World Category Archive

Lebanon urgently needs new government to avoid collapse: Hariri

Lebanon needs to quickly form a new government to stop a cycle of collapse and worsening economic and security conditions, caretaker prime minister Saad al-Hariri tweeted on Monday.

India’s ruling party picks new president as challenges mount

India’s Hindu nationalist ruling party on Monday elevated a veteran lawmaker and long-time associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to become its president ahead of a string of state elections.

Iran says it will quit global nuclear treaty if case goes to U.N.

Iran said on Monday that it had not closed the “door to negotiations” in efforts to resolve a dispute over its nuclear agreement with world powers that has escalated steadily since the United States withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Malta minister quits in latest fallout from journalist murder

Another Maltese minister has quit after a paper reported links between her policeman husband and the man suspected of masterminding a journalist’s murder, the government said on Monday.

Chairman of Czech upper house of parliament dies

Jaroslav Kubera, the chairman of the Czech upper house of parliament, died on Monday morning, the chamber’s spokeswoman said.

China confirms spread of new virus as cases surge

An outbreak of coronavirus in China is spreading to more cities, Chinese authorities reported on Monday, with 139 new cases found over the weekend, including a third death.

Former policeman among three militants killed in gunfight with Indian troops

A former police officer was among three Islamist militants killed in a gunbattle with Indian troops in the disputed region of Kashmir on Monday, security officials said.

Spain’s 2019 tourist arrivals hit new record high, minister upbeat on trend

The number of international visitors to Spain hit an all-time high of 83.7 million in 2019 in a seventh straight year of records, Industry and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Monday, adding that she was optimistic about 2020.

Prince Harry seeks ‘more peaceful life’ as reluctantly ends royal role

Britain’s Prince Harry said on Sunday it brought him great sadness that he had to leave his royal duties after agreeing with Queen Elizabeth that he and his wife Meghan would step down from official roles to seek an independent future.

Dozens of Iraqi protesters wounded as anti-government unrest resumes

Dozens of Iraqi protesters were wounded in Baghdad and other cities on Monday in clashes with security forces who were trying to clear blocked roads, security and medical sources said, as anti-government unrest resumed after a lull of several weeks.

Five die in Russian hotel after boiling water floods basement

Five people died in the Russian city of Perm on Monday after a hot water pipe exploded in the night and flooded a basement hotel room with boiling water, the regional investigative committee said.

Bridge linking Denmark to Sweden to get new lick of paint in 13-year operation

The nearly eight-kilometer (five mile) bridge linking Denmark and Sweden is to get a new lick of paint for the first time since it opened for traffic in 2000, but it will take an estimated 13 years to complete the mega-project.

Explainer: The new life of Prince Harry and Meghan after split from royal family

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will stop using their royal titles, give up state funding and repay taxpayer money used to refurbish their home at Windsor Castle as they seek to pursue new careers outside of Britain’s royal family.

Russian opposition wants big protest over Putin’s plan to ‘rule for ever’

Russia’s anti-Kremlin opposition said on Monday it planned to stage a big protest next month against President Vladimir Putin’s proposed constitutional changes, which it cast as a ploy for Putin to rule for life.

Nepal rescuers call off search for trekkers after new avalanches

Rescuers in Nepal called off efforts on Monday to find seven people, including four South Korean trekkers, after fresh avalanches hit the Annapurna region where the group went missing last week, an official said.

Kremlin says prosecutor general Chaika to leave post: Interfax

Russia’s prosecutor general Yury Chaika is leaving his post, the Kremlin said on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Ukraine to press for plane crash black boxes as Iran minister visits

Ukraine will press Iran to hand over the black boxes from the crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane at a meeting with a visiting Iranian delegation on Monday, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told reporters.

Myanmar government-appointed panel finds no ‘genocide’ against Rohingya

A government-appointed panel established in Myanmar to probe allegations of abuses in Rakhine state in 2017 that drew global outrage said on Monday they had found no evidence of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Thai court could dissolve opposition party on anti-monarchy allegations

Thailand’s Constitutional Court is to decide on Tuesday whether to dissolve the opposition Future Forward Party, in a ruling that could strengthen the military-backed government’s majority in parliament.

75 years on, Holocaust survivors struggle to recover property in Poland

Lea Evron, 85, has only fragments of memories of the fur factory and the three-story apartment building her family owned before World War Two in Zywiec, a small town in southern Poland.

Masks on, Chinese start holiday travels as alarm mounts over mystery virus

Bundled up in winter clothes as they head home for the Lunar New Year holiday amid a health scare over a mystery new virus, Chinese travelers on the teeming concourse of Beijing West station were evenly split between the masked and the barefaced.

EU must consider ways to support Libya truce: Borrell

The European Union will discuss all ways to uphold a formal ceasefire in Libya but any peace settlement will need real EU support to make it hold, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday.

Taiwan’s China-friendly opposition seeks makeover after election drubbing

Driven out of China after losing a civil war, Taiwan’s main opposition party faces another crisis following an election drubbing this month, seeking to re-invent itself and rethink its unpopular policy of trying to accommodate Beijing.

China struggles in new diplomatic role, trying to return Rohingya to Myanmar

In a muddy field in western Myanmar, hundreds of Chinese shipping containers fitted with single narrow windows stand in neat lines, empty of the refugees they were designed to host.

North Korea’s Kim taps tough-talking military veteran as foreign minister

North Korea’s new foreign minister is a former defense commander with little diplomatic experience, spotlighting leader Kim Jong Un’s reliance on party and military loyalists at a sensitive time amid stalled U.S. talks, analysts in Seoul said on Monday.

