Category: World

JAKARTA: Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will meet counterpart Vladimir Putin this month on his first visit to Russia since taking office, officials said on Thursday, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy seeks to boost ties with Moscow. Jakarta maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in the competition between… Continue reading Indonesia’s Prabowo to meet Putin in Russia for talks

KYIV: Russian night-time strikes on Kharkiv wounded 14 people, including four children, Ukraine said Thursday, in the latest heavy bombardment of the northeastern city. The strikes came a day after Russian attacks killed three people and wounded some 60 others in the city, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border. Kharkiv has been… Continue reading Russian drones wound 14 in Kharkiv

Vatican City: The Vatican announced Wednesday the first appointment of a Chinese bishop under Leo XIV, signalling the new pope’s support for a controversial accord on nominations struck by his predecessor with Beijing. The Holy See expressed “satisfaction” at the recognition by China of the appointment of Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou,… Continue reading First China bishop appointed under Pope Leo

LOS ANGELES: Entertainment giants Disney and Universal filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Wednesday against AI company Midjourney, calling the image generator a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.” The lawsuit is the first major legal battle between Hollywood studios and an AI firm, and follows other suits by independent artists who have sued Midjourney and other generative… Continue reading Disney, Universal launch first major studio lawsuit against AI company

LOS ANGELES: When immigration officers leapt out of unmarked vans and ran towards undocumented men waiting by a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the day laborers scattered, terrified at the prospect of arrest and deportation. “People were hiding under wood, in the trash, wherever they could find a little hole,” said Oscar Mendia, a Guatemalan… Continue reading ‘Terrifying’: Migrants fret over LA raids, but still look for work

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million US residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on TrumpCard.gov. “Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market… Continue reading Trump unveils website for $5 million US residency visa

LOS ANGELES: Protests over hardline immigration tactics ignited across the United States Wednesday after days of demonstrations in Los Angeles, as California prepared for a legal showdown with the White House over Donald Trump’s deployment of the military. Over 1,000 people massed in America’s second biggest city for a sixth day of protests, with the… Continue reading Protests spread across US despite Trump threats

MILAN: A group of 17 Palestinian children, including an 11-year-old boy who lost nine siblings in an Israel strike in Gaza last month, arrived in Italy on Wednesday for hospital treatment, accompanied by more than 50 family members. Adam Al-Najjar, who has multiple fractures, arrived with his mother at Milan’s Linate airport where he was… Continue reading Palestinian boy who lost nine siblings arrives in Italy for treatment

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD: The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, U.S. and Iraqi sources said on Wednesday. The four U.S. and two Iraqi sources did not specify which security risks had prompted… Continue reading US preparing to partially evacuate Iraq embassy over regional security risks, sources say

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump was frustrated with billionaire Elon Musk, but doesn’t want a long-term feud with the entrepreneur and big campaign donor, Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday. Vance told reporters that he has spoken to both Musk and Trump about trying to make sure Musk is supportive of the president, adding… Continue reading Vance says Trump doesn’t want long-term feud with Musk

WASHINGTON: Months after orchestrating a conservative takeover of the Kennedy Center’s leadership, President Donald Trump arrived there on Wednesday to attend “Les Miserables,” his first show at the performing arts facility that has become a symbol of U.S. cultural and political divides. Trump did not attend events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the… Continue reading Trump attends ‘Les Miserables’ at revamped Kennedy Center

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked resolutions that would have halted more than $3 billion in military sales to the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Senate voted 56-39 against considering legislation that would have blocked the $1.9 billion sale of armed drones and associated equipment to Qatar. The vote was… Continue reading US Senate rejects bids to block arms sales to Qatar, UAE

BRASILIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that social media companies must be held accountable for some types of content published by users on their platforms in the country, but details on the decision have yet to be resolved. Six of the 11 Supreme Court judges voted to hold platforms responsible for third-party content seen… Continue reading Brazil’s top court votes to hold social media platforms accountable for user posts

TOYOTA CITY, JAPAN: Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda is likely to face scrutiny over a $33 billion take-private deal of a key supplier when shareholders assemble for the Japanese automaker’s annual general meeting on Thursday. This year’s gathering, set to kick off at 10:00 a.m. (0100 GMT), marks the first time in three years that… Continue reading Toyota chairman to face scrutiny over $33 billion deal at shareholder meeting

BANGKOK: Thailand’s ruling party, besieged by a faltering economy and a border crisis, faces more uncertainty this week as the Supreme Court begins hearing a case that could lead to jail time for its most influential politician, Thaksin Shinawatra. The billionaire former premier, and the driving force behind the government of his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra,… Continue reading Thai ruling party grapples with border crisis, thorny court case amid bleak economy

