U.N. prosecutors told judges Monday that two former Serbian security officials who served under Slobodan Milošević helped train and equip ethnic Serbs to conduct brutal ethnic cleansing campaigns against non-Serbs in the 1990s Yugoslav conflict.

The re-trial of Jovica Stanišić, former head of Serbia’s state security service, and his subordinate Franko “Frenki” Simatović is the last major case at the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to crimes including murder and persecution as crimes against humanity. They are on provisional release in Serbia and did not attend the closing arguments in person.
In closing, prosecutors stressed that separatist Serb forces in Bosnia and in Croatia were totally dependent on Serbia under then-strongman President Milošević.
-This campaign was carried out by a variety of Serb and military, police and volunteer units that were trained and equipped by these accused- prosecutor Douglas Stringer said.
The prosecution is seeking a life sentence for both ex-associates of Milosevic, who stood trial for genocide and crimes against humanity in the Yugoslav conflict but died in his tribunal cell in 2006 before the verdict.
Stanišić and Simatović’s defence is due to respond later this week. Both men were acquitted in 2013, but appeals judges ordered a re-trial in 2015.
Stringer said the two men were vital cogs in a criminal enterprise led by Milosevic and the Serbian state, together with Serb forces in Bosnia and Croatia, to expel Croats and Bosniaks from Serb-claimed lands as Yugoslavia fell apart in the 1990s.
Judges have not set a date for the Stanišić and Simatović verdict.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to crimes including murder and persecution as crimes against humanity

Jovica Stanišić (L) and Franko Simatović appear in court for their re-trial at the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, June 13, 2017.

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison officials are threatening to start force-feeding jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, his team said Monday, after he lost eight kilograms (18 pounds) since starting a hunger strike.

-Seeing the seriousness of the hunger strike, the administration is threatening every day to start force-feeding- Navalny's team said in a post on his Twitter account.
It reported that Navalny, who last week said he had a cough and fever, had been transferred back to the prison barracks from its infirmary.
-They are still not allowing a doctor to see him- it said.
The 44-year-old opposition politician now weighed just 77 kilograms (169 pounds), it said, down from 85 kilograms (187 pounds) when he started the hunger strike on March 31.
Navalny, who is 189 centimetres (six feet two inches) tall, had already lost significant weight in prison before launching the hunger strike. He weighed 93 kilograms (205 pounds) when he entered the facility in February. 
The anti-corruption campaigner, who barely survived a poisoning with nerve agent Novichok last August, began refusing food in protest at what he said was a lack of proper medical treatment in prison for severe back pain and numbness in his legs. 
President Vladimir Putin's best-known opponent, Navalny was arrested in mid-January when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for the poisoning, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on old embezzlement charges in February.
Members of his defence team, who visited him in his penal colony in the town of Pokrov 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow last week, said he was also losing sensation in his hands.

Lawyer Olga Mikhailova said that an MRT scan had shown that Navalny has two herniated discs in his back, as well as a bulging disc.

On Monday, Russians across the country were celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic first spaceflight, and Navalny's team urged Russians not to forget the opposition politician's plight despite the large-scale commemorations.
-Yes, Cosmonautics Day is cool, of course- ally Lyubov Sobol tweeted. -But an innocent man is being tortured in front of the whole country right now.-Navalny's lawyers and allies are demanding that he be transferred to a regular hospital. The Kremlin has said that Navalny is not entitled to any special treatment.
Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia supported by a regional network.
His team has launched a new campaign seeking his release and announced plans to stage what they said would be "modern Russia's biggest protest."
The team said they would set a date for the protest once 500,000 supporters had registered with a website. As of Monday, nearly 420,000 people had signed up.
The team, which faces regular searches and arrests by law enforcement, also opened a new office in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday. 
But on Monday, the head of the regional network, Leonid Volkov, wrote on Twitter that "both of its employees have gone missing".

