World News Roundup: Two journalists jailed for two years; Canada's slow-burn vaccine roll out and more

Senator Leila de Lima, who has spent four years in prison since she led an investigation into alleged summary executions during Duterte's signature war on drugs, said the court's decision showed the charges against her were "trumped-up" by the Duterte administration.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Two journalists jailed for two years in Belarus for filming protests

A Belarusian court sentenced two Belarusian journalists from Poland-based TV news channel Belsat who filmed protests against President Alexander Lukashenko to two years in prison on Thursday. Katsiaryna Andreyeva, 27, and Darya Chultsova, 23, were detained in an apartment in November from where they had been filming protests taking place over the death of a protester who was killed several days earlier.

Canada's slow-burn vaccine roll out puts pressure on Trudeau

Canada's COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on the same day in December as the United States, but it now lags dozens of countries, including its southern neighbor, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is feeling the pressure. Canada's lack of domestic vaccine production is at the root of the problem, forcing the country to depend on foreign companies with production abroad.

Kremlin says European court's call to free Navalny is unacceptable meddling

The Kremlin said on Thursday that a call by the European Court of Human Rights for Russia to free jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny amounted to meddling in its internal affairs and that Moscow viewed that as unacceptable. The Strasbourg-based court ruled on Wednesday that Russia should immediately free Navalny, whose arrest and jailing sparked anti-Kremlin protests in cities across Russia.

Former Olympic athlete Hashimoto chosen as head of Tokyo 2020 organisers

Japanese athlete-turned-politician Seiko Hashimoto has been chosen as president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising committee, replacing a man who resigned after setting off a furore with sexist remarks. Hashimoto, who competed in seven Summer and Winter Olympics as a cyclist and a skater, now faces a raft of tough issues at the helm of one of the world's biggest sporting events with less than half a year before its delayed start.

Bomb blast kills university professor in Afghan capital: police

A Kabul University professor was killed when a bomb hit his car in Afghanistan's capital on Thursday, police officials said, the first attack in days after a series of such incidents in recent weeks. Mubasher Muslimyar, an Islamic law professor, was killed in Kabul along with another person, said Ferdaws Faramarz, a police spokesman. The identity of the second individual killed was not immediately known, but media reports said he was a professor too.

Thai PM's aide files complaint accusing lawmaker of insulting king

An aide to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday filed a criminal complaint accusing an opposition lawmaker of insulting the king, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Thailand has seen a sharp increase in use of the "lese majeste" law since youth-led street protests last year broke a taboo by demanding reform of the powerful monarchy.

Lebanese court removes judge from Beirut port blast probe: lawyer

A Lebanese court decided on Thursday to remove investigating judge Fadi Sawan from the Beirut port blast probe, Youssef Lahoud, the lawyer who represents around 1,400 victims of the explosion, told Reuters. Judge Fadi Sawan had charged three ex-ministers and caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab with negligence over the huge explosion, the largest non-nuclear blast in history, that occurred on Aug. 4 and further exacerbated strains on a country struggling with its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Protesters out again in Myanmar, police use water cannon in capital

Protesters demonstrated across Myanmar again on Thursday to denounce the Feb. 1 military coup and arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and police forcefully dispersed crowds, using water cannon in the capital and catapults in a northern town. The daily protests and strikes that have paralysed many government offices show no sign of easing even though the junta has promised a new election and appealed for civil servants to return to work, threatening action if they do not.

Jailed Duterte rival celebrates 'moral victory' after court dismisses case

A jailed critic of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday hailed as a "moral victory" a court's dismissal of one of three cases against her, which stem from the president's allegations she prospered from illicit drugs under the previous government. Senator Leila de Lima, who has spent four years in prison since she led an investigation into alleged summary executions during Duterte's signature war on drugs, said the court's decision showed the charges against her were "trumped-up" by the Duterte administration.

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai denied another bid for bail in national security case

Hong Kong's High Court denied another bail application on Thursday to media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, the most high-profile person to be charged under the Chinese-ruled city's national security law. The Court of Final Appeal ruled last week that a lower court's decision last year to grant him bail applied "an erroneous line of reasoning," but allowed Lai's team to make a new application for bail to the High Court.