BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has turned down the offer of a job at the United Nations, her office said on Wednesday, a month after…
Read MoreBERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has turned down the offer of a job at the United Nations, her office said on Wednesday, a month after…
Read MoreAll the homes on one of Tonga’s small outer islands have been destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, with three people so far confirmed dead, the government said on Tuesday in…
Read MoreLONDON (Reuters) – Benchmark oil prices climbed to their highest level since 2014 on Tuesday as possible supply disruption after attacks in the Mideast Gulf added to an already tight…
Read MoreHONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they will cull some 2,000 small animals, including hamsters after several of the rodents tested positive for the virus at…
Read MoreGENEVA (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping called Monday for greater world cooperation against COVID-19 and pledged to send an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine to other countries, while urging…
Read MoreBEIJING (Reuters) – Mainland China’s birth rate dropped to a record low in 2021, data showed on Monday, extending a downward trend that led Beijing last year to begin allowing…
Read MoreSYDNEY/WELLINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights on Monday to assess damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world after the eruption of…
Read MoreSEOUL (AP) — North Korea on Monday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal…
Read MoreAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left the door open for Novak Djokovic to compete at next year’s Australian Open despite the tennis superstar facing an automatic three-year ban from entering the country. The world number one player left Australia late on Sunday…
Read MoreAll tsunami warnings issued in Japan, following Saturday’s massive volcanic eruption in Tonga, have been lifted. The final alert which had been in effect for Iwate Prefecture was downgraded to…
Read MoreAll four people taken hostage in a more than 10-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue have been freed unharmed, police said late Saturday, and their suspected captor is dead. The…
Read MoreTsunami alerts are in effect over wide areas along the Pacific coast of Japan, after a massive volcanic eruption in Tonga on Saturday. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami…
Read MoreA 40-year-old Asian woman was pushed to her death at a subway station in Times Square on Saturday morning, according to U.S. local media. Subway passengers alerted the police after…
Read MoreAn underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and causing large waves in several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media…
Read MoreSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Saturday said it test launched ballistic missiles from a train in what was seen as an apparent retaliation against fresh sanctions imposed…
Read MoreWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing…
Read MoreBOSTON/CHICAGO, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes on Friday in protests demanding a switch to remote learning as a surge in…
Read MoreThe recently released Human Rights Watch (HRW) annual report is an all too familiar assessment of the global rights situation, except in the US itself. Indeed, the report should have…
Read MoreThe UK government on Friday apologised to Queen Elizabeth II, after revelations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s staff broke coronavirus restrictions by partying on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral….
Read MoreSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles in its third weapons launch this month, officials in South Korea said,…
Read MoreMELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time on Friday saying the world number one tennis champion who has not been vaccinated for COVID-19 may pose…
Read MoreWASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden‘s COVID-19 vaccination-or–testing mandate for large businesses – a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans – while endorsing…
Read MoreLONDON (Reuters) – The Royal Family removed Prince Andrew‘s military links and royal patronages on Thursday and said he will no longer be known as “His Royal Highness”, as the son of Queen Elizabeth fights a U.S. lawsuit in which he is accused…
Read MoreThe Biden administration on Wednesday imposed its first sanctions over North Korea’s weapons programs following a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week. The sanctions targeted…
Read MoreA judge has — for now — refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Britain’s Prince Andrew by an American woman who says he sexually abused her when she was 17….
