Browsing Category
World
9744 posts
Subcategories
The new rich overtaking old money in South Korea’s billionaire rankings
A new elite of uber-rich entrepreneurs is shooting up the wealth rankings in South Korea, overtaking the families…
China’s education crackdown pushes tutors underground
China’s latest campaign to rein in its $100-billion out-of-school education sector was meant to level the playing field…
Amnesty reports widespread rapes ‘with impunity’ in Tigray
NAIROBI, Kenya—Dozens of women have described shocking sexual assaults by Ethiopian soldiers and allied forces in the country’s…
Giant infernos blazing for months are the new norm in California
The Dixie Fire has been burning for nearly a month in Northern California, and that’s no longer unusual…
7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti; leader says lives lost
The impoverished country, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 that killed more than a dozen people, and a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake that damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people.
Sources: CIA weighs creating special China unit in bid to out-spy Beijing
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is weighing proposals to create an independent “Mission Center for China” in an…
Extra Covid vax OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON—US regulators say transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of…
Death toll up to 65 in Algeria wildfires; nation to mourn
ALGIERS, Algeria—The death toll in fires ravaging mountain forests and villages in Algeria’s Berber region climbed Wednesday to…
Tokyo virus situation is out of control, panel expert says
A member of a Tokyo Metropolitan Government coronavirus advisory panel of experts said it was now impossible to…
Israel tightens coronavirus restrictions as new cases surge
JERUSALEM — Israel’s government on Wednesday advanced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions, including sweeping implementation of a…
South Korea exceeds 2,000 daily infections for 1st time
SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s daily increase in coronavirus infections has exceeded 2,000 for the first time since the…
1,000 buildings destroyed by massive California fire
GREENVILLE, Calif.—California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history kept pushing through forestlands on Tuesday as fire crews tried…
Wildfires in Algeria leave 42 dead, including 25 soldiers
ALGIERS, Algeria—At least 25 soldiers died saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of Algeria’s…
Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment allegations
NEW YORK—Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall…
‘Code red’: UN scientists warn of worsening global warming
Earth is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.”
5 things to know about the new UN report on climate change
The 3,000-plus-page report concludes that ice melt and sea level rise are already accelerating. Wild weather events — from storms to heat waves — are also expected to worsen and become more frequent.
Sydney’s Delta infections keep climbing 7 weeks into lockdown
The Delta variant outbreak roiling Sydney has reached a fresh record, even as Australia’s most populous city is…
UK vows maximum attendance at COP-26 summit amid Covid
LONDON—The British official organizing November’s climate summit in Scotland pledged Monday that the event would be held in…
Senate Democrats unveil $3.5-trillion budget for social, climate efforts
WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats unwrapped a budget resolution Monday envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming…
China punishes 30 officials for failing to curb outbreak
BEIJING—More than 30 Chinese officials have been fired or received other punishments over accusations they failed to respond…
Weary US businesses confront new round of mask mandates
Businesses large and small, from McDonald’s and Home Depot to local yoga studios, are reinstituting mask mandates as…
Australia signals democracies’ trade swing from China to India
CANBERRA, Australia—Australian special envoy and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a free trade agreement between his nation…
UN report says global warming will likely blow past Paris limit
Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level…
Wildfire devours Greek island’s forests; residents urged to flee
PEFKI, Greece—Pillars of billowing smoke and ash turned the sky orange and blocked out the sun above Greece’s…
Hot dates: 2 spacecraft to make Venus flyby
BERLIN—Two spacecraft are set to swoop past Venus within hours of each other this week, using the maneuver…
Taliban seize another Afghan provincial capital
KABUL, Afghanistan—The Taliban on Monday took control of another provincial capital in Afghanistan, an official said. The city’s…
Thailand riot police fire tear gas at protest over Covid response
BANGKOK—Thai riot police on Saturday fired water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to repel a crowd of…
Wildfires endanger villages, fuel site, in Russia’s Siberia
MOSCOW—Wildfires in Russia’s vast Siberia region endangered a dozen villages Saturday and prompted authorities to evacuate some residents.…
US cases at 6-month high, break above 100,000 daily
New Covid-19 cases in the US have rebounded to more than 100,000 a day on average, returning to…
Hydrogen goes nuclear as UK reactor pivots toward renewables
The $28-billion Sizewell C nuclear station is touted as an anchor for Britain reaching net-zero emissions, yet its…
Alibaba’s first sales miss in 2 years shows crackdown toll
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s revenue missed estimates for the first time in more than two years, underscoring how…
New rule allows Olympians to sell products to social-media followers
Olympians are taking advantage of a sponsorship rule change that allows them to capitalize on their social-media followings…
Microsoft Exchange used to hack diplomats before breach in 2021
Late last year, researchers at the Los Angeles-based cyber-security company Resecurity stumbled across a massive trove of stolen…
Era of cheap natural gas ends as prices surge by 1,000 percent
The era of cheap natural gas is over, giving way to an age of far more costly energy…
Potential military Covid vaccine mandate stirs distrust, support
SAN DIEGO—Since President Joe Biden asked the Pentagon last week to look at adding the Covid-19 vaccine to…
Hiroshima marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing
TOKYO—Hiroshima on Friday marked the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing, as the mayor of the…
California spending billions to house homeless in hotels
LOS ANGELES—When homeless outreach workers first visited her encampment under a Los Angeles highway overpass last fall, Veronica…
Sydney’s outbreak hits record as state widens virus lockdown
Sydney reported a record number of new daily Delta variant cases on Thursday, with authorities to enforce stay-at-home…
