Foreign
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
54% of Israelis OK continuation of truce, hostage swap deal
December 2, 2023, 12:43 pm
JERUSALEM – A latest public opinion poll showed that 54 percent of Israelis support the continuation of the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip and the hostages swap deal between Israel and Hamas. The poll was conducted before the end of the humanitarian pause on Friday morning and the… Read More
Humanity’s fate hangs in balance amid climate crisis: UN chief
December 2, 2023, 12:28 pm
ISTANBUL – The United Nations chief warned on Friday of the catastrophic effects of climate change, saying that “humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.”“The climate challenge is not just another issue in your inbox. Protecting our climate is the world’s greatest test of leadership. I… Read More
Polarizing Cold War US statesman Henry Kissinger dead at 100
November 30, 2023, 4:10 pm
WASHINGTON – Henry Kissinger, the man who served as America's top diplomat under the Nixon and Ford administrations and who played a prominent role in US statecraft for much of his life, died Wednesday at the age of 100. Kissinger, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who was widely regarded as… Read More
Fast economic growth requires investing abroad – university professor
November 30, 2023, 9:25 am
SOFIA, Bulgaria – If Bulgaria wants its economy to grow fast, it should invest abroad, including in developed countries, Todor Yalamov, Deputy Dean of the Economics Faculty at Sofia University and professor at Soka University in Tokyo, said on Nov. 28. Yalamov took part in a discussion on "The… Read More
Pope's Dubai trip canceled despite health improvement
November 29, 2023, 12:17 pm
ROME – Pope Francis has canceled his trip to the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, later this week following the advice of his doctors, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Tuesday. "Although the Holy Father's general clinical picture has improved with regards to… Read More
4th batch of hostages released by Hamas arrives in Israel
November 28, 2023, 7:10 pm
JERUSALEM – The Israeli army announced late Monday that 11 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip had arrived in Israel as part of a hostage swap deal with the Palestinian group reached through Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation. “An elite unit of the Israeli army and a force… Read More
Korea making last-ditch efforts to snag World Expo hosting in Busan
November 28, 2023, 3:45 pm
SEOUL – The vote for the host city of the 2030 World Expo is set to take place in Paris on Tuesday, with South Korea's southeastern city of Busan making last-ditch efforts to pull off an upset in the competition against two other candidates. The host country will be selected by the member states… Read More
Elon Musk tours scenes of Oct. 7 atrocities in Israel
November 28, 2023, 8:44 am
JERUSALEM – Elon Musk saw the devastation from the Oct. 7 massacre on a tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. The tech billionaire and X (formerly Twitter) owner was briefed by the head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Council Yossi Keren and IDF… Read More
PM urges opposition to condemn 'intimidation' of anti-abortion group
November 27, 2023, 8:44 pm
ROME - Premier Giorgia Meloni on Monday called on Italy's opposition parties and the CGIL trade union to condemn the "intimidation" of the Pro Vita & Famiglia association, which campaigns against abortion and same-sex parents. This after some protestors threw bottles and flares at the building… Read More
Netanyahu offers to extend pause if 10 hostages freed
November 27, 2023, 7:50 pm
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government would accept an extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza in exchange for the release of more hostages.Netanyahu said in a video statement published by his office that he spoke by phone with US President Joe… Read More
Pope thanks God for Gaza truce
November 27, 2023, 4:18 pm
ROME – Pope Francis on Sunday thanked God for the truce in the war between Hamas and Israel and for the release of some of the hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. "Today, we thank God that there is finally a truce between Israel… Read More
