Category: World

HANOI: A Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death for fraud totalling $27 billion will no longer face execution, her lawyer said Wednesday, as the country abolished capital punishment for eight crimes, including property embezzlement. Property developer Truong My Lan’s lawyer Giang Hong Thanh told AFP that her death penalty “will be converted to life imprisonment…… Continue reading Vietnam tycoon will not face death penalty over $27 bn fraud: lawyer

THE HAGUE: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the United States was “totally committed” to the alliance’s mutual defence clause, after President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on it. “For me, there is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article Five,“ Rutte told… Continue reading NATO chief: US ‘totally committed’ to collective defence pledge

TEHRAN: Iran will hold on Saturday state funerals for senior military commanders and top scientists killed during the country’s 12-day war with Israel, official media said. “The national funeral ceremony for… commanders and scientists martyred in the Zionist regime’s aggression will be held on Saturday from 8:00 am (0430 GMT)” in Tehran, state news agency… Continue reading Iran to hold funerals Saturday for top commanders, scientists killed in Israel war

SAN JOSÉ: A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants locked up in a shelter after being deported by the United States, according to a resolution issued on the eve of a visit by the US secretary of homeland security. Some 200 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, Russia as well as from… Continue reading Justice orders release of migrants deported to Costa Rica by Trump

ABUJA: Before Ghana banned foreigners from its gold trade earlier this year, an online bot campaign pushed anti-Chinese sentiment, blaming Chinese nationals for exploiting the country and stealing its resources. The west African nation has long been home to an informal artisanal mining sector. But recent years have seen foreign investors — including many Chinese… Continue reading Bots pushed anti-China narrative ahead of Ghana mining ban

TOKYO: A Japanese court sentenced a US marine to seven years in prison, a spokesperson for the judiciary said Wednesday, in the latest sexual assault case involving American military personnel. James Clayton, 22, who pleaded not guilty, was accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s last year in Okinawa, according… Continue reading US marine jailed in Japan over sexual assault

MATOLA: When Armando Ernesto Chau straps on the futuristic smart glasses that a young Mozambican robotics student is developing in the family dining room, he has a vision of a life less confined to his modest home. Chau is the prototype tester for Joao Antonio Rego, a 24-year-old robotics and electronic engineering student driven to… Continue reading Young Mozambican inventor bringing the blind smart ‘vision’

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo appealed to Iran and Israel on Wednesday not to pursue vengeance after 12 days of war, which the U.S. joined with airstrikes in support of Israel to target Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities. “May all logic of oppression and revenge be rejected, and may the path of dialogue, diplomacy, and peace be chosen… Continue reading Pope Leo appeals to Iran and Israel not to pursue vengeance after war

WASHINGTON: A classified preliminary US intelligence report has concluded that American strikes on Iran set back Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months — rather than destroying it as claimed by President Donald Trump. US media on Tuesday cited people familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) findings as saying the weekend strikes did… Continue reading US intel says strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear program

JERUSALEM: Classified US intelligence suggests that American strikes on Iran set back its nuclear programme by just a few months, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim of total destruction. Here are the latest developments as a truce between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding early Wednesday: US intel report US media on Tuesday reported that… Continue reading Iran-Israel war: latest developments

BEIJING: Vulnerable communities were told to seek refuge on higher ground as multiple rivers burst their banks after days of rain in China’s flood-hit province of Guizhou, the southwestern end of a seasonal rain belt that stretches all the way to Japan. At least two riverside cities – Congjiang and Rongjiang – each with a… Continue reading Heavy rain leaves southwest China under water; more storms on horizon

THE HAGUE: Britain said it would buy a dozen F-35A fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons in what it described as the biggest expansion of its nuclear deterrent in a generation. The purchase of the Lockheed Martin jets would allow Britain’s air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time since the… Continue reading UK to buy fighter jets for tactical nuclear capability

THE HAGUE: NATO leaders gathered in The Hague on Wednesday for a summit tailor-made for U.S. President Donald Trump, with European allies hoping a pledge to hike defence spending will prompt him to dispel doubts about his commitment to the alliance. The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of 5% of… Continue reading NATO eyes 5% defence goal amid Trump pressure, Russia threat

NAIROBI: Kenyans took to the streets on Wednesday under heavy security to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-government protests that culminated in the storming of parliament and several deaths as police fired on demonstrators. Although the protests eventually faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes that had initially sparked the rallies, public anger… Continue reading Kenyans protest on deadly riot anniversary amid tensions

