19 measures. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who leads the global Anglican Communion, said in a recorded message: "People have said 'when we were in the dark, he brought light' and that... has lit up countries globally that are struggling with fear, conflicts, persecution, oppression." Tutu's family members were visibly emotional. His daughter, Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, thanked well-wishers for their support as the Mass began, her voice briefly quivering with emotion. 'RAINBOW NATION' Widely revered across South Africa's racial and cultural divides for his moral integrity, Tutu never stopped fighting for his vision of a "Rainbow Nation" in which all races in post-apartheid South Africa could live in harmony. Hundreds of well-wishers queued on Thursday and Friday to pay their last respects as his body lay in state at the cathedral. As Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu turned St George's into what is known as a "People's Cathedral" a refuge for anti-apartheid activists during the turbulent 1980s and 1990s when security forces brutally repressed the mass democratic movement. A small crowd of around 100 people followed the funeral proceedings on a big screen at the Grand Parade, opposite City Hall where Tutu joined Nelson Mandela when he gave his first speech after being freed from prison. "We have come to give our last respects to our father Tutu. We love our father, who taught us about love, unity and respect for one another,” said Mama Phila, a 54-year-old Rastafarian draped in the green, red and yellow colours of her faith. Mandela, who became the country's first post-apartheid president and who died in December 2013, once said of his friend: "Sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour, Desmond Tutu's voice will always be the voice of the voiceless."

Hong Kong’s health officials said yesterday the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has made its way past some of the world’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions, with the city reporting its first cases outside its strict quarantine system. The findings raise risks that the global financial hub might keep its borders shut well into 2022. It has largely isolated itself from the world hoping in turn to open the border with mainland China for a limited number of business travellers. Hong Kong’s last Covid-19 case tracked outside its quarantine facilities and hotels was discovered in October. Previous infections with the Omicron variant were discovered during quarantines of people returning to Hong Kong. Health Secretary Sophia Chan told reporters one of four air crew members who tested positive after their return to Hong Kong had breached home quarantine rules by going to a restaurant, where he passed the virus to his father and a client sitting at another table. “Omicron is raging around the world ... and it has now found its way into the community,” Chan said. She added that China border reopening preparations continued, but “the priority was handling the pandemic.” Health official Chuang Shuk-kwan told reporters a different airline worker, who tested positive but was previously thought to have stayed at home, had visited a bar in a crowded nightlife district shortly after their latest flight back. Chan said Chief Executive Carrie Lam met with Cathay Pacific Airways officials earlier yesterday to express her dissatisfaction with the breaching of the rules. Cathay said in a statement five of its aircrew had tested positive in recent days and its “investigation into the cases has indicated a serious breach of protocols by some of those individuals,” adding it will initiate disciplinary procedures. “The actions of these individuals are extremely disappointing, as they undermine the otherwise exemplary dedication and compliance shown by our over 10,000 aircrew,” said Andy Wong, general manager of Corporate Affairs. The government this week tightened quarantine rules for air crew, who had been allowed to quarantine at home, unlike most people returning to the city who have to quarantine in hotels for up to 21 days at their own cost. Pilots had expressed worries about their mental health amid prolonged periods of isolation even before the tightening.Cathay said on Thursday the latest tightening had forced it to cancel a significant number of passenger and cargo flights to and from Hong Kong. Hong Kong has been coronavirus-free for extended periods since the pandemic began. But less than 70% of its eligible population, far lower than in other developed cities, have taken two shots of either China’s Sinovac or Germany’s BioNTech vaccines. Only about 5% of people have received a third booster shot. Even three doses of Sinovac’s vaccine do not produce adequate levels of antibodies to fight the Omicron variant, researchers from Hong Kong found.

