United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced $53 million in fresh assistance to help restore Ukraine’s power grid. Blinken had arrived in Romania on Monday evening ahead of meetings with NATO allies and Group of Seven foreign ministers. Continue reading U.S. will help repair decimated Ukraine electric grid
Russian billionaire, 53, is killed in helicopter crash near Monaco in latest crypto mystery death – ‘after another passenger cancelled at the last minute’. Vyacheslav Taran, 53, died after the helicopter he was travelling in crashed near the resort town of Villefranche-sur-Mer after taking off from Switzerland . They mysteriously crashed in good weather – and after another passenger reportedly cancelled last minute. Taran is third cryptocurrency … Continue reading Crypto billionaire killed in helicopter crash in latest mystery death
Police fanned out across China’s big cities Tuesday in an effort to prevent fresh protests, as security services harnessed the country’s pervasive surveillance system to hunt down participants in mass demonstrations calling for an end to strict Covid curbs and criticizing national leaders. Meanwhile, China’s central public-health authorities urged local governments to avoid unnecessary and lengthy lockdowns—something that has sparked public ire after nearly three … Continue reading China Covid Protesters Become Targets of Beijing’s Surveillance State
Fewer than half the people in England and Wales consider themselves Christian, according to the most recent census — the first time a minority of the population has followed the country’s official religion. Britain has become less religious — and less white — in the decade since the last census, figures from the 2021 census released Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics revealed. Some … Continue reading Census: Christians a minority in England; non-religious grow
A man who was seriously injured in Tuesday’s Jerusalem bombing was spared from what could have been a fatal fate by none other than his book of Psalms – or Tehillim in Hebrew – which blocked a shard of debris from piercing his body, said Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The victim, a 62-year-old man, arrived to Shaare Zedek hospital in serious condition and underwent a … Continue reading A Book of Psalms saved a victim’s life in Jerusalem terror attack
Police have smashed a huge drugs “super-cartel” that controlled around a third of Europe’s cocaine trade, arresting 49 people in various countries, including six chief suspects in Dubai, Europol said on Monday. The international operation codenamed “Desert Light” seized 30 tonnes of the drug and led to arrests in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain, the European Union‘s police agency said in a statement. The … Continue reading Police bust cocaine ‘super-cartel’ in Europe and Dubai
On China’s heavily censored social media, a new target has emerged for internet police: blank sheets of white paper. Platforms are rushing to remove images of people holding up the empty pages after protesters made them a symbol to express their frustration at China’s zero-Covid policies. Over the weekend, amid one of the largest nationwide demonstrations that China has seen in decades, demonstrators used few … Continue reading New Symbol of Protest in China Roils Censors: Blank White Sheets Of Paper
The Israel Air Force this week will hold one of its largest drills in years with the United States Air Force simulating offensive strikes against Iran’s nuclear program. The drill will take place from Tuesday until Thursday over the Mediterranean Sea and Israel. It will include long-range flights such as those that Israeli pilots might need to make in order to reach the Islamic Republic. … Continue reading Israel, US to hold air drill simulating striking Iran nuclear program
Police on Monday stopped and searched people at the sites of weekend protests in Shanghai and Beijing, after crowds there and in other Chinese cities demonstrated against stringent COVID-19 measures disrupting lives three years into the pandemic. From the streets of several Chinese cities to dozens of university campuses, protesters made a show of civil disobedience unprecedented since leader Xi Jinping assumed power a decade … Continue reading China strengthens grip after rare protests against Covid lockdowns and communism
Russian military strikes on Ukraine this week have left half of the capital city of Kyiv without electricity, amid cold winter temperatures. Fifteen civilians have died following Russian shelling in the recently recaptured city of Kherson. Continue reading Russia amps up missile strikes in Ukraine, killing 15 in Kherson
Law enforcement officials in Brazil say a former student armed with a semiautomatic pistol and wearing a bulletproof vest fatally shot three people and wounded 13 others on Friday after storming two schools in southeastern Brazil. Continue reading Shootings at Brazil schools leave 3 dead, 13 wounded
The majority of the country of Ukraine remains without electricity, heat, and water after a series of devastating Russian missile attacks against the country’s infrastructure this week. Continue reading Much of Ukraine still without power, heat and water after Russian missile attacks
Beijing, the capital city of China, has been placed on strict lockdown as Covid cases within the communist nation starts to rise. Continue reading Beijing comes to a halt as China puts capital city on lockdown
