Category: World

HONG KONG: China has introduced a new initiative to enhance the skills of rural workers, particularly women, as part of efforts to expand the agricultural sector and stimulate economic growth. The plan includes vocational education and retraining programs for domestic and caregiving roles, alongside measures to help rural migrants adapt to urban employment. The Ministry… Continue reading China boosts rural worker skills with new retraining plan

WARSAW: Poland has implemented temporary border checks with Germany and Lithuania in response to increasing undocumented migration, further straining the EU’s Schengen zone. The move follows similar measures by the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed the controls are running smoothly, with 800 police officers, 200 gendarmerie soldiers, and 500 territorial army… Continue reading Poland enforces border checks with Germany and Lithuania over migration concerns

SEOUL: South Korea and its automobile industry have formally requested exemption from new US port fees targeting foreign-built vehicle carriers. The fees, announced by the US Trade Representative on April 17, aim to penalise China-linked ships and fund domestic shipbuilding. However, they also affect non-Chinese carriers, raising concerns among global automakers. The Korea Automobile &… Continue reading South Korea seeks US port fee relief for car carriers amid trade concerns

ISTANBUL: Ankara’s chief public prosecutor opened a new investigation Sunday into opposition leader Ozgur Ozel for “insulting the president” and other offences for remarks made after more opposition mayors were arrested, media reports said. It was the latest in a string of legal probes targeting elected officials in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)… Continue reading Prosecutor opens new probe into Turkey opposition leader

HANOI: A blaze that tore through an apartment block in Vietnam’s southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City killed eight people, including two children, local authorities said Monday. The fire was sparked late Sunday on the ground floor of a five-storey apartment block, with all eight fatalities due to smoke inhalation, Ho Chi Minh… Continue reading Vietnam apartment block fire kills eight

WARSAW: At least three children were among 27 people wounded as a result of a Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv overnight that damaged apartments and a kindergarten, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday. Kharkiv, which lies in northeastern Ukraine near the border with Russia, has been the target of regular Russian drone… Continue reading Three children among 27 wounded in Russia’s drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine says

BENGALURU: The European Union is holding back on signing a joint climate action pledge with China at a summit this month to mark a half-century of diplomatic ties, a top climate official told the Financial Times in remarks published on Monday. The EU’s climate targets are among the world’s most ambitious, but they have been… Continue reading EU holds back on signing climate action pledge with China, FT says

RUSSIAN air defence units shot down eight Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow late on Sunday, from a total of 90 overnight over Russian territory, the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula, the defence ministry said. Most came down over regions near Ukraine, but three were also destroyed over the Leningrad area, home to Russia’s second-largest… Continue reading Russia says it downs eight Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow

SYDNEY: An Australian police officer who fatally shot an Indigenous teenager during an attempted arrest in 2019 was racist and worked in an environment “with hallmarks of institutional racism”, a coroner has found. The killing of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker by then-Police Constable Zachary Rolfe in the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu sparked protests and… Continue reading Australian police officer who fatally shot Indigenous teenager was racist, coroner finds

RIO DE JANEIRO: President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with the “Anti-American policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, whose leaders kicked off a major summit in Brazil on Sunday. With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung… Continue reading Trump threatens extra 10% tariffs on BRICS as leaders meet in Brazil

SYDNEY: An Australian woman was on Monday convicted of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms, in a case that has gripped the country. Erin Patterson, 50, was charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with… Continue reading Australian Erin Patterson found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case

POCHEON: The equipment activist Lee Min-bok uses to send balloons laden with anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets across the border from South Korea unto the North has been gathering dust and cobwebs for months. When it became clear that centre-left politician Lee Jae Myung was on track to win the June presidential election, Lee Min-bok was… Continue reading South Korea’s balloon crackdown hits anti-North Korea activists

SEOUL: The Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing this Wednesday to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The hearing, scheduled for 2.15 pm, follows a request by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, who filed for the warrant on Sunday. Yoon faces multiple charges linked to his controversial… Continue reading Seoul court to decide on arrest warrant for ex-President Yoon this week

KARACHI: Rescue teams were in the final stages of clearing the wreckage of a five-storey building that collapsed in Pakistan’s mega city of Karachi killing 27 people, officials said Sunday. Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi’s impoverished Lyari neighbourhood, which was once plagued… Continue reading Death toll in Pakistan building collapse rises to 27

TAIPEI: Typhoon Danas lashed southern Taiwan with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 330 in a rare hit to the island’s densely populated west coast, where businesses and schools were shut. Taiwan is regularly struck by typhoons but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely… Continue reading Typhoon Danas lashes southern Taiwan with record winds, injuring hundreds

