World

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE — Reports from Moscow suggest that U.S. representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are “optimistic” about the prospect of results from their discussion with Kremlin officials this week. But after months of fruitless negotiations, if they are optimistic about achieving a negotiated solution to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have little reason for it, given comments …

Volodymyr Zelensky’s aeroplane was targeted by military-style drones as it approached Dublin Airport. The incident happened on Monday night at about 11pm as the Ukrainian President arrived for a meeting with Ireland’s prime minister. The drones breached a no-fly zone and reached the location where Zelensky’s plane was expected to be at that particular moment. However, fortunately for the Ukrainian …

Hong Kong education authorities have urged schools to seek a consensus with pupils and parents on whether to cancel Christmas celebrations following the Tai Po inferno, with some students expressing disappointment on social media about parties being called off. The Education Bureau’s clarification on Thursday followed a letter it sent last week asking schools to mourn the victims of the …

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has pointed to the widening geography of the Ukraine crisis The recent naval drone attacks on vessels off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast, reportedly carried out by Ukraine, could make the region inaccessible to trade and human transport, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned. In the past week, explosives-laden sea drones have struck two oil …

Ukrainian drone commanders operating the heavy-lift “Baba Yaga” night bombers have inflicted an estimated £12.5billion in damage on Russian forces, according to a former advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The drone takes its nickname from Baba Yaga, the infamous, bone-legged ogress of Slavic folklore who lives in a hut on chicken legs, flies in a mortar, and is …

With rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo disrupting travel plans, Chinese tourists are actively seeking alternative destinations for their winter getaways. While South Korea hopes to capitalise on this diverted tourist flow, it faces fierce competition from popular hotspots like Thailand, Russia and other destinations, according to travel industry officials. The timing aligns with South Korean airlines’ efforts to expand …

Ukrainian forces will be entirely pushed out of the two new Russian regions either militarily or through talks, the president has said Russia will drive Ukrainian troops from Donbass and fully liberate the region, whether through military action or diplomatic efforts, President Vladimir Putin has said. Putin made the remarks in an interview with India Today on Thursday, ahead of …

The mysterious and grizzly deaths of a group of young Soviet students in the Siberian wildness over six decades ago has gripped the imaginations of true-crime fans the world over. Their frozen and battered bodies were discovered with horrific injuries. Two of the victims had missing eyes, while one had a tongue ripped out. To this day there is no …

Sixteen Hong Kong students from a secondary school opposite the scene of a deadly blaze in Tai Po have received financial support, new textbooks and uniforms after losing their homes to the fire, their principal has said. Cheng Sze-wang, head of Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, also said on Thursday that the students were temporarily staying with their relatives or …

The Trump administration has renamed the US Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and has planted the president’s name on the organisation’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute’s control. It’s the latest twist in a see-saw court battle over who controls the US Institute of Peace, a non-profit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives. It was …