It reported that Navalny, who last week said he had a cough and fever, had been transferred back to the prison barracks from its infirmary

The 44-year-old opposition politician now weighed just 77 kilograms (169 pounds), it said, down from 85 kilograms (187 pounds) when he started the hunger strike on March 31

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Brussels on Monday for his second trip within weeks to consult NATO allies as a decision looms on the war in Afghanistan.

Blinken is also expected to discuss intensifying EU-backed diplomacy on reviving the Iran nuclear accord and rising tensions with Russia as it builds up its military near Ukraine.
He will start talks Tuesday in Brussels and be joined by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is also visiting key European ally Germany as well as Israel, which is critical of the diplomacy with Iran.
-I look forward to productive conversations with allies on a wide range of shared priorities. We are stronger when we work together- Blinken tweeted as the State Department announced the trip.
Under an agreement reached by former president Donald Trump with Taliban insurgents, the United States promised to remove all troops from Afghanistan by May 1.
President Joe Biden has promised to go ahead and end America's longest war within the year but has said that the May 1 deadline is not realistic.
The Biden administration is seeking progress on a political agreement that can improve the chances of stability in Afghanistan once US troops leave.
Blinken traveled to Brussels last month for similar discussions. Amid coronavirus restrictions on international travel, he has only taken one other international trip -- to Japan and South Korea alongside Austin, part of Biden's emphasis on coordinating with allies.

He is  also expected to discuss intensifying EU-backed diplomacy on reviving the Iran nuclear accord and rising tensions with Russia as it builds up its military near Ukraine

This is his second trip within weeks to consult NATO allies as a decision looms on the war in Afghanistan

Blinken heads back to Brussels as Afghanistan decision looms

Prince Harry, whose explosive interview alongside his wife Meghan plunged the royal family into its biggest crisis in decades, has arrived back in Britain for Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth who had been at her side throughout her 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Harry, Philip’s grandson, arrived in London on Sunday from Los Angeles on a British Airways flight, The Sun newspaper reported. Buckingham Palace said Meghan, who is pregnant, will not attend on the advice of her doctor.
Harry, sixth in line to the throne, will quarantine in accordance with coronavirus guidelines so that he can attend the ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle.
Interviewed by Oprah Winfrey last month, Meghan said her pleas for help while she felt suicidal were ignored and that an unnamed member of the family had asked how dark their unborn child’s skin might be.
Harry also bemoaned his family’s reaction to their decision to step back from official duties and move to Los Angeles.
In response, Queen Elizabeth said the royals were saddened by the challenging experiences of her grandson and Meghan and promised to privately address revelations about a racist remark about their son.
Philip, who died aged 99, is lying at rest in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

On Saturday, the coffin, covered by Philip’s standard, a wreath, his naval cap and his sword, will be moved to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle by a bearer party from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

Prince Charles and other members of the royal family will take part in a procession on foot behind the coffin, which will be carried by a specially modified Land Rover that Philip helped to design. The queen, 94, will not walk in the procession.
As the coffin reaches St George’s Chapel at Windsor, Britain will observe a minute of silence. There will be no public processions, and the funeral will be held entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle and limited to 30 mourners in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions.
A spring snow storm on Monday struck Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth pondered the loss of her husband of 73 years.
Her son Prince Andrew said on Sunday the queen was stoical in the face of a loss that she had described as “having left a huge void in her life”.
Andrew joined his siblings Charles, Anne and Edward in saying they had taken strength from a national outpouring of affection and would rally around their mother in her time of grief.
Charles on Saturday paid tribute to his “dear Papa” who had given such devoted service to Queen Elizabeth, to the royal family, to Britain and to the Commonwealth, expressing gratitude for touching praise of his father.

Prince Charles and other members of the royal family will take part in a procession on foot behind the coffin

Harry, sixth in line to the throne, will quarantine in accordance with coronavirus guidelines so that he can attend the ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle

Prince Harry arrives back in the UK for Prince Philip funeral

La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent “explosively” erupted early on Friday, spreading ash across surrounding villages, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre said.

