Stepping foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin basked in choreographed pageantry courtesy of US President Donald Trump — but was also confronted by signs of US power.In made-for-television images, Putin and Trump each flew
Outside Havana, a combine belonging to a private Vietnamese company is harvesting rice, directly farming Cuban land — in a first — to help address acute food shortages in the country. The Cuban government has granted Agri VAM, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s Fujinuco Group, 1,000 hectares of arable land i
FORUM: The Solomon Islands’ move to bar Taiwan, the US and others from the Pacific Islands Forum has sparked criticism that Beijing’s influence was behind the decision
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feletei Teo said his country might pull out of the region’s top political meeting next month, after host nation Solomon Islands moved to block all external partners — including China, the US and Taiwan — from attending.The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting is to be
Pierre Poilievre, who is running to reclaim a seat in Canada’s parliament next week, was on track to be Canadian prime minister until US President Donald Trump upended Canadian politics. However, even if the Canadian Conservative Party leader wins tomorrow’s by-election in one of the country’s most
The African Union (AU) has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organizations of the 16th-century Mercator map of the world in favor of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.Created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the projection distorts conti
‘DEFENSE SHIELD’: On Indian Independence Day, Narendra Modi pledged energy self-reliance and vowed to ‘stand like a wall’ against foreign pressure
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said that India is seeking self-reliance in energy independence and the development of its own powerful defense systems, vowing to defend his country’s interests “like a wall.”Modi delivered his annual Indian Independence Day address from the imposing ra
STAGNATION: Once a bastion of leftist politics, the Aymara stronghold of El Alto is showing signs of shifting right ahead of the presidential election
A giant cruise ship dominates the skyline in the city of El Alto in landlocked Bolivia, a symbol of the transformation of an indigenous bastion keenly fought over in tomorrow’s presidential election.The “Titanic,” as the tallest building in the city is known, serves as the latest in a collection of
Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its World War II defeat yesterday, with at least one Cabinet minister joining thousands of visitors at a shrine that Japan’s Asian neighbors view as a symbol of its wartime aggression.Japanese Minister of Agriculture Shinchiro Koizumi, a contender in the ruling L
Political and religious figures in the Malian city of Timbuktu have welcomed the return of ancient manuscripts that were removed to the capital, Bamako, more than a decade ago to prevent them from falling into the hands of militants linked to al-Qaeda.According to a UN expert mission, jihadists dest
NORTH KOREAPutin hails ‘heroic’ troopsRussian President Vladimir Putin hailed North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine as “heroic” in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported yesterday. In a letter marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation fro
‘UNIQUE’: Trump said he wants to replicate the move in other Democratic-controlled cities, but a former prosecutor said there was no basis to attempt similar takeovers
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would ask the US Congress to extend federal control of Washington’s police force beyond 30 days, with the White House adding that the number of US National Guard troops in the nation’s capital would ramp up and federal officers would be on the streets a
NOT ALL QUIET: Pyongyang might be anticipating more conciliatory gestures from Seoul and might be trying to pace the development, an analyst said
The North Korean leader’s powerful sister yesterday said that the country has never taken down propaganda loudspeakers and would not do so, calling South Korea’s belief that Pyongyang was responding to its peace overtures a “pipedream.”Kim Yo-jong, who is a senior official in North Korea’s ruling Wo
Scientists have documented a surprising rate of sex reversal in wild Australian birds, a phenomenon that could be explained by rising pollution or other environmental triggers.A study of five common Australian species, including kookaburras, magpies and lorikeets, found that about 6 percent of birds
At least 26 migrants died on Wednesday when two boats sank off the coast of Italy’s Lampedusa island, with about 10 other people still missing, the coast guard and UN officials said.About 60 people were rescued after the sinkings in the central Mediterranean, a stretch between North Africa and Italy
Japan’s famous onsen hot springs were long considered unexportable, until an idea struck Naoki Mita: What if he could condense them like espresso coffee?Mita’s Tokyo-based venture firm, Le Furo, has invented a technology it calls “craft onsen” — whereby hot spring ingredients are extracted and filte
A court hearing for jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英) yesterday was postponed due to bad weather, further lengthening a national security trial that began in 2023.The territory’s weather observatory hoisted the highest-level rainstorm warning for about three hours yesterday morning, leadi
SOUTH KOREACourt rules on ‘Baby Shark’The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a 30 million won (US$21,648) damage claim by an American composer who accused a South Korean kids content company of plagiarizing his version of Baby Shark, ending a six-year legal battle over the globally popular tune. The t
A humanoid robot runs during a trial test ahead of the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing yesterday. The Games, which started yesterday and run through Sunday, are to feature 19 events in athletics, performance showcases and scenario-based challenges, the competition’s Web
HISTORIC: After the arrest of Kim Keon-hee on financial and political funding charges, the country has for the first time a former president and former first lady behind bars
South Korean prosecutors yesterday raided the headquarters of the former party of jailed former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol to gather evidence in an election meddling case against his wife, a day after she was arrested on corruption and other charges.Former first lady Kim Keon-hee was arres
‘DOOMSDAY’: More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from a region of Spain, while nearly 5,000 firefighters were battling blazes near Patras, Greece
A firefighting volunteer died from severe burns, while several people were hospitalized as dozens of wildfires fueled by strong winds and scorching heat continued to rage across Spain yesterday, after three men and a child died and thousands were forced from their homes, as heat alerts were issued i