World News Roundup Air strikes kill residents in Yemen; Unofficial Hong Kong vote and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 16-07-2020 08:55 IST | Created: 15-07-2020 18:33 IST
World News Roundup Air strikes kill residents in Yemen; Unofficial Hong Kong vote and more
Image Credit: Freepik

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Air strikes kill civilians in Yemen's al-Jawf province, residents say

Air strikes on Yemen's northern province of al-Jawf killed at least seven civilians on Wednesday, residents and an official from the Houthi movement said - the third such incident since June as violence resurges in the war-ravaged country. The Houthi health ministry spokesman said air raids by a Saudi-led coalition hit residential houses in the al-Hazm district, killing nine people including two children and two women. Two residents told Reuters seven people had been killed.

UN warns of dangerous drop in vaccinations during COVID pandemic

Levels of childhood immunisations against dangerous diseases such as measles, tetanus and diphtheria have dropped alarmingly during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting millions of children at risk, United Nations agencies said on Wednesday. "The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunisations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself," World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a joint report with UNICEF.

Poetic justice? Toppled slaver's statue replaced by one of Black protester in UK

A sculpture of a Black protester with her fist raised in the air has been erected in a stealthy night-time operation in place of a 17th Century English slave trader whose statue was toppled by anti-racism demonstrators in the port city of Bristol. Edward Colston, who made a fortune from trading in West African slaves, was pulled down and thrown in the harbour of the city in southwest England last month by protesters demonstrating in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Unofficial Hong Kong vote sees new generation take over battle for democracy

A younger, more defiant generation of Hong Kong democrats has secured the most votes in unofficial primary elections in the Chinese-ruled city, setting the stage for a battle with pro-Beijing politicians for control of the city's legislature. The success of young contenders in the primaries organised by the pro-democracy camp on the weekend to pick candidates for a Sept. 6 election for a 70-seat city assembly comes amid widespread resentment of a national security law that Beijing imposed last month.

Special Report: Drug cartel ‘narco-antennas’ make life dangerous for Mexico’s cell tower repairmen

The young technician shut off the electricity at a cellular tower in rural Mexico to begin some routine maintenance. Within 10 minutes, he had company: three armed men dressed in fatigues emblazoned with the logo of a major drug cartel.

New York Times to move part of Hong Kong office to Seoul in wake of security law

The New York Times will shift part of its Hong Kong office to Seoul, the latest sign of the chill spreading in the global financial centre just two weeks after Beijing imposed a new national security law. The Times said its employees have faced challenges securing work permits and it would move its digital team of journalists, roughly a third of its Hong Kong staff, to the South Korean capital over the next year.

Coronavirus resurgence sidelines Israel's annexation planning

A coronavirus resurgence in Israel and divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have sidelined its plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, officials said. Although the conservative Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz, his centrist coalition partner, agreed the government could begin moving on annexation as of July 1, there has been "close to zero" cabinet-level discussion on the issue, one senior minister told Reuters.

China says those who see China as hostile are wrong

China's envoy to Britain said on Wednesday that those who see China as a hostile state have got it all wrong and cautioned European Union states not to interfere in China's domestic affairs over Hong Kong. "Those who see China as systematic rival or as a potentially hostile state have got it all wrong - they have chosen the wrong target and they are heading in the wrong direction," Ambassador Liu Xiaoming told the Centre for European Reform.

Tokyo declares coronavirus red alert as situation 'rather severe'

Tokyo raised its coronavirus alert to the highest "red" level on Wednesday, alarmed by a recent spike in daily new cases to record highs, with Governor Yuriko Koike describing the situation in the Japanese capital as "rather severe". The resurgence of the virus in Tokyo could add to the growing pressure on policymakers to shore up the world's No.3 economy, which analysts say is set to shrink at its fastest pace in decades this fiscal year due to the pandemic.

China vows retaliation after Trump ends preferential status for Hong Kong

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law to punish China for what he called "oppressive actions" against the former British colony, prompting Beijing to warn of retaliatory sanctions. Citing China's decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong, Trump signed an executive order that he said would end the preferential economic treatment for the city.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback