Chinese victims among four killed in Laos explosion

Chinese victims among four killed in Laos explosion

An explosion at a shop in northern Laos killed four people, including Chinese nationals, Beijing’s consulate general in the country reported. The “blast” happened Friday at a Chinese store in Oudomxay province, the Chinese consulate in Luang Prabang said in a statement. The cause was under investigation, the consulate and local media reported. Three people…

Saudi Arabia welcomes hosting Trump-Putin summit in Kingdom, commends call between the two

Saudi Arabia welcomes hosting Trump-Putin summit in Kingdom, commends call between the two

Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed the recent phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed willingness to host a summit between the two presidents, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The Kingdom expresses its welcome to hosting the summit in Saudi Arabia and reaffirms its ongoing efforts to achieve…

Hamas says expects talks on Gaza truce phase two to begin ‘early next week’

Hamas says expects talks on Gaza truce phase two to begin ‘early next week’

Hamas expects indirect negotiations with Israel for the second phase of an ongoing truce in Gaza to begin “early next week”, an official of the Palestinian militant group said Friday. “We expect the second phase of the ceasefire negotiations to begin early next week, and mediators are continuing discussions on this matter,” Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said….

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon wounded after Hezbollah supporters attack convoy, President Aoun condemned

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon wounded after Hezbollah supporters attack convoy, President Aoun condemned

UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon were wounded late Friday night after Hezbollah supporters attacked a convoy carrying the outgoing deputy commander of UNIFIL. The perpetrators blocked Beirut’s airport road for a second consecutive day in protest over Lebanon’s refusal to allow Iranian planes to land. Video footage showed Hezbollah supporters carrying flags and chanting sectarian slogans as…

Pope Francis, in hospital, has ‘slight fever’ but is stable, Vatican says

Pope Francis, in hospital, has ‘slight fever’ but is stable, Vatican says

Pope Francis was admitted to hospital on Friday for tests and treatment for bronchitis, the latest in a series of health problems for the 88-year-old pontiff. Francis, who has been breathless in recent days and has delegated officials to read his speeches, held his morning meetings as planned before heading to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the…

Traces of tear gas found on Ukraine battlefield

Traces of tear gas found on Ukraine battlefield

The world’s chemical weapons watchdog on Friday said it had once again found traces of tear gas on the frontline with Russia in Ukraine’s central-east Dnipropetrovsk region. The use of riot control agents such as tear gas as a method of warfare is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the non-proliferation treaty overseen by the…

EU’s Kallas: listening to Vance speech felt like US was trying to pick fight with us

EU’s Kallas: listening to Vance speech felt like US was trying to pick fight with us

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that a speech by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security conference felt as if the United States was ‘trying to pick a fight’ with Europe. “Listening to that speech, they try to pick a fight with us and we don’t want…

US judges bar Musk’s DOGE from Treasury, allow access to health, labor

US judges bar Musk’s DOGE from Treasury, allow access to health, labor

A federal judge extended a block on Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting team from accessing payment systems at the US Treasury Department on Friday, while another judge allowed the billionaire’s DOGE staffers to access records at health, labor and consumer financial protection agencies. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has swept through federal agencies since Republican Donald Trump…

Saudi educator known for charity, prisoner work wins $1 mln Global Teacher Prize

Saudi educator known for charity, prisoner work wins $1 mln Global Teacher Prize

A Saudi educator known for his charity work and instructing prisoners won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize on Thursday. Mansour al-Mansour received the award at the end of the World Governments Summit in Dubai, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe. Al-Mansour is also an author and is known for work…

With Musk at his side, Trump orders US agencies to plan for ‘large-scale’ staff cuts

With Musk at his side, Trump orders US agencies to plan for ‘large-scale’ staff cuts

President Donald Trump ordered US agencies on Tuesday to work closely with top adviser Elon Musk’s effort to shrink the federal workforce by identifying government employees who can be laid off and functions that can be eliminated entirely. With his four-year-old son by his side or on his shoulders, billionaire Musk stood next to Trump in the…

First US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait since Trump inauguration

First US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait since Trump inauguration

Two US Navy ships sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait this week in the first such mission since President Donald Trump took office last month, drawing an angry reaction from China, which said the mission increased security risks. The US Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait about once a month. China,…

Syria’s al-Sharaa calls Trump’s Gaza plan ‘serious crime’ bound to fail

Syria’s al-Sharaa calls Trump’s Gaza plan ‘serious crime’ bound to fail

Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in remarks broadcast on Monday he believes US President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza and take over the Strip “is a serious crime that will ultimately fail.” Trump had said the US would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere….

Two nurses suspended in Australia for making antisemitic remarks to Jewish patient

Two nurses suspended in Australia for making antisemitic remarks to Jewish patient

Two nurses in a Sydney hospital have been suspended from work for threatening to kill Jewish patients and refusing to treat them in a video on TikTok, triggering an investigation by police, authorities said on Wednesday. The video was shared by a TikTok user named Max Veifer, who says he is from Israel, and shows…

Rubio discusses AI investment, Gaza in call with UAE president: State Dept

Rubio discusses AI investment, Gaza in call with UAE president: State Dept

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. Rubio expressed a desire for further bilateral cooperation and investment, including in artificial intelligence and frontier technologies, spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in the statement. The pair also…