Rescue teams in Japan are dealing with water leaks, gas pipes, and unstable ground as they work to reach a man whose truck fell into a sinkhole near Tokyo two days ago. The sinkhole, reportedly 10 meters wide and 10 meters deep, appeared at an intersection in Yashio, Saitama prefecture, on Tuesday morning, swallowing a … Read more
Firecrackers cracked, incense was burned at temples, and dancers and drummers paraded across Asia and beyond on Wednesday as millions celebrated the Lunar New Year. From Beijing to Havana, the holiday – called Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam, and Seollal in Korea – is widely celebrated. Wednesday marked the start of the Year … Read more
Ukraine claimed on Saturday to have hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in a drone strike, igniting a fire at the facility more than 700 miles inside Russian territory. The strike on the Taneco refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan – one of Russia’s largest and most modern refineries – was the second time Ukrainian forces … Read more
On Saturday, Moscow accused the U.S. of jeopardizing global energy stability with new extensive sanctions on Russia’s energy sector. On Friday, the U.S. and the U.K. imposed new sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, including oil giant Gazprom Neft, just days before President Joe Biden leaves office. Moscow’s foreign ministry stated that, ahead of Biden’s “inglorious … Read more
Archaeologists have uncovered well-preserved sections of the foundation wall of Queen Hatshepsut’s valley temple in Luxor, along with the nearby tomb of Queen Teti Sheri, the grandmother of Ahmose I, Egypt’s first pharaoh of the New Kingdom era. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist and former minister of antiquities, announced on Wednesday the discovery of over … Read more
An Italian journalist who had been detained in Iran for three weeks was released on Wednesday and returned home, after her situation became linked to that of an Iranian engineer arrested in Italy and sought by the United States. A plane carrying Cecilia Sala, 29, arrived at Rome’s Ciampino airport, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni … Read more
Russian natural gas exports via Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine to Europe were halted in the early hours of New Year’s Day as a transit deal expired and warring Moscow and Kyiv have failed to reach an agreement to continue the flows. The shutdown of Russia’s oldest gas route to Europe ends a decade of … Read more
Japan Airlines (JAL) announced on Thursday that its systems were restored, with same-day ticket sales resuming, after a cyberattack caused delays to some domestic and international flights. The attack, which began at 7:24 a.m., disrupted both internal and external systems, leading JAL to temporarily shut down a malfunctioning router and suspend ticket sales for Thursday’s … Read more
President Biden condemned Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, calling the missile and drone strikes “outrageous.” “The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” Biden said in a statement. “Let me be clear: the … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump has named Brian Burch, president and co-founder of CatholicVote, as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Trump shared the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “I am pleased to announce that Brian Burch will serve as the next United States Ambassador to the Holy See. Brian is … Read more