Thursday, 16 Jan, 2025

International

Russia must be punished for its crime of invasion: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United Nations to punish Moscow for its invasion, calling for a special tribunal and for Russia to be stripped of its UN Security Council veto. “A crime has been committed against Ukraine and we demand just punishment,”

China ready to make efforts for 'peaceful reunification' with Taiwan

China is willing to make the utmost effort to strive for a peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan, a Chinese government spokesperson has said, following weeks of military manoeuvres and war games by Beijing near the island. Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan

Eleven schoolchildren killed in Myanmar air strike: UNICEF

At least 11 schoolchildren died in an air strike and firing on a Myanmar village, according to the United Nations children’s agency, an attack the country’s junta said targeted rebels hiding in the area. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the strike, according

Kremlin dismisses mass burial discoveries as ‘lies’

The Kremlin on Monday denied its forces were responsible for large-scale killings in east Ukraine and accused Kyiv of fabricating its discoveries of mass graves in recaptured territory. In the latest incident spurring fears of an atomic emergency, Ukraine said Russian rockets landed

Strong earthquake shakes Mexico’s Pacific coast; 1 killed

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Mexico’s central Pacific coast on Monday, killing at least one person and setting off a seismic alarm in the rattled capital on the anniversary of two earlier devastating quakes. There were at least some early reports of damage to buildings from

Liz Truss: UK will match Ukraine support in 2023

Prime Minister Liz Truss will vow to match UK spending on military support to Ukraine next year, as she restarts her government's agenda following the Queen's funeral. Ms Truss will pledge military aid worth billions during a trip to meet world leaders in New York this week.

Myanmar army helicopters fire on school, killing six

At least six children were killed and 17 wounded when army helicopters shot at a school in Myanmar, media reports and residents said on Monday, as the military said it opened fire because rebels were using the building to attack its forces. Myanmar has been gripped by violence since

Ukraine decries Russian strike near plant as ‘nuclear terrorism’

A Russian missile has blasted a crater close to a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, damaging nearby industrial equipment but not hitting its three reactors, in a move denounced by Ukrainian authorities as an act of “nuclear terrorism”. The missile struck within 300

Britain and the world say farewell to Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest on Monday, after a grand state funeral attended by leaders from around the world, and a historic last ceremonial journey through the packed streets of London. The longest-serving monarch in British history died aged 96 at Balmoral, her Scottish

US to defend Taiwan if China attacks, Biden reiterates 

US President Joe Biden has again said the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China. Asked in a CBS interview if US troops would defend the island, Mr Biden said: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack." The remarks prompted the White House to

Biden warns Russia against using unconventional weapons

Torture chambers in the basements of police precincts and school buildings.  Witness testimony of abuse, humiliation and murder. Seven foreign medical students from Sri Lanka held captive found alive and freed. A forest filled with graves. Across the vast stretch of thousands of

China releases report on food, nutrition

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) released a report on China's food and nutrition development on Saturday. The report summed up the trends of China's food and nutrition in recent decades, and presented a series of problems and suggestions. Since the reform

Power back on at huge nuclear plant in Ukraine

The UN's nuclear watchdog (IAEA) says Ukraine's huge Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has begun receiving power from the national grid once again. Shelling in the area damaged power lines connected to the plant. All six of its reactors are in a state of cold shutdown, but

14 people die in iron mine flood in China, 1 missing

Chinese authorities said Saturday that 14 people had died and one remained missing after a flood at an iron mine earlier this month. The search and rescue operation has ended and an investigation into the cause of the Sept. 2 flood is underway, the Tangshan city government said in a

King Charles to host world leaders as UK readies for queen's funeral

Britain was gearing up Sunday for the momentous state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as King Charles III prepared to host world leaders and as mourners queued for the final 24 hours left to view her coffin. The first members of the public were already camping out in advance to catch a

Japan braced for exceptional typhoon

Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan have been urged to evacuate their homes amid warnings of "unprecedented" risks from an approaching storm. Typhoon Nanmadol is expected to make landfall on Kyushu island on Sunday. Winds could reach 270km/h (168mph) and some areas

Five Syrian soldiers killed in Israeli strike on Damascus: state media

An Israeli airstrike near Damascus airport killed five Syria soldiers on Saturday, Syrian state media said. “The aggression led to the death of five soldiers and some material damage,” Syria’s official news agency Sana quoted a military source as saying. The strike

16 school children killed in South Africa crash

At least 16 school children were killed died Friday when a minibus collided with a truck along a South African highway around 300 kilometres north of Durban, a regional government said. The provincial KwaZulu-Natal transport ministry reported 16 deaths from the collision. Local

Putin tells Modi he wants Ukraine war to end as soon as possible

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told India’s Narendra Modi that he understood New Delhi’s concerns about the conflict in Ukraine and wanted it to end “as soon as possible”, according to a readout of a bilateral meeting published by the Kremlin. The Indian

30 reported dead in Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border clashes

Almost 30 people have been reported killed and dozens injured in clashes on the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border. Fighting regularly flares up between the two former Soviet states, whose border has been disputed since the collapse of the USSR. A fresh skirmish which began earlier in the