US proposes reclassifying marijuana as low-risk drug
US President Joe Biden’s administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion.…
Slovak Premier in Critical Condition as Leaders Trade Blame
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s injuries remain life-threatening even as his condition stabilized a day after he was shot, as a fuller picture emerged of a “lone wolf” assailant driven…
Will 2024 bring a new military crisis in Taiwan Strait?
From the beaches of Kinmen island barely 10 km from the skyscrapers of the Chinese mainland port city of Xiamen, Taiwan military personnel – and a handful of U.S. special…
Slovak interior minister says ‘lone wolf’ has been charged with shooting prime minister
The Slovak interior minister said Thursday that a “lone wolf” has been charged in the shooting that seriously wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico and prompted soul-searching among leaders in the…
France deploys troops, bans TikTok to quell deadly New Caledonia unrest
France deployed troops to New Caledonia’s ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and…
Turkey’s ‘mad honey’ aphrodisiac that can knock you flat
Its fans swear it can cure heart palpitations, dodgy stomachs and even impotence. Yet every year hundreds of people end up in hospital after gorging themselves on Turkey’s “mad honey”.…
Lai Ching-te: from coal miner’s son to Taiwan president
Son of a coal miner, Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te takes the helm Monday as president of the self-ruled island, tasked with navigating the widening rift with an increasingly assertive China. The…
China and Russia reaffirm ties as Moscow presses offensive in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit Thursday, where the two leaders reaffirmed a “no-limits” partnership that…
What to know about Vladimir Putin’s visit to China
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China starting Thursday underlines an increasingly close partnership between the two allies who oppose the U.S.-led democratic order. China, led by President Xi Jinping,…
Philippine civilian boat convoy won’t proceed to China-held reef
A Philippine boat convoy bearing supplies for Filipino fishers said they were headed back to port Thursday, ditching plans to sail to a Beijing-held reef off the Southeast Asian country…
Putin arrives in China to deepen strategic partnership with Xi
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing early on Thursday for talks with Xi Jinping that the Kremlin hopes will deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical…
Slovak PM suffers life-threatening wounds in assassination attempt
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was battling life-threatening wounds Wednesday after officials said he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt condemned by European leaders. The Dennik N daily…
Identity crisis: Climate destroying wonders that gave US parks their names
Glacier National Park’s ice fortress is crumbling. The giant trees of Sequoia National Park are ablaze. And even the tenacious cacti of Saguaro National Park are struggling to endure a…
In major change, Google to use AI-generated answers in search results
Google on Tuesday said it would introduce AI-generated answers to online queries, in one of the biggest changes to its world leading search engine in 25 years. “I’m excited to…
US says Boeing breached 2021 737 MAX criminal prosecution deal
The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday that Boeing Co had breached its obligations in a 2021 agreement that shielded the planemaker from criminal prosecution over fatal 737 MAX crashes…
Huawei flagship store surge in China signals showdown with Apple
Huawei is revamping its retail strategy and aggressively opening flagship stores in China, with some just a stone’s throw away from Apple shops, as it seeks to retake the premium…
When is it and how is it celebrated around Asia
The birthday of the historical Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha, known as Vesak in several countries, celebrates the birth of the child who became Prince Siddhartha around the end of the…
Trump suggests Chinese migrants are in the US to build an ‘army.’ The migrants tell another story
It was 7 a.m. on a recent Friday when Wang Gang, a 36-year-old Chinese immigrant, jostled for a day job in New York City’s Flushing neighborhood. When a potential employer…
Timeline: five years of Xi-Putin friendship
Russian leader Vladimir Putin will visit Beijing this week for talks with China’s Xi Jinping, in his first foreign trip since being sworn in for a new six-year term earlier…
Who is Julian Assange?
