World

South Korea’s opposition leader urged a top court on Sunday to swiftly formalise the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol and ease the “suffering of the people” after his short-lived martial law decree.Lawmakers voted on Saturday to remove Yoon from office over his “insurrectionary” suspension of civilian rule, which lasted hours but plunged South Korea …

S. Korean opposition urges swift removal of impeached President Yoon Read More »

A week after a lightning offensive toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, Syrians are only beginning to scratch the surface of the atrocities committed under his rule, as the country’s new rulers seek to reassure the international community.UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen arrived in Damascus on Sunday, his spokesperson said, declining to give details …

A week after Assad’s fall, Syria faced with brutal legacy Read More »

The five remaining members of the Australian “Bali Nine” drug ring flew home Sunday after 19 years in jail in Indonesia, ending a saga that had frayed relations between the two countries.Indonesian police arrested the nine Australians in 2005, convicting them of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin off the …

‘Bali Nine’ drug ring prisoners fly home to Australia Read More »

The five remaining members of the Australian “Bali Nine” drug ring returned home Sunday after 19 years in jail in Indonesia, the Australian government said.Indonesian police arrested the nine Australians in 2005, convicting them of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin off the holiday island of Bali.In a case that …

Australia says ‘Bali Nine’ prisoners have returned home Read More »

South Korea’s swift rebuke of martial law and removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office have been hailed in the country as evidence of the strength of its young democratic institutions.Yoon’s bid to suspend civilian rule and claims of a communist conspiracy harkened back to the dark days of dictatorship in South Korea four …

South Korean democracy holds firm against Yoon’s martial law bid Read More »

South Korean lawmakers have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his shock decision to declare martial law last week, which plunged the country into some of its worst political turmoil in decades. AFP takes a look at what lies ahead for the vibrant East Asian democracy.- Who is running the country? -Technocratic Prime Minister …

South Korea’s Yoon impeached: what happens next? Read More »

Dominant in the electric car sector, Chinese companies have been quietly consolidating their position in the lesser-watched trucking scene — but foreign tariffs and a perceived quality gap could signal roadblocks ahead, experts warn.The domestic supply chain and low-price strategy that helped make China’s EV car industry world-leading are being leveraged by established automakers and …

Chinese firms take on EV truck challenges Read More »

This time he was there by choice. Mohammed Darwish was back in a jail that was run by Syria’s feared intelligence services — and Bashar al-Assad was no longer president.Cell number nine reeks of putrefaction. It is an underground windowless room with blackened dripping walls where the 34-year-old journalist was held with around 100 others.Darwish …

Ex-prisoners back in Syria’s cells ‘of despair’ Read More »

The United States said Saturday it had made contact with Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels, as Western and Arab states along with Turkey jointly voiced support for a united, peaceful Syria.Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s comment on “direct contact” with the HTS rebels came despite the United States having designated the group as terrorists …

US says in contact with new Syria rulers Read More »

Cyclone Chido obliterated shantytowns on the French island territory of Mayotte on Saturday, with French ministers fearing a “heavy” death toll from the destruction, which has already claimed two lives.Acting Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the storm had left a “dramatic” trail of destruction on the impoverished islands, warning that the territory’s numerous shantytowns had …

France fears heavy toll as Cyclone Chido batters Mayotte Read More »