World News Roundup: Myanmar marks coup anniversary with protests and unrest; Amnesty accuses Israel of enforcing 'apartheid' on Palestinians and more

Last week, Tankoano was on the streets again, this time celebrating the military coup that toppled the country's elected president, Roch Kabore. Huge volumes of COVID hospital waste threaten health - WHO Discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles from the COVID-19 pandemic have piled up to create tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste, threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Myanmar marks coup anniversary with protests and unrest

Streets in some of Myanmar's main cities were nearly deserted on Tuesday as opponents of a military rule held "silent strikes", making the first anniversary of a coup that sparked deadly chaos and snuffed out tentative steps towards democracy. The United States, Britain and Canada imposed new sanctions on the military and joined other countries in calling for a global halt in arms sales to Myanmar, a year after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government was overthrown.

Amnesty accuses Israel of enforcing 'apartheid' on Palestinians

Amnesty International accused Israel on Tuesday of subjecting Palestinians to a system of apartheid founded on policies of "segregation, dispossession and exclusion" that it said amounted to crimes against humanity. The London-based rights group said its findings were based on research and legal analysis in a 211-page report into Israeli seizure of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer of people and denial of citizenship.

Italy's Draghi and Russia's Putin discuss Ukraine -statement

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have had a phone call to discuss the crisis over Ukraine and bilateral relations, Draghi's office said in a statement on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed on the need to find a "sustainable and durable" solution to the Ukrainian crisis and to rebuild a "climate of mutual confidence", the statement said.

UK's Johnson cannot answer party questions because of police, minister says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cannot answer specific questions over lockdown parties in Downing Street because he does not want to prejudice a police investigation into 12 gatherings, his deputy said on Tuesday. British police are reviewing more than 500 pieces of paper and over 300 photographs as part of an investigation into whether the Downing Street gatherings broke COVID-19 lockdown laws.

Japan parliament adopts resolution on human rights in China

Japan's parliament adopted a rare resolution on Tuesday on what it called the "serious human rights situation" in China, and asked the government to take steps to relieve the situation.

Japan has already announced it will not send a government delegation to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, following a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott over concerns about China's human rights condition, although Tokyo avoided explicitly labelling its move as such.

Kyiv-bound, UK's Johnson vows to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will vow to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty on a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday as part of the West's diplomatic efforts to stop a possible Russian invasion which Moscow says there is no proof it is planning. It comes as the United States said it is in active discussions with allies about possible U.S. troop deployments to NATO's eastern flank, separate from some 8,500 forces already placed on alert last week.

Analysis-Brazil military no obstacle to third Lula term, say ex-generals, analysts

Brazil's armed forces would respect a victory by leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva in this year's presidential race, two retired generals told Reuters, adding to recent signs by military brass distancing themselves from the political project of far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, brought unprecedented numbers of military officers into his government, including key cabinet posts. He has also questioned the credibility of Brazil's voting system, raising fears he might not accept defeat in the October election, as his political counterpart, former U.S. President Donald Trump, did in the United States.

Olympics-Rule 50 on political protests a conundrum for athletes in Beijing

Athletes considering staging political protests during the Beijing 2022 Winter Games will have to negotiate the International Olympic Committee's Rule 50 which originally banned such behaviour but now offers more freedom. They will also have to abide by the law in Communist Party-ruled China, which has rejected accusations in the West of rights abuses in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and elsewhere and comes down hard on dissent.

Coups cheered in West Africa as Islamist insurgencies sap faith in democracy

The last time rebellious soldiers attempted to overthrow Burkina Faso's government in 2015, Marcel Tankoano was among thousands of protesters who took to the streets to oust the junta. Within days, loyalist forces had restored the president to power. Last week, Tankoano was on the streets again, this time celebrating the military coup that toppled the country's elected president, Roch Kabore.

Huge volumes of COVID hospital waste threaten health - WHO

Discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles from the COVID-19 pandemic have piled up to create tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste, threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report said on Tuesday. The material, a portion of which could be infectious since coronavirus can survive on surfaces, potentially exposes health workers to burns, needle-stick injuries and disease-causing germs, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)