International Desk
Second Chinese balloon 'transiting' Latin America: Pentagon
A Chinese spy balloon was flying over Latin America, the Pentagon said Friday night, one day after a similar craft was seen over US skies, reports AFP.
Taliban detain Afghan educator who spoke out on women's school ban
Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have "beaten and detained" an academic who voiced outrage on live television against their ban on women's university education, his aide said Friday.
Myanmar junta imposes tough new measures on resistance strongholds
Myanmar's junta has introduced tough new measures in resistance strongholds under which people accused of treason and "spreading false news" will be tried by a military court, state media said Friday.
Adani Enterprises shares suspended as price slumps again
Shares in the flagship firm of beleaguered Indian tycoon Gautam Adani were repeatedly suspended on Friday as a routntriggered by allegations of accounting fraud deepened, reports AFP.
Biden urges Black leaders to 'keep at' police reforms effort
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he hopes the death of Tyre Nichols after a police beating will spur Congress to enact police reforms, urging Black lawmakers to keep at it, reports AFP.
After Netanyahu talks, Macron warns of Iran nuclear 'consequences'
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced on Thursday the "headlong rush" of Iran's nuclear programme after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris to seek a stronger European stance against Tehran, reports AFP.
Putin draws parallels between WWII and Ukraine conflict
President Vladimir Putin leveraged a World War II commemoration on Thursday to whip up support for his army's intervention in Ukraine, comparing the fighting to Nazi Germany's invasion and hinting Moscow could use nuclear weapons, reports AFP.
Moscow says Washington 'destroyed' arms control pacts
The Kremlin accused Washington on Wednesday of "destroying" weapons control agreements, after the US said Russia was not complying with their last remaining arms pact, the New START treaty, reports AFP.
Flights canceled, at least 2 dead as ice storm freezes US
Winter weather brought ice to a wide swath of the United States on Tuesday, canceling more than 1,700 flights nationwide and snarling highways. At least two people died on slick roads in Texas and two law officers in the state were seriously injured, including a deputy who was pinned under a truck, authorities said.
How Myanmar is faring 2 years after army ousted Suu Kyi
Two years after Myanmar’s generals ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, thousands of people have died in civil conflict and many more have been forced from their homes in a dire humanitarian crisis, reports AP.
UN says Myanmar junta elections will fuel violence
Junta plans for elections in coup-hit Myanmar this year will "fuel greater violence", a United Nations special envoy said on Tuesday, calling for the international community to unite in opposition.
Ukraine war dominates Nobel year again
From NATO's secretary general to the Ukrainian president, the war in Ukraine dominates the publicly known names submitted by Tuesday's deadline for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, reports AFP.
Blinken urges 'calm' as Israel-Palestinian conflict flares
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged "calm" and "deescalation" after violence has flared between Israel and the Palestinians, as he kicked off a Middle East tour in Cairo on Monday, reports AFP.
Suicide bomber kills 34, wounds 150 at mosque in Pakistan
A suicide bomber struck Monday inside a mosque within a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 34 people and wounding as many as 150 worshippers, most of them police, officials said.
Top Republican to meet Biden on avoiding US debt default
House speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would meet Wednesday with Joe Biden to discuss avoiding a US debt default, but warned the president must rethink his refusal to consider spending cuts in exchange for raising the borrowing limit, reports AFP.