The new United Nations special envoy to Myanmar yesterday said she was “deeply concerned” by escalating violence in the country and called for a new year ceasefire between the military and its opponents. Nationwide protests against the February coup have been met with a bloody crackdown, with more than 1,300 people killed and over 11,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis led by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have made little headway so far, with the generals refusing to engage with opponents. Special envoy Noeleen Heyzer “is deeply concerned by the continued escalation of violence in Kayin State and other parts of Myanmar”, she said in her first statement since taking on the role. She also called for “all parties to...allow humanitarian assistance to be provided to those in need, including those forced to flee the violence”, and for all sides to come to a new year ceasefire. On Sunday, a UN official said he was “horrified” by credible reports that at least 35 civilians were killed and their bodies burned in an attack on Christmas Eve in eastern Myanmar, and demanded the government launch an investigation. Two workers for non-profit group Save the Children remain missing — their vehicle was among several that were attacked and burned in the incident in Kayah state. “The military reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burned their bodies,” it said in a statement. The charity said yesterday it was still investigating the incident. There have also been fresh clashes in recent days between ethnic rebels and the military in Kayin state — also known as Karen state — sending thousands fleeing into neighbouring Thailand. A junta spokesman said last week that the military had carried out air strikes against Karen National Union fighters and members of local “People’s Defence Force” groups that have sprung up to fight back against the putsch. Singaporean sociologist Heyzer was appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October, replacing Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener. Schraner Burgener had called for the UN to take “very strong measures” against the military to bring the country back to democracy and had been the target of regular broadsides in Myanmar’s state-backed media. Since the coup, the Swiss diplomat had been blocked by the generals from visiting the country, where she had hoped to meet with former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Last week, state media reported the junta had closed her office in the country “since the activities of Christine Schraner Burgener have concluded”. The junta said it had no comment yet in response to questions on whether it would allow Heyzer to open an office, or whether it would let her visit. Meanwhile, a Myanmar junta court yesterday again postponed giving its verdict in Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, a source with knowledge of the case said. The Nobel laureate has been detained since the generals staged a coup against her government on February 1. Suu Kyi, 76, was due to hear the verdict on charges she illegally imported and possessed walkie-talkies - the latest in a catalogue of judgements in a junta court that could see her jailed for the rest of her life. But the judge adjourned the verdict until January 10, a source with knowledge of the case said, without giving details. Earlier this month, Suu Kyi was jailed for four years for incitement against the military and breaching Covid restrictions, in a ruling that was widely condemned by the international community. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing later commuted the term to two years and said she would serve her sentence under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw. Suu Kyi had faced three years in prison if found guilty on the walkie-talkie charges, which stem from the early hours of the coup when soldiers and police raided her house and allegedly found her in possession of the contraband equipment. Suu Kyi is also charged with multiple counts of corruption - each of which is punishable by 15 years in jail - and violating the official secrets act. Journalists have been barred from attending the special court hearings in Naypyidaw and her lawyers were recently banned from speaking to the media

Russian energy giant Gazprom has rejected accusations that Moscow is limiting gas deliveries to Europe and denounced Germany's resale of gas to Poland amid soaring prices. Poland this week accused Moscow of having stopped its deliveries via the Yamal-Europe pipeline that sends Russian gas to Western Europe, accusing Gazprom of "manipulation". The pipeline was operating in reverse mode this week, sending gas from Germany to Poland, public data showed, as European gas prices ticked up. President Vladimir Putin on Friday denied that the flow direction was a political move and said that Poland had "sidelined" Russia in managing the pipeline. "All accusations against Russia and Gazprom that we are not supplying enough gas to the European market are absolutely groundless and unacceptable and untrue," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said late Saturday, calling the accusations "lies".  He said some buyers of Russian gas, in particular Germany and France, have not made additional orders, and slammed the reverse flow of gas that came as "winter is just beginning" as "not the most rational decision."  "I don't even want to talk about the price of such reverse supplies. These prices are significantly higher than the prices for contract volumes set by Gazprom, he said in an interview on state television. "All problems in Western Europe have been created by themselves and there is no need to blame Gazprom for this. It is better to look in the mirror."  Western countries have for weeks accused Russia of limiting gas deliveries to put pressure on Europe amid tensions over the Ukraine conflict and to push through the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline set to ship Russian gas to Germany. Germany's energy ministry, for its part, on Sunday poured cold water on accusations of Russia withholding deliveries.  "Long-term supply contracts, including the Russian ones, are being adhered to and the long-term quantities of gas are arriving in Germany," the ministry told AFP.