The volcano, dormant for decades, started showing signs of new activity in December which picked up this week. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ordered an evacuation of the surrounding area late on Thursday.
The eruption sent dark ash plumes of up to 8 km (five miles) billowing into the sky and ash fall was recorded even at the Argyle International Airport, according to St. Vincent’s National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).
Those living near the volcano had started evacuating on Thursday via ships and by road.
-People are still being evacuated from the red zone, it started yesterday evening and into last night- said Lavern King, 28, a volunteer at shelters in the capital Kingstown and elsewhere. -The place in general is in a frenzy.-St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which has a population of just over 100,000, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979. An eruption by La Soufriere in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people. The name means “sulfur outlet” in French.
Local media have in recent days also reported increased activity from Mount Pelee on the island of Martinique, which lies to the north of St. Vincent beyond St. Lucia.

Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ordered an evacuation of the surrounding area late on Thursday

Smoke spews from the glowing dome of the La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, April 8, 2021, in this image obtained from the University of West Indies Seismic Research Center

'Explosive' volcanic eruption rocks Caribbean island St. Vincent

The Turkish and Russian presidents on Friday discussed steps to further improve bilateral relations.

In a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin also exchanged views on regional developments, the Turkish Presidency said on Twitter.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russian-Turkish relations are very rich, both in terms of contacts at the highest level and their substantive agenda.
Lavrov also said the two countries are able to produce solutions, even for issues on which the parties have almost opposite views.

In phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin also discuss regional developments, says Turkish Presidency

Turkish, Russian presidents discuss bilateral ties

Eight of the 12 host cities for this year's delayed European Championship have said they will allow spectators at matches based on projections of an improving Covid-19 situation, UEFA said on Friday, but the remaining four risk being dropped as hosts altogether.

Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin have all been given until April 19 to release their plans to let fans in, with European football's governing body saying "final decisions will be made on that date regarding the staging of matches in those four venues".
UEFA's executive committee will meet then and there is the possibility that it could strip hosting rights from those four cities and give their matches to other existing host venues.
Earlier this week the Football Association of Ireland admitted it was "not in a position at this point to provide assurances on minimum spectator levels" in Dublin, but the country is preparing to take tentative steps towards lifting its current lockdown which has been in place since December.
Bilbao is understood to be hoping to allow 13,000 fans inside the 53,000-capacity San Mames, but that is based on strict conditions laid out by authorities which the Spanish Football Federation said will make it "impossible" to admit spectators.
The city of Munich indicated on Tuesday that it could only let fans inside the Allianz Arena if the health situation at the time allows, but the Italian government has given the green light for supporters to attend in Rome.
Last month UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin made it clear he did not want any matches played "in front of empty stands" at the Euro, which will be played from June 11 to July 11 after being postponed by a year due to the pandemic.

The number of spectators allowed in stadiums nevertheless looks set to vary considerably, with Saint-Petersburg and Baku confirming they will allow crowds at 50 percent of capacity and Hungarian capital Budapest aiming to allow 100 percent capacity "but with strict stadium entry requirements for spectators."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that by the beginning of the Euro all those who registered for vaccination in Hungary would have received it and would therefore be eligible to attend.
-Everyone who is registered will definitely have been vaccinated, and with their vaccination card will have the opportunity to take part in this event- he said.
UEFA said Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Glasgow will allow between a quarter and a third of full capacity, while London "has confirmed a minimum capacity of 25 percent for the first three group matches and round of 16 match".
That leaves open the possibility that more fans will be able to attend the remaining matches at Wembley Stadium, which will stage both the semi-finals and the final.
UEFA said each host city had been left to make its own decision on the number of fans permitted to attend games and that "many factors" had been taken into consideration, notably the roll-out of vaccinations.
Supporters with tickets hoping to travel to Budapest will not have to quarantine on arrival, UEFA said, but will need to present two negative Covid-19 test results.
In Azerbaijan, fans with tickets in Baku will be allowed to attend and will not need to quarantine as long as they are citizens or residents of Turkey, Switzerland or the United Kingdom as well as the countries who reach the quarter-finals.
Bucharest will also let ticket holders in with a negative test and a guarantee to stay less than three days.
However, the body said "no exemptions will be made for ticket holders elsewhere". All fans with tickets can therefore choose to hand them back by April 22 and get a full refund.

