The leadership contest for Japan’s ruling party began on Monday, with five candidates competing to become the country’s fourth prime minister in as many years. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba withdrew on 7 September following a series of poor election results for the long-dominant but struggling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).   Five contenders filed their papers […]

Hundreds of families sought refuge in schools and evacuation centres on Monday as Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan with heavy rains and gale-force winds. The typhoon, gaining strength as it moves on a collision course with southern China, was expected to make landfall over the Babuyan Islands of the Philippines […]

Britain’s Transport Department on Sunday approved a £2.2-billion ($2.96-billion) plan for a new runway at London’s Gatwick Airport, following months after Heathrow Airport unveiled plans for a third runway, according to a government document. Airport expansions of this scale are rare in Europe, where governments are divided between reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the […]

At least one person has died in Catalonia on Sunday, following torrential rains that swept through the region in northeastern Spain, causing widespread disruption to rail and air travel. Firefighters discovered a body in a river in the town of Sant Pere de Riudebitlles, near Barcelona, while searching for two individuals whose car was reportedly […]

Estonia has announced that the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting in response to the violation of its airspace by Russian fighter jets, an incursion condemned by US President Donald Trump. The incident occurred on Friday, when three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland. NATO forces intercepted the […]

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has rejected US allegations that he is a drug trafficker and asked President Donald Trump for dialogue, according to a letter released by Caracas on Sunday. The appeal comes amid rising tensions between the two nations. The letter, addressed to Trump and dated 6 September, was sent days after the United […]

Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella will now cover Saudi Arabia, a source close to the kingdom’s government told AFP on Sunday. The announcement comes just days after the two allies signed a mutual defence treaty, in a move described as a surprise by international observers. The source indicated that the deal had been in development for several […]

A man accused of murdering a schoolgirl in northern France over three decades ago has gone on trial on Monday, in one of the country’s oldest cold cases to reach court in recent years. The victim, 17-year-old Nadege Desnoix, was killed in 1994 in the Aisne region. The case remained unsolved for many years until […]

On Sunday, Britain, Australia, Canada, and Portugal formally recognised a Palestinian state after nearly two years of war in Gaza, with France, Belgium, and other nations expected to follow during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The State of Palestine was unilaterally proclaimed in 1988 by the Palestinian leadership in exile. Today, Israel continues […]

Countries around the world are continuing to plan increases in fossil fuel production at levels incompatible with global climate commitments, according to new research published on Monday. The report, compiled by more than 50 international researchers, compares projected fossil fuel expansion against the goals of the Paris climate accord and highlights a significant gap between […]