Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant tone against US President Joe Biden after Washington withheld a shipment of bombs as a warning to its top Middle East ally not to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.In a first, punchy clip on the social media site X, Netanyahu said: “If
A transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for Haiti is changing the way it operates in a move that surprised many as gang violence consumes the country.Instead of having a single council president, four veteran politicians are to take turns leading the council every five months, accord
Using virtual-reality (VR) headsets, students at a Hong Kong university travel to a pavilion above the clouds to watch an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated Albert Einstein explain game theory.The students are part of a course at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) that is
South Korea yesterday said it would allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, as a months-long doctors’ strike shows no sign of resolution.Thousands stopped working on Feb. 20 to protest government plans to train more doctors, causing chaos in hospitals. The go
TOXIC WORK CULTURE: Qu Jing had said that she was not concerned about her employees as she was ‘not their mom’ and she cared only about ‘results’
A top Baidu public relations executive has reportedly departed the Chinese technology company after drawing a public outcry over her comments that were seen as glorifying a culture of overwork.Baidu’s head of communications Qu Jing (璩靜) had implied in a series of videos that she was not concerned ab
UNITED KINGDOMEconomy exits recessionThe kingdom exited a shallow recession and beat growth forecasts in the first quarter, official data showed yesterday, in a boost to embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of this year’s election. GDP expanded 0.6 percent, bolstered by robust growth in servic
INTRAPARTY FIGHT: The vote tally shows the strengths, but also the limits of Mike Johnson’s leadership and the risks awaiting any Republican wishing to lead the party
Hardline Republican US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in a brazen push to oust US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, but the resounding rejection by Republicans and Democrats tired of the turmoil does not guarantee an end to the Republican chaos.One of former US p
Australia yesterday unveiled plans to keep burning natural gas beyond 2050, saying its reliance on the fossil fuel would not derail a pledge to reach net zero emissions in the next 30 years.Australian Minister for Resources Madeleine King said gas “will remain an important source of energy” in Austr
Record-breaking heat last month that prompted governments in Asia to close schools offers fresh evidence of how climate change is threatening the education of millions of children.The arrival of seasonal rains has now brought relief to some parts of the region, but experts warn the broader problem r
‘UNCONSENTED’ ACTION: Prosecutors seek a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for Rubiales for the alleged sexual assault for kissing Jenni Hermoso
Former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales is to stand trial on charges of sexual assault and coercion for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent after last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup final, a Spanish judge confirmed on Wednesday.Judge Francisco de Jorge had ruled in Janu
A FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 cargo plane on Wednesday landed at Istanbul Airport without deploying its front landing gear, but managed to stay on the runway and avoided casualties, the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said.The aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, in
UNITED STATESKennedy reveals suspicionIndependent US presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr believed he might have been attacked by a worm that ate part of his brain and then died inside his head, the media reported on Wednesday. Kennedy, 70, made the claim in a 2012 deposition as part of his divo
A demonstrator jumps over a barricade next to a University of Amsterdam building on Wednesday, as pro-Palestinian students occupying the university continued their protest calling for it to sever all ties with Israel.
MONEY MATTERS: Xi was to highlight projects such as a new high-speed railway between Belgrade and Budapest, as Serbia is entirely open to Chinese trade and investment
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic yesterday said that “Taiwan is China” as he made a speech welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to Belgrade, state broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said.“We have a clear and simple position regarding Chinese territorial integrity,” he told a crow
In the eight years since Chinese company HBIS bought a steel mill near the eastern Serbian city of Smederevo, locals say they have been plagued by heavy air pollution and thick red dust.“There are times of the day when breathing normally is impossible,” said Zvezdan Veljkovic, from the village of Ra
Ukraine on Tuesday said it had unraveled a Russian plot to assassinate senior Ukrainian political and military figures, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.Two Ukrainian security officials were arrested for their links to the group, which had aimed to carry out high-profile killings ah
It was the courtroom face-off everyone was waiting for — testimony of high legal importance, and salacious sexual content.Former US president Donald Trump, who has always prided himself on being in charge and in control, was forced to sit and listen to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is St
PROMINENT FIGURE: One researcher said Kim Ki-nam was the Goebbels of North Korea, while another noted his efforts in inter-Korean cooperation
North Korea’s former propaganda chief, credited with masterminding the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim dynasty, has died at the age of 94, state media said yesterday, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un photographed bowing at his funeral bier.Kim Ki-nam died on Tuesday due to old age an
Hong Kong’s appeal court yesterday banned Glory to Hong Kong, a protest song that emerged during the territory’s massive democracy demonstrations in 2019.Penned anonymously, its lyrics include the words “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” and it has been all but illegal to sing or play it
CUSTOMS DUTIES: France’s cognac industry was closely watching the talks, fearing that an anti-dumping investigation opened by China is retaliation for trade tensions
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees, seeking to press a message to Beijing not to support Russia’s war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade.The first day of Xi’s state visit to France, his f