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will learn next week whether he has lost his long-running legal battle to prevent his extradition from Britain to the United States to face criminal charges,…
Putin to meet Xi in Beijing seeking greater support for war effort
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China this week, both countries announced Tuesday, meeting his “dear friend” Xi Jinping as he seeks to win greater support from Beijing for his…
Xi’s visit to Hungary and Serbia brings new Chinese investment and deeper ties to Europe’s doorstep
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hungary last week, he arrived to one of the few places in the European Union where his country is considered an indispensable ally rather…
K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals
Fans of Korean pop bands around the world are increasingly channeling their millions-strong online community into climate and environmental activism, protesting business deals linked to coal power, urging K-pop entertainers…
Move on from Afghan ‘trauma’ and address rising threat, US study says
The United States must move on from the “trauma” of two decades of war and step up counterterrorism efforts to face growing threats from Afghanistan and Pakistan, a study said…
Yellen hopes China doesn’t mount ’significant’ trade retaliation
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she hopes China won’t mount major retaliation against any steps Washington takes to safeguard investments in critical new industries, while emphasizing the US cannot allow…
Indonesia flood death toll rises to 50 with 27 missing
Rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday after flash floods and cold lava flow on Indonesia’s Sumatra island over the weekend killed at least 50 people and left another 27 missing,…
Putin taps economist to run defence, replacing Shoigu in unexpected move
Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defence minister on Sunday in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilise…
Chinese e-commerce giants face delicate balance between discounts, profit
Quarterly earnings reports from Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com this week will be closely watched as barometers for the mood of consumers in the world’s second-largest economy. Both firms,…
Small, well-built Chinese EV called the Seagull poses a big threat to the US auto industry
A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling. The car, launched last year by Chinese automaker BYD, sells for around $12,000 in China, but…
US aims to stay ahead of China in using AI to fly fighter jets, navigate without GPS and more
Two Air Force fighter jets recently squared off in a dogfight in California. One was flown by a pilot. The other wasn’t. That second jet was piloted by artificial intelligence,…
Second night of auroras see ‘extreme’ solar storm
Auroras lit up skies across swaths of the planet for the second night in a row on Saturday, after already dazzling Earthlings from the United States to Tasmania to the…
US says Israel’s use of US arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but that wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain…
How Xi’s Europe Trip Is Reviving the Continent’s Cold War Divide
Other than photo opportunities and some local delicacies, Chinese President Xi Jinping didn’t get — or give — much during his two days in France with President Emmanuel Macron this…
Hotter, drier, sicker? How a changing planet drives disease
Humans have made our planet warmer, more polluted and ever less hospitable to many species, and these changes are driving the spread of infectious disease. Warmer, wetter climates can expand…
Iceland’s ‘Mammoth’ raises potential for carbon capture
With Mammoth’s 72 industrial fans, Swiss start-up Climeworks intends to suck 36,000 tonnes of CO2 from the air annually to bury underground, vying to prove the technology has a place…
South China Sea: Why are China and Philippines tensions heating up?
An escalating diplomatic row and recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines have made the highly strategic South China Sea a flashpoint. WHAT ARE THE FLASHPOINTS? Central to recent…
Philippines calls for expelling Chinese diplomats as South China Sea row escalates
The Philippines’ national security adviser called on Friday for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral in a significant escalation…
Afghan women struggle under male guardian rules
Since the Taliban returned to power, Afghan women have been barred from going on long trips, travelling by plane or entering government buildings unless they are accompanied by a man.…
Hungary and China sign strategic cooperation agreement during visit by Chinese President Xi
Hungary and China signed a number of new agreements on Thursday to deepen their economic and cultural cooperation during a visit to the Central European country by Chinese President Xi…
For US veteran, D-Day memories still vivid after 80 years
Richard Rung recalls it vividly: German artillery firing on his landing craft, the sound of machine gun bullets striking the vessel, blood mixed with seawater on the deck, troops crying…
What’s behind the wave of recent incidents on Boeing planes?
Boeing has been in the headlines lately following a series of problems with its aircraft, with the most recent incidents in Turkey and Senegal. The episodes, which follow a near-disastrous…
What risks do advanced AI models pose in the wrong hands?
The Biden administration is poised to open up a new front in its effort to safeguard U.S. AI from China and Russia with preliminary plans to place guardrails around the…
China’s push for greener aluminium hit by erratic rains, power cuts
Erratic rainfall in China’s southwest is frustrating a multibillion-dollar push to green an aluminium industry that accounts for almost 60% of global output and, by some estimates, emits more carbon…
How dependent is China on US artificial intelligence technology?
The Biden administration plans to put guardrails on U.S.-developed artificial intelligence (AI) models that power popular chatbots like ChatGPT to safeguard the technology from countries such as China and Russia,…
China’s Xi in Hungary to celebrate ‘new era’ with Orban
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Budapest on Thursday in a bid to strengthen already flourishing ties between Beijing and its closest EU ally.…
Huawei’s new phone uses more China-made parts, memory chip
Huawei’s latest high-end phone features more Chinese suppliers, including a new flash memory storage chip and an improved chip processor, a teardown analysis showed, pointing to the progress China is…
Why the US is stopping some bomb shipments to Israel
The United States has suspended a shipment of weapons to Israel, including heavy bombs the U.S. ally used in its campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza which has killed more…
150,000 people expected as Olympic flame arrives in France
The Olympic flame arrives in France on Wednesday where a highly choreographed ceremony and a crowd of 150,000 people will be a first major test for organisers and security forces…
Milking venom from Australia’s deadly marine animals
Imagine feeling like an elephant is sitting on your chest, you can’t breathe, there’s a sense of impending doom and the pain is so intense you want to die. You’ve…
‘Taboo’: French women speak out on rapes by US soldiers during WWII
Aimee Dupre had always kept silent about the rape of her mother by two American soldiers after the Normandy landings in June 1944. But 80 years after the brutal assault,…
Pajamas, ‘honeybunch’ and sex: Stormy testifies
It was the courtroom face-off everyone was waiting for — testimony of high legal importance, and salacious sexual content. Donald Trump, the former US president who has always prided himself…
In Orban’s Hungary, Xi to see China’s best friend in EU
By hosting Xi Jinping on the last leg of the Chinese leader’s European tour, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will get a chance to tighten bonds between Beijing and its…
China’s Xi in Serbia for talks to boost economic ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Serbian counterpart in Belgrade on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to deepen its political and economic ties with friendlier countries in Europe.…
In rapidly ageing China, millions can’t afford to retire
After three decades selling homemade buns on the streets of the Chinese city of Xian, 67-year-old Hu Dexi would have liked to slow down. Instead, Hu and his older wife…
Putin sworn in for new term in ceremony boycotted by US
President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term on Tuesday at a Kremlin ceremony that was boycotted by the United States and other Western countries at which…
What’s in the three-phase ceasefire deal Hamas backs, but Israel does not?
