An Ebola vaccination campaign in Guinea kicked off Tuesday, nine days after an outbreak was declared, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

High-risk individuals began to be vaccinated 24 hours after Guinea received 11,000 doses of the vaccine sent by the WHO.

The campaign was launched in Gouecke, a rural community in N'Zerekore prefecture where the first cases were detected Feb. 14.

"The last time Guinea faced an Ebola outbreak, vaccines were still being developed," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"With the experience and expertise it has built up, combined with safe and effective vaccines, Guinea has the tools and the know-how to respond to this outbreak," he said. "The WHO is proud to support the government to engage and empower communities, to protect health and other frontline workers, to save lives and provide high-quality care."

The WHO said last week that more than 100 workers were expected to be part of the Ebola response team in Guinea by the end of February.

A new outbreak was declared in the West African country where eight cases were recorded, along with five deaths and 380 contacts of which 98% are being monitored, according to the UN health agency.

"The speed with which Guinea has managed to start up vaccination efforts is remarkable and is largely thanks to the enormous contribution its experts have made to the recent Ebola outbreaks in the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo]," said WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti.

"Africans supporting fellow Africans to respond to one of the most dangerous diseases on the planet is a testament to the emergency response capacity we have built over the years on the continent," said Moeti.

Earlier this month, authorities in the DRC announced the reappearance of Ebola, a tropical fever that is transmitted to humans from wild animals, in the eastern part of the Central African country, more than two months after the end of the last outbreak.

First discovered in 1976, the disease caused global alarm in 2014 when the world's worst outbreak began in West Africa, killing more than 11,000 people and infecting an estimated 28,600 as it swept through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone./aa

Indonesia is calling on Myanmar’s military to show restraint in dealing with protestors against a recent coup, a senior official said Tuesday. 

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi spoke with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi by phone Saturday about the situation in Myanmar in the wake of the Feb. 1 coup, Teuku Faizasyah, Foreign Ministry spokesperson in the capital Jakarta, said Tuesday.

In her efforts to find an amicable solution to Myanmar’s political crisis, Marsudi has been in contact with her counterparts from India, Australia, Japan, and Britain, as well as Special UN Envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener.

Marsudi stressed that the safety and welfare of Myanmar’s people must be the utmost priority for the junta.

Wang welcomed the Indonesian initiative to arrange a special meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar’s political crisis.

"China has supported Indonesia's efforts to de-escalate the conflict in coordination with ASEAN members," Faizasyah told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

The Chinese Embassy in the US recently issued a statement in which Beijing expressed its full support for a proposed ASEAN ministerial meeting, but decided to adhere to the principle of non-interference.

As a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, Wang said China is concerned about stability and peace in the country.

"The continuing turbulence in Myanmar is in the interests of neither Myanmar nor its people, nor in the common interests of other regional countries,” said Wang.

"Both Myanmar’s military and political parties bear responsibilities for stability and development in the country," he added. 

Military takeover

Myanmar's military declared a state of emergency on Feb. 1, hours after detaining de facto leader Suu Kyi and senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

The coup took place hours before the country's new parliament was set to convene following November elections in which the NLD made sweeping gains.

The military claimed it launched the coup due to "election fraud" resulting in the NLD’s dominance.

The UN Human Rights Council has said it is “closely” following events. ​​​​​​​

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services./aa

At least 33 asylum seekers were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard off the country's western coast on Tuesday.

The Coast Guard Command said on its website that the group of asylum seekers traveling in a rubber boat had been pushed back to Turkish waters in the Aegean Sea by Greek authorities.

Acting on a tip, a rescue vessel was sent to the group and converged on it off the Dikili district of Izmir province.

The asylum seekers were transferred to the provincial migration office after reaching shore.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

The country has repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children./aa

Dozens of people were injured as a string of explosions rocked Nigeria's northeastern Maiduguri city on Tuesday. 

Multiple casualties are feared following blasts at four locations in the city, but authorities are yet to confirm any numbers as evacuation efforts continue.

Musa Saleh, a volunteer helping officials at the site, told Anadolu Agency that he led a team that brought over 15 injured people, including children, to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Scores of family members of victims were seen in the hospital's emergency ward.

"We reached Gwange [district] after the explosion and we brought about 16 wounded victims to the hospital," he said.

Some of the injured were from the Kaleri and Bulabulin areas of the city and were brought to the hospital in pick-up trucks./aa

At least 50 inmates died in clashes in Ecuador on Tuesday, after what police authorities have described as a "concerted action" of criminal gangs.

The deadly riots erupted in four prisons in Guayaquil, Cuenca and Latacunga.

The country’s police confirmed the deaths on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, saying it was working on controlling the unrest. Local media reported family members said that they had learned that inmates from several wards had attacked another ward where at least 50 prisoners were being held.

According to minister of government, Patricio Pazmino, the clashes resulted from a "concerted action" between criminal gangs.

President Lenin Moreno said that police authorities are trying to regain control of prisons in Latacunga, Cuenca and Guayaquil.

“Criminal organizations carry out simultaneous violent actions in several prisons in the country. The Minister of Government and the police are working to retake control of prisons in Guayaquil, Cuenca and Latacunga,” he said on Twitter./aa

French Muslim organizations on Tuesday strongly condemned vandalism of an under-construction mosque in Strasbourg with Islamophobic graffiti.

The words, "No to Islam, go back to your village” were sprayed across the fence on the site of the Eyyub Sultan Mosque, which once completed will be Europe’s largest Muslim place of worship.

