A bomb blast in central Somalia killed at least a dozen people on Sunday, including a local intelligence chief, according to officials.

The attack, which wounded several others, targeted the vehicle of Abdirashid Abdi Qooje as it passed through the village of Eldhere 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug State. Qooje was the head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency in Dhusamareb.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, security officials in the region confirmed the attack and number of casualties on condition of anonymity.

"A military vehicle carrying Dhusamareb intelligence chief Abdirashid Abdi Qooje, was attacked while traveling between Eldhere and Guriel town, killing him and 11 of his bodyguards," one security official said.

Several others, including three soldiers, were also wounded and were transported to hospitals in Dhusamareb for treatment.

Local media have placed casualties at 14 people.

Al-Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group based in the Horn of Africa country, claimed responsibility for the attack.

This was the third bombing in Somalia over the last 24 hours. One civilian was killed and three others wounded in a bomb blast Saturday evening in the capital Mogadishu.

On Sunday, three soldiers guarding the Mogadishu-Afgoye highway construction site were wounded in another bomb blast outside Mogadishu./aa

Myanmar’s former ruling party on Sunday called on the UN and international community not to recognize the State Administrative Council formed following a military coup in the country.

Established on Feb. 2 following the detention of scores of government officials, the council, led by commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is the executive body currently governing the country.

The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by ousted State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was among those detained during the coup, released a statement on Sunday calling on the UN and the international community not to recognize the military government.

Citing an illegal and illegitimate takeover of power by the military, the NLD urged the embassies not to work with the military government.

Aung Kyi Nyint, a member of the NLD central executive committee, said they are aware of some foreign diplomats preparing to start working with the council, without giving further details.

“The coup is not in accordance with the Constitution and the government led by detained President Win Myint is still a legitimate government. No country should recognize the military junta if they respect democratic norms,” he told Anadolu Agency by phone on Sunday.

On Friday, Christine Schraner Burgener, special envoy of the UN secretary-general on Myanmar, spoke with vice-chair of the council and deputy military chief Vice-General Soe Win via video link.

The coup sparked massive protests across the country, with public servants, especially healthcare workers, at the forefront of non-violent resistance.
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BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s Social Democrats on Sunday put a target to achieve a carbon neutral economy by 2050 at the centre of their economic platform for federal elections in September, seeking to win back support from the ecologist Greens.

The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is trying to sharpen its profile after sharing power with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance for three of her four terms in office.

The power-sharing arrangement has blurred the differences between the parties and since the last federal election in 2017, the Greens have overtaken the SPD to become the second largest force in German politics.

Germany formally adopted a target in 2016 to become largely greenhouse gas-neutral by 2050, but the SPD is putting it at the top of its agenda in a bid to make it more likely to be reached.

In an effort to get going early with its election campaign, the SPD appointed Finance Minister Olaf Scholz last summer as its candidate for chancellor and he said on Sunday the party was in the middle of a race to catch up.

“We started early because we know that we have to make up ground,” Scholz said at the beginning of a meeting of SPD leaders.

Opinion polls put support for the SPD at around 15%, compared with as much as 37% for Merkel’s conservative alliance and some 20% for the Greens.

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Speaking of a “gigantic task” to stop man-made climate change, Scholz said: “If we want to be CO2 neutral in 2050, it will require the greatest technological revolution, the greatest period of innovation in our country imaginable ... But it is possible.”

Earlier, he vowed to work with Merkel’s conservatives in their coalition government until the last day before the Sept. 26 election, and not to campaign “with foaming mouths”.

Scholz made the pledge a day after he said he was angry more COVID-19 vaccines were not ordered last year.

The SPD only reluctantly entered into coalition with Merkel in 2018 after her conservative alliance’s talks with liberals and Greens collapsed, and the government was often shaky until the coronavirus crisis forced ministers to pull together.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s market regulator released new anti-monopoly guidelines on Sunday that target internet platforms, tightening existing restrictions faced by the country’s tech giants.

The new rules formalise an earlier anti-monopoly draft law released in November and clarify a series of monopolistic practices that regulators plan to crack down on.

The guidelines are expected to put new pressure on the country’s leading internet services, including e-commerce sites such as Alibaba Group’s Taobao and Tmall marketplaces or JD.com. They will also cover payment services like Ant Group’s Alipay or Tencent Holding’s WeChat Pay.

