Ukraine’s Zelenskiy dominates Asia security conference as China, Taiwan trade barbs
Singapore Reuters Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskiy’s unscheduled appearance at Asia’s biggest security conference dominated proceedings on Sunday after China’s defence chief slammed “separatists” in Taiwan, drawing a sharp response from the government in Taipei. Dressed in his trademark olive green T-shirt, Zelenskiy addressed the last day of the Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore, asking for […]
North Korea sends 600 more trash balloons over border, South says
Seoul, South Korea Reuters North Korea sent some 600 balloons carrying trash into South Korea overnight, Seoul said on Sunday, in Pyongyang’s latest move to rile its rival neighbour. The balloons carrying garbage such as cigarette butts, cloth, paper waste and plastic were found across the capital from 8pm to 10am, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs […]
Heat, hurricanes and blackouts: Cubans brace for long summer after scorching May
Havana, Cuba Reuters If May is any indication, Cuba is in for a long, hot summer, says Havana horse and buggy driver Osmel Valdes. The 52-year-old Havana resident runs a transport service through the Cuban capital’s sweltering streets. Shade is hard to come by so he lays a piece of scrap cardboard atop his horse […]
Boeing Starliner capsule’s first crewed test flight postponed minutes before launch
Cape Canaveral, Florida Reuters A second attempt at launching Boeing’s new Starliner space capsule on its inaugural test flight with NASA astronauts on board was automatically halted with minutes to go before liftoff by a computer-abort system, mission officials said. The scrubbed launch, capping a string of 11th-hour technical issues that ground teams worked through […]
Global pandemic treaty to be concluded by 2025, WHO says
London, UK Reuters Talks aimed at reaching a global agreement on how to better fight pandemics will be concluded by 2025 or earlier if possible, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. The WHO’s 194 member states have been negotiating for two years on an agreement that could increase collaboration before and during pandemics after […]
Episcopal Church: Presiding bishop nomination puts Latino Episcopalians in the spotlight
In the US, Latino Episcopal clergy say that their congregations are thriving. ALEJA HERTZLER-MCCAIN, of Religion News Service, reports…
Modi’s alliance to win big in India election, exit polls project
Firozpur/Kolkata, India Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance is projected to win a big majority in the general election that concluded on Saturday, TV exit polls said, suggesting it would do better than expected by most analysts. Most exit polls projected the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could win a […]
Mexican candidate assassinations hit grim record ahead of Sunday’s election
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters Mexico’s election is now the bloodiest in its modern history after a candidate running for local office in central Puebla state was murdered on Friday at a political rally, taking the number of assassinated candidates to 37 ahead of Sunday’s vote. Jorge Huerta Cabrera, a candidate who was running for a […]
Russia pounds Ukraine’s energy sector, Kyiv urges more air defence assistance
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday that damaged energy facilities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine, injuring at least four people, and prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to issue a fresh plea for more air defence assistance. The sixth major Russian air attack on the Ukrainian power sector since March […]
Mediators urge Israel and Hamas to finalise Biden’s Gaza peace plan
Updated: 8:45am (AEST) Jerusalem Reuters Gaza conflict mediators on Saturday urged Israel and Hamas to finalise a ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden that they said would bring immediate relief to people in Gaza and to the hostages and their families. Israel has said there will be no formal end […]