Category: World

HANOI: After Vietnam removed its two-child limit, pharmacy worker Nguyen Thi Nguyet Nga says she still has no plans to have more kids, since she barely has time to see her daughters or the money to provide them a good life. The country’s communist government on Wednesday lifted a long-standing ban on families having more… Continue reading Vietnamese say no to more kids after two-child limit scrapped

BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bengaluru said Thursday they stood “united” with fans as the Indian Premier League champions announced financial aid to families of those crushed to death during their title celebrations. Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and… Continue reading Bengaluru offer cash help after deadly India cricket stampede

BRUSSELS: US defence chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday pushed NATO to agree a deal on increasing military spending that could satisfy President Donald Trump at a summit this month. The volatile US leader has demanded that alliance members boost defence budgets to five percent of their GDP at the June 24-25 meeting in the Netherlands.… Continue reading US pressures NATO to seal deal on ramping up defence spending

SEOUL: A wooden boat carrying four North Koreans drifted into waters south of the de facto maritime border with the South last month, Seoul’s military said on Thursday. They were discovered in the East Sea — known internationally as the Sea of Japan — in waters around 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of South Korea’s… Continue reading Four N. Koreans crossed maritime border with South, Seoul says

SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of murder denied measuring out a “fatal dose” of poisonous mushrooms on her kitchen scales to kill three elderly relatives of her estranged husband, as she was cross-examined by the prosecution on Thursday. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald… Continue reading Australian accused of mushroom murders denies weighing ‘fatal dose’ on kitchen scales

KYIV: A Russian drone slammed into a residential house in central Ukraine overnight Thursday, killing three members of one family, including a one-year-old baby, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He accused Moscow of trying to “buy time for itself to continue killing” and called for the West to put “maximum sanctions” and “pressure” on Moscow,… Continue reading Zelensky slams Russia after three generations killed in drone strike

LUXEMBOURG: The European Court of Justice’s top legal advisor recommended Thursday that Hungary be declared in breach of EU law over anti-LGBTQ legislation adopted in 2021, in a case pitting Budapest against a majority of its EU partners. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states and the European Parliament took Hungary to the EU’s… Continue reading Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law broke EU rules: court advisor

PARIS: Consumer groups lodged a complaint against Shein with the European Commission on Thursday, accusing the Chinese-founded e-commerce platform of using “deceptive” and illegal techniques that fuel overconsumption. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), together with 25 members from 21 countries, alleged that Shein uses so-called “dark patterns” that “push consumers into purchasing more than originally… Continue reading Consumer groups lodge EU complaint against Shein

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ramped up his campaign against top US universities Wednesday, banning visas for all foreign students coming to attend Harvard and threatening to strip Columbia of its academic accreditation. Trump is seeking to bring the universities to heel with claims their international students pose a national security threat, and that they ignored… Continue reading Trump administration ramps up attack on Harvard, Columbia

PARIS: A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbour in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, the national anti-terror prosecutor’s office said. Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has described as both “racist” and “probably also anti-Muslim”. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have… Continue reading Suspect in murder of Tunisian man to appear before French judge: prosecutors

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to “help resolve” the standoff between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme, the Kremlin said Thursday. “We have a close partnership with Tehran. And President Putin said that he was ready to use this partnership to help resolve the Iranian nuclear issue,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry… Continue reading Putin ready to ‘help resolve’ Iran nuclear stand-off: Kremlin

BEIJING: Authorities in southern China announced on Thursday they were offering rewards of more than $1,000 for the arrest of 20 people they say are Taiwanese military hackers, drawing an angry reaction from Taiwan’s defence ministry. The public security bureau in the Chinese city of Guangzhou said the hackers were part of the Taiwan military’s… Continue reading China offers cash rewards for hackers it says are Taiwanese military

SAN FRANCISCO: OpenAI is seeing an increasing number of Chinese groups using its artificial intelligence technology for covert operations, which the ChatGPT maker described in a report released Thursday. While the scope and tactics employed by these groups have expanded, the operations detected were generally small in scale and targeted limited audiences, the San Francisco-based… Continue reading OpenAI finds more Chinese groups using ChatGPT for malicious purposes

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday handed record-long suspensions to three Indigenous Maori lawmakers who last year staged a protest haka on the debating floor. Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were banished from parliament for 21 days, the longest-ever suspension. Fellow Maori Party lawmaker Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand’s youngest current MP, was… Continue reading New Zealand parliament gives record bans to Maori MPs over haka

SANTIAGO: Chile and Google inked an agreement Wednesday for the installation of the first-ever submarine fiber optic cable between South America, Asia and Oceania by 2027. South America relies for its digital connectivity on infrastructure running through North America, and the new multi-million dollar will provide a faster alternative. “This cable not only meets a… Continue reading Chile, Google sign deal for first-ever S.America-Asia fiber optic cable

SAN SALVADOR: A prominent lawyer and human rights activist said Wednesday she was a “political prisoner” of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele’s government as she appeared in court accused of corruption. Ruth Lopez is a critic of gang-busting Bukele, and assists families of Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States and imprisoned in the Central… Continue reading ‘I am a political prisoner’ says detained Salvadoran activist

MOSCOW: Russian warplanes were damaged but not destroyed in a June 1 attack by Ukraine, and they will be restored, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Ukrainian strikes targeted airfields in Siberia and the far north where Russia houses heavy bombers that form part of its strategic nuclear forces. The United States assesses that… Continue reading Russia says it will repair warplanes damaged by Ukraine’s drones

