Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas is set to address the United Nations virtually on Thursday, as the United States considers whether to intervene to halt Israeli annexation of the West Bank, despite its longstanding opposition to him. The 89-year-old veteran leader will speak to the UN General Assembly just three days after France convened a […]

Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu, celebrated for his innovative “sponge cities” that mimic natural ecosystems to manage urban water, has tragically died in a plane crash in Brazil. The accident also claimed the lives of two filmmakers documenting his work and the pilot, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.   Yu, aged 62, was widely recognised as […]

China has unveiled a new climate action plan at a United Nations meeting, marking its first pledge to include absolute targets for reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The plan sets a goal of cutting emissions by 7–10 percent by 2035, signalling a step forward in the country’s long-term climate strategy.   China is the world’s […]

Seven Buddhist monks, including three foreign nationals, tragically lost their lives after a cable-pulled rail car broke and plummeted down a mountainside in north-western Sri Lanka, authorities confirmed on Thursday. The victims had been travelling to meditation units located atop a mountain within the sprawling Na Uyana Forest Monastery late on Wednesday night. Police reported […]