Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Malaysia king to choose prime minister in post-election crisis
Malaysia’s king said on Tuesday he will pick the next prime minister, after the leading two contenders failed to win a majority in last weekend’s election and his proposal for the two to work together was turned down. The vote resulted in an unprecedented hung parliament, with neither opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim nor former premier Muhyiddin Yassin winning the simple majority needed to form a government.
Indonesia quake kills at least 268 people, many of them children at school
An earthquake that struck Indonesia’s West Java killed at least 268 people, many of them children, with 151 still missing, disaster relief officials said on Tuesday, as rescuers searched the rubble of destroyed buildings for survivors. The shallow 5.6-magnitude quake struck in Indonesia’s most populous province on Monday afternoon, causing significant damage to the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta, and burying at least one village under a landslide.
Beijing shuts parks, museums as China’s COVID cases rise
Beijing shut parks, malls and museums on Tuesday while more Chinese cities resumed mass testing for COVID-19 as authorities struggle with a spike in cases that has deepened concern about the economy and dimmed hopes for a quick reopening. China reported 28,127 new domestically transmitted cases for Monday, nearing its daily peak from April, with infections in the southern city of Guangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing accounting for about half the total.
Buildings damaged but no tsunami warning for Solomon Islands after 7.0 earthquake
Authorities in the Solomon Islands said no tsunami warning would be issued after two powerful earthquakes struck on Tuesday, damaging Australia’s embassy, the airport and shopping malls and triggering power cuts in the capital, Honiara. The first quake hit offshore at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), about 16 km southwest of the area of Malango, said the United States Geological Survey which initially put its magnitude at 7.3 before revising it down to magnitude 7.0.
Iran’s judiciary says 40 foreigners arrested for involvement in protests
Iran, which has blamed “foreign adversaries” for protests sparked by the death of a woman in morality police custody, said on Tuesday 40 foreign nationals had been arrested for their role in the unrest. The Islamic Republic has been gripped by nationwide protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody on Sept. 16 after she was arrested for wearing clothes deemed “inappropriate”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hit Kurdish Iranian group in Iraqi Kurdistan – Tasnim
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted on Tuesday a base of what it says are “terrorists” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region with missiles and kamikaze drones, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. “In today’s operation, the base of a separatist terrorist group near Kirkuk, known as the Free Kurdistan Party, was targeted by missiles and kamikaze drones,” Tasnim said.
Ukrainians brace for bleak winter as Russian strikes cripple power capacity
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to Ukrainians to conserve energy amid relentless Russian strikes that have already halved the country’s power capacity, as the United Nations’ health body warned of a humanitarian disaster in Ukraine this winter. Authorities said millions of Ukrainians, including in the capital Kyiv, could face power cuts at least until the end of March due to the strikes. Citizens in the recently liberated southern city of Kherson may apply to be relocated to areas where heating and security problems are less acute, they said.
Victims and heroes in Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub shooting identified
Colorado Springs officials on Monday identified the five shooting victims who died and the two heroes who prevented further bloodshed at the LGBTQ nightclub where a gunman opened fire on Saturday night. Another 17 people were wounded by gunfire in the rampage. Police said they had yet to determine a motive, but the city’s mayor and LGBTQ rights groups said the attack bore the hallmarks of a hate crime.
Taiwan charges army officer with corruption, harming state security
Taiwanese prosecutors said on Tuesday they had charged a senior military officer with corruption and harming state security after they said he took bribes from a Chinese agent to act as a spy and even signed a letter promising to surrender to China. Taiwan has long battled against what it says is a sustained espionage campaign run by Beijing to undermine Taiwan’s armed forces and sow dissent in the ranks. China views Taiwan as a “sacred” part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Canada to sanction Belarus firms, more officials over Russia’s war in Ukraine
Canada said on Tuesday it will slap more sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s administration for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. The foreign ministry in Ottawa said it would sanction 22 more Belarusian officials as well as 16 Belarusian companies involved in military manufacturing, technology, engineering, banking and railway transportation.
(With inputs from agencies.)
