ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Vessel with 200 Rohingya Muslims evacuating camps ahead of storm sinks, leaving only one survivor, say UN officials. A boat carrying about 200 Rohingya Muslims who were evacuating ahead of a storm has capsized off western Myanmar, killing all but one person, UN officials have said. Kirsten Mildren, of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Al Jazeera there was only one confirmed survivor from Tuesday's accident. Barbara Manzi, head of the Myanmar OCHA office, said the boat struck rocks off the Pauktaw township in Rakhine State, and sank late on Monday. The victims were trying to escape Cyclone Mahasen which is expected on Thursday and Friday. The UN has warned the storm could lead to "life-threatening conditions". Al Jazeera's Everton Fox explains the weather impact of Tropical Cyclone Mahasen Myanmar state television said on Monday that thousands of people displaced by communal violence last year had been evacuated from makeshift c

Four new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Eastern Province as WHO officials visit to consult medical staff. Saudi Arabia has confirmed four new cases of the SARS-like coronavirus in its Eastern Province, state media has reported, citing the health ministry. The health ministry said that one of the four new cases had been treated and the patient had been released from hospital, while the three other new cases were still being treated, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia said it had a total of 24 confirmed cases since the disease was identified last year, of whom 15 had died. World Health Organisation officials visiting Saudi Arabia to consult with the authorities on the outbreak said on Sunday it seemed likely the new virus could be passed between humans, but only after prolonged, close contact. The new virus (nCov) can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia. A virus from the same family triggered the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) th

First batch of Kurdish fighters withdrawing from Turkey received by their comrades in northern Iraq. The first group of Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process has entered northern Iraq. The 13 men and women arrived in the area of Heror near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border on Tuesday and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency. They were carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, light machineguns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers and had rucksacks on their backs. After the welcome, the apparently-exhausted fighters put down their weapons and warmed themselves at a fire. "We faced many difficulties because of rain and snow" during seven days on the road, one of the fighters said, adding that they were observed by Turkish aircraft. PKK fighters began leaving their positions in southeast Turkey on May 8 after a ceasefire declared by Abdullah Ocalan, their

At least six people, including three paramilitary forces personnel and two policemen were killed and another 46 were injured in a suicide attack on the convoy of the Balochistan inspector general police in Quetta late on Sunday night. A police official said the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the convoy of IG Police Mushtaq Sukhera. He said the IG narrowly escaped the attack which shattered the windows of nearby homes. When contacted, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani told Pakistan Today that the explosives weighed 1,000 kilogrammes. He said the IG had just reached the residence when the blast occurred, adding that three personnel of Frontier Corps and two policemen were among the dead. At the time of the blast, the activists of the Balochistan National Party were also passing by. After the blast, the electricity supply was disrupted due to damages to power pylons. No group has claimed the responsibility for the blast until the filing this repor

ISTANBUL — Nine people have been arrested in Turkey in connection with twin car bombings that killed at least 46 people Saturday in a town close to the Syrian border. Syria is denying Turkish charges of involvement. Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said some of those detained took part in planning the attack - conducting a site survey and disguising cars. He also said the alleged mastermind of Saturday's attack was among the nine Turkish citizens detained, all of whom he linked to Syria. He said the incident was carried out by an organization which is in close contact with pro-regime groups in Syria, and very clearly, with Syrian intelligence. But Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi strongly denied any involvement. He told a news conference in Damascus that Syrian values would never allow it to do such a thing. He also said the responsibility for the bombing lay with the Turkish government. Turkish authorities are working hard to collect evidence and say more arrest

Government issues ultimatum to Manila following fatal shooting of Taiwanese fisherman in disputed water. Taiwan's government has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Philippines' government, demanding an apology over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman. The Taiwanese coastguard on Sunday dispatched four vessels to guard the disputed water where the shooting incident took place. "The government is determined to protect our fishermen," cabinet spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen said in a statement as vessels headed towards the Bashi Strait, claimed by both governments, where the fisherman was killed on Thursday. If the Filipino government fails to respond in a positive manner within 72 hours, the hiring of Philippine workers will be frozen. Lee Chia-fei , Taiwan presidential office spokeswoman Ao Ming-wei, the captain of the coastguard vessel Tainan Jian said his vessel was prepared to face provocation and the crew would fire against possible threats. Taiwan has demanded M

Thousands face death, alcoholism and rising crime while eking out a dangerous livelihood in eastern state of Jharkhand. Jharkhand, India - Every morning at the crack of dawn, 13-year-old Sagar Kujur joins many others of his age and even younger to trudge towards the coal pits of Ramgarh in Jharkhand, a state in eastern India. Armed with shovels and cane baskets, they tip-toe over the jagged surface, settle down in a corner and start digging a hole through rocks of solid coal. A few back-breaking hours later, their baskets fill up with pieces of coal that had been chipped away, and they hurry to the nearest market to sell their day’s treasure. Children like Kujur, blackened with coal dust, serve as daily reminders to the dark secrets of the 15,000-odd coal mines in the state. Jharkhand is mineral-rich, but a majority of its people is dirt poor. As in the rest of India where, according to UNICEF, some 28 million children work to supplement their families’ meagre income, 400,000