A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum some 12 hours to shore Tuesday after their helicopter crashed off the island's northeastern coast, authorities said. A search was still ongoing for two other passengers after the crash Monday, whose cause was not immediately clear, police and port authorities said. Serge Gelle, the country's secretary of state for police, and a fellow policeman reached land in the seaside town of Mahambo separately on Tuesday morning, apparently after ejecting themselves from the aircraft, port authority chief Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina said. In a video shared on social media, 57-year-old Gelle appears lying exhausted on a deck chair, still in his camouflage uniform. "My time to die hasn't come yet," says the general, adding he is cold but not injured. The helicopter was flying him and the others to inspect the site of a shipwreck off the northeastern coast on Monday morning.  At least 39 people died in that disaster, police chief Zafisambatra Ravoavy said Tuesday, in an increase from a previous toll after rescue workers retrieved 18 more bodies. Ravoavy earlier told AFP that Gelle had used one of the helicopter's seats as a flotation device. "He has always had great stamina in sport, and he's kept up this rhythm as minister, just like a thirty-year-old," he said. "He has nerves of steel." Gella became minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle in August after serving in the police for three decades.

New Zealand authorities on Monday said they had linked a 26-year-old man's death to Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) Covid-19 vaccine after the person suffered myocarditis, a rare inflammation of the heart muscle, after taking his first dose. The death is New Zealand's second linked to a known but rare side effect from the vaccine after health authorities in August reported a woman had died after taking her doses. "With the current available information, the board has considered that the myocarditis was probably due to vaccination in this individual," a Covid-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board said in a statement. The man, who died within two weeks of his first dose, had not sought medical advice or treatment for his symptoms. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ's ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms. A Pfizer spokesperson said the company was aware of the report of the death in New Zealand, it monitored all reports of possible adverse events, and continued to believe the benefit-risk profile for its vaccine was positive. New Zealand's vaccine safety board also said another two people, including a 13-year-old, had died with possible myocarditis after taking their vaccinations. More details were needed before linking the child's death to the vaccine, while the death of a man in his 60s was unlikely related to the vaccine, it said. Despite the rare side effects, the vaccine safety board said the benefits of vaccination greatly outweighed the risks.

