An Indonesian representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on Monday urged Myanmar’s military junta to develop a road map to implement a five-point agreement reached at a recent bloc meeting.

"Myanmar needs to create a timeline and roadmap for the implementation of the consensus reached,” Yuyun Wahyuningrum said in a statement.

During a special meeting in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on April 24, ASEAN member states agreed to an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, substantive dialogue among all parties involved, mediation by a special envoy or delegations, and the distribution of humanitarian aid.

The next challenge, she said, is to ensure that both ASEAN and Myanmar follow through on their commitments.

“The implementation must be carried out systematically and transparently,” Wahyuningrum said, referring to one of the ASEAN Charter’s norms, adhering to the rule of law and good governance.

She emphasized that the summit's joint statement did not contain a firm call to release political prisoners. The summit, however, "heard calls" for their release.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, as many as 3,431 people in Myanmar are still detained, with 79 of them convicted since the Feb. 1 military takeover. At least 745 have been killed.

“There are several points that have not been included in their statement. Hopefully, they will be able to do so in the next meetings," the Indonesian representative said.

Meanwhile, Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told Anadolu Agency they were disappointed that neither ASEAN nor Indonesia released statements explicitly condemning the human rights abuses by the Myanmar military regime.

“ASEAN should have been able to take advantage of the meeting to stop violence in Myanmar more effectively, such as pushing for the investigation of Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity in his country," he said./aa

Moorhead city police in the US state of Minnesota said they are seeking a suspect of a hate attack who left offensive graffiti on a mosque.

The officers responded to a call of vandalism by staff at the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Center mosque on Sunday at 5:20 am, the department said in a Facebook post.

"Officers found hate messages directed towards the Islamic faith, and their followers spray-painted several areas of the building's exterior," it added.

The video surveillance of the building captured images of a suspect who was wearing a camouflage jacket and dark ski mask, said the police, while the investigation continues.

In the photos circulating through social media, the hate messages were including "Death to Islam," "Go to Hell," and other graffiti were featuring racist language.

The attack, which took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was condemned by the cities of Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, Dilworth and Moorhead with a joint statement.

"Those criminal actions are completely contradictory to the values of tolerance, respect and acceptance we embrace in all of our communities. The vandalism was a heinous act of hate attacking the center during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan," they said.

Underlining that such actions "will not be tolerated in any of our cities," they echoed Mayor Shelly message "hate -- of any kind, shape or form -- does not have a home in this metro."/aa

A Turkish court on Monday remanded in custody four suspects allegedly linked to cryptocurrency platform Vebitcoin, according to a security source.

Cybercrime police in the southwestern Mugla province arrested the suspects – the company head, two employees and the spouse of one of its partners.

Last week, the Turkish financial crimes watchdog blocked all of Vebitcoin's domestic bank accounts after it announced ceasing all of its activities, citing financial strains.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) also initiated an investigation into Vebitcoin and its managers./aa

The UK will send medical equipment to India as the latter continues to suffer from a surge in coronavirus cases, the British government announced Sunday.

India set a new global record for daily coronavirus cases for the fourth day in a row on Sunday.

There were 349,691 new cases, taking the total to 16.96 million. Only the US has had more overall cases.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been due to visit India this week but cancelled his trip due to the surge in coronavirus cases there.

In a statement, he said: "We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against COVID-19.”

"Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus.

"We will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this difficult time, and I'm determined to make sure that the UK does everything it can to support the international community in the global fight against pandemic," he added.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: "Today we have sent the first of several urgent deliveries of surplus medical equipment to our friends in India to help provide life-saving care for vulnerable Covid patients. No-one is safe until we are all safe."

India is also suffering from acute shortages of oxygen. The first shipment of medical supplies from the UK will arrive in India on Tuesday morning.

The nine airplane container loads include 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators. Further shipments of British medical supplies to India will also be sent.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The heart-breaking scenes in India show once again how awful this terrible disease is.”

"We are determined to support the people of India through this very difficult time, and I am hugely grateful to those who have worked hard to make this initial delivery happen.

"This first delivery of life saving equipment will provide much needed assistance and we stand ready to do more."

Meanwhile, the UK reported its lowest number of daily coronavirus cases since early September as Britain’s successful vaccination program continues to prevent a surge of infections despite loosening lockdown measures.

Government data released Sunday showed that across the UK over the past 24 hours, there were 1,712 more positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 4,404,882. There were also a further 11 deaths, bringing the total to 127,428.

Up to and including April 24, 2021, 33,666,638 first doses of vaccines have been administered and 12,587,116 second doses./aa

India's daily coronavirus cases hit another global record Monday after the country registered 352,991 new infections, said the Health Ministry.

The country's total caseload rose to over 17 million while the death toll stood at 195,123, including a record 2,812 new fatalities.

India has registered an exponential increase in daily cases to over 300,000 since Thursday last week, taking the country’s health system to the verge of collapse and leading to a shortage of oxygen at hospitals.

The worst hit is the capital New Delhi, which is facing an acute shortage of oxygen in hospitals. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday also announced the extension of the lockdown for another week.

Facing tough questions, the government has now taken more steps to tackle the second deadly wave, pressing railways, the air force and the navy to transport oxygen across the country.

The government said Sunday that nearly 4,000 COVID care coaches with 64,000 beds positioned at various railway stations can be made available for quick deployment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday during his radio address that after successfully confronting the first wave of the coronavirus, the country was full of enthusiasm and self-confidence, but "this storm has shaken the country."

Modi’s office in a separate statement said the Prime Minister’s CARES fund has given "in-principle approval" for the allocation of funds for the setting up of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants inside public health facilities in the country./aa

Bangladesh saw its highest temperature in seven years on Sunday, hitting a scorching 41.2 C (106.2 F), according to official figures.

After rising mercury since last week, the South Asian country saw 41.2 C in the southwestern region of Jessore, said the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

This broke through a record of 42 C in 2014, while other parts of the country saw sweltering highs of 39-41 C (102.2-105.8 F).

Environmental groups are also raising the alarm over a water crisis in southern Bangladesh. There has been little or no rain in most parts of the country even when seasonal rainfall was due.

Many women are suffering from disease due to using contaminated water, ActionAid Bangladesh said in a recent study.

As a victim of climate change, Bangladesh spends about $5 billion, about 2.5% of its GDP, on climate adaptation and resilience-building measures.

At last week’s virtual US-hosted climate summit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for immediate action by developed countries to reduce their carbon emissions to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5 C.

She also urged countries to stick to the annual target global fund of $100 billion with special attention to vulnerable communities./aa

MOGADISHU, Somalia

The Turkish Red Crescent on Sunday distributed food parcels for people in need in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

"The Turkish Red Crescent did food distribution in Mogadishu's Daynile district on Sunday and distributed 700 food parcels to families in need in the Daynile district," Orhan Kokcu, head of the Turkish Red Crescent delegation in Somalia, told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

The group will continue to distribute food in Somalia during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for a total of 7,000 food parcels, he added.

Red Crescent Somali personnel also visited newborn babies and their families at the Yardimeli and Martini hospitals in Mogadishu and gave presents to the newborns.

Separately, the Somali government and the humanitarian community said they are deeply concerned about the increasingly dry conditions in the Horn of Africa country, which has deteriorated to a drought situation.

More than 80% of the country is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, according to a joint statement.

Since 1990, Somalia has experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards, including 12 droughts and 19 floods, according to the statement.

At least 3.4 million people are projected to be affected by drought conditions by the end of 2021, and some 380,000 are expected to be displaced./aa