Iran says Zarif not attending Davos as its organizers ‘changed its agenda’

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will not attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this week because its organizers had “abruptly changed its agenda”, its foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Japan’s Abe strikes conciliatory note on South Korea, row may be easing

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that South Korea was its “most important neighbor” and that the two shared basic values, taking a conciliatory tone toward the country that has been locked in a bitter row with Tokyo for over a year.

Iran considers dual nationals on downed Ukrainian plane to be Iranians: TV

Iran considers dual nationals aboard a Ukrainian plane that was shot down accidentally this month to be Iranian citizens, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Philippine volcano recharging, scientist says, as shops, hotels told to keep shut

A restive volcano in the Philippines has a high risk of eruption as it is “recharging” with fresh magma and rising emissions of toxic gas, a top scientist said on Monday, while authorities ordered commercial establishments to stay shut.

World’s richest 2,000 people hold more than poorest 4.6 billion combined: Oxfam

The world’s richest 2,153 people controlled more money than the poorest 4.6 billion combined in 2019, while unpaid or underpaid work by women and girls adds three times more to the global economy each year than the technology industry, Oxfam said on Monday.

Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding boosted

Australia on Monday boosted emergency funding for small businesses hit by bushfires that have ravaged the country for months, as the mounting costs of the disaster cast doubt on the government’s ability to deliver a promised budget surplus.

Malaysian PM says coalition could be a one-term government unless it stops infighting

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Monday his ruling coalition could be a one-term government if it does not make changes and stop infighting.

Inspector General Confirms Government Lies About Afghanistan

The government has routinely lied about the progress it has made in its 18-year Afghanistan war and reconstruction efforts.

Collapse of footbridge over Indonesia river kills at least nine

A footbridge across a river swollen by heavy rains collapsed on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, drowning at least nine people who were swept away by a strong current, with one person missing, disaster mitigation officials said.

Police arrest organizer of Hong Kong protest after rally turns violent

A prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist was arrested by police, his organization said on Monday, after a protest he helped organize in the financial district a day earlier turned violent with officers firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Venezuela’s Guaido defies ban to arrive in Bogota, due to meet Pompeo on Monday

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido will meet on Monday in Bogota with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a regional counter-terrorism conference, according to two people close to Guaido.

North Korean foreign minister replaced: report

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been replaced, Seoul-based NK News reported on Saturday.

Morales announces candidates for MAS party in Bolivia’s elections

Former Bolivian leader Evo Morales announced from Argentina on Sunday the candidates for his socialist party in Bolivia’s May 3 elections, which will serve as a re-run of the disputed October vote and be the first in some two decades without him.

Foreign powers back Libya ceasefire as commander’s forces choke oil flows

Libyan rival camps and their foreign backers will attend a summit in Berlin on Sunday to discuss ways to end a proxy war over the capital Tripoli and the oil producer, which has displaced 140,000 and now more than halved the country’s crude output.

At least 75 inmates escape from Paraguayan prison near Brazil border

At least 75 inmates, including members of Brazil’s most powerful gang, escaped from a Paraguayan prison on Sunday after digging a tunnel in an operation that prison officials were believed to have been aware, the government said.

Lebanese security forces, protesters clash for second night

Lebanese security forces fired water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas on Sunday to try to break up stone-throwing protesters in Beirut, which has been rocked by some of the worst violence since unrest erupted in October.

Honduras vows to fight corruption after ending anti-graft body’s mandate

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said on Sunday he was committed to battling corruption after his government ended the mandate of an anti-graft mission in the country backed by the Organization of American States (OAS).

Climate activists dressed as koalas set off on mountain hike to Davos

Climate activists set off on a three-day hike from Landquart in eastern Switzerland to the ski resort of Davos on Sunday to draw attention to global warming at the World Economic Forum this week.

Moscow protest over Putin’s political shake-up fails to gain traction

Over 1,000 people marched through Moscow on Sunday in an event a Kremlin critic tried to turn into a protest against a constitutional shake-up by President Vladimir Putin, but many demonstrators chose to voice dissent about other issues instead.

United Nations condemns attack on Yemen camp, says it threatens peace

Yemen’s president told the military on Sunday it needs to be on high alert and ready for battle following an attack on Saturday by Iran-aligned Houthis on a military training camp in the city of Marib.

Italian Sardines square off against Salvini ahead of crucial vote

The “Sardines” grassroots movement protesting against the populism of far-right Italian leader Matteo Salvini staged a mass rally in the northern city of Bologna on Sunday ahead of a regional vote that could shake up national politics.

Storm Gloria batters Spain with high winds and snowfall

Powerful Storm Gloria lashed parts of Spain on Sunday with high winds, heavy rain and snow, forcing the closure of Alicante airport and killing one man in the northern region of Asturias.

Hundreds of troops to help Canadian province recover from huge blizzard

Between 150 and 200 Canadian troops should be in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador by the end of Sunday to help it dig out from a massive blizzard, Defense Minister Harpist Sajjan said.

Canada: still no firm plans for downloading crashed jet’s flight data

There are still no firm plans for downloading the cockpit and flight data from a Ukrainian airliner which was shot down by Iran 10 days ago, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said on Sunday.

Southern Libyan oil fields face closure as pipeline blockaded

Libya’s largest oil field and a second major field in the southwest began shutting down on Sunday after forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar closed a pipeline connecting them to the coast, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said.

Having fled bombing, Syrian children learn to read in tent schools

Syrian teacher Ahmad al Hilal listens to his young pupils sitting on a mat reciting the Arabic alphabet in a makeshift school in a tent on the outskirts of a sprawling refugee camp city along the Turkish border.

Earthquake of magnitude 6.0 strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia: EMSC

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Sulawesi, Indonesia on Monday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said.