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Health Minister: Ukraine Close to Virus Catastrophe

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crosses a street in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crosses a street in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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Health Minister: Ukraine Close to Virus Catastrophe

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crosses a street in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crosses a street in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

The situation with the coronavirus in Ukraine is close to catastrophic and the nation must prepare for the worst, health minister Maksym Stepanov said on Tuesday.

Ukraine registered a record 8,899 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the ministry said, up from the Oct. 30 high of 8,312. Total infections stood at 411,093 by Tuesday with 7,532 deaths.

"The situation quickly turns from difficult to catastrophic. We need to prepare for the inevitable - it is impossible to easily pass the second wave," Stepanov told the parliament.

"If Ukrainians continue to severely disregard safety rules, we will not avoid a catastrophe. The hardest is ahead," he added, Reuters reported.

The daily tally of coronavirus infections spiked in late September and remained consistently high throughout October, prompting the government to extend lockdown measures until the end of this year.

Ukraine imposed a strict lockdown in March but eased it in May. Stepanov said the government would consider how to preserve the economy and save people at the same time.

He said last month that Ukraine would introduce stricter lockdown restrictions if cases rise to 11,000-15,000 daily. He warned that the resources of the medical system would run out if the number of daily cases exceeds 20,000.

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World

Iran Warns Oil Tankers to Use Approved Routes in Strait of Hormuz or Face a 'Forceful Response'

Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
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Iran Warns Oil Tankers to Use Approved Routes in Strait of Hormuz or Face a 'Forceful Response'

Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

The strait, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations to reach a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both US and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on Wednesday in Qatar, The Associated Press said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the US military's Central Command had put out a statement about having a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement said.

It also said the continued presence of US fighter jets over the strait “causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security.”

“Any attempt by the United States to interfere in security matters or any disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction,” the Iranian warning added.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.

An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions.

World

Iran Warns US against Interference in Strait of Hormuz

Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
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Iran Warns US against Interference in Strait of Hormuz

Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)

Iran said on Thursday that any US interference in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a "decisive and ‌rapid" ‌response, adding ‌that ⁠the continued presence of US ⁠air assets across the waterway endangered regional security, state media ⁠reported.

Khatam al-Anbiya ‌Central ‌Headquarters, which coordinates Iran's ‌armed forces ‌operations, said all tanker and commercial vessels must follow ‌routes designated by Tehran for ⁠safe ⁠passage through the strait, adding that deviations or failure to comply with navigation protocols would face an immediate response.

World

8 Thai Monks Killed after Boy Drives Truck into Procession

(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
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8 Thai Monks Killed after Boy Drives Truck into Procession

(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)

An 11-year-old drove his parents' truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing eight monks and injuring 10 others, police said.

The group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in the northeastern Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the incident occurred.

"The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause," Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

"We've asked the child's parents to come in so we can determine who is responsible for the child's care, so we can go on with legal process," he added.

Police said the boy had taken his parents' pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the monks.

Five monks died at the scene and three more later died in hospital, while more than 10 others are being treated.

Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of Mukdahan City Police, told AFP by telephone that the child was a boy aged 11.

Emergency medical and rescue teams were deployed to the scene and the injured were taken to Mukdahan Hospital.

Mukdahan provincial governor Worayan Bunnarat said the case should serve as a wider warning on road safety.

"We've been very strict on road safety in recent years. This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents," he said.

"I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen."