BALLATER -- Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognisable to billions of people around the world, died at her Scottish Highland retreat on Thursday. She was 96. The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 is the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately. Royal officials confirmed he is now known as King Charles III -- the first king of that name to sit on the throne since 1685. His mother's

Mykolaiv -- It's an opening night like no other at Mykolaiv's theatre, with the audience ushered down into an underground shelter this week for the first performance since war broke out. "We need this place to fight on the cultural front too," says artistic director Artiom Svytsoun. The tiny underground stage and the minimalist set provide "a form of 'art therapy'" for the people who have stayed in Mykolaiv and need something other than the grinding fear of war. Welcoming aud

WASHINGTON -- Republican scion Liz Cheney's primary defeat to a hardline Trumpist rival underlines the dramatic shift the party has undergone under the former president as he pulls it away from mainstream conservatism towards the politics of personality. The congresswoman's loss to Harriet Hageman on Tuesday -- ending her hopes of seeking a fourth term in her safe Wyoming seat -- was a definitive rebuke for her opposition to Donald Trump. Cheney's voting record aligned with Trump's positions 93

BEIJING (AFP) -- China’ thunderous response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit brought cross-Strait tensions to their highest level in years and sparked an outpouring of nationalist zeal online, but the mood on the streets in mainland China is a little more circumspect. Enraged by Pelosi’s trip, Beijing last week launched some of its largest-ever military drills encircling the island while suspending cooperation with the United States on issues including climate

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Uber on Friday said it will let drivers in the United States see trip details before deciding whether to accept them -- a new feature long sought by drivers. A common lament by drivers at the app-summoned ride platform has been that they have to accept a request before learning where trips will take them, or how profitable they will be. "Our new trip request screen makes it easier for drivers to decide if a trip is worth their time and effort by providing all the de

AFP -- North Korea reported zero fever cases on Saturday for the first time in more than two months since it confirmed its first Covid-19 infections in May. "There were no new fever patients reported" over a 24-hour period from Thursday evening, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, marking the first time the isolated country had reported no new cases since it began tallying numbers in May. While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the start of the pandemic,

AFP -- Elon Musk on Friday filed claims against Twitter as he fights back against the tech firm's lawsuit demanding he be held to his $44 billion buyout deal. Musk's counter-suit was submitted along with a legal defense against Twitter's claim that the billionaire is contractually bound to complete the deal he inked in April to buy Twitter, the Chancery Court in the state of Delaware said in a notice. The 164-page filing was submitted as being "confidential," meaning the documents we

GENEVA -- The World Health Organization on Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak, which has affected nearly 17,000 people in 74 countries, to be a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound. "I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference. He said a committee of experts who met on Thursday was unable to reach a consensus, so it fell to him

GENEVA -- A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the rarely used top alert available to the World Health Organization to tackle a global disease outbreak. The WHO on Saturday declared the surge in monkeypox to be a PHEIC after experts reviewed the situation at an emergency committee meeting two days earlier. Here is a look at how the decision is made and previous PHEIC declarations: What is a PHEIC?   The conditions which must be met are set out under the 2005 Interna

KYIV, Ukraine - Satellite photos and on-the-ground images reveal a sharp increase in burials in Russian-held areas of Ukraine, according to a report released Friday. The non-government Centre for Information Resilience analysed images of burials in six areas -- two of them previously held by Russian forces and the rest still under Moscow's control in southern Ukraine. "Open source information can give unprecedented reach behind the frontlines of the war in Ukraine and into areas occupied by

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's embattled president flew out of his country to the Maldives early Wednesday, in a likely prelude to his resignation after months of widespread protests against his island nation's worst-ever economic crisis. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" after fleeing his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it. As president, Rajap

TOKYO -- Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gathered at a Tokyo temple Tuesday for a private funeral, as mourners outside condemned the leader's "despicable" murder. Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power. The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because h

NARA – A day after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, a steady stream of mourners, many in tears, arrived at the scene of his murder in western Japan to offer flowers and prayers. People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on the otherwise ordinary street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections. Afternoon downpours did not deter the crowds who came to offer condolences, some having traveled great distance

SAN FRANCISCO -- Elon Musk on Friday pulled the plug on his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, accusing the social media giant of "misleading" statements about the number of fake accounts, a regulatory filing showed. Musk's effort to terminate the deal that he inked in April sets the stage for an epic court battle over a billion-dollar breakup fee and more. "Mr. Musk hereby exercises (the) right to terminate the Merger Agreement and abandon the transaction," his lawyers said

LONDON -- Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday brought the curtain down on her historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations, making another public appearance on the last of four days of festivities and vowing to maintain her record-breaking reign. The 96-year-old monarch, who has been troubled by mobility problems, appeared for the first time in person since Thursday on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Trooping the Colour military parade. Her exertions at the start of the celebrations had forced her to