Briefly

RUSSIA

Putin self-isolates due to inner circle infection

President Vladimir Putin is going into self-isolation because of coronavirus cases in his inner circle, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, adding that he tested negative for COVID-19. Putin has been fully vaccinated with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin is "absolutely healthy", but will self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who contracted the virus. On Monday, Putin attended several public events. He greeted Russian Paralympians and attended military exercises conducted in coordination with Belarus. During a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he criticized the presence of foreign troops in Syria, saying they are there against the will of the Syrian government and are blocking the consolidation of the war-torn country.

SOUTH KOREA

Google fined $180m for market abuse

South Korea's antitrust watchdog fined Google nearly $180 million on Tuesday for abusing its dominance in the mobile operating systems and app markets, it said, the latest in a series of regulatory moves against tech giants around the world. The penalty came weeks after South Korea passed a law banning major app store operators such as Google and Apple from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively declaring their lucrative Play Store and App Store monopolies illegal.

NIGERIA

108 inmates recaptured after prison outbreak

At least 108 out of 240 inmates who escaped from a prison in central Nigeria have been recaptured, a prison official said on Tuesday. Heavily armed gunmen stormed the Security Custodial Center in Kabba late on Sunday, freeing many inmates. It was unclear who the gunmen were. Large prison outbreaks are not uncommon in Nigeria. On April 5, gunmen raided Owerri police headquarters, freeing more than 1,800 inmates.

Xinhua - Agencies