Myanmar's security forces killed nearly 90 people in the bloodiest day since the military seized power, a monitoring group said Saturday, as the junta staged a major show of might for its annual Armed Forces Day. The nation has been in turmoil since the generals ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February, triggering a major uprising demanding a return to democracy.The country's capital Naypyidaw saw a grand parade of troops and military vehicles in the

Health officials have rolled out more than 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses around the world, according to an AFP tally on Friday, as European rows over hoarding and supply issues escalated dramatically.Despite the huge effort to get jabs into arms, the pandemic is still surging in Europe and Latin America – where Brazil has now passed 300,000 deaths and Mexico 200,000.And the rollout of vaccines is chronically unequal, with the United States (US) accounting for more than a quarter of th

A giant container ship, almost as long as New York's Empire State Building is high, got stuck during a sandstorm Tuesday in Egypt's Suez Canal, causing a traffic jam of cargo ships through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.Here is what we know so far:What Happened?The 400-metre (1,300-foot) long, 200,000-tonne MV Ever Given, from the class of so-called "megaships", veered off course in the canal while a gale-force dust storm hit Egypt's Sinai Desert and m

It’s hard to tell whether the Philippine government intentionally sought to mark exactly one year since the 2020 Metro Manila COVID-19 lockdown by tightening quarantine restrictions once again, first on 15 March, and then further on 22 March.New COVID-19 cases have been piling up at an alarming rate recently, with the capital as the epicentre, home to roughly a tenth of the national population.City mayors, with the backing of the administration, resolved to impose stricter checkpoints, a 10:0

Strung across remote mountain settlements, a secret network of activists and volunteers is helping spirit hundreds of defecting Myanmar policemen away from the military’s brutal crackdown on dissent and into relative safety in a small north-eastern Indian state.Their escape – by car, motorcycle and on foot through densely forested terrain – is often guided by volunteer-led groups on both sides of the border, according to accounts from at least 10 people who are involved in the loose-knit netw

United States (US) President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would prevent China from passing the US to become the most powerful country in the world, vowing to invest heavily to ensure America prevails in the race between the world’s two largest economies.Biden said he had spent “hours upon hours” with Xi Jinping when he served as vice president under former President Barack Obama, and was convinced the Chinese president believed autocracy – not democracy – held the key to the future.The Democ

The family of a young girl killed in her home by Myanmar's security forces say they have gone into hiding and dare not return for fear of being targeted by the military.Khin Myo Chit was shot dead in her father's arms after security forces kicked down the door to their home in the city of Mandalay on Tuesday. She is the youngest victim yet in the military's post-coup crackdown.

United States (US) President Joe Biden said Thursday his "expectation" is to run for re-election in 2024, an apparent effort to douse speculation that the oldest person to assume the office will step down after a single term.The Democratic president also attacked Republican efforts to limit voting, describing the actions in dozens of states that would make it more difficult for millions of people to cast ballots as "sick" and "un-American."In his first extended g

The Philippine military ordered the deployment of more navy ships to the South China Sea Thursday amid a growing diplomatic row over a fleet of Chinese boats parked near a disputed reef.China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and was accused by the United States (US) this week of efforts to "intimidate and provoke others" by parking its vessels near Whitsun Reef.Manila has ordered Beijing to recall 183 boats at the boomerang-shaped reef around 320 kilometres (175

The health officials were racing against the clock. Doses of the coronavirus vaccine had to reach Sabang, a city on the mountainous Weh Island in the Andaman Sea, by that afternoon.