WASHINGTON: The World Bank’s board has agreed to end a longstanding ban on funding nuclear energy projects in developing countries as part of a broader push to meet rising electricity needs, the bank’s president Ajay Banga said on Wednesday. Banga outlined the bank’s revised energy strategy in an email to staff after what he called… Continue reading World Bank to end ban on nuclear energy projects, still debating upstream gas

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be willing to extend a July 8 deadline for completing trade talks with countries before higher U.S. tariffs take effect, but did not believe that would be necessary. Trump, speaking to reporters before a performance of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center, said trade negotiations… Continue reading Trump: Willing to extend July 8 deadline for trade talks, but not likely necessary

BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland: Violence erupted in different parts of Northern Ireland for the third successive night on Wednesday, with masked youths starting a fire in a leisure centre but unrest in the primary flashpoint of Ballymena was notably smaller in scale. Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in… Continue reading Northern Ireland hit by third night of violence but main flashpoint calmer

LOS ANGELES: Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, who created some of rock’s most enduring songs such as “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows” in a career that was marked by a decades-long battle between his musical genius, drug abuse and mental health issues, has died at the age of 82. Wilson’s family announced his death… Continue reading Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82

PARIS: French police have arrested several people suspected of involvement in last month’s kidnapping of the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur, a source close to the case said Wednesday. French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extorsion attempts targeting the families of high-worth individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. The most recent… Continue reading France makes arrests over cryptocurrency kidnapping

PARIS: Medical charity Medecins du Monde Wednesday accused Israel of violating international law with drone strikes on a building housing one of its offices in war-torn Gaza that killed eight people, none of them staff. The France-based aid group said in a statement the attack on Tuesday “constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law,… Continue reading Charity accuses Israel of deadly strike on Gaza office building

ROME: An 11-year-old Palestinian boy who survived an Israeli air strike in Gaza last month, which killed his father and nine siblings, was due to arrive in Italy Wednesday for treatment. Adam and his mother, paediatrician Alaa al-Najjar, were due to fly to Milan in northern Italy on Wednesday evening alongside his aunt and four… Continue reading Child survivor of Gaza family strike heads to Italy

LONDON: Britain’s Labour government pledged to cut a backlog in asylum applications and end “the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers”, saving £1 billion ($1.3 billion) annually, finance minister Rachel Reeves announced Wednesday. “Funding that I have provided today… will cut the asylum backlog, hear more appeal cases and return people who have… Continue reading UK to tackle asylum backlog, saving ‘£1 bn a year’

WASHINGTON: US consumer inflation ticked up in May, in line with analyst expectations, government data showed Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs began to ripple through the world’s biggest economy. The consumer price index (CPI) came in at 2.4 percent from a year ago, after a 2.3 percent reading in April, the Department of… Continue reading US inflation edges up as Trump tariffs flow through economy

COPENHAGEN: Greenland’s ice sheet melted 17 times faster than the past average during a May heatwave that also hit Iceland, the scientific network World Weather Attribution (WWA) said in a report Wednesday. The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979,… Continue reading Greenland ice melted much faster than average in May heatwave: scientists

MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faced a new legal setback Wednesday as a court ordered an investigation into a potential conflict of interest related to his government’s financial bailout of Air Europa. The ruling came a day after the Supreme Court found that Spain’s top prosecutor — a government appointee — might have breached… Continue reading Spanish court order probe into PM over airline bailout

PARIS: Three French boys went on trial Wednesday charged with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in 2024 outside Paris, a crime that shocked the Jewish community at a time of rising anti-Semitic attacks. The trial, which is due to last until Friday, is being held at a juvenile court in Nanterre, a… Continue reading French teens on trial in France over rape of Jewish girl

ODESA: Leaders from several countries across southeastern Europe were expected in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday, hours after it was targeted by Russian strikes. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains strong ties with Russia, was among those attending the summit, his office said, in his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded… Continue reading Ukraine hosts southeast Europe leaders in Odesa summit

BRUSSELS: The EU on Wednesday urged Israel to undo a move by a far-right minister that threatens to paralyse Palestinian financial institutions. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Tuesday that Israel had cancelled a waiver allowing its banks to work with Palestinian ones. “The European Union is deeply concerned by the instruction by Israel’s finance minister… Continue reading EU tells Israel to reverse move to cut off Palestinian banks