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said on Monday it had agreed to a three-phased deal for a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap, although an Israeli official said the deal was not acceptable…
Chinese mill blamed for turning Serbia village red with pollution
In the eight years since Chinese company HBIS bought a steel mill near the eastern Serbian city of Smederevo, locals say they have been plagued by heavy air pollution and…
Putin: The autocrat eyeing a new world order
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has shut down domestic dissent and ramped up confrontation with the West over nearly a quarter century in power, officially begins his fifth term on…
Artist graffitis famous vagina painting by French master
Two women Monday sprayed the words “MeToo” on a 19th-century painting of a woman’s vagina by French artist Gustave Courbet in a stunt by a performance artist, a museum and…
Boeing probed in US over possible falsified records on 787
US air safety authorities are investigating whether embattled aviation giant Boeing completed required inspections on its 787 aircraft and whether employees falsified records, officials said Monday. The issue centers on…
Macron takes Xi to French mountains to press messages on Ukraine, trade
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday is to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees mountains, seeking to press a message to…
Boeing Starliner capsule’s first crewed test flight postponed over Atlas rocket glitch
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical glitch with the Atlas V rocket that was being…
King Charles III’s openness about cancer has helped him connect with people in year after coronation
King Charles III’s decision to be open about his cancer diagnosis has helped the new monarch connect with the people of Britain and strengthened the monarchy in the year since…
Netflix series will showcase unique global appeal of athletics, says Coe
Track and field’s own Netflix series, focusing on sprinters and due to be aired ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer, will reveal the global appeal of the sport to…
Heatwave hammers Thailand’s stinky but lucrative durian farms
Clambering hand-over-hand, sweat dripping into his eyes, a durian labourer expertly slices a cumbersome fruit from a tree before tossing it down to land with a soft thump in his…
The World’s Hunger for Salmon Is Linked to an Ecological Disaster
Fermented herring, a Swedish delicacy, holds such a special place in the country’s culture that national newspapers review each year’s vintage and the first sale of the year receives hype…
‘So much sweat and blood’: Vietnamese veterans recall Dien Bien Phu
Ninety-six-year-old Hoang Vinh proudly shows off a metal badge picturing a communist soldier holding a rifle, a reminder of the battle he fought in Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu to push…
‘Get this done’, WHO chief urges pandemic accord talks
The WHO chief on Friday begged countries negotiating a global agreement on handling future pandemics to “get this done”, as they prepare for one final week of last-ditch talks. World…
A Chinese flavor of rap music is flourishing as emerging musicians find their voices
In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nation’s entertainment industry: Don’t feature artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any other subculture.…
Sanctions and a hobbled economy pull the rug out from under Iran’s traditional carpet weavers
The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs…
Greenland women seek justice over forced contraception
Henriette Berthelsen was separated from her family at 11 and forced to wear a contraceptive coil, a trauma she buried until she and 142 other Greenlandic women sued the Danish…
For decades, Moscow has sought to silence its critics abroad
From its earliest days, the Soviet Union’s intelligence services — whether known as the Cheka or by the names of any of its successor agencies like the KGB — kept…
E-waste is overflowing landfills. At one sprawling Vietnam market, workers recycle some of it
Dam Chan Nguyen saves dead and dying computers. When he first started working two decades ago in Nhat Tao market, Ho Chi Minh City’s biggest informal recycling market, he usually…
Xi heads to Europe to defend Russia ties
Xi Jinping heads to Europe on Sunday to defend China’s “no limits” alliance with Russia, first to key Ukraine backer France, then to Serbia and Hungary, which have close ties…
What is at stake in UK local voting ahead of a looming general election
Millions of voters in England and Wales will cast their ballots on Thursday in an array of local elections that will be the last big test before a U.K. general…
Unique venues heat up sauna scene in Sweden and Finland
Deep underground in a disused iron mine and under the bluish glow of a flashlight, a small crowd emerges from a sauna, steam rising off their bodies as they plunge…
New ‘underground cathedral’ opens ahead of Paris Olympics
It has no spire, stained glass windows or nave, but the cavernous underground stormwater facility set to be inaugurated in Paris on Thursday has been compared to Notre-Dame cathedral, which…
UK researchers unveil face of 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman
A UK team of archaeologists on Thursday revealed the reconstructed face of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman, as researchers reappraise the perception of the species as brutish and unsophisticated. Named Shanidar…
