An interim deal to smooth deliveries to Philippine marines marooned on a ship at a hotly disputed reef in the South China Sea appears to be in doubt after Manila and Beijing gave opposing accounts over what they had agreed to. Fears of a conflict with global implications have risen in recent months following a series of increasingly violent clashes between ...

A reality show contestant who killed and ate a protected bird has been let off with a warning after New Zealand wildlife officials said cast members were tired, hungry and placed in a “unique” situation. The weka, named on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, is protected in mainland New Zealand, where the penalty for killing one ...

A powerful and rapidly intensifying typhoon is barreling toward Taiwan, disrupting ongoing military drills and prompting authorities to close financial markets, schools and offices. Typhoon Gaemi is expected to strengthen into a super typhoon before making landfall on Taiwan’s northeastern coast Wednesday evening. It is then forecast to continue toward China’s Fujian province on Thursday, bringing more strong winds and ...

Palestinian-American doctor Jiab Suleiman arrived in Jordan last month ahead of an emergency medical mission into Gaza, which he was due to oversee. The Ohio-born orthopedic surgeon had already led two trips into the besieged strip since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October and was finalizing details for his third. But his preparation would ultimately be for nothing. The ...

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed regret on Wednesday after a public enquiry found some 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in state and religious care over the last 70 years. Nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults in care from 1950 to 2019 experienced some form of abuse, the report found, a finding that could leave ...

Trash-laden North Korean balloons were found on the grounds of South Korea’s presidential office compound, officials said Wednesday, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised tensions and rhetoric on the Korean Peninsula. More than 3,000 North Korean balloons, often filled with garbage such as cigarette butts, discarded batteries and even manure have fallen in the South since ...

Authorities in the city of Moscow are offering a record signing-on bonus for new recruits to fight in Ukraine, in the latest sign of a scramble to boost Russian troop numbers. The financial sweetener comes as President Vladimir Putin struggles to recruit soldiers for his army as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds on in its third year. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin introduced ...

At least 18 people were killed after a small plane skidded off the runway in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday, according to local officials. One person survived the Saurya Airlines crash, the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. All aboard – 18 Nepalis and a Yemeni citizen – were employees of the carrier, according to police. Images from Nepal police showed ...

A weight-loss jab has been approved by the UK’s medicines regulator for use in preventing heart attacks and strokes in overweight or obese adults. Wegovy, which is the brand name for the drug semaglutide, had already got the green light for weight management in those with obesity. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now allowed it to ...

British astronaut Tim Peake has said the Boeing test pilots stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) are in no danger, despite uncertainty over how or when they will return to Earth. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew the first crewed mission of the aerospace giant’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS in early June. But several thrusters used to steer ...