Papua New Guinea on Thursday declared a boycott of next month’s UN climate summit, branding the global warming negotiations a “waste of time” full of empty promises from big polluters. While plenty have criticized the annual COP summit in the past, it is rare for any government to so totally dismiss the UN’s premier climate talks. “There’s no point going if we are falling asleep …
Vatican tribunal explains conviction of cardinal and others in ‘trial of the century’
The Vatican tribunal said Wednesday it convicted a cardinal of aggravated fraud and other charges because of his “objectively inexplicable behavior” in paying a self-styled intelligence analyst over a half-million euros in Vatican money that she then spent on luxury items and vacations. The city-state’s tribunal issued 816 pages of written motivations from its Dec. 16 verdicts in the Vatican’s “trial of the century.” The …
China tells carmakers to pause investment in EU countries backing EV tariffs, sources say
China has told its automakers to halt big investment in European countries that support extra tariffs on Chinese-built electric vehicles, two people briefed about the matter said, a move likely to further divide Europe. The new European Union tariffs of up to 45.3% came into effect on Wednesday after a year-long investigation that divided the bloc and prompted retaliation from Beijing. Ten EU members including …
European allies face challenging times, whoever wins US presidential election
BERLIN — The United States’ European allies are bracing for an America that’s less interested in them no matter who wins the presidential election — and for old traumas and new problems if Donald Trump returns to the White House. The election comes more than 2 1/2 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in which Washington has made the single biggest contribution to Kyiv’s defense. …
Palestinian health officials say Israeli raid kills 3 in West Bank
Palestinian health officials said an Israeli raid Thursday in the occupied West Bank killed at least three people. The operation included airstrikes in the area of the Nur Shams refugee camp. The Israeli military said it was targeting “terrorist infrastructure” and that it killed a Hamas militant who was involved in planning attacks. Since Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, Israeli forces have killed …
Spain searches for bodies after flood of the century kills at least 95
BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain — Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain this century awoke to scenes of devastation on Thursday after villages were wiped out by monstrous flash floods that claimed at least 95 lives. The death toll could rise as search efforts continue with an unknown number of people still missing. The aftermath looked eerily similar to the damage left by …
Iran wary over US presidential election
TEHRAN, Iran — America’s presidential election next week comes just after Iran marks the 45th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis — and for many, tensions between Tehran and Washington feel just as high as they did then. Iran remains locked in the Mideast wars roiling the region, with its allies — militant groups and fighters of its self-described “Axis of Resistance” — battered …
Dozens of North Korean defectors caught by secret police ‘vanish,’ rights group says
seoul, south korea — More than 100 North Koreans have gone missing after being caught by secret police while trying to defect from the isolated country or even for trying to call relatives in South Korea, a Seoul-based human rights group said Thursday. The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) released a report detailing patterns of enforced disappearances through its study based on interviews with 62 North …
Dominant parties maintain hold in parliament election for Iraq’s Kurdish region
IRBIL, Iraq — Election results from the vote for the regional parliament in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region show the two dominant Kurdish parties have maintained their hold while an opposition party has made inroads, officials said Wednesday. According to the Independent High Electoral Commission, the Kurdistan Democratic Party — with its base of support in the regional capital, Irbil, and in the city of Dohuk …
North Korea conducts longest ICBM test
SEOUL/TOKYO — North Korea conducted what appeared to be its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday, as South Korea warned Pyongyang could seek missile technology from Russia in exchange for deploying troops to help with the war in Ukraine. The missile was launched on a sharply lofted trajectory from an area near the North’s capital and splashed down about 300 km (190 miles) west …
Israeli airstrikes target historic Lebanese city
Israeli airstrikes hit the historic eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Hours before it struck, Israel’s military issued evacuation orders for the entire city and parts of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where Baalbek is located. Tens of thousands of Lebanese fled in a chaotic scene of panic, one Lebanese civil defense official said. “The …
Pentagon, South Korea urge North Korea to withdraw troops from Russia
Pentagon and United Nations — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun, urged North Korea on Wednesday to withdraw from Russia an estimated 10,000 troops, which both countries believe are headed to fight alongside Russia in its war in Ukraine. “They’re doing this because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has lost a lot of troops, a lot of troops. And, you know, …
Georgia investigates election rigging claims
