Heavy rain and flooding have hit northern China, particularly around Beijing, with Doksuri, a former super typhoon, leaving at least two dead and forcing the capital to issue flood and landslide alerts. The Yongding River has burst its banks, with debris carried downriver. Hundreds of bus services have been suspended and people have been advised to work from home.
Unesco experts have recommended that Venice and its lagoon be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger as Italy is not doing enough to protect the city from the impact of climate change and mass tourism. Unesco said corrective steps proposed by the Italian state are "insufficient".
A top Pentagon official has attacked this week's widely watched congressional hearing on UFOs, calling the claims “insulting” to employees who are investigating sightings and accusing a key witness of not cooperating with the official US government investigation. Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick's letter, published on his personal LinkedIn page and circulated Friday across social media, criticises much of the testimony from a retired Air Force intelligence officer that energised believers in extraterrestrial life and produced headlines around the world.
The United States has announced a military aid package worth $345 million for Taiwan to aid in its defense capabilities. This assortment of equipment features intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment and small arms munitions, aiming to enhance Taiwan's ability to deter any possible Chinese invasion.
Joe Biden has acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time. Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, fathered the child with Lunden Roberts in 2018. As part of a statement, Biden said that Hunter and Roberts are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter. Hunter Biden's paternity was established through DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support.
A survey by the Pew Research Center has revealed that international perceptions of China have soured due to its foreign policy decisions, with majorities in 15 of the 24 nations surveyed holding an unfavorable opinion of the country, particularly in Japan and Australia where 87% of people expressed discontent.
Donald Trump asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into his possession of classified documents, according to an updated indictment unsealed Thursday that adds new charges against the former president and names an additional defendant.
Spain appears headed for political gridlock after Sunday's inconclusive national elections left parties on both the right and left without a clear path toward forging a new government. The conservative Popular Party won the elections, but it fell short of its hopes of scoring a much bigger victory and forcing the removal of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Instead, the party led by candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo performed below expectations of most of the campaign polls.
Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan killed at least 31 people and left dozens missing over the past three days, while in neighboring Pakistan 13 people died due to heavy rains and landslides. Shafiullah Rahimi, the ruling Taliban’s appointed spokesman for Afghanistan's State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that at least 31 people were killed, 74 were injured and 41 others were missing.
The government is seeing some gains following Russia recalibrating its stance on the mention of the Ukraine conflict in the chair’s summary at two G20 ministerial meetings, but is keeping a wary eye on the outcome of subsequent talks in the lead up to the leader’s summit in about 50 days.
China sent dozens of warplanes toward Taiwan, the island's defence ministry said Saturday, marking a forceful display days before the democracy plans to hold military exercises aimed at defending itself against a possible invasion. Taiwan is due to hold its annual Han Kuang exercise next week, during which its military will hold combat readiness drills for preventing an invasion.
A new report by a UK think tank has warned that there is a tacit blasphemy law operating in the UK even though blasphemy is legal in Britain. Anti-blasphemy laws still exist in many countries, most notably in Pakistan where blasphemy can be punishable by death. However, blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008.
Beijing-linked hackers compromised the email account of America's ambassador to China and the assistant secretary of State for East Asia in a recently-disclosed large-scale espionage operation. Hundreds of thousands of US government emails are thought to have been targeted.
House Republicans claimed allegations against President Joe Biden's family's finances on Wednesday and summoned IRS whistleblowers to testify publicly for the first time. The lawmakers heard from two IRS agents assigned to the Hunter Biden case for six hours. Republicans claim these allegations are a part of an investigation into corruption and wrongdoing by the Bidens, which haven't been proven true.
Two people have been killed and six injured in a shooting in Auckland ahead of the opening match of the Women's World Cup in the city. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the shooting appeared to be the work of an individual and was not politically motivated. The national security risk level will not be increased, but there will be increased police presence in the city.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s popularity rating has dropped to the lowest level since he became prime minister, with 65% of Britons now viewing him unfavorably. Sunak’s rating highlights the challenge he faces in leading the Conservative Party to victory at the next general election.
Moscow claimed last week to have advanced 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) closer to Lyman -- a rail hub Ukraine reclaimed in October. The Russians seem intent to force the Ukrainians to abandon their advance on captured cities such as Bakhmut and redeploy troops to defend the Lyman front.
Trees fell on moving vehicles, a whale washed ashore and a freezer full of ice cream floated off in floods as Typhoon Talim made its way across China's southern provinces on Tuesday. Talim, the first typhoon to make landfall in China this year, struck the coast late on Monday night in Guangdong province, quickly weakening into a tropical storm. Overnight it moved into Beibu Gulf, and by early Tuesday, it had made a second landfall and moved into southern Guangxi region.
The safe haven provided to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan was one of the major reasons impacting Pakistan’s security, the country’s military brass concluded at a corps commanders’ conference, chaired by army chief General Syed Asim Munir, at Rawalpindi on Monday.
Heavy rains have caused flash flooding, cancelled flights, power outages, and landslides in the northeastern US. Sunday's storms led to hundreds of cancelled and delayed flights at airports in the New York City area. More than 350 flights were cancelled at Newark Liberty International Airport alone, and hundreds were delayed.
Japan's latest testing of the Epsilon S rocket, an improved version of Epsilon that failed in October, ended in failure following an explosion around 50 seconds after ignition. The testing site, located in the northern prefecture of Akita, was ablaze. Ministry official Naoya Takegami acknowledged no reports of injuries, but investigators have yet to determine the cause of the explosion.
Donald Trump has filed a revised financial disclosure form with the Office of Government Ethics in which he provided more details about his sprawling financial empire, giving exact sums for over $1bn in income he has earned from a range of sources, including his Washington, DC, hotel sale and a Dubai golf course.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of a new missile designed to strike the US, on Wednesday near Pyongyang. North Korea’s Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is easier to deploy and quicker to fire than North Korea’s earlier designs. North Korea said the missile reached an altitude of 6,648.4 kms on a flight that lasted about 74 minutes.
Kamala Harris has set a new record by casting her 31st tiebreaking vote in the US Senate on Wednesday, tying with John C Calhoun's historic record. Harris, the first woman and person of colour to serve as the US vice-president, cast a tiebreaking vote to advance the nomination of Kalpana Kotagal to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Czech-born novelist Milan Kundera, who satirised totalitarian regimes and mixed dark irony with philosophical musings to explore the human condition, has died, a library he worked with said on Wednesday. He was 94. The author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" won accolades for his style in depicting themes and characters that floated between the mundane reality of everyday life and the lofty world of ideas.
Veteran news anchor Huw Edwards was on Wednesday revealed by his wife as the BBC presenter accused of paying for explicit images but police said no criminal offence had been committed. Vicky Flind said in a statement that her husband was "suffering from serious mental health issues" and was now "receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future".
A storm that dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast brought more flooding Tuesday to communities that included the state capital, where officials said that river levels at a dam just upstream appeared to be stable.
Nato leaders have decided to allow Ukraine to become a member of the alliance after the war with Russia ends. Once the war with Russia is over, Nato will remove obstacles that currently hinder Ukraine’s membership path.