Last month UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin made it clear he did not want any matches played "in front of empty stands" at the Euro, which will be played from June 11 to July 11 after being postponed by a year due to the pandemic

Wembley will allow 25 percent of its seats to be filled at least for the first four matches due to be played there at this year's European Championship

Eight of 12 Euro 2020 host cities confirm matches with spectators

The decomposed bodies of 16 miners kidnapped nearly a decade ago in northwestern Pakistan have been found in a mass grave, officials said Friday. 

The miners went missing in December 2011 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province -- once a stronghold of Pakistan's Taliban, who raised funds by kidnapping workers for ransom.
Members of Pakistan's Rescue 1122 squad had been searching an area some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Peshawar for two months after getting new information on the case from relatives of those kidnapped.
-The medical teams have examined and confirmed that they are all sixteen- Kamran Bangash, the provincial information minister, told AFP.
-All... are decomposed and beyond recognition- he added.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for the rescue service, confirmed the operation.
Earlier this year 10 miners were kidnapped and then murdered in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group in the restive southwestern Machh area.

The miners went missing in December 2011 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province , once a stronghold of Pakistan's Taliban, who raised funds by kidnapping workers for ransom

Members of Pakistan's Rescue 1122 squad had been searching an area some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Peshawar for two months after getting new information on the case from relatives of those kidnapped

Mass grave of kidnapped miners unearthed in Pakistan

Japan's government approved tighter coronavirus measures for the capital and other areas on Friday, weeks after lifting a state of emergency and with just over 100 days until the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

The new restrictions are far less severe than the blanket lockdowns seen in other countries and mainly call for restaurants and bars to close at 8 PM, with the threat of fines for those that do not.
They are already in force in virus hotspots including Osaka city, where a rebound in cases has forced the Olympic torch relay off public roads.
The pandemic-delayed 2020 Games are due to open on July 23 in Tokyo, but a surge in cases in parts of the country is creating new concern.
-Today, we decided to take intensive measures to prevent an epidemic in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a meeting of ministers and government officials.
-We made the decision based on the fact that the number of new infections is increasing and there is concern that the medical system could come under pressure in these regions- he added.
Kyoto city and areas of Okinawa covered by the new measures are usually flooded with visitors during the Golden Week holiday period from late April to early May. The new restrictions will last until May 5 in the two regions.
Japan's government imposed a virus state of emergency across several regions starting in January, lifting it gradually, with Tokyo exiting the measure last.
But cases have rebounded quickly in some areas where the measure was lifted sooner, particularly in Osaka.
Japan has avoided the severe Covid-19 outbreaks seen elsewhere and has suffered around 9,300 deaths overall.
But its vaccine rollout is moving slowly, with only the Pfizer/BioNTech jab approved so far, and physicians have reported the spread of more contagious variants.
Vaccinations for the elderly are planned to start next week with approvals for the Moderna and AstraZeneca/Oxford shots not expected before May.
The new measures will be in place from Monday until May 11 in the capital and could affect the torch relay further.
Tokyo 2020 organisers said in a statement that the relay route would be "subject to change" in areas where additional virus measures were in place.
-Tokyo 2020 will work closely with the Prefecture Task Force in each location in order to ensure the Olympic Torch Relay is carried out in utmost safety- it said.
Olympic organisers are pressing ahead with preparation for the Games, with national swimming qualifiers under way this week.
But some test events and qualifiers involving international officials and participants have been postponed because of Japan's strict anti-virus border controls.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike made reference to the need to bring infections under control before the Games in discussing the new measures on Friday.
-In order to prevent the wide spread of the virus during the 2020 Games, and to ensure that everyone can move freely while taking precautions, I believe that we need to take steps to make efforts to reduce cases when we are seeing a sharp rise- Koike told reporters on Friday.