The rules, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on its website, bar companies from a range of behaviour, including forcing merchants to choose between the country’s top internet players, a long-time practice in the market.

SAMR said the latest guidelines would “stop monopolistic behaviours in the platform economy and protect fair competition in the market.”

The notice also said it will stop companies from price fixing, restricting technologies and using data and algorithms to manipulate the market.

In a Q&A accompanying the notice, SAMR said reports of internet-related anti-monopoly behaviour had been increasing, and that it was facing challenges regulating the industry.

“The behaviour is more concealed, the use of data, algorithms, platform rules and so on make it more difficult to discover and determine what are monopoly agreements,” it said.

China has in recent months started to tighten scrutiny of its tech giants, reversing a once laissez-faire approach.

In December, regulators launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba Group following the dramatic suspension of the $37 billion initial public offering plan of its payment affiliate, Ant Group.

At the time, regulators warned the company over practices including forcing merchants to sign exclusive cooperation pacts at the expense of other internet platforms.

An Ohio woman is facing several charges after police say she refused to put on a face mask in a grocery store — and then wouldn’t leave.

Police responded to a Marc’s grocery store in Brook Park on Jan. 18 after they say Karen Turner, 55, refused to put on a face mask at the request of employees, WJW reported.

Employees then asked Turner to leave the store but she refused, according to the outlet.

Body-camera footage recently obtained by WOIO shows police arriving at the store and approaching Turner who’s standing in a checkout line, cellphone in hand.

She asks the officer to name the “federal law that prevents (her) from wearing a face mask” to which the officer replies that there’s a state order in effect and that the store has a right to ask her to leave, the video shows.

A state mandate went into effect in July requiring people in Ohio to wear face masks inside public buildings.

The conversation continued and police eventually asked Turner for her I.D., but she refused to hand it over, Cleveland.com reported.

Police were able to grab hold of Turner and escorted her from the store, the video obtained by WOIO shows. As officers take her from the building to a police vehicle, Turner says she “can’t wait to sue” officers, adding that she hadn’t committed any crimes before repeatedly demanding her cellphone.

Police tried to handcuff the woman, but she pulled away and scratched the hands and arms of one officer, according to Cleveland.com.

Turner is charged with resisting arrest, criminal trespass and failure to disclose information, according to court documents.

She was released on $5,000 bond and is due back in court on Feb. 8, WOIO reported.

Myanmar hit headlines around the world on 1 February when its military seized control.

The country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and members of her party were detained.

Where is Myanmar?

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in South East Asia and neighbours Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China and India.

It has a population of about 54 million, most of whom are Burmese speakers, although other languages are also spoken. The biggest city is Yangon (Rangoon) but the capital is Nay Pyi Taw.

The main religion is Buddhism. There are many ethnic groups in the country, including Rohingya Muslims.

The country gained independence from Britain in 1948. It was ruled by the armed forces from 1962 until 2011, when a new government began ushering in a return to civilian rule.

Why is it also known as Burma?

The country was called Burma for generations, after its dominant ethnic group.

The ruling military changed its name in English to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands of people were killed in a crackdown on a popular uprising.

The two words mean the same thing but Myanmar is the more formal version.

Some, including the UK, initially refused to use the new name as a way of denying the military regime's legitimacy. But as the country moved towards democracy, the use of "Myanmar" became increasingly common.

Ms Suu Kyi in 2016 said it did not matter which name they used. The US still officially calls the country Burma.

What has happened now, and why?

The military is now back in charge and has declared a year-long state of emergency.

It seized control following a general election which Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide.

The armed forces had backed the opposition, who were demanding a rerun of the vote, claiming widespread fraud.

The election commission said there was no evidence to support these claims.

The coup was staged as a new session of parliament was set to open.

Ms Suu Kyi is thought to be under house arrest. Several charges have been filed against her, including breaching import and export laws and possession of unlawful communication devices.

Many other NLD officials have also been detained.

Who is in charge now?

Power has been handed over to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.

He has long wielded significant political influence, successfully maintaining the power of the Tatmadaw - Myanmar's military - even as the country transitioned towards democracy.

He has received international condemnation and sanctions for his alleged role in the military's attacks on ethnic minorities.

