ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce.More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement.Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a
A man was admitted to Expo 2025 in Japan with a ticket to a 1940 event that was called off as war escalated, organizers said.Tickets for the “Grand International Exposition of Japan” in Tokyo were released in 1938, but the event was postponed indefinitely as Japan became embroiled in World War II.Or
A US judge on Wednesday said that any effort by the White House to deport migrants to Libya would clearly violate a prior court order barring officials from swiftly deporting migrants to countries other than their own without first weighing whether they risk persecution or torture if sent there.US D
North Korea yesterday fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea’s military said yesterday, possibly to test the performance and stability of various projectiles intended for export.The missiles were launched from the eastern coastal city of Won
TURKEYMayor’s X account blockedAuthorities yesterday blocked access to the social media account of Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has nearly 10 million followers on X. Imamoglu, who was detained on March 19 on corruption charges he strongly denies, is seen as the biggest riva
A COSTLY ATTACK: Israeli strikes against Sana’a airport caused US$500 million in damage, destroying the runway and commercial vehicles, an official said
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the US would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the Iran-aligned group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.After Trump’s announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal, marking a major shif
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would make a decision about how the US government would refer to the body of water commonly known as the Persian Gulf when he visits Arab states next week.Trump told reporters at the White House that he expects his hosts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and
REBUILDING: Amid the Ukraine war and rocky US trade relations, Merz aims to shore up ties with European allies and shape regional policy, an analyst said
New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz yesterday set off on his first trip abroad to France and Poland in a bid to renew relations with the country’s top allies and show that Germany is back on the world stage despite a bumpy start to his government.While already planned, the trip comes only a day aft
On a rainy day in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, three men coated in metallic paint known as the “manusia silver,” or silver men, brave the elements at an intersection near a mall to ask drivers for change.It is an arresting act that comes with health risks, which some young Indonesians feel is neces
Five Venezuelan opposition figures who have been holed up in Argentina’s embassy in Caracas for more than a year are now in the US after a “rescue” operation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.“The US welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the [Venezuelan President Ni
Voicing frustration over the lack of success in ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for renewed focus on “our No. 1 geopolitical foe” — China.“Not that a war in Ukraine is not important, but I would say what’s happening with China is more important in the lo
The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery, but footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country’s conservation agency said yesterday.What looks like a tiny hen’s egg is seen emerging from
FRANCEMethane emissions risingRecord fossil fuel production kept planet-heating methane emissions near historic highs last year, the International Energy Agency said yesterday, warning of a surge in massive leaks from oil and gas facilities. Slashing emissions of methane — second only to carbon diox
India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early today, killing at least 19 people including a child, in what Pakistan's leader called an act of war.India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-cont
‘UNSETTLING’: Artificial intelligence offers a glimmer of hope to spur development, but access to that technology and how people use it would determine its impact
Humanity recorded an unexpected and “unsettling” slowdown in development last year, as the global post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery began losing steam, well before US President Donald Trump dramatically cut US international aid, the UN said yesterday.The world had rebounded from the shock of the COVID
HISTORIC DEFEAT: The vote was widely expected to be a mere formality, but Friedrich Merz garnered the support of only 310 parliamentarians, while 307 voted against him
Germany’s conservative leader Friedrich Merz yesterday suffered a serious blow when he failed to win a parliamentary majority in the first round of voting on him becoming the next chancellor.The unexpected setback, a first in German post-war history, prolongs the half-year of political paralysis tha
In a world of trade wars, tariffs and tensions, foreign diplomats in Zimbabwe found a more lighthearted way to vie for supremacy: a cooking contest.Ambassadors swapped briefing notes for recipes in the quest to win the second annual #ambassadorscookoff challenge in the southern African country last
A 100-year-old Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran on Monday accepted the thanks of a nation as Britain paused to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, and honor the men and women who fought to save the country during World War II.The day featured a procession by 1,300 members of the B
RSS