World News Hub

What could Meta’s US settlement mean around the world – and what now for other claims against firm?

The Guardian • 1 week ago

Other governments could seek similar concessions, while separate legal action is pending in places ranging from Kenya to the NetherlandsIn October 2021, Abrham Meareg’s father, a professor of chemistry in Ethiopia’s northern town of Bahir Dar, was shot at close range and died outside his family home. This was in the middle of the country’s civil war.For weeks, Facebook’s algorithm had actively pro...

‘Nature thrives when given a chance’: restored Cheshire wetland now a haven for rare grebe

The Guardian • 1 week ago

Woolston Eyes in Warrington, a dumping ground for canal dredgings, has become best place in UK for black-necked grebeA dumping ground for dredgings from the Manchester Ship Canal has become the best place in Britain for the rare and beautiful black-necked grebe, hosting 64% of Britain’s breeding population.Since 2021, Woolston Eyes in Cheshire has been restored, extended and turned into a mosaic o...

How typhoons and extreme weather could undermine Taiwan Strait combat readiness

SCMP • 1 week ago

The record heat and extreme weather seen across East Asia this summer have prompted warnings that climate change will be an increasing challenge for military planners focused on potential flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait. Besides the risks to both troops and equipment, typhoons and other storms could also damage critical infrastructure and disrupt training, as well as divert personnel and res...

Who next? Economy dominates first debate between French presidential candidates

Euronews • 1 week ago

Seven key candidates running in the French presidential election battled it out in their first debate on Thursday, with the economy, public debt and pension reform dominating heated discussions.

Who next? Economy dominates first debate between French presidential candidates

Euronews • 1 week ago

Seven key candidates running in the French presidential election battled it out in their first debate on Thursday, with the economy, public debt and pension reform dominating heated discussions.

Economy dominates first debate between French presidential candidates

Euronews • 1 week ago

Seven key candidates running in the French presidential election battled it out in their first debate on Thursday, with the economy, the public debt and pension reform dominating heated discussions.

Economy dominates first debate of French presidential candidates

Euronews • 1 week ago

Seven key candidates running in the French presidential election battled it out in their first debate on Thursday, with the economy, the public debt and pension reform dominating heated discussions.

China-Nepal floods: debris lake the size of 1,000 Olympic pools in breach danger

SCMP • 1 week ago

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal continued to rise on Friday, as concerns grew that a lake formed from the debris could breach, triggering further flooding. As of Friday morning, three people were confirmed dead and 558 missing on the Chinese side of the border, with 469 dead and at least 644 missing in Nepal. ...

China-Nepal floods: Debris lake the size of 1,000 Olympic pools in breach danger

SCMP • 1 week ago

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal continued to rise on Friday, as concerns grew that a lake formed from the debris could breach, triggering further flooding. As of Friday morning, three people were confirmed dead and 558 missing on the Chinese side of the border, with 469 dead and at least 644 missing in Nepal. ...

China-Nepal disaster death toll nears 500 as lake overflow threatens rescue work

SCMP • 1 week ago

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal continued to rise on Friday, as satellite images revealed the full scale of the destruction. As of Friday morning, three people were confirmed dead and 558 missing on the Chinese side of the border, with 469 dead and at least 644 missing in Nepal. The tragedy unfolded on Wednesd...

Trump administration illegally retaliated against Anthropic, judge rules

BBC • 1 week ago

The AI startup has been at loggerheads with the Pentagon over the use of AI by the US military.

ICE agents in US to be equipped with pain-delivering electric shock gloves

SCMP • 1 week ago

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a US$16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks, saying officers would use them to control detainees and protesters who resist. ICE moved forward with the purchase despite opposition from civil rights advocates and Democratic members of Congress, who said ICE officers cannot be trusted to use t...

South Korea, Japan and US set joint drills despite Trump cuts

SCMP • 1 week ago

South Korea said on Friday it would hold joint military exercises with the United States and Japan in September, after Washington scaled back annual drills with Seoul in an apparent bid to encourage dialogue with North Korea. The three countries would conduct the North Korea-focused Freedom Edge exercise from September 7 to 11 in international waters east and south of South Korea’s Jeju Island, Se...

