MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives president said Friday an explosion that wounded former leader Mohamed Nasheed was an attack on the country’s democracy and economy, and announced that Australian police would assist the investigation.

Nasheed, 53, was wounded in the blast Thursday night outside his home and was being treated in a hospital in the capital, Male, police said. Home Minister Imran Abdulla told a local television that his injuries were not life-threatening.

(Reuters) --- Myanmar's ruling junta is focusing on creating a stable situation in the country before agreeing to allow a visit by a Southeast Asian envoy, as part of a five-point consensus agreed by regional leaders last month, an official said on Friday.

07 May 2021; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces yesterday detained one of the guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and extended Sheikh Najeh Bakirat's ban from entering the Muslim Hily site, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

Police officers arrested Bader Al-Rajbi from Bab Alsilsila area in the Old City of Jerusalem and took him to a detention centre in the holy city.

TRIPOLI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday said it signed an agreement with the Libyan Ministry of Water Resources to extend their collaboration in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project.

Hailing its cooperation with the Libyan ministry as "outstanding," the UN agency said in a statement that its support for the North African country also includes emergency assistance for COVID-19 response.

(Reuters) --- New Zealand wants a more mature relationship with China that goes beyond trade ties and gives room for disagreement, particularly on issues of human rights, the Pacific nation's foreign minister said on Friday.

Nanaia Mahuta's comments come after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this week that differences with its top trading partner were getting harder to reconcile, and the country's parliament unanimously declared human rights abuses were taking place against Uyghur people in China's Xinjiang region, angering Beijing. 

TOKYO (AP) — Trains packed with commuters returning to work after a weeklong national holiday. Frustrated young people drinking in the streets because bars are closed. Protests planned over a possible visit by the Olympics chief.

As the coronavirus spreads in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Olympics starting in 11 weeks, one of the world’s least vaccinated nations is showing signs of strain, both societal and political.

07 May 2021; MEMO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun has asked French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, for help to recover funds which have been smuggled out of the country, in an effort to begin reforms and prosecute those who have misused public resources.

Lucknow, May 6 (PTI) Amid the surge in coronavirus cases, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing oximeters and thermal scanners for cows housed in the state's gaushalas'.

That is what a government press release said. But an official later clarified that the medical equipment was meant for people who work at the gaushalas'.

BEIJING, May 7 (APP): The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines assisted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was delivered to the Pakistani military.

The vaccine was provided with the approval of the Central Military Commission and at the request of Pakistani military and for the implementation of President Xi Jinping’s important declaration on making China’s COVID-19 vaccine a global public good, China Military Online reported on Friday.

(Reuters) --- Three Palestinian gunmen shot at an Israeli border police base in the occupied West Bank on Friday, drawing Israeli fire that killed two of the Palestinians and critically wounded the third, border police said.

There were no reports of Israeli injuries in the incident at the Salem base, near the West Bank-Israel border by the northern Palestinian city of Jenin.

DAMASCUS, May 7 (NNN-SANA) – One civilian was killed and six others wounded, when Israeli missiles hit several military sites in Syria’s north-western coastal city of Latakia.

The attack, which took place before daybreak, prompted the Syrian air defences to respond, destroying some of the missiles, according to the report.

A child and his mother were wounded as one of the missiles hit a plastic factory, the report said.

07 May 2021; MEMO: An Israeli research centre has addressed the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, stressing that this step constitutes a significant breach in the anti-Iran front that Israel seeks to form.