China considers taking part in Swiss Ukraine peace talks, ambassador says

China will consider taking part in a peace conference aimed at ending the war in Ukraine which neutral Switzerland plans to host in the coming months, the Asian country’s ambassador to Bern was quoted as saying on Monday. Wang Shihting, China’s ambassador to Switzerland, said in an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung that all […]

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Explainer: Why is South Korea hosting a ‘Summit for Democracy’?

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other foreign officials this week in calling for measures to counter digital threats to freedom as Seoul hosted the Summit for Democracy. The event is the third of its kind after US President Joe Biden established the summit in 2021. WHAT […]

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Daughter of North Korea’s Kim might be heir apparent: Seoul

Seoul’s Unification Ministry on Monday added its voice to growing speculation around Kim Jong Un’s succession plans, saying they have not “ruled out” that his daughter could be next in line to lead North Korea. Pyongyang state media on Saturday referred to Kim’s teenage daughter as a “great person of guidance” — “hyangdo” in Korean […]

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‘Turn around immediately’: Taiwan warns off Chinese coast guard boats again as tensions simmer

Taiwan on Saturday warned off Chinese coast guard ships that entered its restricted waters near frontline islands close to China for a second day in a row, as tensions simmer across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s coast guard said four Chinese coast guard boats on Saturday morning entered the restricted waters of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, […]

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Rights advocates denounce ‘systemic abuse’ in Israeli prisons

In the shadow of the war raging in Gaza, record numbers of Palestinian detainees are filling Israeli prisons, where they face “systemic abuse” and torture, rights advocates warn, calling for international action. Members of several Israeli NGOs travelled to Geneva this week to raise concerns before the United Nations about a major “crisis” inside the […]

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Russians head to polls for Day 2 of election marred by attacks, acts of protest

 Voters across Russia cast ballots Saturday on the second day of an election set to formalize six more years of power for President Vladimir Putin, who faces no serious challengers after crushing political dissent over his nearly 25 years of rule. The election comes against the backdrop of a ruthless crackdown that has stifled independent […]

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Two killed in shelling of Russian border city Belgorod, governor says

Two people were killed and three wounded in a Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod, the regional governor said on Saturday, as Russian citizens vote through Sunday in a three-day presidential election. In a statement on the messenger app Telegram, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the city had been struck […]

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Aid ship sets sail to Gaza where hundreds of thousands face starvation 5 months into war

An aid ship loaded with some 200 tons of food set sail for Gaza on Tuesday in a pilot program for the opening of a sea corridor to the territory, where the five-month-old Israel-Hamas war has driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation. The food was gathered by World Food Kitchen, […]

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Protests drove Nepal’s king off the throne 16 years ago. Now, protests are trying to bring him back

Sixteen years ago, mass protests in Nepal forced then-King Gyanendra Shah to give up the throne and clear the way for a republic. Now, a new wave of protest is trying to bring him back. The capital of the Himalayan country is again teeming with demonstrators, this time demanding that Shah be reinstated as king […]

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