Turnout was muted yesterday as Hong Kongers cast ballots for city lawmakers under Beijing’s new “patriots only” rules which drastically reduce the number of directly elected seats and control who can run for office. It is the first legislature poll under the new political blueprint China imposed on Hong Kong in response to massive and often violent pro-democracy protests two years ago. All candidates have been vetted for their patriotism and political loyalty to China and only 20 of the 90 legislature seats are being directly elected. The largest chunk of seats - 40 - are being picked by a committee of 1,500 staunch Beijing loyalists. The remaining 30 are chosen by reliably pro-Beijing committees that represent special-interest and industry groups. Polling stations closed at 10.30pm (1430GMT) after 14 hours of voting. The latest figures released by authorities showed only about 1.3mn people - 29% of the electorate - had cast their votes by 9:30pm. In 2016, 53% had cast votes by the same point. As Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam arrived to cast her vote yesterday morning, three protesters from the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats party chanted: “I want genuine universal suffrage”. “(Lam) said this was an improvement of the electoral system, but in reality, it stripped Hong Kongers of their right to vote,” activist Chan Po-ying told reporters. The government bought up newspaper front pages and billboards, sent flyers to every household, pinged mobile phones with reminders to vote and made public transport free for the day. Senior Chinese officials also called for Hong Kongers to vote.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar yesterday found deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of charges of incitement and breaching coronavirus restrictions, drawing international condemnation of what critics described as a “sham trial”. Suu Kyi is set to serve two years in detention at an undisclosed location, a sentence reduced from four years after a partial pardon from the country’s military chief, state TV reported. President Win Myint was also initially sentenced to four years as the court delivered its first verdicts in numerous cases against Suu Kyi, who led the former civilian government in the role of state counsellor, and other leaders ousted by the military in a coup on February 1. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup against Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government led to widespread protests and raised international concern about the end of tentative political reforms following decades of military rule. Suu Kyi’s supporters say the cases against her are baseless and designed to end her political career and tie her up in legal proceedings while the military consolidates power. Her conviction had been widely expected in Myanmar. Demonstrators in the largest city, Yangon, risked arrest to stage a flash protest following the verdict yesterday. Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the coup, along with most senior leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Others are abroad or in hiding. “The conviction of the state counsellor following a sham trial in secretive proceedings before a military-controlled court is nothing but politically motivated,” UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in comments echoed by the European Union and others. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the conviction was “unjust” and called for the release of Suu Kyi and other detained elected officials. A military spokesman did not respond to attempts to reach him for comment on the sentencing, which was widely reported in domestic media. The military has not given details of where Suu Kyi — who spent years under house arrest due to her opposition to military rule before becoming Myanmar’s leader — is being detained. She is due to remain at that location to serve her sentence, MRTV reported, suggesting she will not be sent to prison. The trial in the capital Naypyitaw has been closed to the media and the junta’s public information outlets have not mentioned the proceedings. Suu Kyi’s lawyers have been barred from communicating with the media and public. Suu Kyi faces a dozen cases that include multiple corruption charges plus violations of a state secrets act, a telecoms law and Covid-19 regulations, which carry combined maximum sentences of more than a century in prison. Suu Kyi and co-defendant Win Myint received terms of two years for incitement and the same term for breaches of coronavirus protocols, before state media announced that both had their terms halved in a pardon. They had denied the charges. Western countries have demanded Suu Kyi’s release and criticised the violence since the coup in which some 1,300 people have been killed, according to rights groups. Liz Truss, Britain’s foreign minister, said Suu Kyi’s sentencing was “another appalling attempt by Myanmar’s military regime to stifle opposition and suppress freedom and democracy”. The European Union’s top diplomat condemned the verdict as “politically motivated” and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar. China, which has long had good relations with the military as well as Suu Kyi’s government, urged all parties to “bridge their differences”, while Japan, a major investor in Myanmar, said the verdict was an “unfavourable development”. In a rare statement of condemnation, the chair of Norway’s Nobel Prize awards committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, said the legal process had “low credibility’ and the conviction was part of the military’s suppression of the opposition.

Myanmar's junta jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday for four years for incitement against the military and breaching Covid rules, a government spokesman told AFP, the first of a series of possible sentences that could see the Nobel laureate imprisoned for decades. Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals ousted her government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country's brief period of democracy. She has since been hit with a series of charges, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud, and she faces decades in jail if convicted on all counts. On Monday Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years for incitement against the military and another two years for breaching a natural disaster law relating to Covid, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP by phone. Former president Win Myint was also jailed for four years on the same charges, he said, but added they would not yet be taken to prison. "They will face other charges from the places where they are staying now", he added, referring to their detention in the capital of Naypyidaw but without giving further details. Journalists have been barred from proceedings in the special court in Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi's lawyers were recently banned from speaking to the media. In recent weeks, the trials of other ranking members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy have wrapped up, with the junta doling out harsh sentences. A former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail this month, while a close Suu Kyi aide was jailed for 20.   - 'Retribution' - Amnesty International immediately condemned the sentences against Suu Kyi. "The harsh sentences handed down to Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the military’s determination to eliminate all opposition and suffocate freedoms in Myanmar," said Amnesty deputy regional director for Campaigns Ming Yu Hah. "The court’s farcical and corrupt decision is part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has seen more than 1,300 people killed and thousands arrested since the military coup in February."  International Crisis Group's Myanmar senior advisor Richard Horsey also told AFP the sentences "were about retribution and a show of power by the military". "It would be surprising, though, if she were sent to prison. More likely, she'll serve out this and subsequent terms at her house or a regime 'guest house'." The military, which has dominated life in Myanmar for decades, has defended its coup, claiming fraud allegations in last year's general election, which Suu Kyi's party won comfortably. International pressure on the junta to restore democracy swiftly has shown no sign of knocking the generals off course, and bloody clashes with anti-coup protesters continue across the country. 

Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to hear the verdict in her incitement trial tomorrow, the first in a catalogue of judgements to be handed down in a junta court that could jail her for decades. The Nobel laureate has been detained since the generals ousted her government in the early hours of February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude. More than 1,200 people have been killed and over 10,000 arrested in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. Suu Kyi faces three years in jail if found guilty of incitement against the military — just one of the charges that analysts say are aimed at removing the democracy icon from the political arena for good. But the junta’s plans for Suu Kyi remain unknown, they add, and authorities could also delay the verdict. Journalists have been barred from proceedings in the special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw and her lawyers are banned from speaking to the media. Days after the coup Suu Kyi was hit with obscure charges for possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, and for violating coronavirus restrictions during elections her National League for Democracy (NLD) won in 2020. The junta has steadily added a slew of other indictments, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud. Suu Kyi now appears most weekdays at the junta courtroom, with her legal team saying last month the hectic schedule was taking a toll on the 76-year-old’s health. “I think it’s almost certain Suu Kyi will get a harsh sentence,” said David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in Myanmar. “The question is what will her incarceration look like?...will she get average convict treatment in a crowded women’s cell block, or privilege in a VIP statehouse?” Suu Kyi’s long spells of house arrest under a previous junta were spent at her family’s colonial-era mansion in Yangon, where she would appear before thousands gathered on the other side of her garden fence. Min Aung Hlaing’s regime has confined her to an undisclosed location in the isolated capital, along with a small staff. Her link to the outside world has been limited to brief pre-trial meetings with her lawyers, who have brought her news and relayed messages to her supporters. At her first court appearance, she used them to send a message of defiance, vowing the NLD would endure and asking the party faithful to remain united. On her 76th birthday in June supporters across the country posted pictures on social media of themselves with flowers in their hair — long a signature Suu Kyi look. Two days later, her legal team passed on a message from Suu Kyi thanking them for the gesture. But in October her team were hit with a gag order after they relayed vivid testimony from deposed president Win Myint describing how he rejected a military offer to resign to save himself during the coup. Meanwhile, the trials of other ranking members of Suu Kyi’s NLD have wrapped up, with the junta doling out harsh sentences. A former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail earlier this month, while a close Suu Kyi aide was jailed for 20. The generals could later reduce any sentence pronounced on the higher-profile Suu Kyi, said Mathieson, although he cautioned against expecting clemency from the junta and its leader.