Read MoreBeijing (AFP) – Imagine being on a first date you couldn’t end? That’s what happened to a woman in China whose video blogs about going into a citywide lockdown during a…
Read MoreLONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised on Wednesday for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering at his official residence during the first coronavirus lockdown as opponents said he had to resign. Johnson admitted…
Read MoreTOKYO (AP) — Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now — over three…
Read MoreMelbourne (AFP) – Novak Djokovic on Wednesday admitted “errors” in his travel papers and in his behaviour after a claimed coronavirus infection as he battled to stay in Australia and fight…
Read MoreNUR-SULTAN (Reuters) – Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days’ time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took…
Read MoreMELBOURNE (AP) — Tennis star Novak Djokovic held a practice session at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, his second day out of detention, focusing on his Australian Open title defense while…
Read MoreNorth Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, ratcheting up tensions less than a week after Pyongyang reported testing a hypersonic missile. The early-morning launch came as the UN Security Council met in New York to…
Read More(AP) – In a medical first, doctors transplanted a pig heart into a patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life and a Maryland hospital said Monday that he’s…
Read MoreNUR-SULTAN, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory on Monday in defending Kazakhstan from what he described as a foreign-backed terrorist uprising, and promised leaders of other ex-Soviet…
Read MoreMELBOURNE (AP) — Tennis star Novak Djokovic on Monday won a court battle to stay in Australia to contest the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, but the government…
Read MoreLOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bob Saget, an actor and comedian best known as the jovial dad on the television sitcom “Full House,” was found dead in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida, at age 65, authorities and his family said on Sunday. The cause of Saget‘s death…
Read MoreLONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne with a military parade, neighborhood parties and a competition to create a new dessert…
Read MoreNEW YORK (AP) — A malfunctioning space heater sparked a fire that filled a high-rise Bronx apartment building with thick smoke on Sunday, killing 19 people including nine children in…
Read MoreFRANKFURT, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The European Union plans to legislate in the coming months to require technology companies to do more to tackle child sexual abuse, beefing up current…
Read MoreALMATY, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Kazakhstan’s former intelligence chief has been arrested on suspicion of treason, the state security agency said on Saturday, as the former Soviet republic is roiled…
Read MoreNovak Djokovic risks missing more than one Australian Open if he fails to have his visa cancellation overturned and gets deported for not having enough evidence to support a medical…
Read MoreMOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president authorized security forces on Friday to shoot to kill those participating in unrest, opening the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government…
Read MoreCzech tennis player Renata Voracova has ended up in the same detention facility as Novak Djokovic in the run-up to the Australian Open, the Czech foreign ministry said Friday. “Renata…
Read MoreBELGRADE, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic’s family said he was the victim of a “political agenda” in Australia as they rallied around the world number one who was denied…
Read MoreWASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Thursday accused his predecessor Donald Trump of spreading a “web of lies” to undermine U.S. democracy in a speech on the anniversary of the deadly Capitol attack by…
Read MorePresident Joe Biden on Thursday marked the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, the violent attack by Trump supporters that has fundamentally changed the Congress and raised global concerns…
Read MoreDozens of protesters and 12 police died during extraordinarily violent demonstrations in Kazakhstan that saw government buildings stormed and set ablaze, authorities said Thursday. One police officer was found beheaded…
Read MoreRafael Nadal had little sympathy for long-time rival Novak Djokovic, saying on Thursday that he must face the consequences for not being vaccinated against coronavirus. World’s number one was…
Read MoreHONG KONG (Reuters) – Bitcoin fell below $43,000 on Thursday, testing multi-month lows after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting showed it leaning toward more aggressive policy action, which…
Read MoreWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) – A year after then-President Donald Trump’s supporters launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, signs of heightened security are visible everywhere, from police riot shields…
Read MorePope Francis risked the ire of the world’s childless dog and cat owners Wednesday, suggesting people who substitute pets for kids exhibit “a certain selfishness”. Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican,…
Read MoreSYDNEY (AP) — Australia and Japan will sign a treaty on Thursday to increase defense and security cooperation in a move that has been hailed as “historic” but which might…
Read MoreWASHINGTON (AP) — The fighting — so primitive and ferocious that one Capitol Police officer described it as “medieval” and another as a “trip to hell” — left more than…
Read MoreA year has elapsed since American democracy was assaulted. Die-hard republican protesters and some extremists invaded the Capitol in Washington DC and forced the world’s most stable democratic symbol into…
Read MoreBOSTON (AP) — A refugee who survived the Khmer Rouge’s brutal rule has become the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States. Sokhary Chau, a city councilor in Lowell,…
Read MoreThe Beijing Winter Olympics begin one month on Tuesday with diplomatic boycotts, the coronavirus and the fate of Peng Shuai all hanging heavy over the Games. The Chinese capital on…
Read MoreJan 1 (Reuters) – The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, as cities from Paris to Kuala Lumpur cancelled civic celebrations, but London threw…
Read MoreSHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day he learned of possible pneumonia-causing virus…
Read MoreUS President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will speak Thursday in a latest effort to defuse tensions surrounding Moscow’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine. It…
Read MoreHong Kong police raided the office of a local media outlet and arrested six current and former staff on Wednesday, deepening fears for press freedom in a territory where media…
Read MoreSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea opened a key political conference Monday to review past projects and discuss new policies amid the pandemic and a diplomatic deadlock with the…
Read MoreThe Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Sunday it struck a Huthi rebel camp in the capital Sanaa, as it intensified an aerial bombing campaign against the Iran-backed insurgents. The coalition,…