China sets restrictions as Delta reaches nearly half the country
China imposed new travel and movement restrictions across the nation, including in its highly protected capital of Beijing,…
Wildfire reaches Turkey power plant, prompts evacuations
MUGLA, Turkey—A coal-fueled power plant in southwest Turkey and nearby residential areas were being evacuated on Wednesday evening…
Delta variant pushes threshold for herd immunity to over 80%
The global spread of the Delta coronavirus variant has pushed the threshold for herd immunity to well over…
DeSantis won’t move on masks as Florida Covid-19 wards swell
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday downplayed a spike in Covid-19 cases that’s shattered state hospitalization…
China’s worst virus outbreak in a year grows, 1 city sealed
BEIJING—China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic a year and a half ago escalated Wednesday…
UN Security Council condemns attacks on Afghan civilians
UNITED NATIONS—The UN Security Council condemned deliberate attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and all instances of terrorism “in…
Thai protest leader renews calls for reform of monarchy
BANGKOK—A Thai protest leader on Tuesday renewed calls for the reform of the country’s monarchy and suggested that…
US hits 70% vaccination rate–a month late, amid a surge
The US on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one Covid-19 shot into…
Rapid Covid-19 spread through Indonesia taxes health workers
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Irman Pahlepi is back at work in Jakarta’s Dr. Suyoto public hospital, immediately resuming his duties treating…
It’s in, and big: Senators bare $1-trillion infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON—After much delay, senators unveiled a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, wrapping up days of painstaking work…
Defying ban, Berlin protesters decry coronavirus measures; 600 detained
BERLIN—Thousands turned out in Berlin on Sunday to protest the German government’s anti-coronavirus measures despite a ban on…
Malaysia lawmakers denounce Parliament closure as PM ploy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Police blocked opposition lawmakers from marching on Monday to protest a two-week lockdown of Malaysia’s Parliament,…
Florida breaks record for Covid hospitalizations as Delta rages
ORLANDO, Florida—A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida…
Brisbane extends lockdown as Covid-19 infections surge
BRISBANE, Australia—A lockdown of Australia’s third-largest city Brisbane was extended until Sunday because of a growing Covid-19 outbreak.…
Virus flares again in Wuhan as Delta challenges China’s pandemic defense
China is confronting its broadest Covid-19 outbreak since the pathogen first emerged there in late 2019, with the…
Asean diplomats discussing crisis envoy, aid to Myanmar
MANILA, Philippines—Southeast Asia’s top diplomats were meeting on Monday to appoint a special envoy to help deal with…
Turkey firefighters battle wildfires for sixth day
COKERTME, Turkey—Firefighters were battling to control blazes that tore through forests near Turkey’s beach destinations for the sixth…
US, UK and Israel blame Iran for ship attack; Tehran denies
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The United States and the United Kingdom joined Israel on Sunday in alleging Iran carried…
Turkey evacuates panicked tourists by boat from wildfires
ISTANBUL—Panicked tourists in Turkey hurried to the seashore to wait for rescue boats Saturday after being told to…
French police clash with anti-virus pass protesters in Paris
PARIS—Thousands of people protested France’s special virus pass with marches through Paris and other French cities on Saturday.…
Justice Department: Russians hacked US federal prosecutors
WASHINGTON—The Russian hackers behind the massive SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign broke into the e-mail accounts of some of the…
High prices seen as drought, floods and frost slam world’s food supplies
Extreme weather is slamming crops across the globe, bringing with it the threat of further food inflation at…
Another 291-million people won’t have enough to eat this year
Global hunger will surge by about a third this year, driven by lingering income losses from the pandemic,…
US economy tops pre-pandemic size with 6.5-percent Q2 growth
WASHINGTON—Fueled by vaccinations and government aid, the US economy grew at a solid 6.5-percent annual rate last quarter…
Navy charges sailor with setting fire that destroyed $4-B warship
SAN DIEGO—The US Navy charged a sailor Thursday with starting a fire last year that destroyed the USS…
World pledges $4 billion in push to repair Covid’s education damage
LONDON—International governments and companies have pledged more than $4 billion to educate 175 million children around the world…
Tokyo officials alarmed as cases hit record highs
TOKYO—Japanese officials sounded the alarm on Thursday after Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for two straight days with…
Floods make thousands homeless in Bangladesh Rohingya camps
DHAKA, Bangladesh—Days of heavy rainfall have pelted Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, destroying dwellings and sending thousands…
Tsunami watch issued for Hawaii after Alaska’s 8.2 magnitude quake
PERRYVILLE, Alaska—A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii on Wednesday evening following a large earthquake off the Alaska…
US defense chief visits Vietnam, vows support for Southeast Asia
HANOI, Vietnam—US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast…
China strengthens Taliban ties ahead of US Afghanistan pullout
BEIJING—China’s foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of high-level Taliban officials as ties between them warm ahead…
Man pleads guilty to 4 Asian spa killings, sentenced to life
CANTON, Georgia—A man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded…
South Korea reports another new high for daily infections
SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea on Wednesday reported a new record 1,896 Covid-19 cases, a day after authorities started…
Tokyo governor urges youth to get vaccinated to slow surge
TOKYO—Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Wednesday urged younger people to cooperate with measures to bring down the high…
US says thaw between North, South Korea helps nuclear talks
The US offered its support for the move by the leaders of two Koreas to improve relations and…
Blinken talking to top Indian officials to strengthen ties
NEW DELHI—US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was talking with top Indian officials Wednesday in meetings that are…
Thousands of foreigners leave Indonesia amid Covid-19 crisis
Indonesia now has the most confirmed daily cases in Asia, as infections and deaths have surged over the past month and India’s massive outbreak has waned. Infections peaked in mid-July, with the highest daily average reported at more than 50,000 new cases each day. Until mid-June, daily cases had been running at about 8,000.
