World

Namibia celebrates cultural diversity with WIKA carnival

WINDHOEK, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The streets of Windhoek, Namibia's capital, were alive with vibrant, colorful costumes, music, dance, and people from all walks of life on Saturday as the southern African country officially kicked off the 71st edition of the Windhoek Karneval (WIKA).

World

Ghana to set up gold trading regulator to boost foreign exchange earnings

ACCRA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's parliament passed a bill on Saturday to set up a new regulatory body for gold trade as part of efforts to boost foreign exchange earnings.

World

Rescue team from China's Yunnan detects 2 survivors in quake-hit Myanmar city

YANGON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Two survivors with vital signs were found by China's Yunnan Rescue Medical Team in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, on Saturday, following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday.

World

Vietnam to assist Myanmar in quake relief, rescue

HANOI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will deploy a 79-member military task force to assist with earthquake search and rescue operations, and post-disaster recovery efforts in Myanmar, Vietnam News Agency reported Saturday.

World

Mandalay University's main building collapses in Myanmar's earthquake

YANGON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's powerful earthquake on Friday caused the collapse of Mandalay University's main building, which later caught fire, according to the Information Team of the State Administration Council on Saturday night.

World

India to send medical task force to quake-hit Myanmar: ministry

NEW DELHI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- India will deploy a medical task force to earthquake-hit Myanmar, said a statement issued by the country's defense ministry on Saturday.

World

China issues 1st batch of passenger drone operation certificates

GUANGZHOU, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese companies have obtained the operation certificate for autonomous passenger drones from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), marking that China has entered the commercial operation stage of autonomous passenger drones, said CAAC Saturday.

World

China vows easier financing for private firms' equipment upgrades

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- It will be easier for private businesses to secure financing for equipment upgrades, China's top economic planner has said, vowing to provide greater policy support.

World

Humanitarian operation in Myanmar hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure, says UN agency

GENEVA (Reuters) -Humanitarian operations in Myanmar have been hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday.

World

India and US making progress towards trade deal, officials say

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian and U.S. officials discussed trade issues including the reduction of tariffs and easing of non-tariff barriers, making progress towards a bilateral trade agreement during several days of talks in New Delhi, they said on Saturday.

World

Myanmar quake struck mosques as minority Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers

(Reuters) - When Friday's powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, Htet Min Oo was performing ritual ablutions before Ramadan prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay. 

World

Sudan's army takes major market as it extends control over capital

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, which had previously been used by their Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rivals to launch attacks during a devastating two-year-old war.

World

Irish charity GOAL to cut 30% of staff due to global aid cuts

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish humanitarian charity GOAL is set to cut around 30% of its 3,250 staff operating in 14 countries in response to government aid cuts around the world, including its largest donor, the U.S. Agency for International Development.

World

Guinea junta chief pardons former military leader over stadium massacre

CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's junta leader has pardoned former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara for "health reasons" after a court last year found him guilty of crimes against humanity in a 2009 stadium massacre, according to a decree read on state television late on Friday.

World

Suspect in Amsterdam stabbing rampage is Ukrainian man, police says

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The man suspected of stabbing five people in central Amsterdam on Thursday is a 30-year old Ukrainian national from the eastern Donetsk region, local police said on Saturday.

World

Former Church of England leader says scale of abuse scandal was 'overwhelming'

LONDON (Reuters) -Justin Welby, the former spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide, reiterated he had failed to ensure proper investigations into allegations of abuse within the Church of England, saying the scale of the issue was "overwhelming".

World

Large crowds rally in Istanbul over jailing of Erdogan's main rival

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of Turks protested in Istanbul on Saturday against the jailing of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main rival, sustaining the largest demonstrations Turkey has seen in more than a decade.

World

Myanmar quake death toll hits 1,000 as international aid starts to arrive

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Foreign rescue teams began flying into Myanmar on Saturday to aid the search for survivors from an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation crippling critical infrastructure amid a grinding civil war.

World

No longer 'poor but sexy?' Berlin's economic rise comes at a price

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Art House Tacheles used to be the epicentre of the alternative art and culture scene in Berlin, an impressive five-storey building in the heart of the capital dating back to 1908 and occupied by artists after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

World

Australia's Albanese starts election campaign touting healthcare credentials

(Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touted his Labor party's credentials on affordable healthcare on Saturday, the first full day of campaigning for a general election expected to have cost of living as a central issue.