The military has replaced ministers and deputies, including in finance, health, the interior and foreign affairs.

It says it will hold a "free and fair" election once the state of emergency is over.

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

Aung San Suu Kyi became world-famous in the 1990s for campaigning to restore democracy.

She spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010 after organising rallies calling for democratic reform and free elections.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while under house arrest in 1991.

In 2015, she led the NLD to victory in Myanmar's first openly contested election in 25 years.

What about the crackdown on Rohingya?

Ms Suu Kyi's international reputation has suffered greatly as a result of Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya minority.

Myanmar considers them illegal immigrants and denies them citizenship. Over decades, many have fled the country to escape persecution.

Thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh following an army crackdown in 2017.

Ms Suu Kyi appeared before the International Court of Justice in 2019, where she denied allegations that the military had committed genocide.

What has the international reaction been?

The UK, EU and Australia are among those to have condemned the military takeover.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was a "serious blow to democratic reforms".

US President Joe Biden has threatened to reinstate sanctions.

But not everyone has reacted in this way.

China blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup. The country, which has previously opposed international intervention in Myanmar, urged all sides to "resolve differences". Its Xinhua news agency described the changes as a "cabinet reshuffle".

Neighbours including Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines, have said it is an "internal matter".

How have people reacted?

On the day of the coup Ms Suu Kyi urged her supporters to "protest against the coup".

The nights that followed saw residents in the main cities show their dissent by banging pots and honking car horns.

Staff at dozens of hospitals and medical centres walked out, and many others wore ribbons showing they oppose the coup.

Streets in Yangon are empty following the coup

The military blocked access to Facebook, which is widely used across the country, Twitter and Instagram. But that failed to stop large nationwide protests on Saturday.

The rulers then ordered a full internet blackout. Protesters, again, took to the streets to denounce the coup.

Sunday saw the country's largest protests since the so-called Saffron Revolution in 2007, when thousands of the country's monks rose up against the military regime.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Snowed blanketed northern Germany on Sunday, prompting rail operator Deutsche Bahn to suspend connections to the Netherlands and some long-distance domestic services as the national weather centre warned of “extremely heavy drifting snow”.

Temperatures dropped to -7 degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit) and Berlin and Hanover, and strong winds from the east whipped up snow storms, the DWD weather service said.

The bad weather hit a band running from Muenster in the west to Saxony in the east, with an area to the south of Hanover hit hardest.

Deutsche Bahn said on its website that long-distance train services between Berlin, Hanover and Cologne were suspended until further notice.

(Reuters) - China’s aluminium sector must shut dedicated power capacity equivalent to more than Germany’s entire coal fleet over the next decade to keep Beijing on track to meet its carbon pledges, climate think tank Ember says.

China accounts for more than half of global aluminium production, churning out 37 million tonnes in 2020. President Xi Jinping has vowed China will achieve peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060.

Ember, in a report to be published on Monday, says China’s record aluminium output last year emitted more C02 than some entire countries, including Indonesia and Brazil.

China will need to shut around 47 gigawatts of inefficient, subcritical coal power capacity dedicated for aluminium over the next 10 years or so if it wants to be carbon-neutral by mid-century, the report’s author, Muyi Yang, told Reuters.

Germany’s total coal power capacity is 42 GW.

Chinese aluminium makers have long relied on off-grid “captive” power plants for the energy-intensive smelting process, with self-generating units accounting for around 65% of the electricity they use, according to Yang.

But they are being pushed by the government to use cleaner electricity sources and join China’s long-awaited emissions trading scheme in a low-carbon aluminium drive.

Recent years have seen a significant migration of aluminium capacity to southwest China’s Yunnan province, which has abundant hydropower resources.

But “more action is still required,” said Yang, a senior electricity policy analyst at Ember. “The magnitude of the challenge is massive.”

Smelters should use cleaner electricity if available but can also look to improve production efficiency and do better aluminium recycling, he said, adding China should encourage more efficient use of aluminium across its economy.

Over 45% of China’s inefficient captive coal capacity is in the smelting heartland of Shandong province, Ember says, with more than a third of it, or 17 GW, belonging to top private-sector producer China Hongqiao Group.

Hongqiao, one of the smelters that has moved capacity to Yunnan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.