Category: World

SEOUL: South Korea will suspend certain military activities along its border with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung announced on Friday. The move is part of efforts to improve relations between the two nations, which remain technically at war. Speaking on the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule, Lee pledged to reinstate the… Continue reading South Korea to halt border military activities amid North Korea tensions

SYDNEY: Accenture announced its acquisition of Australian cybersecurity firm CyberCX, marking its largest deal in the sector. The Australian Financial Review reported the transaction value at over A$1 billion ($650 million). Australia has faced severe cyberattacks, including the 2022 Optus breach exposing 10 million users’ data. Health insurer Medibank also suffered a hack affecting nearly… Continue reading Accenture acquires CyberCX for $650m amid rising cyber threats

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for greater self-reliance in manufacturing and vowed to protect farmers amid rising trade tensions with the US. Modi made the remarks during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, addressing concerns over US tariffs on Indian exports. “Farmers, fishermen, cattle rearers are our top priorities,“ Modi… Continue reading Indian PM Modi pledges farmer protection and self-reliance amid US trade tensions

SYDNEY: Wastewater analysis has shown record highs in consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in Australia, according to a report released on Friday, reported German press agency (dpa). The latest wastewater report by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) revealed that 22.2 tonnes of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) were consumed… Continue reading Australian wastewater analysis shows record highs in ice, cocaine use

LONDON: Princess Anne, the sister of British head of state King Charles III, turned 75 on Friday, with the famously straightforward royal eschewing any public celebration of her birthday. Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter is reportedly set to mark the occasion privately, sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with her husband Tim Laurence, a… Continue reading Britain’s Princess Anne turns 75 with typically minimal fuss

ANCHORAGE: US President Donald Trump declared he would not be intimidated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin ahead of their crucial summit in Alaska. Trump emphasised that Ukraine would be involved in any decisions regarding its future during the talks. Putin arrives in Alaska on Friday, marking his first visit to a Western nation since Russia’s… Continue reading Trump stands firm ahead of Alaska summit with Putin

LOS ANGELES: California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed plans to redraw the state’s electoral districts in response to Texas’ Republican-led redistricting efforts. The move aims to neutralise expected Republican gains in the House of Representatives from Texas’ proposed changes. “Today is Liberation Day in the State of California,“ Newsom declared at the Democracy Center in Los… Continue reading California to redraw election maps in response to Texas gerrymandering

SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES: Apple on Thursday rejected Elon Musk’s claim that its digital App Store favors OpenAI’s ChatGPT over his company’s Grok and other rival AI assistants. Musk has accused Apple of giving unfair preference to ChatGPT on its App Store and threatened legal action, triggering a fiery exchange with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman… Continue reading Apple rejects Musk claim of App Store bias

WASHINGTON: Outside the busiest train station in Washington, newly deployed National Guard troops wearing camouflage lean on a huge military Humvee. Wary residents and curious tourists stop to take photos, while inside the elegant Union Station a string trio plays “What a Wonderful World.” Christian Calhoun, a 26-year-old consultant who was born and raised in… Continue reading ‘Ridiculous’: How Washington residents view the new troops in town

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: A man who was believed to have been running from a raid by US immigration agents died Thursday after being hit by a car on a freeway, police said. City managers in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, said police had been called after there were reports of activity by Immigration and Customs… Continue reading Man dies fleeing ICE raid in California: officials

WASHINGTON: The United States has ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, three sources briefed on the decision told Reuters on Thursday. President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug gangs that have been… Continue reading US military deploys forces to Caribbean to combat drug cartels

WASHINGTON: A Florida deputy who punched a Black man at a February traffic stop did not commit a crime, prosecutors said in a report on an incident that was condemned by civil rights groups. A video of the incident showed officer D. Bowers punching William McNeil Jr., 22, who recorded the clip. It went viral… Continue reading Florida deputy cleared in Black man traffic stop punch case

ANKARA: Turkey condemns Israel’s settlement plan aimed at dividing the West Bank and cutting it off from East Jerusalem, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, adding the decision was a total violation of international law. “This step… totally disregards international law and United Nations resolutions; targets the State of Palestine’s territorial integrity, the basis… Continue reading Turkey condemns Israeli settlement plan as illegal under international law

GENEVA: Talks to create the world’s first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution hung in the balance late on Thursday as countries scrambled to bridge deep divisions over the extent of future curbs on a final day of negotiations in Geneva. Late Thursday night, countries awaited a new text which could be the basis… Continue reading Global plastic treaty talks deadlocked as nations seek compromise

WASHINGTON: Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, told Reuters on Thursday that he expects additional U.S. sanctions against Brazilian officials and possibly more tariffs due to a legal crackdown on his father. In an interview at the Reuters bureau in Washington after meetings with senior U.S. officials, the lawmaker said… Continue reading Eduardo Bolsonaro warns of more US sanctions, tariffs on Brazil

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would like to see a second meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Alaska. Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday. “I would say that tomorrow, all I want to do is set the table for the… Continue reading Trump proposes Putin-Zelenskiy Alaska meeting amid US-Russia talks

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to put on hold a Mississippi law requiring that users of social media platforms verify their age and that minors have parental consent in a challenge by a trade group whose members include Meta’s Facebook, Alphabet’s YouTube and Snapchat. The justices denied a request by NetChoice to… Continue reading US Supreme Court declines to block Mississippi social media age-check law

WASHINGTON: The US Department of Health and Human Services announced the reinstatement of a federal task force dedicated to improving childhood vaccine safety. The original task force was established in 1986 under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act to enhance vaccine oversight and quality. It was dissolved in 1998 and remained inactive until now. The… Continue reading US reinstates childhood vaccine safety task force after 27 years

MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank/TEL AVIV: Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the… Continue reading Israel’s Smotrich advances West Bank settlement plan to block Palestinian state

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would like to see journalists gain access to Gaza to see humanitarian efforts. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since the start of its war in October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. “I’d like to see that happen. Sure,“ Trump told… Continue reading Trump: Journalists should be allowed into Gaza

OSLO: When U.S. President Donald Trump called Norway’s finance minister last month to discuss tariffs, he also told him he wanted the Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported on Thursday. Several countries including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia have nominated Trump for brokering peace agreements or ceasefires, and he has said he deserves… Continue reading Trump told Norwegian minister he wants Nobel Prize, newspaper reports

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV: U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is ready to end his war in Ukraine, speaking on the eve of Friday’s summit between the men, but that peace would likely require at least a second meeting involving Ukraine’s leader. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his European allies have intensified… Continue reading Trump says Putin ready to make deal on Ukraine, US hopes to include Zelenskiy

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration will likely shed around 300,000 workers this year, its new human resources chief said on Thursday, which would amount to a 12.5% decrease in the federal workforce since January. Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor said 80% of those workers would leave voluntarily and only 20% would be fired. It… Continue reading Trump administration plans 300,000 federal job cuts in 2025

Air Canada expects to cancel the majority of its estimated 700 daily flights on Friday, ahead of a planned Saturday strike by unionized flight attendants, leaving some 100,000 passengers scrambling to make alternative travel plans. Canada’s largest carrier said on Thursday it would cancel several dozen flights by day’s end and around 500 flights by… Continue reading Air Canada cancels 700 flights as strike threat disrupts travel

BELGRADE: Anti-government protesters demolished the offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in the northern city of Novi Sad and clashed with police and SNS supporters in the capital Belgrade on Thursday, a day after violent unrest left dozens injured. In Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, police and SNS supporters loyal to populist President… Continue reading Serbian protesters clash with police, demolish ruling party offices

SAN FRANCISCO: Oracle and Alphabet said on Thursday their cloud computing units have struck a deal to offer Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models through Oracle’s cloud computing services and business applications. The deal, similar to one that Oracle struck with Elon Musk’s xAI in June, will let software developers tap Google’s models to generate text,… Continue reading Oracle and Google cloud partnership to offer Gemini AI models

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supports a woman’s right to vote, the Pentagon said on Thursday, days after he reposted a video on X of a pastor advocating repealing the right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. “All of Christ for All of Life,“ Hegseth wrote on his personal X account last week alongside the nearly… Continue reading Pentagon clarifies Hegseth supports women’s vote despite reposted video

LONDON: King Charles will lead British commemorations on Friday for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marks victory over Japan and the end of World War Two, with famous buildings across the country lit up to mark the occasion. While fighting in Europe ended in May 1945, the conflict with Japan continued until it… Continue reading King Charles leads VJ Day 80th anniversary commemorations in UK

BOSTON: A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for making violent threats against synagogues and the Israeli consulate. John Reardon, 60, pleaded guilty in November to charges linked to antisemitic voicemails and calls targeting Jewish institutions. The threats began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, escalating into dozens… Continue reading Massachusetts man jailed for antisemitic threats to synagogues

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed on Thursday a new investment in UnitedHealth Group after the insurer became a target for many Americans upset over the direction of the nation’s healthcare. Berkshire said it owned 5.04 million UnitedHealth shares worth about $1.57 billion as of June 30. The disclosure came in a U.S. Securities and Exchange… Continue reading Berkshire invests in UnitedHealth, trims Apple stake

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Agency for International Development did not monitor the uses of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half of the operational units ending up in areas fully or partly held by Moscow, according to a report by the agency’s internal watchdog. USAID’s inspector general found that the agency failed to keep… Continue reading USAID failed to monitor Starlink terminals in Ukraine, watchdog finds

WASHINGTON: Two US senators have urged a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms following a Reuters report on its internal AI policies. The document reportedly allowed chatbots to engage in romantic or sensual conversations with children. Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity but removed controversial sections after Reuters raised questions. Senator Josh Hawley criticised Meta for only… Continue reading US senators demand Meta probe over AI chatbot policies for kids

WASHINGTON: Astronomers have observed the calamitous result of a star that picked the wrong dance partner. They have documented what appears to be a new type of supernova, as stellar explosions are known, that occurred when a massive star tried to swallow a black hole with which it had engaged in a lengthy pas de… Continue reading New black hole-triggered supernova discovered 700 million light-years away

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would see what he could do to help “save” detained Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, even though Chinese President Xi Jinping would not be “thrilled.” “I’m going to do everything I can to save him,“ Trump told Fox News Radio in an interview. “We’ll see… Continue reading Trump vows to help save Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump will hold direct talks aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict during their summit in Alaska. The meeting is scheduled for Friday at a US air base near Anchorage, marking Putin’s first visit to a Western nation since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr… Continue reading Putin and Trump to hold one-on-one talks on Ukraine in Alaska

LAMPEDUSA: Rescue teams resumed their search on Thursday for missing migrants after two overcrowded boats sank near the Italian island. At least 27 people have been confirmed dead, while 60 survivors were brought ashore on Wednesday. Two survivors required urgent medical evacuation to Sicily, while the rest were housed at a Red Cross reception centre.… Continue reading Rescue efforts continue after deadly migrant shipwreck off Lampedusa

SRINAGAR: Flash floods triggered by intense monsoon rains have killed at least 34 people in a remote Himalayan village in Indian-administered Kashmir. District Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma confirmed the toll, stating 35 injured individuals were rescued from the disaster-hit Kishtwar district. Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the situation as grim, attributing the devastation to… Continue reading Kashmir flood kills 34 as monsoon rains trigger deadly disaster