Earthquake Hits Japan, Tsunami Warning Issued
Late on Monday, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck southwest Japan, resulting in two minor tsunamis but no reported damage. The quake struck at a depth of 36 kilometres around 18 kilometres off the coast of Miyazaki prefecture in the Kyushi region around 21:19 pm (1219 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of possible tsunami waves...
Suspended South Korean President Set To Receive Pay Rise Amid Impeachment Trial
Despite being the subject of an impeachment trial and an insurrection investigation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is likely to receive a pay raise for 2025. Official documents from the Ministry of Personnel Management and sighted by AFP revealed that Yoon’s annual salary will rise by three percent to 262.6 million won ($178,400). Although suspended, Yoon retains his presidential status...
Asian, European Stocks Plunge After US Jobs Report
Asian and European markets sank after an outsized US jobs report dealt another blow, while oil sparked by new sanctions on Russia’s energy. The equity sell-off tracked hefty losses on Wall Street, where all three main indexes finished more than one per cent lower as the new trading year continued to falter. Keenly awaited data on Friday showed the US economy...
Apple Faces £1.5bn Lawsuit In UK For Overcharging On App Store
A trial opening on Monday in which plaintiffs want more than one billion pounds is set to answer that question. The complaint, filed in May 2021, accuses Apple of breaching European and UK competition laws by “its exclusion of any other app stores from iOS devices” like iPhones and iPads. It claims that some 20 million Apple users may have been overcharged...
California fire: Trump Blames Leaders For Poor Response As 16 Killed
US President-elect Donald Trump criticises California's response to the wildfires following the state governor's invitation to witness damage firsthand. “The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols (politicians) have no idea how to put them out,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country. They just can’t...
300 North Korean Soldiers Reportedly Killed In Ukraine, Says South Korean Lawmaker
A South Korean lawmaker stated Monday, citing data from Seoul's spy agency, that about 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 have been injured while participating in Russia's war against Ukraine. Seoul has previously claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent more than 10,000 soldiers as “cannon fodder” to help Moscow fight Kyiv in return for...
Gay Men Can Now Become Priests If…., Vatican Says
The Vatican has approved guidelines permitting gay men to become priests, provided they remain celibate. This marks a notable shift in the Catholic Church's approach, as new directives issued by Italian bishops now allow gay men to enter seminaries. While the Church had not explicitly banned gay men from the priesthood in the past, a 2016 directive discouraged men with...
Army Chief Joseph Aoun Appointed Lebanon’s President
On Thursday, a second round of parliamentary voting elected Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun as president, filling a more than two-year void in the war-torn, crisis-stricken nation. “The speaker announces that the president is Joseph Aoun,” speaker Nabih Berri said, reporting that Aoun received 99 out of 128 votes after failing to get a required majority in a first round...
Pope Cautions Against Fake News, AI, Mind Manipulation
Pope Francis issued a warning on Thursday about the perils of false information and how it can be disseminated through social media and artificial intelligence (AI), adding that it may be "misused to manipulate minds." In his traditional New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, Francis lamented the increasing polarisation of society, “aggravated by the continuous creation and spread...
Egypt Unveils New Archaeological Discoveries In Luxor
High-ranking officials' 4,000-year-old tombs were among the new archaeological finds made by Egypt at an ancient necropolis in the city of Luxor. The artefacts, unearthed during a three-year-long excavation, were found in the Deir al-Bahari area in the necropolis of Thebes on the west bank of the Nile, renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who led the mission in cooperation with Egypt’s...
