Category: World

SANTIAGO: Chile’s upcoming presidential election on November 16 highlights the nation’s political polarisation, with Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara and far-right veteran Jose Antonio Kast emerging as frontrunners. Eight candidates have registered for the race, according to an AFP tally before Monday’s deadline, setting the stage for a contentious battle. Analysts describe the contest as… Continue reading Chile’s presidential race pits communist against far-right in polarised contest

LOS ANGELES: A Human Rights Watch report has accused law enforcement of using excessive force and deliberate brutality against protesters and journalists during demonstrations in June. The protests were sparked by anger over immigration raids targeting undocumented migrants in Southern California. Scores of people were injured as officers deployed hard foam rounds, flash-bang grenades, pepper… Continue reading Excessive force against LA protesters detailed in rights report

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced plans to mobilise 4.5 million militia members following what he described as US threats. The move comes after Washington increased the bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million over drug trafficking charges. Maduro stated on state television that the militia would ensure nationwide coverage, calling them “prepared, activated and… Continue reading Maduro mobilises 4.5 million militia amid US threats and sanctions

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council began debating a French-drafted resolution to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon for one year while preparing for its eventual withdrawal. Israel and the US reportedly oppose renewing the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), raising uncertainty over Washington’s support due to its… Continue reading UN debates Lebanon peacekeeping force withdrawal amid tensions

WASHINGTON: Hurricane Erin unleashed powerful winds and torrential rain across the Caribbean on Monday, with its effects expected to reach the US East Coast later this week. The storm rapidly intensified over the weekend, briefly reaching Category 5 strength before weakening to a Category 3 hurricane. The US National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds… Continue reading Hurricane Erin batters Caribbean, threatens US East Coast with flooding

GENEVA: A record 383 aid workers were killed in 2024, the United Nations announced on World Humanitarian Day. The figure marks a 31 percent increase from the previous year, driven largely by conflicts in Gaza and Sudan. The UN described the rising toll as a “shameful indictment” of global inaction and apathy toward protecting humanitarian… Continue reading Record 383 aid workers killed in 2024 amid global conflicts

SEOUL: Six elderly men convicted of spying for North Korea have formally requested repatriation to Pyongyang decades after completing prison terms in South Korea. The group, aged 80 to 96, served lengthy sentences while maintaining allegiance to communist ideology after being captured during the Korean War. Ahn Hak-sop, now 95, endured over 40 years imprisonment… Continue reading Elderly North Korean spies seek repatriation to Pyongyang from Seoul

KIRUNA: A historic red wooden church in Sweden’s Arctic town of Kiruna started its carefully planned relocation on Tuesday. The 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka is being moved five kilometres to make way for the expansion of Europe’s largest underground iron ore mine. The entire town centre is shifting due to ground instability caused by the LKAB… Continue reading Historic Swedish church relocated in massive Arctic town move

WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed willingness to hold direct talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to resolve the ongoing war. The announcement came after Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump and European leaders at the White House on Monday. Zelensky confirmed his readiness for what would be the first face-to-face meeting with… Continue reading Zelensky offers bilateral Putin meeting to end Ukraine war

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Geneva as a potential host for peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian leaders Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. The suggestion follows separate discussions both leaders held with US President Donald Trump. Macron revealed the summit would take place in Europe during an interview with French news channel LCI.… Continue reading Macron proposes Geneva for Putin-Zelensky peace summit

SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador’s newly appointed education minister Karla Trigueros has mandated military-style inspections in public schools nationwide. The former military officer issued a directive requiring students to maintain clean uniforms and appropriate haircuts starting August 20. Trigueros, who wears camouflage uniforms during school visits, shared the new policy on social media platform X. “Within… Continue reading El Salvador enforces military-style school inspections under new education minister

TAIPEI: Taiwan must rely on itself for its security, the island’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump saying Chinese President Xi Jinping told him he would not invade the island while Trump was in office. Democratic Taiwan has over the past five years or so faced ramped up military and… Continue reading Taiwan asserts self-reliance for security amid Trump-Xi remarks

WASHINGTON: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday NATO membership for Ukraine was not under discussion but that there was a discussion on “Article 5” type security guarantees for the country that Russia invaded in February 2022. KEY QUOTES “The situation is this – that the U.S. and some other countries have said that… Continue reading NATO considers Article 5 deal for Ukraine, membership not on table

WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department said on Monday the American government played no role in the release of an Israeli official charged with soliciting sex electronically from a minor. Tom Artiom Alexandrovich was one of eight people charged last week following an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators,“ the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in… Continue reading US denies role in release of Israeli official accused in Nevada sex crime

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has named Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to a new post of co-deputy director of the FBI alongside Dan Bongino. Bongino, who shared the report on X with the caption “Welcome,“ clashed with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi last month over the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into the death… Continue reading Missouri Attorney General named FBI co-deputy director

