Other News

Israeli troops raid, order closure of Al Jazeera’s West Bank bureau

By Andrew Mills DOHA (Reuters) -Israeli forces raided the bureau of media network Al Jazeera in the West Bank city of Ramallah early on Sunday morning, issuing it with a military order to shut down operations, the network and the Israeli military said on Sunday. The Qatar-headquartered channel aired live footage of Israeli troops entering the office with their weapons drawn and handing a military court order to Ramallah bureau chief Walid al-Omari forcing the […]

Ecuador cuts power in half of its provinces amid historic drought

By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government has announced the suspension of electricity service for nine hours on Sunday in 12 of the Andean nation’s 24 provinces and placed 19 areas on red alert due to a drought that has reduced the water levels of hydroelectric plants. The blackout in the provinces will be from 8:00 a.m. local time until 5:00 p.m., the Ecuadorian presidency said in a statement released Saturday night on X. […]

Sri Lankans elect Marxist-leaning Dissanayake as president to fix economy

By Uditha Jayasinghe and Sudipto Ganguly COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, 55, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of votes, knocking out incumbent President […]

Hezbollah, Israel exchange heavy fire in ‘new phase’ of fighting

By Timour Azhari and Miro Maman BEIRUT/HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) -Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, as the Lebanese militant group sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory after facing some of the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told mourners at the funeral of one of the group’s commanders killed last week in Beirut: “We have entered a new phase, the title of which is […]

Record rains in Japan’s quake-stricken Noto region kill at least one

TOKYO (Reuters) -Record rains in central Japan’s Noto region, still recovering from a major New Year’s Day earthquake, killed at least one person on Saturday, prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands and caused blackouts for more than 6,000 households. Seven people, including four working on quake reconstruction, were missing, and calls for rescue were swamping the fire department, public broadcaster NHK reported. Hourly rainfall hit record 121 mm (4.8 inches) on Saturday morning in […]

Philippines eyes future missile launchers purchase, to retain US Typhon system

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines hopes to procure mid-range capability missiles in future and wants to utilise a U.S.-deployed Typhon system for its military training, with no immediate plan for it to be returned, a top security official said on Friday. Confirming an earlier report by Reuters, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said there was no set timeline for the withdrawal of the United States’ mid-range missile system from the country, which China has […]

Biden, ‘Quad’ leaders to talk maritime security as China tensions grow

By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Tensions brewing in Asia’s trade-rich waters top the agenda as U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from Australia, India and Japan to his Delaware hometown for a diplomatic push to counter China in the waning months of his presidency. Biden headed to Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday ahead of the Quad Leaders Summit, where the leaders are expected to speak about conflict between Beijing and its neighbors in the South China […]

Exclusive-US keeps missile system in Philippines as China tensions rise, tests wartime deployment

By Karen Lema and Poppy McPherson MANILA (Reuters) – The United States has no immediate plans to withdraw a mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, despite Chinese demands, and is testing the feasibility of its use in a regional conflict, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of striking Chinese targets, was brought in for joint exercises earlier this year, both countries said […]

Taiwan questions head of pager firm linked to Hezbollah blasts

TAIPEI (Reuters) – The president and founder of a Taiwanese pager company linked to the detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon was questioned by prosecutors late into the night on Thursday, then released. Taiwan-based Gold Apollo’s president and founder Hsu Ching-kuang has said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company BAC which has a licence to use its brand. Images […]

Mpox is not under control in Africa, warns Africa CDC

DAKAR (Reuters) – The mpox outbreak in Africa is still not under control, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned on Thursday, adding that cases were still increasing in several countries. The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified. Countries in the continent are struggling to respond to another major outbreak coming at the heels […]

Exclusive-Ammunition from India enters Ukraine, raising Russian ire

By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers have been diverted by European customers to Ukraine and New Delhi has not intervened to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow, according to 11 Indian and European government and defence industry officials, as well as a Reuters analysis of commercially available customs data. The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according […]

Japanese company denies making Hezbollah’s exploding walkie-talkies

By Tom Bateman OSAKA (Reuters) -The Japanese maker of the brand of walkie-talkies linked to explosions targeting the Hezbollah armed group that killed 25 people in Lebanon and injured hundreds of others said it could not have made the exploding devices. “There’s no way a bomb could have been integrated into one of our devices during manufacturing. The process is highly automated and fast-paced, so there’s no time for such things,” Yoshiki Enomoto a director […]