DENPASAR: Indonesian police have arrested dozens on the popular resort island of Bali for allegedly running a love scam syndicate targeting American men, they said Wednesday. Police made the arrests after being tipped off about suspicious activity at a rented home in Denpasar, the island’s capital. A total of 38 suspects, seven of them women,… Continue reading Dozens arrested for Indonesian love scam ring targeting American men

TAIPEI: A magnitude-5.9 offshore earthquake rattled Taiwan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, with AFP journalists reporting buildings shaking in the capital Taipei. Firefighters were dispatched to check the impact of the moderate quake, which hit 71 kilometres (44 miles) south of Hualien City. It struck off the island’s east coast at a depth… Continue reading 5.9-magnitude quake rattles Taiwan: USGS

PARIS: US chip giant Nvidia on Wednesday announced a broad infrastructure push into Europe, partnering with local companies to help build the continent’s “own ecosystem” for AI, chief executive Jensen Huang said in Paris. “In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10,“ Huang… Continue reading Nvidia trumpets European AI infrastructure push

WASHINGTON: A US federal appeals court is allowing President Donald Trump’s global tariffs to remain in effect for now while it considers the case on an expedited track. The ruling issued Tuesday extends a temporary reprieve for the Trump administration as officials push back on a ruling by a lower court that blocked the president’s… Continue reading US appeals court allows Trump tariffs to remain longer

TALLINN: An Estonian court on Wednesday said it had sentenced a journalist who used to work for Russian state media to six years in prison for treason. The court found that Svetlana Burceva had worked with a reserve officer of Russia’s FSB security service in “activities against the independence and sovereignty” of Estonia. “The sentence… Continue reading Estonia sentences journalist to six years in prison for treason

HARARE: Zimbabwe will ban exports of lithium concentrates from 2027 in hopes that mining companies start processing and refining the critical mineral locally, the government said. With the largest lithium reserves in Africa and exporting mainly to China, Zimbabwe is a key player in the global race to secure “transition minerals” needed to make electric… Continue reading Zimbabwe sets lithium export ban

KYIV: Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russia had returned the bodies of 1,212 soldiers who died fighting Moscow’s invasion, part of an agreement between the two sides reached at peace talks last week. Two rounds of talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine have failed to yield a breakthrough in ending the war, though. Deals… Continue reading Kyiv says Russia returned 1,212 soldiers’ bodies to Ukraine

JERUSALEM: Israeli lawmakers will vote Wednesday on a bill submitted by the opposition to dissolve parliament, which if successful could start paving the way to a snap election. While the opposition is composed mainly of centrist and leftist groups, ultra-Orthodox parties that are propping up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are also threatening to back… Continue reading Israel MPs to vote on opposition bid to dissolve parliament

MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was unlikely that attempts to improve Russia-US ties would bring “quick results”, after a series of calls between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Trump has spooked Europe and Kyiv by pushing a rapprochement with Moscow, a dramatic reversal after three years of Washington tying to isolate Putin… Continue reading Kremlin says ‘quick results’ in normalising US-Russia ties ‘unlikely’

COLOMBO: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced a 15 percent increase in the electricity price to shore up revenues for the state-run utility, in line with conditions imposed by an IMF bailout. The Public Utilities Commission said it allowed the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to charge the higher rates from Thursday, six months after a… Continue reading Sri Lanka raises electricity price in line with IMF bailout

ANKARA: Ankara has agreed a deal to export 48 Turkish-made fighter jets to Indonesia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday. Turkey’s defence sector, including the famous Bayraktar drones, accounts for a significant share of the country’s export revenues. “As part of the agreement signed with our friendly and brotherly country, Indonesia, 48 Kaan (fighter… Continue reading Turkey to export 48 fighter jets to Indonesia: Erdogan

ATHENS: At least three centuries-old Greek monasteries in the religious enclave of Mount Athos were damaged in an earthquake over the weekend, the culture ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the 5.3-magnitude undersea quake that struck Saturday in the northern Halkidiki peninsula had left structural and decorative damage at the 10th-century Xenophontos and Dochiari monasteries,… Continue reading Centuries-old monasteries damaged in Greece quake

OSLO: The world saw the highest number of armed conflicts in almost 80 years in 2024, dethroning 2023 as a record year, a Norwegian study published Wednesday showed, highlighting the risks linked to a US disengagement. Last year, 61 conflicts were registered in the world across 36 countries, with some countries experiencing several simultaneous conflicts,… Continue reading Highest number of conflicts worldwide in 2024 since 1946: study