In a video statement, the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation (CIMG), the group overseeing construction of the mosque, expressed disappointment at the Islamophobic and racist message.

“There is no material damage but the symbolism is strong,” said a tweet from the official handle of the mosque.

“However, this incident reflects the deleterious climate that France is going through today. Indeed, the trivialization of remarks targeting Muslims in media discourse demeans the enemies of living together,” it added.

A 21-year-old man detained by police admitted to have committed the vandalism, Strasbourg prosecutor's office said, French daily Derniers Nouvelles d'Alsace (DNA) reported.

He was released before his next appearance on prior admission of guilt, the report said. The motive or intent behind the vandalism is still unknown.

CIMG said in the last weeks it had received several threatening messages, which the authorities failed to respond to.

The recent vandalism received widespread criticism by national bodies like the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) and the Union of Mosques (UMF).

The Grand Mosque of Strasbourg said the abject act of hatred and intolerance “aims to divide the national community and to pit religious communities against each other, while they live in perfect harmony."/aa

US authorities on Monday arrested the wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, the leader of a Mexican drug organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel, in Virginia, said the Justice Department. 

Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, was arrested at Dulles International Airport "on charges related to her alleged involvement in international drug trafficking," said the department in a statement.

The dual US-Mexican citizen is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia via video conference.

"According to court documents, Aispuro is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the US," said the statement.

She is also accused of having "conspired with others to assist Guzman in his July 11, 2015 escape from Altiplano prison, located in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico.”

"After Guzman was re-arrested in Mexico in January 2016, Coronel Aispuro is alleged to have engaged in planning yet another prison escape with others prior to Guzman’s extradition to the US in January 2017," said the statement.

The drug kingpin was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of New York in 2019 for his role as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

"Coronel Aispuro is charged in a one count criminal complaint with a conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamines for unlawful importation into the US," the statement added./aa

The Turkish Coast Guard Command announced Monday that it rescued a total of 98 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea who were pushed back by the Greek Coast Guard into Turkish territorial waters. 

The command said on its website that coast guard teams were dispatched to the area to rescue 53 migrants between Feb. 19-21 off Dikili district in Izmir province from a lifeboat and rubber boat.

In a separate operation, the coast guard rescued 45 irregular migrants in Kusadasi province after being alerted that a group was stranded on rocks.

The migrants were left on two life rafts by Greek forces and pushed back into Turkish territorial waters.

All of the migrants were referred to the provincial migration office./aa

Brazil’s benchmark Bovespa index fell more than 4% Monday in the wake of President Jair Bolsonaro's decision last week to replace the chief executive of state oil company Petrobras.  

The company's shares plunged more than 21% on news that the government on Friday nominated an army general with no oil and gas industry experience as its new CEO. 

In only a few hours, Petrobras lost more than 74.2 billion reais ($13.6 billion) in market value. On Friday, shortly after the announcement, the company’s value had already shrunk by 28.2 billion reais ($5.2 billion), according to financial market analysts. 

Petrobras’ preferred shares closed Monday with a loss of 21.5% at 21.45 reais ($3.92). The company’s common shares plunged 20.47% to 21.55 reais ($3.94). 

It marks the biggest percentage drop in shares since March 9, 2020, when preferred shares plunged 29.7% due to the coronavirus crisis, which was recorded as Petrobras’ worst daily devaluation in history. 

With the devaluation, the capitalization of the giant oil company fell from 354.79 billion reais ($64.91 billion) on Friday to 280.55 billion reais ($51.33 billion). 

Banco do Brasil and Eletrobras also accumulated significant losses. Both are also state-owned. 

Bankers and investment fund managers said Monday that Petrobras’ losses with Bolsonaro’s intervention could be higher than those incurred from the corruption schemes investigated by Brazilian federal police under Operation Car Wash of 85 billion reais ($15.6 billion) over a four-year period. 

Bolsonaro proposed the appointment of General Joaquim Silva e Luna, the current director of hydroelectricity generator Itaipu Binacional, as CEO of Petrobras. If confirmed, Silva e Luna will replace Roberto Castello Branco. 

The proposed change has been drawing much criticism from economists, politicians and even former members of the government. They fear the company will return to record losses due to subsidies and have a less-skilled management when exchanging an economist for a general. 

On Saturday, Bolsonaro said he could intervene in other state-owned companies.

“If the press is concerned about yesterday's [Friday’s] exchange [in Petrobras], next week we will have more. What I don't lack is the courage to decide, thinking of the greater good for our nation,” he said during a military event. 

For the replacement to be confirmed, Bolsonaro’s nominee needs to be approved by Petrobras’ Board of Directors. According to the company, its board will hold a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, when a decision is expected to be made. 

Financial agents see a significant increase in political risk in the country, mainly due to government interference in state-owned companies. The announcement came after Bolsonaro had criticized Petrobras' management and successive increases in fuel prices. The president called the latest price readjustment, 2021’s fourth, with gasoline rising 10% and diesel 15%, “out of the curve.” Until last Thursday, the price of a liter of gasoline at refineries had risen 34.78% since the beginning of the year. The price of diesel rose 27.72% in the same period. 

At filling stations, gasoline has become 5.8% more expensive since the first week of 2021, sold at 4.833 reais ($0.89) per liter on average, according to a weekly survey by the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). Diesel was sold at an average price of 3.875 ($0.71) per liter at the pumps./aa