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China Discovers Cluster of New Mpox Strain

World A woman walks on the Youyi Bridge at the Liangmahe river in Beijing, China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

China Discovers Cluster of New Mpox Strain

Chinese health authorities said on Thursday they had detected the new mutated mpox strain clade Ib as the viral infection spreads to more countries after the…

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World People take part in New Year celebrations near the Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in central Moscow, Russia, January 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Kremlin: Putin Would Welcome Trump's Desire for Contacts, But So Far There Have Been No Requests

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would welcome US President-elect Donald Trump's desire for contacts, but…

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World A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an…

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World UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart, center, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, left, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk as they attend the UN's end of year reception at Ledras Palace inside the UNbuffer zone in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Türkiye Insists on Two States for Ethnically Divided Cyprus as the UN Looks to Restart Peace Talks

Türkiye on Wednesday again insisted on a two-state peace accord in ethnically divided Cyprus as the United Nations prepares to meet with all sides in early…

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World Photo: AFP

Taliban Say India Is a ‘Significant Regional Partner’ after Meeting

The Taliban's foreign office said they saw India as a "significant regional and economic partner" after meeting with its most senior foreign ministry official,…

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World US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, December 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Biden Reaffirms Support for Weapons Surge to Ukraine after Russia’s Christmas Attack

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia's…

World Acehnese people attend a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami at the Baiturrahman Mosque, an Aceh landmark that survived from the tsunami, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 26 December 2024.

Prayers and Tears Mark 20 Years Since the Indian Ocean Tsunami That Killed Some 230,000 People

People started gathering in prayer on Thursday and visiting the mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean…

World Maintenance workers are seen atop of an airplane of Japan Airlines (JAL) at a hangar of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan, April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

Japan Airlines Hit by Cyberattack, Flights May be Impacted

Japan Airlines (9201.T), said on Thursday it was hit by a cyberattack that may affect both domestic and international flights. The attack began at 7:24 a.m…

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World A volunteer works to clear spilled oil on the coastline following an incident involving two tankers damaged in a storm in the Kerch Strait, in the settlement of Blagoveshchenskaya near the Black Sea resort of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, Russia December 21, 2024. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov/File Photo

Russian Region Declares Emergency Situation as Black Sea Oil Spill Fallout Widens

Authorities in Russia's southern Krasnodar region on Wednesday declared a region-wide emergency, saying that oil was still washing up on the coastline 10 days…

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World An Israeli national flag flies over a city highway during rush hour, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel's Top Finance Ministry Civil Servant Resigns

The director general of Israel's Finance Ministry, Shlomi Heisler, will step down following the 2025 state budget next month after two years in the post,…

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World Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (Telegram channel)

Zelensky Condemns Russian 'Inhumane' Attack On Energy Grid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Wednesday an "inhumane" attack from Russia, which launched over 170 missiles and drones, knocking out power in…

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World Pope Francis leads the traditional Urbi et Orbi Christmas Day blessing from the central balcony of Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican City, 25 December 2024. (EPA)

Pope Urges ‘All People of All Nations’ to Silence Arms and Overcome Divisions in Christmas Address

Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged "all people of all nations" to find courage during this Holy Year "to silence the sounds…

World In this handout image released by the Portuguese Navy on December 22, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major is watched during a monitoring operation conducted by the Portuguese Navy along the Continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Portugal. (Handout / Portuguese Navy / AFP)

Russian Cargo Ship Which Sank off Spanish Coast Was Victim of ‘Act of Terrorism,’ RIA Cites Owner

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major which sank in the Mediterranean Sea was the victim of "an act of terrorism," state news agency RIA cited the vessel's…

World The State Department's Global Engagement Center has faced scrutiny and criticism from Republican lawmakers and Elon Musk. Mandel NGAN / AFP

US Agency Focused on Foreign Disinformation Shuts Down

A leading US government agency that tracks foreign disinformation has terminated its operations, the State Department said Tuesday, after Congress failed to…

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World In this file photo, taken on August 3, 2021, Pakistan Army troops patrol along the fence on the Pakistan Afghanistan border at Big Ben hilltop post in Khyber district. (AP/File)

At Least 13 People Killed in Pakistani Strikes on Suspected Militant Hideouts in Afghanistan

Local Afghans and the Pakistani Taliban said Wednesday that civilians, including women and children, were killed after Pakistan launched rare airstrikes inside…

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World Rescuers carry the body of a killed person at the site where an apartment building was hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine December 24, 2024.  Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS

Russia Targets Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure on Christmas Day

Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting…

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World A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan December 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashes in Kazakhstan, 38 Dead, 29 Injured

An Embraer passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people while 29 survivors…

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World In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, shakes hands with Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (Li Xiang/Xinhua via AP)

China and Japan Agree to Talks on Security Issues as They Seek to Mend Ties

China and Japan agreed Wednesday to set up talks on often contentious security issues as they seek to improve a relationship riven in recent years by a range…

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World This handout from the South Korean Presidential Office taken on December 3, 2024 shows South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a speech to declare martial law in Seoul. (Handout / South Korean Presidential Office / AFP)

South Korea’s Yoon Defies Second Agency Summons over Martial Law

South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol did not respond on Wednesday to a second summons by anti-corruption authorities who, along with prosecutors,…

World France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou makes an address after observing a minute of silence as part of an official day of mourning for the victims of Cyclone Chido which hit the archipelago on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte a week ago, at The Hotel Matignon in Paris on December 23, 2024. (AFP)

France Has a New Government, Again. Politics and Crushing Debt Complicate Next Steps

France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, intensifying…

World  A Ukrainian AS-90 self-propelled artillery vehicle fires towards Russian positions at the frontline on Pokrovsk direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)

One Killed, 11 Wounded by Russian Missile Strike on Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih

One person was killed and 11 were wounded by a ballistic missile strike on an apartment block in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, local officials said…

World A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)

Former Israeli Hostage Dies at 78

Hannah Katzir, an Israeli woman who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and freed in a brief ceasefire last year, has died. She was 78. She was among the 250…

World Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

American Imprisoned in Russia Sentenced to New 15-year Jail Term for Espionage

A Russian-born US citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies…

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World The Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal is pictured in Panama City on December 23, 2024. (AFP)

Panama Leaders Past and Present Reject Trump’s Threat of Canal Takeover

The status of the Panama Canal is non-negotiable, President Jose Raul Mulino said in a statement Monday signed alongside former leaders of the country, after…

World This handout image released by the Demiroren News Agency (DHA) on December 24, 2024, shows the moment of an explosion in Balikesir. (Photo by DHA / AFP)

Blast at Turkish Armament Factory Kills at Least 12

An explosion at an armament factory in northwest Türkiye left at least 12 dead and four injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in the capsule production…

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World A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon,  July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean with 2 Crew Missing

A Russian cargo ship called 'Ursa Major' sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry…

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World An aircraft of SWISS airlines takes-off from Zurich Airport in Kloten, Switzerland September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Swiss Flight to Zurich from Bucharest Makes Emergency Landing in Austria

A Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Zurich from Bucharest made an emergency landing in the Austrian city of Graz because of engine problems and…

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World FILED - 04 November 2022, South Korea, Seoul: South Korean Prime Minister Duck-Soo Han meets with representatives of the South Korean and German business communities at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

South Korea's Opposition Party Vows to Impeach Acting President

South Korea’s main liberal opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo, as Seoul grapples with the turmoil set off when…

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World Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Zelenskiy Says North Korea Could Send More Troops, Military Equipment to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia's Kursk region and…