A fire at a factory in central China killed dozens of people on Monday, according to Chinese state-media, the latest in a string of fatal industrial accidents to hit the country in recent years. State run-newspaper Henan Daily reported Tuesday that two people previously reported missing had been found dead following the blaze at the factory in Anyang, Henan province, bringing the death toll to … Continue reading Factory fire kills 38 people in central China, state media reports
A UK fisherman became the envy of anglers everywhere after reeling in a nearly 70-pound monster goldfish — potentially the world’s largest. A Facebook post detailing the man’s catch of a lifetime is currently blowing up on Facebook. Andy Hackett, 42, landed the behemoth, aptly nicknamed The Carrot, while fishing at Bluewater Lakes in Champagne, France, one of the world’s premier carp fisheries, the Daily … Continue reading Fisherman lands whopping 67-pound goldfish, may break world record: ‘It was sheer luck’
Pakistan ordered an investigation into an alleged leak of confidential tax documents after an online news portal published a report about army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s family amassing property worth billions of rupees during his term in office. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar “has taken serious notice of the illegal and unwarranted leakage of tax information of the family members of General Qamar Javed Bajwa,” … Continue reading Pakistan Orders Probe Into Leak After Report on Army Chief’s Family Wealth
Rescuers were digging through debris on Tuesday to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that toppled homes and buildings in a highly populated area of Indonesia’s West Java province, killing at least 268 people. A further 151 people remain missing and more than 1,000 were injured, the country’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) said. The 5.6-magnitude quake hit the Cianjur region in West Java … Continue reading Search underway as magnitude-5.6 earthquake leaves over 200 dead in Indonesia
Pope Francis on Tuesday fired the entire leadership of the Roman Catholic Church’s worldwide charity arm following accusations of bullying and humiliation of employees, and appointed a commissioner to run it. The surprise move involved the executives of Caritas Internationalis (CI), a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more 200 countries. The sackings of the executive level of … Continue reading Pope sacks leadership of worldwide Catholic charity, names commissioner
The French government on Tuesday expressed shock after a tax inspector was stabbed to death as he was trying to audit the books of a business owner in the north of the country. The murder victim, a 43-year old civil servant for the tax authorities, was found dead on Monday, killed “most likely by repeated stabbing”, the prosecutors’ office in the northern French city of … Continue reading France in shock after murder of tax inspector
The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou locked down its largest district Monday as it tries to tamp down a major COVID-19 outbreak, suspending public transit and requiring residents to present a negative test if they want to leave their homes. The outbreak is testing China’s attempt to bring a more targeted approach to its zero-COVID policies while facing multiple outbreaks driven by fast-spreading omicron variants. … Continue reading China’s Guangzhou locks down millions in ‘zero-COVID’ fight
An earthquake on the main Indonesian island of Java has killed at least 162 people and injured hundreds, regional governor Ridwan Kamil has said. The 5.6 magnitude quake struck Cianjur town in West Java, at a shallow depth of 10km (six miles), according to US Geological Survey data. Scores of people were taken to hospital, with many treated outside. Rescuers were working into the night … Continue reading Indonesia: Java quake kills 162 and injures hundreds
The head of Russia’s state-run atomic energy agency, Rosatom, warned on Monday there was a risk of a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, following renewed shelling over the weekend. Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations of shelling the facility for months since Russian forces took control of it in March, shortly after invading Ukraine. Renewed shelling on Sunday triggered fresh … Continue reading Top Russian official warns of possible nuclear accident at Zaporizhzhia
Saudi Arabia has executed 12 people in 10 days despite the Crown Prince‘s promise to cut down on such form of punishment, according to a human rights organisation. Reprieve said the defendants, all males, were sentenced to death after being imprisoned for non-violent drug offences. According to the non-profit organisation, which gathered data on this week’s executions, most of the defendants were beheaded with a … Continue reading Saudi Arabia executes 12 people with swords even after Crown Prince’s promise to cut back
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under the control of Russian military officials, was hit by shelling on Sunday, drawing condemnation from the United Nations nuclear watchdog, which said the attacks risked a major disaster in the area. Continue reading Ukraine nuclear power station shelled, UN nuclear watchdog says
North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a range that could strike anywhere across the U.S.’s mainland, defense officials said Friday. The missile landed 130 miles off the coast of Japan, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it was in close communication with Japanese and South Korean officials. The U.S. command immediately condemned Pyongyang’s missile launched and called … Continue reading North Korea test launches ballistic missile capable of striking anywhere in US
B.C. Begley 