Asia
MANILA TIMES. On the evening of April 4, Philippine authorities issued an evacuation order for coastal residents on a Philippine island after a strong earthquake occurred off the coast of Luzon.
BANGKOK POST. About 2.37 million passengers , both domestic and international, are expected to travel through six airports under the management of the Airports Authority of Thailand (AOT) during the Songkran holiday next week, up 137 percent from last year.
TEMPO. Indonesia's Covid-19 task force warned of an increasing trend in Covid-19 cases as the country recorded 616 new cases , bringing the total number of cases to 6,748,308.
JAKARTA POST. Indonesia's anti-corruption agency has arrested Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a senior tax official, on corruption charges in a case that has shaken public confidence in tax officials and sparked calls for a tax boycott.
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| Rafael Alun Trisambodo is accused of receiving about $90,000 in kickbacks from taxpayers through a consulting firm he set up to resolve tax disputes. (Source: Antara) |
XINHUA. China is ready to engage in dialogue with the EU on resolving the Ukraine crisis and hopes the bloc will demonstrate strategic independence on the issue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.
CHINA DAILY. China's Evergrande real estate group has reached a debt restructuring agreement with international creditors, which could help the group deal with its huge debt.
YONHAP. South Korea will start issuing electronic identification documents and using them on mobile devices in the second half of 2024.
IRNA. Iran and Saudi Arabia are planning to open a joint trade office, Keyvan Kashefi, executive board member of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), announced.
TIMES OF ISRAEL. On Twitter, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak admitted that Israel possesses nuclear weapons - information that the Jewish State has never publicly confirmed, despite much speculation.
Europe
NAVAL NEWS. Belgium and the Netherlands have announced an order for four frigates (two for each country), for a total of more than 4 billion Euros, much higher than initial estimates.
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| The purchase of four frigates is seen as a milestone and is expected to form the backbone of the two countries' navies in the coming decade. (Source: EDR) |
REUTERS. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will arrive in Moscow today, April 5, for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
EURO NEWS. The Swedish Security Service has announced the arrest of five suspects in connection with the Koran burning protests in Stockholm earlier this year.
REUTERS. The US Department of Defense announced information about a new military aid package worth 2.6 billion USD for Ukraine, including ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), artillery shells and small arms.
DW. Germany could follow Italy's lead and block the ChatGPT chatbot's operations over data security concerns, according to German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection Ulrich Kelber.
CNN. At least one person was killed and 30 others were injured in a serious train accident that occurred early on April 4 in the southern Netherlands.
BBC. The UK government's cyber security force is stepping up cyber attacks against terrorism, as well as preventing the spread of fake news and attempts to interfere in elections in the country.
CNBC. British billionaire Richard Branson's satellite launch company Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy after failing to find a long-term source of funding to recover from a failed launch in January.
America
CNN. Donald Trump became the first former US President to be indicted on 34 counts, after being indicted by a Manhattan Grand Jury last week in the hush money case against porn actress Stormy Daniels.
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| Mr. Donald Trump appeared before the authorities, was arrested and prosecuted in New York Court on April 4. (Source: BBC) |
AP. US President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for the state of California to boost federal assistance after it suffered a series of severe snowstorms.
REUTERS. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the US military has killed a senior commander of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization in Syria.
CNBC. Two companies World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Endeavor, which operate in the fields of entertainment, sports and content creation in the US, are conducting a merger to create an entertainment empire worth more than 21 billion USD.
BLOOMBERG. Walmart will cut more than 2,000 jobs at its online fulfillment centers in five US states, including Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey and California.
AP. The Honduran government has deployed hundreds of troops across the country as part of a crackdown on criminal gangs .
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| Honduras is one of the countries with the highest murder rate in the world, about 63.75/100,000 people. (Source: AFP) |
Africa
NEW TIMES. Rwanda and Kenya signed about 10 agreements to enhance cooperation in education, information and communication technology, health, gender awareness development and children, youth... during Kenyan President William Ruto's visit to Kigali.
XINHUA. The Nigerian Senate has approved the China Development Bank (CDB) as the new investor for the West African country's Kaduna-Kano railway project with an adjusted cost of $973 million .
AFRICA NEWS. Heavy rains and flash floods have killed at least 21 people and displaced more than 100,000 in southern Somalia over the past two weeks.
UNEP. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said that Africa recorded the highest rate of compliance with the Paris Agreement on climate change .
Oceania
ABC. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has delivered positive news for mortgage borrowers, at least temporarily, by deciding to keep interest rates on hold.
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| After 10 consecutive rate hikes, the RBA has opted to wait and see how the economy develops, amid early signs that the rate hikes so far are starting to weigh on consumer spending and lower inflation. (Source: Reuters) |
NATIONAL TRIBUNE. The Supreme Court of Western Australia has sentenced an eighth person in a 2017 methamphetamine trafficking case worth 1.12 billion AUD (about 810 million USD).
International
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