Bangkok — Thailand's new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of controversial billionaire ex-premier Thaksin, vowed to boost the kingdom's sluggish economy as she formally took office on Sunday. Paetongtarn, at 37 the kingdom's youngest-ever PM, comes to power after a court sacked the previous premier and disbanded the main opposition party, throwing Thailand's ever-febrile political scene into a new round of turmoil. She is the third Shinawatra to be prime minister but will hope... Читать дальше...
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Ernesto weakened into a tropical storm late Saturday as it moved away from Bermuda over open waters of the Atlantic after crossing over the tiny British territory early in the day with heavy rains and strong winds. Ernesto forced residents to stay indoors, and more than 23,000 people lost power, officials said. By late Saturday, the storm's maximum sustained winds had decreased to 70 mph (110 kph). It was centered about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda and moving north-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph). Читать дальше...
Washington — Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, will shutter its local operations in Brazil following a legal tussle over the platform's rights and responsibilities, owner Elon Musk said Saturday. The service will remain available to Brazilian users. The closure was the apparent culmination of an ongoing legal battle between Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who has said he is trying to fight the spread of dangerous disinformation online. A post Saturday from... Читать дальше...
HARARE, Zimbabwe — About 68 million people in Southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought that has wiped out crops across the region, the regional bloc SADC said Saturday. The drought, which started in early 2024, has hit crop and livestock production, causing food shortages and damaging the wider economies. Heads of state from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) were meeting in Zimbabwe's capital Harare to discuss regional issues including food security. Читать дальше...
moscow — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula early Sunday morning local time, according to the regional earthquake monitoring service. The local emergencies ministry said tremors were felt along the coast including in the region's capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. "Operational teams of rescuers and firefighters are inspecting buildings," the regional branch of Russia's emergencies ministry in the Kamchatka region said on Telegram. The... Читать дальше...
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israel said it killed two senior Hamas militants in an airstrike on their car in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, claiming they were involved in the killing of an Israeli. A joint statement from the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Defense Forces identified the militants as Ahmed Abu Ara and Rafet Dawasi, both from the West Bank's northern district around Jenin. In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades military wing said it was mourning the deaths of two... Читать дальше...
Beijing, China — Youth unemployment in China ticked up to 17.1% in July, official figures showed, the highest level this year as the world's second-largest economy faces mounting headwinds. China is battling soaring joblessness among young people, a heavily indebted property sector and intensifying trade issues with the West. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is responsible for economic policy, called Friday for struggling companies to be "heard" and "their difficulties truly addressed," according to the state news agency Xinhua. Читать дальше...
DETROIT — Canada's two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the U.S. Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National railroads, which haul millions of tons of freight across the border, have stopped taking certain shipments of hazardous materials and refrigerated products. Both are threatening to lock out Teamsters Canada workers... Читать дальше...
SAN DIEGO — A rarely seen deep-sea fish resembling a serpent was found floating dead on the ocean surface off the San Diego coast and was brought ashore for study, marine experts said. The silvery, 12-foot-long (3.6-meter) oarfish was found last weekend by a group of snorkelers and kayakers in La Jolla Cove, north of downtown San Diego, in the U.S. state of California, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said in a statement. It's only the 20th time an oarfish is known to have washed up in California since 1901... Читать дальше...