World

The Kremlin accused Ukraine on Monday of conducting “energy terrorism” and posing a danger to Europe’s energy security, after an attempted drone attack on part of a major gas pipeline that carries Russian supplies to Turkey.The allegation — which Kyiv has not commented on — comes amid an escalating energy row between the two countries, almost …

Russia accuses Ukraine of ‘energy terrorism’ over alleged pipeline strike Read More »

Dozens of Lebanese lawmakers endorsed international jurist Nawaf Salam on Monday to become the crisis-hit country’s prime minister, local media said, as the newly elected president prepares to name his pick.President Joseph Aoun, whose election last week ended a two-year power vacuum and revived hopes of lifting war-battered Lebanon out of crisis, held consultations with …

Lebanon lawmakers throw weight behind ICJ judge Salam for PM Read More »

More than a million members of an influential religious sect gathered in the Philippine capital on Monday, police said, opposing steps to unseat Vice President Sara Duterte. Crowds wearing white shirts flocked to Manila’s Quirino Grandstand for the “national rally for peace”, organised by the conservative Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), or Church of Christ.The powerful sect …

Philippine sect gathers to oppose VP Duterte impeachment Read More »

Firefighters were battling massive wildfires Monday that have ravaged Los Angeles and killed at least 24 people, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip up the blazes further.The fires ripped through the United States’ second-largest city for the seventh day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.Massive firefighting …

Death toll from Los Angeles fires rises, with dangerous winds incoming Read More »

New Lebanese President Joseph Aoun began parliamentary consultations Monday to designate a prime minister tasked with forming a government desperately needed to tackle major challenges in the crisis-hit country.Caretaker premier Najib Mikati and Nawaf Salam, a favourite of anti-Hezbollah lawmakers who is the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, have …

New Lebanon president starts consultations on naming PM Read More »

Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India bathed in sacred waters as the Kumbh Mela festival opened on Monday, with organisers expecting 400 million people — the world’s largest gathering of humanity — to assemble over six weeks.The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a show of religious piety and ritual bathing — and a logistical challenge of …

India opens giant Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims Read More »

Japan’s foreign minister held talks in South Korea with top officials Monday as the Asian neighbours seek to strengthen ties before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.Takeshi Iwaya met counterpart Cho Tae-yul for discussions in the capital Seoul, the South Korean foreign ministry said, with the two later holding a news conference. It is the …

Japan FM in South Korea for talks before Trump takes office Read More »

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will have to wait a little longer for the long-anticipated maiden orbital flight of its brand-new rocket after a launch attempt dragged on for hours before being canceled due to unspecified technical issues.The towering 320-foot (98-meter) rocket, dubbed New Glenn in honor of legendary astronaut John Glenn, was scheduled to lift …

Blue Origin pushes back first launch of giant New Glenn rocket Read More »

Around 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 wounded while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday, citing information from Seoul’s spy agency.Seoul has previously claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent more than 10,000 soldiers as “cannon fodder” to help Moscow fight Kyiv, in return …

Seoul says 300 North Korean soldiers killed fighting Ukraine Read More »

Donald Trump is not typically known for his calm or reserve, but in a craftsman’s workshop in rural China the US president-elect sits in divine contemplation.Cross-legged with his eyes half-closed in a pose evoking the Buddha, this porcelain version of America’s divisive leader-in-waiting is the work of designer and sculptor Hong Jinshi.The Zen-like figures — …

Chinese artist cashes in on Buddha-like Trump statues Read More »