TAIPEI: Taiwan will issue new air-raid guidance for its citizens next week, according to security officials and internal planning documents reviewed by Reuters, learning lessons from Ukraine and Israel in case it needs to counter a Chinese military attack. “Taiwan is looking very closely into the cases from Ukraine and Israel,“ a senior Taiwan security… Continue reading Taiwan updates air-raid guide amid China threat

MIAMI: A man sentenced to death for murder in the state of Florida was executed late Tuesday, one of two executions in the United States this week. Thomas Gudinas, 51, was scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. Thirteen minutes later, the Florida Department… Continue reading Florida executes killer, Mississippi set for first since 2022

SAN FRANCISCO (United States): A US federal judge has sided with Anthropic regarding training its artificial intelligence models on copyrighted books without authors’ permission, a decision with the potential to set a major legal precedent in AI deployment. District Court Judge William Alsup ruled on Monday that the company’s training of its Claude AI models… Continue reading US judge: AI training on books is fair use, partly

HANOI: Vietnam’s National Assembly on Wednesday passed a revised Penal Code, abolishing the death penalty for eight crimes, including embezzlement, reported Xinhua quoting a Vietnam News Agency report. The revision law also allows life-term sentences for embezzlement or bribery, which may be reduced only if offenders return at least three-fourths of the assets and actively… Continue reading Vietnam abolishes death penalty for 8 crimes in revised Penal Code

TIANJIN (China): Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday that China is moving towards becoming a high-income country as a whole as the demand for consumption upgrade is robust in the world’s second-largest consumption market. Li made the remarks when addressing the opening of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as… Continue reading China advancing toward high-income status, says Premier Li

WASHINGTON: The FBI has ramped up its efforts to monitor potential threats to the U.S. from Iran following President Donald Trump’s decision to attack the country’s nuclear facilities, two people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. FBI officials have informed some agents in recent days that they will be exempt from a mandate… Continue reading FBI shifts focus to Iran threat after U.S. strikes

NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker and self-described democratic socialist, was poised on Tuesday to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary in a surprising upset over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. In brief remarks to supporters, Cuomo, 67, who had been seeking a political comeback four years after resigning amid sexual… Continue reading Zohran Mamdani poised to defeat Cuomo in NYC mayoral race

THE U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it is investigating reports of two deaths due to acute liver failure in non-ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients after receiving Sarepta Therapeutics’ gene therapy, Elevidys. In June, Sarepta reported a second death in a patient who had received its gene therapy, which raised concerns about… Continue reading FDA probes deaths linked to Sarepta’s gene therapy for muscular dystrophy

WASHINGTON: A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment has determined that U.S. strikes over the weekend on Iranian nuclear facilities have set back Tehran’s program by only a matter of months, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The initial report was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s main intelligence arm and one… Continue reading US strikes may delay Iran nuclear program by months, sources reveal

WASHINGTON: The United States is giving $30 million to a controversial humanitarian group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza despite concern among some U.S. officials about the month-old operation and the killing of Palestinians near food distribution sites, according to four sources and a document seen by Reuters. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation… Continue reading US grants $30m to Gaza aid group amid violence concerns

DAMASCUS: Syria’s top Christian leader said on Tuesday at the funeral for victims of a deadly church bombing that President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government bore responsibility for not protecting minorities and his condolences were insufficient. At least 25 worshippers died on Sunday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in Damascus,… Continue reading Syrian Christian leader criticises president over church bombing

PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel in its 12 days of war with Iran had removed the threat of nuclear annihilation and was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its programme. “We have removed two immediate existential threats to us – the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat… Continue reading Netanyahu claims historic victory over Iran’s nuclear threat in 12-day war

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s member states have reached an agreement with the EU Parliament to loosen the EU’s rules on filling gas storage, following concerns that earlier rules on this risked inflating energy prices. The agreement was announced by the European Commission on Tuesday. The EU’s gas storage rules were introduced in 2022 to ensure… Continue reading EU eases gas storage rules to prevent price spikes

THE U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a report on Tuesday that said evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, ahead of a two-day meeting of an advisory panel later this week. The report was posted on the agency’s website on Tuesday, along with some… Continue reading CDC: No link between thimerosal vaccines and autism