Turkey police clash with May Day protesters, skirmishes in France
Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters and arrested more than 200 people, as skirmishes broke out in France amid May 1 rallies that drew tens of…
An evening at Columbia University that turned stormy
As a storm broke over New York, riot police mounted a tall ladder on a reinforced truck to penetrate a building at Columbia University and clear out barricaded pro-Palestinian protesters.…
World champion Clareburt hopes China doping case won’t dominate Paris
World champion swimmer Lewis Clareburt hopes his second Olympics will be remembered for the action in the pool rather than rancour over a Chinese doping case that has dominated in…
‘Operation Madonna’: Rio readies for singer’s free mega-concert
Madonna’s long-awaited free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach has upended the neighborhood, with over a million fans expected — but for retired resident Mario Renato Borges, it’s the…
N.Ireland ‘Troubles’ families defiant as UK amnesty law kicks in
When a coroner’s inquest into the unsolved murder of Sean Brown during Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” was relaunched last year, his family hoped their long search for justice could bear fruit.…
Police arrest Columbia students, clear occupied building in campus unrest
Dozens of helmeted police flooded Columbia University’s campus in the heart of New York City on Tuesday to evict a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters and detain demonstrators. Police…
US to reclassify cannabis as low-risk drug, in major shift
US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, an official said Tuesday — a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in…
Taiwan on alert for post-inauguration Chinese drills
Taiwan is on alert for China to carry out military exercises after the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te this month, the island’s top security official said on Wednesday, adding China…
What is the International Criminal Court and why it has Israeli officials worried
Israeli officials sound increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants for the country’s leaders more than six months into the Israel-Hamas war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
Dying salmon trouble Norway’s vast fish-farm industry
They are hailed for their omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, but Norway’s salmon are not in the best of health themselves at the fish farms where they are bred. Almost…
Xi Is on a Mission to Drive a Wedge Between Europe and the US
Chinese President Xi Jinping is heading to the European Union for the first time in five years with a clear message: Beijing offers much more of an economic opportunity for…
Tesla wins key China security clearance during Musk visit
Tesla received a key security clearance from China during owner Elon Musk’s whistlestop visit to the world’s biggest electric car market, which wrapped up on Monday. The tech billionaire arrived…
LGBTQ Iraqis fear dark days ahead after anti-gay law
When Saif Ali fled Iraq last year to escape threats and abuse over his sexual orientation, he always dreamed of someday returning. But a homecoming has become impossible after Iraq’s…
King Charles III resumes public duties as he fights cancer
King Charles III on Tuesday makes his first official public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer, after doctors said they were “very encouraged” by the progress of his treatment. The…
Hong Kong team plants seeds to safeguard legacy grains
Far from the soaring skyscrapers synonymous with Hong Kong, scientists and farmers labour in a paddy field on the city’s outskirts to revive dormant rice varieties that once sprung from…
NATO chief says Ukraine can still win war despite Russian advances
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said it was “not too late” for Ukraine to win the war, despite its outmanned and outgunned military struggling in the face of Russian…
Xi, Macron to discuss Ukraine during China leader’s visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris announced on Monday, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East…
French actor Depardieu held for questioning over alleged sexual assault: source
French police on Monday detained screen legend Gerard Depardieu for questioning after two women accused him of sexual assault, a source close to the case said. The 75-year-old actor, who…
China firms go ‘underground’ on Russia payments as banks pull back
An appliance maker in southern China is finding it hard to ship its products to Russia, not because of any problems with the gadgets but because China’s big banks are…
China set to launch high-stakes mission to moon’s ‘hidden’ side
China will send a robotic spacecraft in coming days on a round trip to the moon’s far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the…
Schools closed, warnings issued as Asia swelters in extreme heatwave
South and Southeast Asia braced for more extreme heat on Sunday as authorities across the region issued health warnings and residents fled to parks and air-conditioned malls for relief. A…
New film captures Afghan women’s courage in failed peace talks with Taliban
The new documentary “The Sharp Edge of Peace” begins with a harrowing scene: Fawzia Koofi, a former member of Afghanistan’s parliament and a women’s rights activist, recovering in a hospital…
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