International
North Korea: Kim Jong-un vows to build ‘invincible military’
North Korea’s leader has vowed to build an “invincible military” in the face of what it says are hostile policies from the United States, state media report. Kim Jong-un added that weapons development was for self-defence, and not to start a war. Mr Kim made the comments at a rare…
Read More »Drugs, arms, and terror: A high-profile defector on Kim’s North Korea
The old habits of secrecy haven’t left Kim Kuk-song. It has taken weeks of discussions to get an interview with him, and he’s still worried about who might be listening. He wears dark glasses for the camera, and only two of our team know what we think is his real…
Read More »Afghanistan: Deadly attack hits Kunduz mosque during Friday prayers
A suicide bomb attack on a mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz has killed at least 50 people, officials say, in the deadliest assault since US forces left. Bodies were seen scattered inside the Said Abad mosque, used the minority Shia Muslim community. More than 100 people were…
Read More »US deeply concerned over Taiwan-China tension
The US is “deeply concerned” about actions that undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has told the BBC. His comments come after China sent a “record number” of military jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone for four days in a row, in a public show of…
Read More »Texas abortion: Judge temporarily blocks enforcement of law
A US judge has temporarily blocked a controversial new law in Texas that effectively bans women from having an abortion in the state. District Judge Robert Pitman granted a request the Biden administration to prevent any enforcement of the law while its legality is being challenged. The law was…
Read More »Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram back after outage
Social media services Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram are coming back after an outage that lasted almost six hours, Facebook says. All three services are owned Facebook and could not be accessed over the web or on smartphone apps. Downdetector, which tracks outages, said it was the largest failure it…
Read More »Pandora Papers: Secret wealth and dealings of world leaders exposed
The secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians, and billionaires have been exposed in one of the biggest leaks of financial documents. Some 35 current and former leaders and more than 300 public officials are featured in the files from offshore companies, dubbed the Pandora Papers. They reveal the…
Read More »Abortion rights march: Thousands attend rallies across US
Tens of thousands of people have been holding rallies across all 50 US states in support of abortion rights. They have been galvanized in opposition to a new Texas law that severely limits access to abortions in the state. Pro-choice supporters across the country fear that constitutional rights may be…
Read More »Australia to lift 18-month COVID-19 travel ban next month
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has outlined plans to lift a pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November. But no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back. Travel restrictions that have trapped most Australians and permanent residents at home over the past 18 months…
Read More »Afghanistan: US-Taliban deal hastened Afghan collapse, defence officials say
Top US defence officials have said the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan can be traced back to a deal between the group and the Trump administration. The so-called Doha agreement was signed in February 2020 and set a date for the US to withdraw its troops. Gen Frank McKenzie said the…
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