Read MoreSouth African anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, described as the country’s moral compass, died on Sunday aged 90, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our…
Read MorePope Francis called for more solidarity with those living in poverty as he celebrated mass in the Vatican in front of a masked congregation of around 2,000 people, while billions…
Read MoreROME (Reuters) – Italy has tightened restrictions to curb surging COVID-19 infections, including banning all public New Year‘s Eve celebrations, as daily infections hit a record high, the government said on Thursday. Health Minister Roberto Speranza said mask…
Read More(Reuters) – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers. Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday,…
Read MoreSEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised outgoing Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun for helping to improve relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, state media reported on Thursday, as the envoy left office after seven…
Read MoreHong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s oldest university removed a statue commemorating the deadly 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square democracy protesters on Thursday, the latest step in China’s campaign to silence…
Read MoreLondon (AFP) – The WHO warned Wednesday that rich countries cannot use boosters to escape the coronavirus and France became one of the first nations to vaccinate children over five, as nations…
Read MoreLONDON (Reuters) – Britain reported more than 100,000 new daily COVID–19 cases for the first time since widespread testing was introduced, with 106,122 on Wednesday compared with 90,629 on Tuesday. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has driven a surge…
Read MoreJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. Daily…
Read MoreTokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on Tuesday that it has filed a plan for handling the water with Japan’s nuclear regulators. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power…
Read MoreAntananarivo, Madagascar (AFP) – A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum some 12 hours to shore Tuesday after their helicopter crashed off the island’s northeastern coast, authorities said. A…
Read MoreCountries across Europe were considering new curbs on movement on Tuesday as the fast-moving Omicron variant swept the world days before Christmas, throwing travel plans into chaos and unnerving financial…
Read MoreThe World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, putting off the event scheduled for January until…
Read MorePro-Beijing candidates dominated Hong Kong’s legislative elections, beating out moderates and independents in the city’s first public poll after Beijing passed a resolution to amend the city’s election laws. Candidates…
Read MoreBeijing (AFP) – Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied accusing anyone of sexual assault in her first media comments since publicly alleging that a top Communist Party official forced her to…
Read MoreOsaka (AFP) – At least 24 people were killed after a blaze gutted a mental health clinic in a commercial building in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday, local media said,…
Read MoreSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday commemorated the 10th anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s death with calls for greater public loyalty toward his son and…
Read MoreThe European Union is under assault from Russia on multiple fronts and must unite behind new economic sanctions, Baltic and central European leaders said on Thursday, with Lithuania citing a…
Read MoreParis (AFP) – There are currently 488 media professionals imprisoned around the world, the highest number since Reporters Without Borders began counting more than 25 years ago, the NGO announced Thursday. By…
Read MoreHONOLULU (Reuters) – U.S. military commanders in the Pacific have built a software tool to predict how the Chinese government will react to U.S. actions in the region like military sales, U.S.-backed military activity and even congressional visits to hotspots…
Read MoreBRUSSELS (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January, amid concerns that a…
Read MoreBERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) – German police said on Wednesday they had uncovered a plot by anti-vaccination activists in Saxony to murder the eastern German state’s premier, adding to concerns…
Read MoreIt has long been a dream of South Korean President Moon to formally end the war with the North, but analysts caution the idea may not be strategically sound or…
Read MoreTAIPEI (Reuters) – Nicaragua’s decision last week to cut ties with Taiwan was part of a deliberate move by China to target the island’s diplomatic allies after it was excluded from a…
Read MoreMAYFIELD, Ky. (Reuters) – The barrage of tornadoes that tore through six states killed at least 74 people in Kentucky, officials said on Monday, as those fortunate enough to survive unscathed opened their doors to victims whose…
Read MoreThe new “traffic light” coalition government in Germany will have to perform a major Houdini act, should it decide to take a radical departure from its predecessor’s foreign policy, especially…
Read MoreEILAT, Israel (AP) — Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned the 70th Miss Universe, topping a field of some 80 contestants in a pageant that was touched by politics and…
Read MoreFour people were killed and five were missing after an explosion caused a four-storey apartment building to collapse on the Italian island of Sicily, authorities said Sunday. Two women were…
Read MoreRescuers were desperately searching for survivors early Sunday after dozens of devastating tornadoes tore through six US states, leaving at least 83 people dead, dozens missing and towns in ruin….
Read MoreNew York (AFP) – The number of journalists jailed around the world hit a new record in 2021, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday, with China and…
Read MoreDemocracy faces “sustained and alarming challenges” worldwide, US President Joe Biden said Thursday at a virtual summit on democracy where he sparked controversy by pointedly not inviting China and Russia….
Read MoreChina on Thursday dismissed the decision by Canada and the United Kingdom to join Washington’s diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games as a “farce.” China is also…
Read MoreNew Zealand’s government believes it has come up with a unique plan to end tobacco smoking — a lifetime ban for those aged 14 or younger. Under a new law…
Read MoreOTTAWA/BEIJING (Reuters) – Canada joined Australia, Britain and the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on Wednesday, with China calling the boycotts “political posturing”…
Read MoreA Malaysian court on Wednesday upheld former premier Najib Razak’s conviction on corruption charges over a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), dealing a blow to…
Read MoreOlaf Scholz became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor Wednesday, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Scholz’s…
Read MoreSYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, a decision that risks souring already bitter bilateral relations. The United States on…
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