The new restrictions are far less severe than the blanket lockdowns seen in other countries and mainly call for restaurants and bars to close at 8 PM, with the threat of fines for those that do not

The pandemic-delayed 2020 Games are due to open on July 23 in Tokyo, but a surge in cases in parts of the country is creating new concern

Tokyo tightens virus measures nearly 100 days before Olympics

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Friday it had recommended that 16 clients flying its 737 MAX models address a "potential electrical issue", a new setback for its most popular plane.

Boeing managed to get the 737 MAX back into the late last year after it was grounded for 20 months following two fatal crashes, and recently announced an order for 100 of the aircraft as the airline sector begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
-Boeing has recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations- the company said Friday in a statement.
The potential problem identified Friday requires "verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system", it said.
Electrical systems must be grounded to avoid overloads that can cause serious failures.
Boeing did not say which airlines were concerned nor did it give the number of aircraft involved.
The plane maker did say it was "working closely" with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and would direct clients on how to resolve the issue.
The 737 MAX has been a huge hit with airlines, and was Boeing's best-selling aircraft until it was grounded in March 2019.
Around 450 of the planes have been delivered to date to 49 airlines or aircraft leasing companies.

After the Covid-19 crisis hammered the air transport sector, airlines cancelled hundreds of orders however.

Boeing currently has more than 400 aircraft waiting to be delivered to clients, and does not expect to eliminate that stock until sometime next year.
The MAX was grounded after 346 people died in two crashes -- the 2018 Lion Air disaster in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines crash the following year.
Investigators said a main cause of both crashes was a faulty flight handling system known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS.
The FAA in mid-November cleared the MAX to return to service following upgrades to the plane and pilot training protocols. Other regulators have followed suit since then.
Commercial flights resumed in December 2020 with Brazilian airline Gol, then in the US and Canada. It is still grounded in China.
On March 29, US carrier Southwest Airlines said it had agreed to buy 100 more Boeing 737 MAX planes, providing a key vote of confidence.
Other significant orders had already been announced by Ryanair, United Airlines and investment firm 777 Partners.

The Southwest order, which includes options on another 155 new MAX planes, is the biggest for the model since regulators cleared it to resume service.

Major airlines continue to burn through cash due to low travel volumes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the sector expects to rebound this year.
Meanwhile, Boeing continues to face litigation from families of victims who died in crashes on Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights.
In January, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in fines to settle a criminal probe with the US Department of Justice over claims the company defrauded regulators overseeing the 737 MAX.
The industrial catastrophe has cost Boeing billions of dollars and seriously damaged its reputation.

They recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations

Boeing managed to get the 737 MAX back into the late last year after it was grounded for 20 months following two fatal crashes

Boeing reveals 'potential' 737 MAX issue

Russia on Thursday said it wants good relations with the US but remains ready for “the worst scenarios.”

Despite all the unfriendly moves by Washington, President Vladimir Putin would prefer “building good relations” between the two countries, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in the capital Moscow.
-In general, despite all the harsh statements and hostile expressions from Washington, President Putin remains a consistent supporter of building good relations with the US, at least in those areas that are beneficial to us- he said.
-In the development of our bilateral relations, we are always ready to go as far as our partners are ready to go.-His comments came amid American media reports that President Joe Biden’s administration has completed a review of “Russia’s misdeeds,” including alleged meddling in the 2020 elections and cyberattacks.
Washington will soon announce new sanctions against Moscow, which may include, among other measures, personal sanctions and expulsion of diplomats, according to the reports.
Peskov stressed that Russia does not pose “a threat to anyone,” including the US, but the unpredictability of Washington’s actions has pushed Moscow to be ready for worst-case scenarios.
-We have never been and are not a threat to anyone. But, of course, we will never allow anyone, including the US, to threaten us, dictate something to us, and infringe on our interests- he asserted.
-The hostility and unpredictability of the actions of the American side, in general, obliges us to be prepared for the worst scenarios. When you have a fairly aggressive, unpredictable interlocutor, you are always in a mobilized state.-Separately, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington’s policy on Russia is a “dead end.”
-The absolutely dead-end US line toward Russia does not bring any result in terms of the goals that were announced when the sanctions were imposed- he said at a news conference in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.
-This situation has been repeated many times. These actions convince us only of one thing; that we must rely on ourselves because neither the US nor its allies are reliable partners.-

President Putin in favor of building good relations despite Washington's hostility, says Kremlin spokesperson

Russia ready for 'worst scenarios' in relations with US

A coronavirus patient whose lungs stopped working became the world’s first live donor transplant recipient for such a procedure in Japan, a medical facility said on Thursday.

