Russia on Saturday declared an "anti-terrorist operation regime" in Moscow and the Moscow region, after the chief of the Wagner mercenary group vowed to overthrow Russia's military leadership and claimed control of a key military headquarters in the south. "With the aim of preventing possible terrorist acts on the territory of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, an anti-terror operation regime has been introduced," the country's national anti-terrorist committ

The head of the Wagner mercenary group said Saturday he had crossed into Russia with his forces to topple Moscow's military leadership, saying he and his 25,000 fighters were "ready to die." Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and controlled its military sites. "We are inside the (army) headquarters, it is 7:30 am (0430 GMT)," Prigozhin said in a vi

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that it’s “critical” the US and China maintain a relationship so they can “work together” on global challenges, coming just after President Joe Biden’s remarks calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator” drew condemnation from Beijing. Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Yellen said that “with respect to the comments, I think President Biden and I both believe it’s critical to main

  Global airlines more than doubled their 2023 industry profit forecast to $9.8 billion from $4.7 billion, spurred on by strong travel demand as the sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic years are behind us and borders are open as normal,” Director General Willie Walsh of the International Air Transport Association said. But profit margins, clocking in at 1.2 percent, were still too thin to ensure the industry’s long-term financial robustness, he added

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on China to use its influence on Pyongyang to stop the reclusive country from making further provocations, he said Monday, amid anticipation that North Korea may soon launch a space rocket in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Blinken insisted China is in a "unique" position to encourage North Korea to act responsibly. "We also spoke about North Korea's increasingly reckless actions and rheto

JENIN, Palestinian Territories -- Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank killed four Palestinians including a militant on Monday, in a raid that saw seven Israeli security personnel wounded and rare helicopter fire. The sound of gunfire was heard across Jenin as wounded Palestinians continued to arrived by ambulance to the northern West Bank city's Ibn Sina hospital into the early afternoon, an AFP journalist said. The Palestinian health ministry said four people had been killed and at le

PARIS -- Europe should brace for more deadly heatwaves driven by climate change, said a sweeping report on Monday, noting the world's fastest-warming continent was some 2.3 degrees Celsius hotter last year than in pre-industrial times. Crop-withering drought, record sea-surface temperatures and unprecedented glacier melt are among the consequences laid out in a report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The continent, whi

HONG KONG — Chinese shoppers were treated to deep discounts, new products and payment plans as online merchants sought to revive their sluggish appetite for spending during China’s first major online shopping festival after the end of zero-COVID policies. For the first time, e-commerce retailer JD.com did not release the results of its 618 shopping festival, which ended Sunday, making it hard to know just how much was spent. A bigger shopping festival, Single's Day, held on Nov.

BEIJING — The United States and China have pledged to stabilize their badly deteriorated ties during a critical visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi pronounced himself satisfied with progress made during talks in Beijing. But, Blinken told media, China refused to resume military to military communications, a US priority. It remains to be seen whether the two countries can resolve their most important disagreements, m

A project using artificial intelligence to track social media abuse aimed at players at the 2022 World Cup identified more than 300 people whose details are being given to law enforcement, FIFA said Sunday. The people made “abusive, discriminatory, threatening posts or comments” on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, soccer’s governing body said in a report detailing efforts to protect players and officials during the tournament played in Qatar. The

MPONDWE, Uganda -- Militants linked to the Islamic State group massacred at least 41 people, mostly students, in western Uganda, the country's deadliest such attack in over a decade, officials said Saturday. The military said it was pursuing the attackers from the Allied Democratic Forces, who also abducted six people during a raid on a school late Friday before fleeing back towards the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials and witnesses said guns and knives were used in a grisly late-nig

The national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday discussed regional security issues and ways to strengthen the trilateral alliance, they said in a joint statement. It was the first meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his counterparts, Akiba Takeo of Japan and Eduardo Ano of the Philippines. "The three (advisers) discussed a wide range of regional security challenges, including with respect to the South China Sea and

In the throes of Canada’s raging wildfires, a glance at this century’s major blazes paints a troubling picture of a globe marked by climate change. The 21st century has seen many of these destructive events, with Australia’s 2019-20 season and Russia’s 2021 wildfires scorching immense tracts of land. The fire seasons of 2009 and 2015, one in Australia and another in Russia, saw an alarming loss of life, unlike most other major fires. The current Canadian situation, althou

MILAN — Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy's longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday, according to his television network. He was 86. Mediaset announced his death with a smiling photo of the man on its homepage and the headline: “Berlusconi is dead.” Berlusconi was admitted to the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on Friday, his second recent hospitalization for treatm

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reclaimed the title of the world’s wealthiest person, surpassing LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault. Musk and the luxury tycoon have been neck-and-neck for the top spot this year in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a listing of the world’s 500 richest people. LVMH shares have tumbled about 10 percent since April, at one point wiping $11 billion from Arnault’s net worth in a single day. Musk’s rise in the position was due to the shares of Tesla