A night-time curfew entered into force in the Solomon Islands’ restive capital Honiara yesterday, after a third day of violence that saw the prime minister’s home come under attack and swathes of the city reduced to smouldering ruins. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to scatter rioters who marched on the house of embattled leader Manasseh Sogavare in the east of the usually sleepy seaside capital. The mob set fire to at least one nearby building before being driven back towards the city centre, reporters said. Later, freshly arrived Australian police and soldiers moved to restore order, protecting critical infrastructure and providing a highly visible and heavily armed presence on the streets. As rain fell in the early evening, local authorities moved to stamp out the embers of violence, declaring a night-time curfew in Honiara that will remain in force “until revoked”. Mobs had ignored an earlier 36-hour lockdown, with thousands of people — some brandishing axes and knives — roaming through the city’s Chinatown, Point Cruz and business districts, according media correspondents on the scene. The explosion of violence is partly a result of frustrations with Sogavare’s government and chronic unemployment — made worse by a two-year-old pandemic. “Most people are barely getting one meal a day, there are no tourists and very little economic stimulus,” Douglas Kelson, chief officer at St John Ambulance Service, said. “People do things they normally wouldn’t when they are hungry,” Kelson said, though he had seen very few injuries. After three days of mayhem, large areas of the capital were charred by the flames even if the rioters ignited fewer blazes than on previous days. The scorched-black shells of buildings lined one fire-scarred street and three incinerated trucks were left stranded in the road as young men walked past. “We are living in fear,” resident Josephine Teakeni said. “At the moment it is very hard... children will be missing out from schools, lots of mothers will be jobless.” Solomon Islands Red Cross secretary general Clement Manuri said Australian police had helped to disperse rioters armed with rocks outside his office. Many of those in the streets lived in informal settlements near Chinatown and had been drinking alcohol, Manuri said. In Chinatown itself, a large warehouse was set alight yesterday, causing an explosion that sent scores of people fleeing from the scene in panic. A tobacco warehouse was also torched as smoke from previous days’ fires cast parts of the devastated city of 80,000 people in an acrid haze. The overrun Royal Solomon Islands Police Force said they had made just two arrests, despite two police stations being among the many buildings burned. The roughly 100 Australian peacekeepers arrived overnight, just hours after Sogavare begged neighbours for urgent help. In a letter Sogavare told his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape that “certain elements” had “attempted to overthrow a democratically elected government” and called for peacekeepers to be sent for a “period of three to four weeks”. Papua New Guinea agreed to send 34 peacekeepers to help staunch the violence. In an address to the nation Sogavare told citizens the Solomons had been “brought to its knees” by the rioting, but vowed to resist calls for his resignation.

Security services in Kyrgyzstan said Friday they had detained 15 "active members" of a coup plot involving lawmakers and former officials ahead of a parliamentary vote at the weekend. The detained were part of a plan to get "1,000 aggressive young people" to protest the results of the vote, the state committee for national security said in a statement. "After the announcement of the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections...this group planned to organise mass protests in (the capital) Bishkek and subsequently to aggravate the situation, provoking clashes with the forces of law and order and further violent seizure of power," the statement said. Security services "obtained irrefutable evidence of the criminal activity of a group of persons under the leadership of certain destructive political forces, including deputies of the (parliament) and former high-ranking officials." Without naming the detained, the committee also said it had "found and seized firearms, ammunition and drugs" in a raid on the alleged group's office. Kyrgyzstan, a poor, mountainous Central Asian country which has seen three presidents overthrown since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, hopes to avoid further instability from the first parliamentary vote since unrest brought the current leader, Sadyr Japarov, to power last year. - Independent candidates excluded -After rising to the presidency from a prison cell during the last post-vote crisis, Japarov pledged to hold free and fair elections. But electoral authorities have already excluded one candidate and fined another, both of whom are regarded as independent voices in the outgoing parliament. The president was serving a sentence for hostage-taking prior to his release amid the protests over alleged vote-buying by pro-government parties last year. He has always insisted that the charges were a punishment for his campaign to nationalise a key gold mine upon which the largely resource-poor economy depends. The new administration moved in May to seize the Kumtor mine from the Canadian company that controlled it, Centerra Gold, citing environmental violations. Centerra, whose operations at Kumtor accounted for 12.5 percent of Kyrgyzstan's gross domestic product in 2020, has denied the claims and is contesting the seizure in an international court. Japarov's critics have said the head of state is repeating the mistakes of his predecessors by arresting potential rivals after overseeing constitutional changes that strengthened his position. Kyrgyzstan hosts a Russian military base and looks to next-door China for loans and investments. Experts say it is unclear however how much trust the new government enjoys from Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin registered distaste at the street protests and sudden overthrow of then-president Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