KYIV: Russian drone strikes killed five people and wounded six others in the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky, a Ukrainian official said Thursday. “Five people have been reported dead, including two women and a one-year-old child, who were found under the rubble,“ Vyacheslav Chaus, a Chernigiv regional official, wrote on Telegram, adding six people were… Continue reading Russian drone attack on northern Ukraine kills five

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in the battered Palestinian territory on Thursday as the military keeps up an intensified offensive. “Ten martyrs so far resulting from Israeli strikes since dawn,“ agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that they had targeted an area where displaced civilians… Continue reading Gaza rescuers say at least 10 killed in Israel strikes

BRUSSELS: US defence chief Pete Hegseth will seek on Thursday to drive home a deal on ramping up NATO defence spending that can satisfy President Donald Trump at a summit later this month. The volatile US leader has demanded that alliance members agree to boost defence spending to five percent of their GDP at the… Continue reading NATO looks to thrash out spending deal under US pressure

MEXICO CITY: A popular Mexican band has been fined more than $36,000 for performing songs glorifying drug cartels, authorities in the northern city of Chihuahua announced Wednesday. At a Los Tucanes de Tijuana performance on Saturday, nearly a third of their songs were “narcocorridos” glamorizing drug traffickers, according to city official Pedro Oliva. The songs… Continue reading Mexican band fined $36,000 for glorifying drug cartels

MONTREAL: More than 31,000 people were under evacuation across Canada on Wednesday as firefighters battled raging wildfires threatening towns and villages, authorities said. More than 200 fires burning across the country — half of which are described as being out of control — have so far scorched more than 2.2 million hectares. The Saskatchewan and… Continue reading More people leave homes in Canada as huge wildfires spread

THE SHOCK from trade war brings differential effects for central banks in emerging markets, in contrast with the COVID pandemic, when they could quickly ease monetary policy, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Gita Gopinath said. In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, the fund’s first deputy managing director said the unpredictable impact of tariffs… Continue reading Trade war is tougher threat than COVID for emerging market cenbanks, IMF says

UNITED NATIONS: UN Security Council members criticized the United States Wednesday after it vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, which Washington said undermined ongoing diplomacy. It was the 15-member body’s first vote on the situation since November, when the United States — a key Israeli ally — also… Continue reading Anger as US blocks Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN Security Council

MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin discussed the war in Ukraine with Pope Leo in a telephone call on Wednesday, with the Kremlin claiming the Russian president wanted peace through diplomacy. Putin however also claimed “the regime in Kyiv is betting on an escalation of the conflict and carrying out of acts of sabotage against civil infrastructure on… Continue reading Russia’s Putin, Pope Leo discuss Ukraine war

NEW YORK: Hundreds of Venezuelans deported from the United States to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law must be given the chance to challenge their detentions, and the Trump administration must facilitate the legal challenges, a U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg stopped short of expressly ordering the Trump… Continue reading Hundreds of Venezuelans deported to El Salvador have right to challenge detention, US judge rules

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his administration’s crackdown on higher education. “I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally… Continue reading Trump bans visas for new foreign students at Harvard

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an investigation into what Republicans claim was a “conspiracy” to cover up Joe Biden’s declining cognitive health during his time in the White House. The move is the latest in a long-running campaign by Trump to discredit his predecessor, which has been joined by Republican Party politicians… Continue reading Trump orders inquiry into ‘conspiracy’ to hide Biden’s health decline

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to “unconditionally support” Russia in its war in Ukraine and said he expected Moscow to emerge victorious, Pyongyang’s state media said Thursday. North Korea has become one of Moscow’s main allies during its more than three-year Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops and container-loads of weapons to… Continue reading North Korea’s Kim vows ‘unconditional support’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban Wednesday targeting 12 countries, saying it was spurred by an attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country illegally. The ban, which strongly resembles a similar measure taken in his first presidency, targets nationals… Continue reading Trump signs travel ban on 12 countries after Colorado attack

SEOUL: South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung is set to preside over his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, following his assumption of office earlier this week, Yonhap news agency reported. According to the presidential office, Lee is expected to emphasise the need for continuity in state affairs and the importance of upholding discipline within… Continue reading South Korean President Lee to preside over first Cabinet meeting

BEIJING: Beijing hit back Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will “never forget” the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an “attack” on China. Troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political… Continue reading Beijing slams Rubio ‘attack’ on China after Tiananmen Square remarks

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin warned him Wednesday that he would seek revenge for Ukraine’s stunning drone attack on Moscow’s bomber fleet, adding that the Russian leader was not ready for any “immediate peace.” Kyiv’s daring strikes on Russian airfields Sunday destroyed several nuclear-capable aircraft worth billions of dollars, and dominated the third call… Continue reading Trump says Putin plans to retaliate for Ukraine attack on bombers

HAMILTON: Steelworkers in the Canadian city of Hamilton see President Donald Trump’s latest trade war escalation as a wake-up call, insisting US efforts to protect struggling metal producers demand an equivalent national response. Hamilton is known locally as “Steeltown,“ with expansive industrial plants dominating the view from the main bridge that leads into the city.… Continue reading Canada steelworkers urge Ottawa to counter Trump