China thinks big on brain-computer interfaces after world-first surgery

SCMP • 1 week ago

Chinese surgeons last month completed the world’s first commercial surgery to implant an invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) device in a patient with a spinal cord injury, a milestone in the neurotechnology development race with US companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink. This month a Chinese company, state-owned PICC Property and Casualty, launched the world’s first commercial insurance policy c...

Iran expert on China’s balancing act amid conflict with US and Israel

SCMP • 1 week ago

Trita Parsi is co-founder and executive vice-president of the Quincy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has written four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel. Born in Iran, Parsi moved to Sweden with his family as a child and then to...

South Korea to re-examine 310,000 missing person cases after fake record scandal

The Guardian • 1 week ago

Renewed scrutiny comes after police officer accused of falsifying records in order to close the cases of people who were later found deadSouth Korean police will re-examine about 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years, prompted by a scandal in which an officer was arrested on suspicion of falsifying records to close files on two people who were later found dead.The case has...

Nepal-Tibet live: Rescue operations resume after lake overflow risk decreases

France 24 • 1 week ago

Nepalese authorities have resumed rescue operations in the region ‌hit by ‌a devastating flood this week, ‌after a brief suspension due to water breaking through a lake dam. The devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet has claimed more than 400 lives and left at least 1,400 missing, with ongoing conditions complicating rescue efforts. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Nepal-Tibet live: Rescuers halt operations as lake overflows in disaster zone

France 24 • 1 week ago

Rescue teams have suspended operations on Friday in the heart of the Tibetan disaster zone as authorities confirm that a lake formed by a mudslide on the China-Nepal border has breached, threatening further damage. The devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet has claimed more than 400 lives and left hundreds missing, with ongoing conditions complicating rescue efforts. Follow our liveblog for the l...

Nepal-Tibet live: China halts rescue at disaster epicentre due to flood risk

France 24 • 1 week ago

Rescue teams suspended their operations on Friday in the heart of the Tibetan disaster zone as Chinese authorities warned that a lake formed by a mudslide on the China-Nepal border could breach, sending floodwaters downstream and threatening further damage. The devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet has claimed more than 400 lives and left hundreds missing, with ongoing conditions complicating re...

Nepal-Tibet live: China halts rescue at disaster epicentre over flood risk

France 24 • 1 week ago

Chinese authorities warned Friday that a lake formed by a mudslide on the China-Nepal border could breach and send floodwaters downstream, threatening further damage. Water levels are expected to rise over the next three days, with 499 residents and 555 tourists already evacuated from the disaster zone. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Nepal-Tibet live: China warns lake formed by mudslide on Nepal border could breach

France 24 • 1 week ago

Chinese authorities warned Friday that a lake formed by a mudslide on the China-Nepal border could breach and send floodwaters downstream, threatening further damage. Water levels are expected to rise over the next three days, with 499 residents and 555 tourists already evacuated from the disaster zone. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Regional powers seek off-ramp from Iran war, and other Middle East developments

ABC News • 1 week ago

Qatar and other regional powers are seeking an off-ramp from the U.S. war

Malaysia moves Anwar’s National Day speech indoors as haze spikes

SCMP • 1 week ago

Choking haze has forced Malaysia to move its leader’s annual National Day speech to an indoor venue from a public square, the communications ministry has said, underscoring the severity of cross-border pollution from severe wildfires in the region. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, due to address the country on August 30 on the eve of Independence Day celebrations, will speak from a convention centre ...

Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: death toll rises to 469, police say; debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again

The Guardian • 1 week ago

The catastrophic flash flood has left 1,300 missing, with hundreds of tourists unaccounted for as rescuers race to find survivorsNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedNepal-Tibet flash flood: what we know so far on day threeVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Nepal police have said that the death toll from Wednesday’...

In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism

The Guardian • 1 week ago

Confusion and politics aside, Australia can’t pretend to be removed from the world – and the millions of people in need of sanctuaryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMessy politics aside, this much is clear: Australia is being cruelly parsimonious in resettling people, at a moment when it is of greatest global need.There are more people in the world requiring protection ri...