The transplant was conducted by the Kyoto University Hospital during an 11-hour operation, according to Kyodo News.
Donors, who include the patient’s husband and son from western Japan, are said to be in stable condition.
Doctors said the patient, who was admitted last Monday while connected to an artificial heart-lung device known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is currently in intensive care and will take two months to fully recuperate “if all goes well.”
-I think there is a lot of hope for this treatment in the sense that it creates a new option- said Hiroshi Date who was in charge of the operation.
In most cases, coronavirus directly attacks the respiratory system. The patient had no medical history but her respiratory function deteriorated “rapidly” after she became infected at the end of last year, said the hospital.
She developed pneumonia which caused both of her lungs to harden and shrink, “destroying most of their functionality.”
The hospital said dozens of lung transplants to treat COVID-19 patients have been performed “using organs from brain-dead donors” in China, the United States and Europe.
In Japan, however, the hospital said the waiting period can be as long as tw0-and-a-half-years where there are few donors, according to the news agency.

Patient receives lungs from husband, son

The transplant was conducted by the Kyoto University Hospital during an 11-hour operation

COVID patient gets first living donor transplant

The US on Thursday sanctioned a Myanmar state-owned gem company in response to the junta's ongoing violent repression of anti-coup demonstrators.

The blacklisting of Myanma Gems Enterprise is intended to deprive the military regime of a key funding stream, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
The company is a subdivision of Myanmar's Mines Ministry and is responsible for virtually all aspects of gem mining in the country, including permitting, licensing, regulation enforcement and marketing of jade and gemstone, according to the agency.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said sanctions are being implemented "as military leaders participate in an ongoing gems emporium in Nay Pyi Taw, under the auspices of Myanma Gems Enterprise."
-By imposing targeted sanctions on this entity, we are sending a clear signal to the military that the United States will keep increasing pressure on the regime’s revenue streams until it ceases its violence, releases all those unjustly detained, lifts martial law and the nationwide state of emergency, removes telecommunications restrictions, and restores Burma to the path of democracy- he said in a separate statement.
The military seized power on Feb. 1, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and ending the country’s brief experiment with democratic rule after her NLD party made sweeping gains in national elections.
In response to the coup, civilian groups launched a civil disobedience campaign that has included mass demonstrations and sit-ins, which the military has violently sought to repress.​​​​​​​
In all, 614 people have been killed by the junta's forces, according to a Myanmar-based monitor. That includes eight people who were killed on Thursday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
It said an additional 2,857 people have been arrested by the military.

Myanma Gems Enterprise blacklisting intended to deprive military of key revenue source, US says

The blacklisting of Myanma Gems Enterprise is intended to deprive the military regime of a key funding stream, the Treasury Department said in a statement

US sanctions Myanmar's state-owned gem company

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will join Fox News Media as a contributor, the news network controlled by media baron Rupert Murdoch said on Thursday.

Pompeo is the latest former Trump administration official to join the network. Other notable names include former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Trump’s top economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
Pompeo will offer his analysis across all Fox News platforms, including its business network, the company said. He will make his first appearance on Friday’s FOX &amp; Friends.

He will make his first appearance on Friday’s FOX & Friends

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, U.S., January 12, 2021.

Former Secretary of State Pompeo to join Fox News Media

Japan is considering prioritising its Olympic athletes for coronavirus vaccines, aiming to get them innoculated before the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Games open on July 23, local media said Thursday.