Peru’s new first family leaving behind rural, Andean home
CHUGUR, Peru — The humble two-story, adobe home of the Castillo family, located in one of the poorest…
UN: Covid hitting conflict-ridden, poor nations much worse in 2021
UNITED NATIONS—The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting conflict-ridden and impoverished countries much worse this year than in 2020, with…
US keeps travel restrictions amid rising Delta infections
WASHINGTON—The United States served notice on Monday that it will keep existing Covid-19 restrictions on international travel in…
Former US Sen. Barbara Boxer assaulted, robbed in California
OAKLAND, California—Former US Sen. Barbara Boxer was assaulted and robbed Monday in Oakland, California, her son said. The…
Koreas restore communication channels, agree to improve ties
SEOUL, South Korea—North and South Korea have restored suspended communication channels between them and their leaders agreed to…
Moderna expands child vaccine trial to get more safety data
Moderna Inc. said it would expand an ongoing trial of its coronavirus vaccine in children under 12 years…
Senate Democrats eye legal path for undocumented immigrants
Senate Democrats plan to seek a way to provide legal status for as many as 8 million undocumented…
Tunisia on edge as president suspends parliament, fires PM
TUNIS, Tunisia—Troops surrounded Tunisia’s parliament and blocked its speaker from entering on Monday after the president suspended the…
French parliament approves Covid-19 pass, vaccine rules
PARIS—France’s parliament approved a law early Monday requiring special virus passes for all restaurants and domestic travel and…
California’s largest fire burns homes as blazes scorch West
INDIAN FALLS, California—California’s largest wildfire merged with a smaller blaze and destroyed homes in remote areas with limited…
Women, children casualties on the rise in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan—More women and children were killed and wounded in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 than…
113 killed in western India landslides, monsoon floods
NEW DELHI—Days of landslides and flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in western India’s Maharashtra state killed at…
Delta, low levels of vaccination drive surge in global infections
Covid infections globally increased the most in two months as the spread of the Delta variant, a surge…
Wildfire burns in Spain; summer camp evacuated
BARCELONA, Spain—Firefighters in northeast Spain were battling a wildfire Sunday that has consumed over 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres)…
Britain seen removing China’s CGN in energy plans as ties fray
The British government is exploring ways to remove China’s state-owned nuclear energy company, China General Nuclear Corp., from…
Malaysia’s Parliament reopens after 7-month virus suspension
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia’s Parliament reopened Monday for the first time this year after a seven-month suspension due to…
China blames US for ‘stalemate’ in bilateral relations; talks begin
TIANJIN, China—China blamed the US for what it called a “stalemate” in bilateral relations as high-level face-to-face talks…
French protesters reject virus passes and vaccine mandate
PARIS—Some 160,000 people, including far-right activists and members of France’s yellow vest movement, protested on Saturday across the…
Unvaccinated snow leopard at San Diego Zoo gets Covid
SAN DIEGO—An unvaccinated snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo has contracted Covid-19. Caretakers noticed that Ramil, a…
Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney, several arrested
SYDNEY—Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown…
Thailand reports new Covid record with 15,335 infections
Thailand reported 15,335 new Covid infections, a new daily record, as the Southeast Asian nation battles the spread…
US-China goods trade booms as if Covid-19, tariff war never happened
China and the US are shipping goods to each other at the briskest pace in years, making the…
What’s fueling Russia’s ‘unprecedented’ fires?
MOSCOW—Thousands of wildfires engulf broad expanses of Russia each year, destroying forests and shrouding regions in acrid smoke.…
Room for 10,000 inmates: Inside China’s largest detention center
DABANCHENG, China—The Uyghur inmates sat in uniform rows with their legs crossed in lotus position and their backs…
Billionaire who missed out on TikTok is trying to beat it
In 2017, Su Hua, the founder of a Chinese start-up called Kuaishou Technology, was on the verge of…