Three imprisoned Iranian female
journalists win top UN prize
UNITED NATIONS, May 03: The United Nations announced Tuesday night that its premier prize for press freedom has been awarded to three imprisoned Iranian female journalists "for their commitment to truth and accountability." The winners are Niloufar Hamedi who broke the news that 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died last September while being held by the morality police for wearing her headscarf too loosely, and Elaheh Mohammadi who wrote about her funeral. Amini's death touched off months-long protests in dozens of cities across Iran. — AP
Raisi holds rare meeting with Assad
DAMASCUS, May 03: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Wednesday met Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus in a bid to boost cooperation between the two allies, state media reported. Tehran has been a main backer of Assad's government since an uprising turned into a full-blown war in March 2011 and has played an instrumental role in turning the tide in his favor. Iran has sent scores of military advisers and thousands of Iran-backed fighters from around the Middle East to fight on Assad's side. With the help of Russia and Iran, Syrian government forces have controlled large parts of the country in recent years. — AP
NATO to open liaison office in Japan
TPKYO, May 03: NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Japan, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region, the Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese and NATO officials. The liaison office will enable discussions with NATO's security partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind, the media outlet reported. NATO and Japanese foreign ministry spokespeople were not immediately available for comment. Wednesday is a public holiday in Japan. — Reuters
World should prepare for El Nino: UN
GENEVA, May 03: The United Nations warned Wednesday of a growing likelihood the weather phenomenon El Nino will develop in coming months, fuelling higher global temperatures and possibly new heat records. "The world should prepare for the development of El Nino," said Petteri Taalas, head of the UN's World Meteorological Organization, warning that "the development of an El Nino will most likely lead to a new spike in global heating and increase the chance of breaking temperature records." — AFP
Brazil police search home of Bolsonaro
BRASILIA, May 03: Police have searched the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia. The raid is part of an investigation into a group suspected of tampering with a government database holding information about Covid-19 vaccinations. Police said the database had been altered to change the vaccination status of several unnamed individuals. Mr Bolsonaro's close aid, Mauro Cid, has been arrested as part of the raid. — BBC
Myanmar frees 2,100 political prisoners
BANGKOK, May 03: Myanmar's ruling military council on Wednesday said it was releasing more than 2,100 political prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. Thousands more remain imprisoned on charges generally involving nonviolent protests or criticism of military rule, which began when the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. State-run MRTV television reported that the head of Myanmar's military council, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, had pardoned 2,153 prisoners on the most important Buddhist holy day of the year, marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. — AP
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