Japan's government denied any such plan was being considered, but said it would be "closely watching discussions" about protecting athletes' health.
The reported move sparked criticism online, with one Japanese Twitter user demanding: "Give it to my granny first!"
Japan's vaccine rollout is moving slowly, with just one million first doses given so far to medical workers since jabs began in February.
Older people will start receiving doses only from next week, and so far Japan has approved only the Pfizer vaccine.
A date has not yet been set for vaccinating the broader population, but the government is now considering giving Japanese athletes both shots by late June, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed government sources.
Private broadcaster Nippon TV and other media also reported the plan, with some pointing out that the proposed timeline would mean healthy young athletes would finish their inoculations before some of Japan's elderly.
Top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said there was "no fact in the claim that the government is studying such a plan and the government has no intention of discussing it at this point."
But he told reporters the government would be "closely watching discussions on athletes' health issues" among Olympic officials, the Tokyo Games organisers and host city Tokyo.
Online, the reports were met with criticism, with one Japanese Twitter user calling on "all the athletes to come out and say they won't do this."
-Will you thank the old and sick people who died because their vaccines were late for giving their lives for the Olympics?- asked another.
Japan has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, with just over 9,200 deaths since the pandemic began.
But infections have spiked recently in several parts of the country, including Osaka in western Japan, which has decided to bar the Olympic torch relay from public roads in the prefecture.
Polling shows a majority of Japanese want to see the Games cancelled or postponed further, though support for holding it this year has increased slightly, hovering below 30 percent.
IOC President Thomas Bach has said vaccination is not a requirement for athletes competing at the Tokyo Games, but that Olympic officials will encourage participants to get the jab.
The IOC plans to offer vaccines secured from China to athletes in countries without access.

Japan's government denied any such plan was being considered, but said it would be "closely watching discussions" about protecting athletes' health

Japan's vaccine rollout is moving slowly, with just one million first doses given so far to medical workers since jabs began in February

Japan may prioritise Olympic athletes for vaccine

At least two Chinese workers were kidnapped from a gold mine site in Nigeria’s southwestern Osun state, local media reported.

-Two Chinese Nationals, Messrs Zhao Jian, 33, and Wen ‘m’ 50, were kidnapped … on 5th April, 2021 around 4:00pm [1500GMT], by a gang of criminals- local Vanguard website quoted on Tuesday the state’s Police Command as saying.
The criminals also shot and injured two private guards at the mining site in the Okepa/Itikan village, the police said, adding both of them were taken to the general hospital.
The police has launched an operation to rescue the abducted workers, they added.

Gang of criminals also shot, injured 2 private guards at mining site, police say

The police has launched an operation to rescue the abducted workers

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

Blinken heads back to Brussels as Afghanistan decision looms

Prince Harry arrives back in the UK for Prince Philip funeral

'Explosive' volcanic eruption rocks Caribbean island St. Vincent

Turkish, Russian presidents discuss bilateral ties

Eight of 12 Euro 2020 host cities confirm matches with spectators

Mass grave of kidnapped miners unearthed in Pakistan

Tokyo tightens virus measures nearly 100 days before Olympics

Boeing reveals 'potential' 737 MAX issue

Russia ready for 'worst scenarios' in relations with US

COVID patient gets first living donor transplant

US sanctions Myanmar's state-owned gem company

Former Secretary of State Pompeo to join Fox News Media

Japan may prioritise Olympic athletes for vaccine

2 Chinese workers abducted from gold mine in SW Nigeria

World

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

Blinken heads back to Brussels as Afghanistan decision looms

Prince Harry arrives back in the UK for Prince Philip funeral

'Explosive' volcanic eruption rocks Caribbean island St. Vincent

Turkish, Russian presidents discuss bilateral ties

Eight of 12 Euro 2020 host cities confirm matches with spectators

Mass grave of kidnapped miners unearthed in Pakistan

Tokyo tightens virus measures nearly 100 days before Olympics

Boeing reveals 'potential' 737 MAX issue

Russia ready for 'worst scenarios' in relations with US

COVID patient gets first living donor transplant

US sanctions Myanmar's state-owned gem company

Former Secretary of State Pompeo to join Fox News Media

Japan may prioritise Olympic athletes for vaccine

2 Chinese workers abducted from gold mine in SW Nigeria