Myanmar's junta has charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with committing electoral fraud during the 2020 polls, state media reported Tuesday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup in February sparked nationwide protests and a deadly crackdown on dissent.  Detained since the putsch, Suu Kyi, 76, faces a raft of charges including illegally importing walkie talkies, sedition and corruption, and faces decades in jail if convicted. The latest charges entail "election fraud and lawless actions", state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported, without giving details on when court proceedings would begin. Fifteen other officials -- including former president Win Myint and the former chairman of the election commission -- face the same charge, the report added.  Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party (NLD) saw its support increase in the 2020 vote compared to the 2015 election, trouncing a military-aligned party. But the junta has cited fraud during the poll as its reason for seizing power and ending Myanmar's democratic interlude.  In July, it cancelled the results of the polls, announcing it had uncovered more than 11 million instances of voter irregularities. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said fresh elections would be held and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, extending the military's initial timeline given when it seized power. In a report on the 2020 polls, the Asian Network for Free Elections monitoring group had said it was "by and large, representative of the will of the people".   - 'Deep concern' -     "The junta is using spurious claims of electoral fraud as a key justification for its coup," International Crisis Group's Myanmar senior advisor Richard Horsey told AFP. "Having failed after much effort to identify more than a handful of people who voted twice, it is now going after NLD leaders," he said.  "But Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD had overwhelming support from voters, so guilty verdicts will convince no one." The junta has threatened to dissolve the NLD and last month jailed Win Htein, a close Suu Kyi aide and high-ranking leader, to 20 years on treason charges. Suu Kyi is already on trial for flouting coronavirus restrictions while campaigning ahead of the election. Journalists have been barred from attending proceedings at the special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw, and the junta recently muzzled her legal team from speaking to the media.   Suu Kyi appeared for the latest hearing in her trial for allegedly importing and possessing illegal walkie talkies on Monday, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.  A verdict for her trial on breaching Covid-19 regulations is expected in December. She faces three years in jail if found guilty.  Last week, the UN Security Council expressed its "deep concern" about the unrest in Myanmar and called for an "immediate cessation of violence" and for efforts to ensure that civilians are not harmed. More than 10,000 people have been arrested since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.

New Zealand beefed up security measures at its parliament on Tuesday as thousands of people gathered to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and government lockdowns aimed at controlling the pandemic. All but two entrances to the parliament building, known as the Beehive, were closed off in unprecedented security measures, as mostly unmasked protesters marched through central Wellington and congregated outside parliament. While the demonstration was peaceful, many people were seen holding signs and placards with messages like ‘Freedom’ and ‘Kiwis are not lab rats’ and shouting slogans as they demanded the government roll back compulsory vaccination and lift restrictions. Placards showing support to former US President Donald Trump and slamming the media as ‘fake’ and lying were also displayed. "I will not be coerced and I will not be forced into taking something I don't want in my body," a protester said outside parliament. "I'm asking (the government) to give us back 2018. Simple as that. I want my freedoms back." New Zealand has struggled to fight off a highly infectious outbreak of the Delta variant this year, forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to move from its strategy of elimination through lockdowns to living with the virus with higher vaccinations. Ardern last month said the country would require teachers and workers in the health and disability sectors to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, inviting criticism from people calling for more freedoms and for ending mandatory vaccine requirements. "Treat us like people!" another protester exclaimed when asked about the government's stance on mandating the vaccine. "I'm here for freedom. The government, what they're doing, is anti-freedom." Speaking to reporters inside parliament, Ardern said: "What we saw today was not representative of the vast bulk of New Zealanders." But the prime minister has been facing growing political pressure and public protests to ease pandemic measures ahead of the Christmas holidays. She plans to travel to Auckland on Wednesday when the lockdown measures enforced on the city nearly three months ago eases. She is expected to face more protests during her visit. New Zealand still has among the lowest Covid-19 cases in the world with under 8,000 cases reported so far and 32 deaths. It reported 125 new cases on Tuesday and its total double-dose vaccination rate had reached nearly 80% of its eligible population.

