World News Roundup: Britain's Prince Philip dies; Myanmar junta says protests against its rule and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

'My romance, your adultery': South Koreans' sarcasm over hypocrisy follows Moon into final year

South Koreans disillusioned with President Moon Jae-in's ruling Democratic Party had a single word, to sum up their disgust with political leaders they perceive as hypocritical and inept. "Naeronambul" translates to "If I do it, it's a romance. If you do it, it's adultery."

Russia, China say Iran talks to resume next week, see progress

Envoys from China and Russia to the Iran nuclear talks said on Friday there had been progressing in efforts to bring Iran and the United States back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and that all sides would reconvene next week. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, which lifted economic sanctions on Iran in return for curbs to its nuclear program. He reimposed U.S. sanctions, prompting Iran in turn to violate the accord's atomic limits.

Britain's Prince Philip dies, spent seven decades at Queen Elizabeth's side

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband and a pivotal figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was officially known, had been by his wife's side throughout her 69-year reign, the longest in British history. During that time he earned a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes.

Northern Irish leaders struggle to quell worst violence in years

Northern Ireland's power-sharing government put aside factional differences on Thursday to call for calm after frustration among pro-British unionists over post-Brexit trade barriers helped trigger some of the worst violence in the region in years. Despite the appeals, clashes spread further into Irish nationalist areas on Thursday night where police responded to petrol bomb and stone attacks with water cannon. The White House joined the British and Irish governments in urging calm.

Myanmar junta says protests against its rule are dwindling

Myanmar's military junta said on Friday that a protest campaign against its rule was dwindling since people wanted peace, while 18 ambassadors to the country called in a joint statement for the restoration of democracy. The junta will hold elections within two years and hand over power to the elected government, military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw.

Countries emphasise importance of AstraZeneca shot as they look to alternatives

Australia said on Friday it had ordered more alternatives for the AstraZeneca vaccine, setting back its vaccination rollout, and Hong Kong delayed deliveries of the shot amid concern about a possible very small risk of rare blood clots. The Australian decision effectively puts paid to plans to have its entire population vaccinated by the end of October, highlighting the delicate public health balancing act the issue has created.

Prince Philip was the gruff figure at heart of Britain's monarchy

A blunt-speaking naval officer who as Queen Elizabeth's dutiful consort helped modernize the British monarchy, Prince Philip might be best remembered for his gruff public persona. Outspoken and irascible, Philip lived in the shadow of the woman he married at Westminster Abbey in 1947 and always walked a step behind the queen at the thousands of ceremonial events they attended during her reign, the longest in British history.

China in touch with 'all parties' in Myanmar, embassy says

China's embassy in Yangon said on Friday it had been in touch with "all parties" in military-ruled Myanmar when asked about a report that a diplomat had spoken to a parallel government representing Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted administration. A counselor from the embassy spoke by phone with members of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) last week in the first contact between Chinese officials and the group since the military's Feb. 1 coup, the Irrawaddy news service reported this week.

Families thwart COVID-19 patient transfers as third wave grips France

In March, emergency room doctor Frederic Adnet needed to move COVID-19 patients from his fast-filling Paris hospital to less hard-hit regions of France to free up beds, but unlike during the first wave last year the transfers weren't happening.

It was a scene playing out across the French capital and other virus hotspots, mainly because families were now refusing to give consent, interviews with Adnet and half a dozen other emergency room and ICU doctors reveal.

Under pressure over Xinjiang, China takes aim at overseas Uighurs, academics

At a crowded press event on Friday in Beijing, Chinese officials aired a video of a thin Uighur man with a shaved head, wearing an oversized uniform and speaking directly to the camera. "I will try my best to change myself and receive the leniency of the party and the government," says the man, Erkin Tursun, a former TV producer who, the officials said, is serving a 20-year sentence in Xinjiang on charges of "inciting ethnic hatred, ethnic discrimination and covering up crimes".