MORRISTOWN: The United States is close to finalizing several trade pacts in coming days and will notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, with the higher rates set to take effect on August 1. Since taking office, Trump has set off a global trade war that… Continue reading Trump says US nears trade deals as tariff deadline delayed

BRAZIL: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has demanded international intervention against Israel, stating that the world must not stay silent on what he described as genocide in Gaza. His remarks were made during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, where he condemned the killing of civilians and the use of starvation as… Continue reading Brazil president condemns Gaza genocide at BRICS summit

KUALA LUMPUR: The BRICS bloc has reinforced its stance on fair global trade, opposing unilateral protectionist measures disguised as environmental policies. In the 17th BRICS Rio De Janeiro Declaration, the group emphasised adherence to international law while pushing for greater representation of emerging economies in global financial institutions. The declaration, spanning 31 pages, highlighted the… Continue reading BRICS pushes for fair trade, IMF reform and AI governance in Rio declaration

CAIRO: The first session of indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks in Qatar ended inconclusively, two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter said early on Monday, adding that the Israeli delegation didn’t have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas. The talks resumed on Sunday, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s third visit to… Continue reading First indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks ended inconclusively, Palestinian sources say

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump could “help advance” a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas. Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit… Continue reading Netanyahu says Trump meeting could ‘advance’ Gaza deal ahead of Doha talks

RIO DE JANEIRO: Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations on Sunday condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran, called for reforms of global institutions and presented the bloc as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars. With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by… Continue reading BRICS leaders condemn Gaza and Iran attacks, urge global reforms

MORRISTOWN: Former US President Donald Trump has dismissed Elon Musk’s newly formed political party as “ridiculous,“ reigniting tensions between the once-allied billionaires. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump criticised the idea of a third party, calling it unnecessary in America’s long-standing two-party system. “Third parties have never worked. So he can have… Continue reading Trump calls Musk’s new political party ridiculous in latest feud

WASHINGTON: US tariffs will take effect on August 1 unless trading partners, including Taiwan and the European Union, reach agreements with Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed. The rates will revert to the higher levels initially announced by former President Donald Trump in April, following a suspension for negotiations. Bessent stated on CNN that the… Continue reading US tariffs set for August 1 unless trade deals reached

HUNT: The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including at least 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third day and fears of more flash flooding prompted fresh evacuations. Larry Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, said 68… Continue reading Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit

DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest had “turned to ash” in wildfires as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in the province of Latakia. Syrian emergency workers have faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain in the… Continue reading Syria fights fires for fourth day as Jordan sends help

ISTANBUL: A lion that escaped a theme park near the Turkish resort of Antalya was shot dead Sunday after attacking a man, the local governor and media reports said. The lion, reportedly named Zeus, escaped his enclosure at the Land of Lions animal theme park in Manavgat, some 60 kilometres west of Antalya in the… Continue reading Escaped lion shot dead in Turkey after attacking worker

DUBAI: Gunmen on small boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, monitors said, in the latest attack on the vital shipping lane. The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometres) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade… Continue reading Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

NAIROBI: An armed gang attacked the headquarters of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission on Sunday as it hosted a press conference calling for an end to state violence, an AFP journalist saw. The press conference was being held ahead of Monday’s “Saba Saba Day”, an annual commemoration of pro-democracy protests in the 1990s. “The gate… Continue reading Armed gang attacks Kenya Human Rights Commission

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met the country’s president on Sunday ahead of his visit to Washington, with talks focusing on the Gaza war and efforts to expand ties with Arab states, the presidency said. Netanyahu is expected at the White House on Monday for talks with US President Donald Trump, who is pushing… Continue reading Netanyahu meets Israel president on Gaza, Arab ties before US trip

ISLAM QALA: Tens of thousands of Afghans streamed over the border from Iran in the days before a return deadline set for Sunday, the United Nations said, sparking an “emergency” situation at border points. In late May, Iran said undocumented Afghans must leave the country by July 6, potentially impacting four million people, out of… Continue reading ‘Emergency’ at Afghan border as migrant returns from Iran surge ahead of deadline

GENEVA: Switzerland said on Sunday it was reopening its embassy in Tehran, which was closed last month amid an air war with Israel, and will resume representing US interests in the country. As of Sunday, the embassy is “again open having temporarily been closed on June 20 owing to the instability of the situation in… Continue reading Switzerland reopens embassy in Tehran

STOCKHOLM: Sweden plans to survey immigrants’ values in a bid to improve their integration into the country’s progressive and liberal society, Sweden’s new integration minister said on Sunday. Sweden’s right-wing government came to power in 2022 backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, vowing to crack down on immigration and improve the integration of immigrants, among… Continue reading Sweden to map immigrants’ values to boost integration