Browsing: Main Headlines

An undersea telecommunications cable linking Germany and Finland has been severed, raising concerns amid already heightened tensions in Europe. The 1,170 km (730-mile) C-Lion1 fibreoptic cable connects Helsinki and Rostock, but all fibre connections in the line have been disrupted, according to Finnish network operator Cinia.  

A car drove into a crowd outside Yong’an Primary School in China’s southern Hunan province, leaving several students and adults injured, according to state media. Details on the number of casualties remain unclear, but those injured have been taken to the hospital.  This is the third attack on a public crowd in China within a week, sparking concern over public safety.

A massive protest unfolded in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, as over 35,000 people gathered outside parliament to oppose a controversial bill seeking to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi.  The demonstration marked the conclusion of a nine-day hīkoi (peaceful march), which grew significantly on Tuesday as participants arrived in Wellington.

The ballet community is grieving the loss of Vladimir Shklyarov, a principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Theatre, who passed away at age 39. Shklyarov’s death, confirmed by the Mariinsky on Saturday, is under investigation by Russian authorities. Reports suggest he fell from the fifth floor of a building in St. Petersburg while on painkillers.  

The Australian Senate has formally censured Aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe for heckling King Charles during his visit to Canberra last month. Thorpe shouted, “You are not my King” and “This is not your land” after the King addressed the Great Hall of Parliament, aiming to spotlight the effects of British colonisation on Indigenous Australians.  

In a major shift in U.S. policy, President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory. The decision, confirmed by a U.S. official to CBS News, follows months of lobbying by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for lifting restrictions on strikes beyond Ukraine’s borders.  

Brazil’s First Lady, Janja Lula da Silva, made headlines after swearing at billionaire Elon Musk during a panel on disinformation at an event preceding the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. While discussing stricter social media regulations, she jokingly linked a loud noise to Musk, saying, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” and followed it with an expletive, declaring, “I’m not afraid of you.”  

Mohammed Afif, Hezbollah’s media chief and one of its prominent public figures, was killed in an Israeli air strike in central Beirut, the group confirmed. The strike targeted the Baath Party headquarters in the crowded Ras al-Naba neighbourhood, destroying much of the building, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

At least 34 people, including many women and children, were killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a five-story residential building in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. Seven others were injured, and dozens are believed to remain trapped under the rubble.

Hundreds protested near the Stade de France on Thursday as France hosted Israel in a UEFA Nations League match. The game, held under tight security, came amid heightened tensions following recent clashes in Amsterdam between Israeli football fans and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. 

Incoming US President Donald Trump has picked RFK Jr as his health secretary calling him a great mind in his first speech since election night. Trump said RFK Jr, a known vaccine sceptic, will “help make America healthy again” by protecting them from “harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives”.

The controversial legislation, introduced by the Act Party, seeks to legally define the treaty’s principles, which have been incorporated into laws addressing historic injustices against Māori. Act argues the changes would ensure fairness, claiming the current approach divides the nation by race.  

HRW has accused Israel of committing war crimes by forcibly displacing nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, amounting to about 1.9 million people. In its report, HRW says this constitutes “forcible transfer” and possibly “ethnic cleansing,”

In South Africa, approximately 4,000 illegal gold miners are hiding underground in Stilfontein as the government move to cut off their access to food and water, in an attempt to force them out.

The city is blanketed in thick smog, with pollution levels far exceeding what is considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). On Thursday, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the air was reported at over 50 times the safe limit, posing severe health risks.  

Republicans have officially won control of the US House of Representatives, securing the 218 seats needed for a majority. Alongside victories in the Senate and Donald Trump’s return to the White House as president-elect, the GOP now holds full control of the federal government.  

Thousands of protesters marched through Paris on Wednesday night, denouncing a secretive gala organised by Israel’s far-right. The event aimed to raise funds for Israel. It comes on the eve of the France-Israel football match and there are fears of violence.

Several airlines have suspended flights to and from Bali as dangerous ash clouds from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki threaten air travel safety. The volcano, located near the popular Indonesian tourist destination, erupted over the weekend, sending a towering ash plume 9km into the sky.

Inflation in the US rose slightly in October, halting recent progress in stabilising prices. According to the Labor Department, consumer prices increased by 2.6% over the past year, up from 2.4% in September, driven largely by higher housing and food costs.  

Heavy rains and flooding have forced thousands of people to leave their homes in Málaga and the surrounding Costa del Sol region of southern Spain. Aemet has issued the highest-level weather alerts for Málaga and Catalonia, warning that extreme conditions could last until Friday.

A man was found dead following two explosions near Brazil’s Supreme Court in Brasília on Wednesday evening. The area, home to the country’s top government institutions—the Supreme Court, parliament, and presidential palace—was shaken by the blasts, prompting an evacuation of the court building.  

Billionaire Elon Musk has been tapped by Donald Trump to co-lead a new body aimed at overhauling government operations. The body aims to streamline bureaucracy and cut federal spending. Trump described the organisation as an external advisory body working alongside the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.

The US will not limit arms supplies to Israel as it claims Israel has not violated laws regarding the obstruction of aid in Gaza. But the UN has contradicted the assessment saying aid levels in Gaza are at their lowest in a year and warns of famine in the north.

At least 35 people have been killed and 45 injured in a car attack at a stadium in Zhuhai, southern China, marking one of the deadliest public violence incidents in the country in decades. Police say the driver deliberately crashed into groups of people exercising at the Zhuhai Sports Centre.

Delhi and its neighbouring regions are battling a toxic smog crisis as air quality has plummeted to “severe” levels, far exceeding WHO safety standards. AQI readings in several areas of Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon have hit the maximum 500 mark, with pollution levels 30-35 times the WHO’s recommended limits.