Foreign

Teacher suspended for giving students homework to plan terror attack

Teacher suspended for giving students homework to plan terror attack

December 14, 2023, 2:40 pm

IZMIR, Türkiye – A teacher in Sweden has been suspended without pay after giving his students the task of planning a hypothetical terrorist attack as homework, local media reported Wednesday. An investigation has also been launched into the move by the teacher, who works at a high school in the… Read More

Emergency fund to help rebuild Israeli border farms

Emergency fund to help rebuild Israeli border farms

December 14, 2023, 2:18 pm

JERUSALEM - An Israeli agricultural non-governmental organization has launched a USD50 million emergency fund to rebuild farming communities near the Gaza border badly damaged in the Oct. 7 massacre. The “ReGrow Israel” initiative will go towards replacing critical equipment and infrastructure… Read More

World divided over fossil fuels as COP28 meet forced into overtime

World divided over fossil fuels as COP28 meet forced into overtime

December 13, 2023, 8:28 pm

ISTANBUL – The UN climate change conference COP28 was forced into overtime on Tuesday after participating countries failed to reach a consensus on the final communique, which omitted mentioning a phaseout of the use of fossil fuels. Countries that owe a substantial part of their income to oil… Read More

UN adopts resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza

UN adopts resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza

December 13, 2023, 11:12 am

WASHINGTON – The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a draft resolution Tuesday demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The non-binding resolution, presented by Egypt with the support of nearly 100 countries, passed with 153 votes in favor as the 193-member General Assembly… Read More

Gaza death toll nears 18,000 as Israeli war grinds on

Gaza death toll nears 18,000 as Israeli war grinds on

December 11, 2023, 3:21 pm

GAZA CITY, Palestine – The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 17,997 since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said Sunday. Speaking at a press conference, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said 49,229 other people were injured in the… Read More

Public urges economic integration to fight global crises: APEC survey

Public urges economic integration to fight global crises: APEC survey

December 10, 2023, 4:29 pm

JAKARTA – The public recognizes the need for economic integration as essential to tackling global challenges effectively despite a limited understanding of multilateralism, according to the APEC Secretariat’s 2023 perception survey.  The survey, titled "Communicating the APEC Putrajaya… Read More

US urges Israel anew to protect civilians, including journalists

US urges Israel anew to protect civilians, including journalists

December 8, 2023, 6:31 pm

WASHINGTON – The US continues to urge Israel publicly and privately to protect innocent civilians, including members of the press, said Pentagon on Thursday. "We continue to urge Israel to uphold the laws of armed conflict and humanitarian law and the protection of innocent civilians, which… Read More

Taiwan detects Chinese balloon over waters close to island nation

Taiwan detects Chinese balloon over waters close to island nation

December 8, 2023, 6:09 pm

ISTANBUL – Taiwan said Friday it had detected a balloon from China over waters close to the island nation. “1 PRC’s balloon was detected at 11.52 (0352GMT) on Thursday," said Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, using the initials of the People’s Republic of China. The balloon was found at an… Read More

Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks nears 17,200

Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks nears 17,200

December 8, 2023, 5:19 pm

GAZA CITY, Palestine – The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has mounted to 17,177 since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said Thursday. “Around 70 percent of the victims are children and women,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a… Read More

Joe Biden’s son indicted over 9 federal tax cases

Joe Biden’s son indicted over 9 federal tax cases

December 8, 2023, 3:23 pm

HOUSTON, United States – A federal grand jury indicted President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, on nine separate counts of tax crimes Thursday in the US state of California. "Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he chose not to pay at least USD1.4 million in self-assessed federal… Read More

40M women face long-term health problems caused by childbirth annually

40M women face long-term health problems caused by childbirth annually

December 7, 2023, 8:09 pm

GENEVA – At least 40 million women experience a long-term health problem caused by childbirth annually, according to a study published by The Lancet Global Health on Thursday. The study drew attention to the long-lasting consequences of postnatal conditions as most of them persist for "months or… Read More

Death toll hits 160K in Kenya as El Niño floods wreak havoc

Death toll hits 160K in Kenya as El Niño floods wreak havoc

December 6, 2023, 4:09 pm

NAIROBI, Kenya – The death toll in Kenya from relentless El Nino-induced floods has surged to 160,000, with 529,120 people displaced from 105,824 households, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said Tuesday. "A concerted push to distribute essential supplies, including food and non-food items,… Read More

Climate change surged ‘alarmingly' in 2011-2020: UN

Climate change surged ‘alarmingly' in 2011-2020: UN

December 6, 2023, 2:46 pm

GENEVA – The rate of climate change surged “alarmingly” between 2011 and 2020, the warmest decade on record, the UN weather agency said in a report Tuesday. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, released at the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, said that it is much… Read More

UN refugee agency needs $10.6B in 2024 for over 130M displaced people

UN refugee agency needs $10.6B in 2024 for over 130M displaced people

December 5, 2023, 9:23 pm

GENEVA – The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that it needs USD10.6 billion to support more than 130 million people expected to be forcibly displaced or stateless by the end of 2024. In its Global Appeal 2024, the UNHCR said: "The 2024 budget of USD10.622 billion is designed to enable UNHCR and… Read More

Pope Francis: End of humanitarian truce in Gaza means death, misery

Pope Francis: End of humanitarian truce in Gaza means death, misery

December 4, 2023, 4:26 pm

LONDON – Pope Francis has voiced concern over the end of the humanitarian pause in Gaza, saying it means death and misery. "It (resuming attacks) pains me that the truce has been broken, this means death, destruction, misery," the Pope said after his Sunday Angelus gathering, according to… Read More

11 dead as Indonesia volcano erupts

11 dead as Indonesia volcano erupts

December 4, 2023, 1:08 pm

TOKYO – At least 11 people died when a volcano in Indonesia’s Sumatra erupted on Sunday, Reuters said citing a spokesperson for the local search and rescue team. According to him, three people were found alive while 12 more are still missing. On Dec. 3, a massive eruption of the Marapi volcano… Read More

7.4 magnitude quake jolts Indonesia’s North Sulawesi's Talaud Islands

7.4 magnitude quake jolts Indonesia’s North Sulawesi's Talaud Islands

December 4, 2023, 12:46 pm

JAKARTA – An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck Melonguane Sub-district in Talaud Islands District, North Sulawesi on Monday morning, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake. The epicenter of the strong quake that occurred at 02:48 a.m. local time was about 960… Read More

118 nations commit to triple renewable energy by 2030 at COP28

118 nations commit to triple renewable energy by 2030 at COP28

December 3, 2023, 4:45 pm

DUBAI – A total of 118 countries pledged Saturday to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and double the progress in energy efficiency at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  As part of the… Read More

US supplied Israel with 15K bombs, 57K artillery shells, says report

US supplied Israel with 15K bombs, 57K artillery shells, says report

December 3, 2023, 4:05 pm

ANKARA  – The US has sent a substantial arsenal, including large bunker-busting bombs, to support Israel since Oct. 7, according to the Wall Street Journal. The influx of weaponry, consisting of approximately 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells, has been carried on C-17 military cargo… Read More

Survey:  Singapore, Zurich world most expensive cities

Survey:  Singapore, Zurich world most expensive cities

December 2, 2023, 2:18 pm

ANKARA – Singapore has again been announced as the world's most expensive city to live in, on par with Zurich, according to a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The Southeast Asia hub has claimed the top spot for the ninth time in the last 11 years, while Switzerland's largest… Read More