World News: 13 March 2023

Michelle Yeoh wins best actress award, making Oscar history
Yeoh, 60, is the first Asian woman to win in the “lead actress” category, making history.
She is the second woman of color to win in the category, following Halle Berry for “Monster’s Ball” (2001).
In her speech on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, she tearfully thanked her cast and crew in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and her family.

Read more...


Kremlin doesn't rule out Putin attending G20 summit in India
Putin has yet to travel beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union since sending his armed forces into Ukraine in February last year, and missed November’s G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Asked whether Putin might attend the Delhi summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
“It can’t be ruled out. Russia continues to participate fully in the G20 framework. It intends to continue to do that. But no decision has been made yet.”

Read more...


Iran pardons 22,000 people who took part in protests
Last month, Iranian official media reported that the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had pardoned 'tens of thousands' of prisoners.
“So far, 82,000 people have been pardoned, including 22,000 people who participated in (the) protests,” Ejei told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Read more...



US turns to new ways to punish Russian oligarchs for the war
From the Treasury Department to the Justice Department, U.S. officials will focus on efforts to legally liquidate the property of Russian oligarchs, expand financial penalties on those who facilitate the evasion of sanctions, and close loopholes in the law that allow oligarchs to use shell companies to move through the U.S. financial system.
Andrew Adams, who heads the KleptoCapture task force, designed to enforce the economic restrictions within the U.S. imposed on Russia and its billionaires, told The Associated Press that the group is prioritizing its efforts to identify those who help Russians evade sanctions and violate export controls.

Read more...


Mask-free Monday comes to Japan as government eases COVID guidelines
South Korea dialled back most requirements on indoor masking in January, while Singapore allowed bare faces on public transport last month. US and England halted most mask mandates early last year.
Japan has already eased norms on masks, allowing maskless speeches in parliament and permitting schools to decide whether to require them at commencement ceremonies this month.

Read more...


Rohingya camp fire was 'planned sabotage' - investigators
The fire on 5 March in Bangladesh left 15,000 Rohingya refugees homeless and gutted some 2,800 shelters. Militant groups had started the fire to "dominate" the camps, said the government official leading the probe. Fires had broken out in several places at once, proving it was planned, said Abu Safian.

Read more...



Comments