A cyberattack at U.S. insurance firm Allianz Life in late July compromised the personal data of 1.1 million customers, according to breach notification site Have I Been Pwned on Monday. Allianz Life had previously said that hackers stole personal information of most of its 1.4 million U.S. customers, financial professionals and select employees. According to… Continue reading Allianz Life cyberattack exposes data of 1.1 million customers

DEBRIS from destroyed Ukrainian drones sparked fires at an oil refinery and a hospital roof in Russia’s Volgograd region, the administration of the southwestern Russian region said on Tuesday in a post on the Telegram messaging app. “Firefighters are working on site trying to contain and extinguish the fires,“ the administration cited the region’s governor,… Continue reading Ukrainian drones attack Russian oil refinery and hospital in Volgograd

WASHINGTON: U.S.-based charity HEAL Palestine and other rights groups criticized the State Department’s decision to stop visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza, saying it will harm wounded children seeking medical treatment on short-term U.S. visas. The State Department said on Saturday it was halting all visitor visas for Gazans while it conducted “a full and… Continue reading US charity warns Gaza visa halt harms wounded children

SAO PAULO: Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino ruled on Monday that Brazilian citizens cannot automatically be subject to foreign laws or decisions within the country’s territory, a move that quickly prompted blowback from the United States. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT The ruling responds to a request from Brazilian mining lobby Ibram related to Brazilian cities… Continue reading Brazil Supreme Court shields citizens from foreign legal decisions

BEIJING: China and India should establish “correct strategic understanding” and regard each other as partners, not rivals, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said to his Indian counterpart on Monday, according to his ministry. China is ready to uphold the principle of cordiality, mutual benefit with India, the Chinese ministry’s readout of the ministers’ meeting in… Continue reading China and India should be partners not rivals says Wang Yi

THE Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents Air Canada’s striking 10,000 flight attendants, said on Monday they are currently in meetings with the airline. “At this time, the strike is still on, and the talks have just commenced”, the union said in a Facebook post. – Reuters

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders that security guarantees for Kyiv will likely be worked out within 10 days. “Security guarantees will probably be ‘unpacked’ by our partners, and more and more details will emerge. All of this will somehow be formalised… Continue reading Zelenskiy says Ukraine security guarantees expected within 10 days

WASHINGTON: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Fox News on Monday that President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other European and NATO partners was very successful. During an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show, Rutte said security guarantees for Ukraine were discussed in the meeting and that there was… Continue reading NATO chief praises Trump-Zelenskiy meeting as highly successful

HELSINKI: Details of security guarantees for Ukraine could be ironed out within the next week or so, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told Finnish reporters in the U.S. capital on Monday after a meeting between European leaders and President Donald Trump. Stubb was one of several European leaders travelling to Washington for a joint meeting with… Continue reading Ukraine security guarantees near finalisation, says Finland

WASHINGTON: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited U.S. President Donald Trump with persuading Russia’s President to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart. This meeting, to which Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call with Trump, would take place at a yet-to-be-determined location, the German chancellor said. “We don’t know whether the Russian president will… Continue reading Putin and Zelenskiy to meet within two weeks, says German chancellor

WASHINGTON: Three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers will arrive off the coast of Venezuela in the next 36 hours as part of an effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the matter said on Monday. President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug… Continue reading US sends three destroyers off Venezuela to combat drug cartels

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO: Brazil submitted its formal response to a U.S. trade investigation on Monday, rejecting the allegations while challenging the legitimacy of the probe itself. While calling for “constructive dialogue,“ the Brazilian government stated that it does not recognize Washington’s authority to launch the unilateral investigation. The probe, initiated in July under Section 301 of… Continue reading Brazil disputes US trade probe legitimacy, seeks WTO intervention

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the idea of “raising the level of representatives” at Ukraine talks in a 40-minute call following the U.S. leader’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. “The idea was discussed that it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility of raising… Continue reading Putin and Trump discuss raising Ukraine talks level, Kremlin confirms

SAO PAULO: A Brazilian subsidiary of China’s ride-hailing company DiDi Global sued Chinese rival Keeta on Monday in a Sao Paulo court alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition, according to court documents seen by Reuters. The lawsuit comes days after Keeta, which is entering the Brazilian market, sued DiDi’s Brazilian unit, 99, in Brazil, alleging… Continue reading Chinese firms clash in Brazil over food delivery trademarks

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump called his Monday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other European partners as “very good” and said he began arrangements for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy after a subsequent call with Putin. He said security guarantees for Ukraine -provided by the European countries with a… Continue reading Trump announces plans for Zelenskiy-Putin meeting after Ukraine talks