Tech giants must pay news

Canberra [Australia], December 13: Social media giants Meta, Google and TikTok's owner ByteDance will be forced to pay Australian media companies for journalism under a...

Chemical weapons use in Syria must be investigated

Damascus [Syria], December 13: The head of the chemical weapons watchdog said he would ask Syria's new leaders to grant investigators access to the country...

Israel kills 36 Palestinians in Gaza

Gaza [Palestine], December 13: Israel killed 13 Palestinians in two airstrikes in Gaza that Gaza medics and Hamas said were part of a force protecting...

Hong Kong ex-democratic lawmaker among seven convicted for rioting

Hong Kong, December 13: A Hong Kong court convicted prominent former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting for rioting after a white-shirted mob attacked him in July...

Major surgeries affected as nurses and midwives strike

Australia [Melbourne], December 13: Major surgeries will be halted at a major hospital as hundreds of nurses and midwives strike in their ongoing fight for...

Time magazine to name Trump 'Person of the Year'

New York [US], December 12: Donald Trump will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday on the same day he...

Syria's Golani vows to punish those responsible for torture under Assad

Damascus [Syria], December 12: The main commander of the fighters who toppled Bashar al-Assad said that anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees...

Blinken faces Republican critics of Afghanistan withdrawal

New York [US], December 12: Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as an ending of the country's longest war...

South Korea police try to raid Yoon's office over martial law

Seoul [South Korea], December 12: South Korean police tried to search President Yoon Suk Yeol's office but have not been able to enter the main...

Vienna Airport welcomes over 30 million passengers for first time since 2019

Vienna [Austria], December 12: Vienna International Airport has announced surpassing 30 million passengers for the first time since 2019, signalling a strong recovery in travel...

UN appeals for $4.07 billion to support Gaza, West Bank

New York [US], December 12: The United Nations launched an urgent humanitarian appeal today, calling for US$4.07 billion to address the most pressing needs of...

2024 hottest year on record: WMO report

Geneva [Switzerland], December 12: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has projected that 2024 is on course to become the hottest year on record, primarily due...

FAO launches first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years

Geneva [Switzerland], December 12: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has released the first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years.

EU spent €381.4 billion on R&D in 2023

Brussels [Belgium], December 12: In 2023, the EU spent €381.4 billion on research & development (R&D), which is 6.7% more than in the previous year...

Austria drops veto on Bulgaria, Romania fully joining Schengen Travel Zone

Vienna [Austria], December 12: Austria is dropping its veto on Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of Europe's Schengen free-travel area, the Austrian Interior Ministry...

Finance Minister Keller-Sutter to be next president of Switzerland

Bern [Switzerland], December 12: Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter will become president of her country in 2025, after her formal election by both houses of...

Hungary's Orban calls Putin to discuss diplomacy options in Ukraine war

Moscow [Russia] / Kiev [Ukraine], December 12: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have spoken on the phone about the war...

Girl, 11, rescued in Med after 3 days clinging to tyre tubes

Freetown [Sierra Leone], December 12: An 11-year-old girl has been rescued after clinging to inner tubes for three days in stormy weather in the Mediterranean....

Ex-defence chief in South Korea tries to kill himself after being arrested

Seoul [South Korea], December 12: South Korea's previous defence minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week's martial law declaration, officials...

Afghanistan's refugee minister Haqqani killed in suicide blast in Kabul

Kabul [Afghanistan], December 12: Afghanistan's acting minister for refugees has been killed in an explosion in the capital, Kabul, the Taliban has said.

Iran blames Israel, US for overthrow of al-Assad

Tehran [Iran], December 12: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed his archenemies the United States and Israel for the fall of the Bashar...

Syria's new PM appeals to refugees: 'Come back!'

Rome [Italy], December 12: Syria's new interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, is calling on Syrian refugees around the world to return to their homeland following...

EU to discuss potential sanctions on Georgia after protest violence

Brussels [Belgium], December 12: The European Union is threatening the Georgian government with sanctions in light of the violence against pro-European protesters. Possible measures will...

Taiwan urges China to stop military activities in surrounding waters

Taipei [Taiwan], December 12: Taiwan on Wednesday called on China to immediately halt its military activities in the island's surrounding waters following several days of...

Billions of malaria cases prevented this century

Geneva [Switzerland], December 12: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 2.2 billion cases of malaria have been prevented since the year 2000 through...

Israel 'more optimistic' on prospects of Gaza hostage deal

Gaza [Palestine], December 11: Israel is now more optimistic about a possible hostage deal in Gaza, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday, amid reports...

UN Security Council appears united on Syria

Damascus [Syria], December 11: United Nations Security Council members will work on a statement on Syria in the coming days, U.S. and Russian diplomats said,...