Global Covid-19 cases surpassed 250 million on Monday as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism. The daily average number of cases has fallen by 36% over the past three months, according to a Reuters analysis, but the virus is still infecting 50 million people every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. By contrast, it took nearly a year to record the first 50 million Covid-19 cases. Health experts are optimistic that many nations have put the worst of the pandemic behind them thanks to vaccines and natural exposure, although they caution that colder weather and upcoming holiday gatherings could increase cases. "We think between now and the end of 2022, this is the point where we get control over this virus ... where we can significantly reduce severe disease and death," Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist leading the World Health Organisation, told Reuters on Nov. 3. Infections are still rising in 55 out of 240 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Greece at or near record levels of reported cases since the pandemic started two years ago, according to a Reuters analysis. Eastern Europe has among the lowest vaccination rates in the region. More than half of all new infections reported worldwide were from countries in Europe, with a million new infections about every four days, according to the analysis. Several Russian regions said this week they could impose additional restrictions or extend a workplace shutdown as the country witnesses record deaths due to the disease.  

Health officials in Georgia sounded the alarm Wednesday over the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations, after some 17,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had to be destroyed because they expired. The Black Sea nation is in the midst of a devastating new wave of the pandemic despite vaccines being widely available. The country of 3.7 million people saw record numbers of daily cases this week, with 6,024 new infections on Wednesday, and was the country with the fifth-highest number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the week to Tuesday, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. Overall Georgia has reported nearly 733,000 cases and more than 10,000 deaths.  "The government has made available a wide choice of internationally approved Covid-19 vaccines, but the rollout has slowed significantly since the summer," the deputy director of Georgia's National Centre for Disease Control, Paata Imnadze, told AFP. "As a result, we were forced to destroy 17,000 expired AstraZeneca vaccines." If the trend is not reversed, "we will soon face... a sharp increase in mortality," Imnadze said. This summer the ex-Soviet republic's government set up vaccination points in shopping malls and sent medical brigades to villages to speed up the rollout. The finance ministry in September launched a lottery in which cash prizes are awarded to both partially and fully vaccinated people. But many health professionals have criticised the government's efforts as insufficient. "There was practically no information campaign to raise awareness about the vaccination's importance and safety," the head of the critical medicine department at the Tbilisi-based New Hospital, Vakho Kaloyan, told AFP. Only a third of Georgia's population has been vaccinated with at least one dose since the country began a national coronavirus vaccine drive in March. Georgia received a donation of some 43,000 doses of AstraZeneca through the UN's mechanism for vaccine distributions, Covax, as well as 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States.

Thailand, Australia and Israel yesterday eased international border restrictions significantly for the first time in 18 months, offering a broad test of demand for travel worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic. The relaxation contrasts with tightening lockdowns elsewhere, notably in eastern Europe where infections have hit record numbers, and in parts of China, which has taken a zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic despite relatively few cases. Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the Southeast Asian nation approved visitors from more than 60 countries, including China and the US. Several European nations are also on the list as Thailand, one of Asia’s most popular destinations, looks to capitalise on northern hemisphere visitors keen to escape the winter blues. Those hopes appeared to pay off early, with German tourist Simon Raithel and a group of friends among the first to arrive. “Right now, in Europe, it’s quite cold,” said Raithel, 41, who planned to head to islands in the Thai south. “We just picked this flight and it is quite surprising that we are the first flight to arrive.” In Sydney, hundreds of citizens were greeted by family and friends as they became the first to arrive from abroad without a permit or the need to quarantine since April 2020. “(It’s a) little bit scary and exciting,” said Ethan Carter, who flew in from Los Angeles. “I’ve come home to see my mum ‘cause she’s not well.” While travel is initially limited to just a few states and to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and New Zealand nationals, it heralds a plan to re-open to international tourists and workers, both much needed to reinvigorate a fatigued nation.