State prosecutors in the country of Georgia said Wednesday that they had initiated an investigation into Saturday’s parliamentary election amid claims that the vote was rigged. The Georgian Dream ruling party won the election with 54% of the vote, according to the electoral commission, a figure that would give the party a clear majority in Parliament. The opposition alleged the election was rigged. Western …
Fears of major oil spills as Russia grows its aging ‘shadow fleet’
There are growing fears that Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of aging oil tankers, which it uses to bypass the Western price cap, poses an environmental threat. A new report from the Kyiv School of Economics warns that an oil spill is “only a matter of time” and urges the international community to do more to take the vessels out of operation. Henry Ridgwell has more. …
China warns security threats to its nationals impede BRI investments in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD — China has increased diplomatic pressure on close ally Pakistan to take action against the militants responsible for repeated attacks on Chinese workers, warning that the violence is “unacceptable” and poses “a constraint” on Beijing’s investments under its Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. The rare public warning accusing Islamabad of consistent security lapses concerning Chinese workers was issued by Beijing’s ambassador, Jiang Zaidong, while …
Cartoonist sentencing shows Saudis’ ‘determination to silence any voice,’ analysts say
The decision by Saudi authorities to sentence a cartoonist to an extra 23 years in prison marks an escalation in the kingdom’s suppression of dissent, analysts say. Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a cartoonist for Qatar-based Lusail newspaper, was already serving six years on a range of charges. But a court in October reopened the case and sentenced him to an additional 23 years without the possibility of …
Chinese steel plant: Zimbabwe’s economic boon or environmental nightmare?
harare, zimbabwe — Zimbabwe is aiming to be home to Africa’s largest steel plant, but disputes over the project continue even as it ramps up production. Over the past few months, villagers have been accusing the Chinese steel plant’s subsidiary Dinson Iron and Steel Company, or DISCO, of taking over their land without compensation, damaging the environment and not helping them relocate. There are also concerns …
Concerns about Elon Musk, Russia’s Putin not fading yet
WASHINGTON — Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has been talking on a consistent basis with Russian President Vladimir Putin are still reverberating among current and former U.S. officials, almost a week after news of the conversations first surfaced. Musk, who owns electric car maker Tesla and the X social media platform, also owns SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company that has numerous contracts with the U.S. government, …
Britain identifies its first case of new mpox variant
LONDON — Britain has detected its first case of new mpox variant clade Ib, the country’s health security agency (UKHSA) said Wednesday, adding that the risk to the population remained low. The clade Ib variant is a new form of the virus that was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo …
US airstrikes target multiple sites in Syria, killing up to 35 Islamic State militants
The U.S. military has struck a number of Islamic State group camps in Syria this week, killing as many as 35 militants, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. The airstrikes in the desert of central Syria were done Monday evening and targeted multiple locations and senior leaders of the group. The attacks came on the heels of a number of joint operations with Iraqi forces that …
US cracks down on Russia’s sanctions evasion in fresh action
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday imposed curbs on hundreds of targets in fresh action against Russia, taking aim at sanctions circumvention in a signal that the U.S. is committed to countering evasion. The action, taken by the U.S. Treasury and State departments, imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and people from over a dozen countries, according to statements from the Treasury and State departments. …
Cambodian archaeologists discover centuries-old statues at Angkor
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Archaeologists in Cambodia have unearthed a dozen centuries-old sandstone statues in a “remarkable discovery” at the Angkor World Heritage Site near the city of Siem Reap, authorities said Wednesday. The statues — depicting “door guardians” — were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, said Long …
US experts see Pyongyang’s Russia gambit as no-win situation for China
China’s response to Russia’s growing influence over North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, likely combines “exasperation” and “panic” as Beijing appears to be losing control over its client state, according to former U.S. policy and intelligence officials. They noted that the explicit security partnership between China’s two neighbors —Russia and North Korea — could undermine China’s strategic position in East Asia and has …
France allows six Russian army deserters, and partners, to enter country, apply for asylum
London — Thousands of Russians, including soldiers, have fled their country to seek asylum in the West since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, although only a fraction of asylum applications has been approved. However, in a landmark case, France has allowed several Russian army deserters to enter the country to seek refugee status. Anti-war activists hope it will prompt more Russian soldiers to flee. Alexander, who …