International

‘Loving and being loved’: UK’s Princess Kate says she is grateful after finishing chemotherapy

By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) -Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, said on Monday she had finished her course of preventative chemotherapy for cancer, saying the treatment had given her a new perspective and made her grateful for “simply loving and being loved”. Kate, 42, wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, had major abdominal surgery in January which revealed the presence of cancer and has been undergoing treatment since then. In a personal message accompanying an intimate […]

Australia plans social media ban for children

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Tuesday it planned to introduce legislation this year to ban children from using social media platforms, citing the risks it could pose to physical and mental health. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his centre-left government would begin an age verification trial over the next few months. “I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts. We want […]

Kentucky shooter at large after wounding at least seven along highway

By Rich McKay (Reuters) -Kentucky police were searching rugged terrain near a national forest for a suspect after at least seven people were wounded by gunfire while driving down the rural stretch of an interstate highway, officials said on Saturday evening. The incident began just before 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) about nine miles outside of the town of London, when officers responded to reports of gunshots directed at vehicles traveling on Interstate 75 in Laurel […]

Typhoon Yagi weakens after hitting Vietnam’s capital Hanoi

HANOI (Reuters) – Typhoon Yagi weakened on Sunday after killing at least three people in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, flooding many neighbourhoods, downing thousands of trees and damaging houses, the government said. Authorities warned of continued heavy rains, flash floods and landslides in northern Vietnam, where the storm, downgraded from a super typhoon, has killed at least seven and injured dozens since making landfall on Saturday afternoon, according to initial estimates. Asia’s most powerful storm this […]

‘I’ve got your backs,’ Taiwan president tells sailors on combat-ready warship

By Ben Blanchard PENGHU, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told sailors aboard a combat-ready warship at a major base in the Taiwan Strait on Friday that he had their backs, thanking them for safeguarding Taiwanese security at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory over the strong objections of the government in Taipei, detests Lai as a “separatist” and staged war games around […]

Factbox-Who is Philippine ex-mayor Alice Guo and what is known about her arrest?

By Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores MANILA (Reuters) – Former Philippines mayor Alice Guo, accused of ties to Chinese criminal syndicates and money laundering, arrived in Manila on Friday on a chartered flight after being deported from Indonesia. Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, was arrested in the Indonesian city of Tangerang near the capital of Jakarta on Tuesday. Her case has gripped the Philippines at a time of growing suspicion […]

Fire rips through Kenya boarding school dormitory, killing 17 boys

NAIROBI (Reuters) -A fire killed 17 boys when it ripped through the dormitory in which they were sleeping at a boarding school in central Kenya in the early hours of Friday, police said. Citizen Television said the fire had burnt the victims beyond recognition. The blaze occurred at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, a primary boarding school for young students about 150 km (93 miles) from the capital Nairobi. “We have lost 17 pupils […]

German warships aim to secure sea lanes in Indo-Pacific, admiral says

  By Josh Smith INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) – A rare cruise by two German warships in the Indo-Pacific region will demonstrate a commitment to open navigation, the admiral in charge of the naval task force said on Friday, but he declined to confirm if they would transit the contesed Taiwan Strait. “Safe and secure sea lanes, especially from Southeast Asia as well as to Europe and America, are a prerequisite for a prosperous economy […]

Deadly super typhoon Yagi makes landfall in China’s Hainan

By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) -Asia’s strongest storm this year, Super Typhoon Yagi, made landfall along the coast of China’s Hainan province on Friday, bringing gales and heavy rain which shut schools for a second day and cancelled flights in the South China Sea region. Packing maximum sustained winds of 234 km per hour (145 mph) near its centre, Yagi registers as the world’s second-most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 so far, after the […]

Teen suspected in Georgia school shooting makes first court appearance

By Rich McKay ATLANTA (Reuters) -Suspected Georgia high-school shooter Colt Gray made his first appearance in state court, where he faces murder charges stemming from Wednesday’s rampage that killed four people and wounded nine others. The 14-year-old, who was being held without bond in the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, did not enter a plea in front of Barrow County Superior Court Judge Currie Mingledorff. Mingledorff told Gray that he was charged with four counts […]

Thailand’s king swears in new government after turmoil

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn swore in Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and 35 cabinet ministers in Bangkok on Friday, ushering in a new government in Southeast Asia’s second largest economy after a period of political turmoil. Paetongtarn, 38, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, was elected by parliament last month to become Thailand’s youngest prime minister after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by a court order over an ethics violation. The […]

Ukraine presses for long-range strike support, US announces more aid

By Phil Stewart and Sabine Siebold RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Western allies on Friday to ignore Moscow’s “red lines” and allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons for strikes on Russian territory as Washington pledged a further $250 million in weaponry for Kyiv. Zelenskiy made his first appearance at a regular U.S.-hosted gathering of Ukraine’s allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and sought to present the long-range strike […]