Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East. Here are some of the main reactions so far: US - US President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for Israel after holding an urgent meeting with top security officials. "I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran's attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its

Booms and air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Sunday after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. A military spokesman said the launches numbered more than 300 but 99% of them were intercepted. Calling the outcome “a very significant strategic success,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Iran fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 b

After a winning debut on Wall Street last month, Donald Trump's media group has suffered a bruising retreat, denting the Republican candidate's wealth as he faces legal challenges. Since entering public markets on March 26, Trump Media and Technology Group has seen its market value plummet from around $11 billion to under $4.5 billion. That's an unhappy reversal for the former White House inhabitant and current presidential candidate, who faces around a half billion dollars in civ

The United States, Japan and the Philippines affirmed their commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and denounced North Korea's growing military threats in their joint statement Thursday. Following their countries' first-ever trilateral summit in Washington, President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued the "joint vision" statement, noting Pyongyang's provocative actions have "

The United States, Britain and Australia are considering cooperation with Japan on advanced capability projects of their trilateral AUKUS security pact, their defense chiefs said in a joint statement Monday. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his British and Australian counterparts, Grant Shapps and Richard Marles, issued the statement, noting their consideration of cooperation with Japan in AUKUS Pillar II projects. Launched in September 2021 in an apparent move to counter China's regio

India’s financial hub Mumbai, with a population of 21.6 million, now holds the highest number of billionaires in Asia and ranks third behind New York and London in the world ranking, according to Hurun Research Institute’s global rich list. Mumbai overtook Beijing to become Asia’s leading billionaire hub for the first time with 92 billionaires. South Korea’s Seoul places 19th globally with 31 billionaires. In country rankings, China was still at the top of the list with

BEIJING - US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang sounded a hopeful tone on US-China cooperation on Sunday, though the American policymaker noted both sides cannot shy away from tough conversations. The US-China relationship can only move forward with direct and open communication, Yellen told Li, after arriving in the Chinese capital from the southern city of Guangzhou. Li, in welcoming Yellen, said "China sincerely hopes that the two countries will be partners, not

CAIRO - A Hamas delegation headed by the group's deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, will go to Cairo on Sunday for Gaza ceasefire talks, in response to an invitation extended by Egyptian mediators, the group said in a statement on Saturday. US CIA Director Bill Burns arrived in Cairo on Saturday evening to attend Sunday's talks, sources at Cairo airport told Reuters. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and an Israeli delegation were expected to take par

QUITO, Ecuador — Mexico's government severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats. Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on

HUALIEN, Taiwan -- A helicopter plucked six miners to safety from a Taiwan quarry Thursday as rescuers worked to free scores of people trapped in highway tunnels after the island's biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century. Nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 quake, but strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe on the island. Dozens of residents of the worst-hit city

Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways and causing the deaths of four people. Taiwan's national fire agency said four people died in Hualien County and at least 57 were injured in the quake that struck just before 8 a.m. The local United Daily News reported three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko National Park near the offshore epicenter. A five-story building in Hualien appeared hea

A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands. A five-story building in lightly populated Hualien appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes. Train service was suspended across the island of 23 million peo

A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit near Taiwan shortly before 9:00 am Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings for southern Japanese islands, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Tsunami waves as high as three metres (10 feet) were expected immediately for remote Japanese islands near Taiwan, including Miyakojima island, the agency said. "Evacuate!" said a banner on national broadcaster NHK. "Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately," an anchor on NHK said. "Do

PARIS -- The United States and Britain led international criticism Tuesday of a deadly strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven charity staff as they unloaded desperately needed aid brought by sea to the war-torn territory. World Central Kitchen -- one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat -- said a "targeted Israeli strike" on Monday killed Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff. Washington, Israel's main ally, said it was "heartbr

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 hit Iwate and Aomori prefectures in northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicenter was northern coastal part of Iwate Prefecture, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued. There were no reports of immediate damage. (Reuters)