Page 2 - International News

Kremlin claims Putin received Trump's invite to join Gaza 'Board of Peace'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif have also received invitations to join the Peace Board

Philippines finds new gas reserve in waters near South China Sea

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the discovery of a new natural gas deposit near an existing gas field in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, which could shield his country from a potential power crisis. The discovery of the gas reservoir northwest off Palawan province was significant and could eventually supply power to more than 5.7 million households annually, Marcos said Monday. The undersea reservoir is estimated to contain about 98 billion cubic feet (2.7 billion cubic metres) of gas. Initial tests showed 60 million cubic feet (1.6 million cubic metres) of gas could be extracted each day from the well, Marcos said without providing other details including when commercial production could start. This helps Malampaya's contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come, Marcos said. Aside from the natural gas, the discovery also includes condensate, which is a high-value liquid fuel. The new gas deposit, called Malampaya East

Japan PM Takaichi dissolves parliament, calls snap election on Feb 8

The February 8 vote will decide all 465 seats in the lower house of parliament and will mark Takaichi's first nationwide electoral test since she assumed office in October

Uganda's Yoweri Museveni wins 7th term as Opposition rejects poll results

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won his seventh term with 71.65 per cent of votes, according to official results Saturday, in an election marred by internet shutdown and fraud claims by his youthful challenger, who rejected the outcome and called for peaceful protests. The musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine took 24.72 per cent of the vote, the final results showed. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has condemned what he described as an unfair electoral process and alleged abductions of his polling agents. He said he had rejected the fake results and urged Ugandans to peacefully protest until the rightful results are announced. Wine said he had to escape to avoid arrest by security forces who stormed his house Friday night. His party said earlier he was forcefully taken away in an army helicopter but police denied it. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Wine was not under arrest and was free to leave his house, but there was controlled access for .

Indonesian regional aircraft carrying 11 passengers goes missing, search on

A regional passenger aircraft carrying 11 people lost contact with ground control Saturday while approaching a mountainous region between Indonesia's main island of Java and Sulawesi island, officials said. A search and rescue operation is underway. The turboprop ATR 42-500 operated by the Indonesia Air Transport was on the way from Yogyakarta to the capital city of South Sulawesi when it vanished from radar, said Endah Purnama Sari, a spokesperson for the Transportation Ministry. The plane was last tracked at 01:17 pm in the Leang-Leang area of Maros, a mountainous district of South Sulawesi province. Multiple search and rescue teams, supported by air force helicopters, drones and ground units have been deployed, Sari said in a statement. Hopes for locating the wreckage grew after hikers on Mount Bulusaraung reported finding scattered debris, a logo consistent with Indonesia Air Transport markings, and small fires still burning at the scene. The sightings were reported to authori

Trump to levy 10% tariffs on European allies amid push to acquire Greenland

Trump argued that the United States had long subsidised Denmark and other European countries by not imposing tariffs and said it was now time for Denmark to "give back"

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi takes a ride on Delhi Metro

The statement highlighted that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended financial support to the Delhi Metro project since Phase 1

'Hands off Greenland' protests erupt in Denmark against Trump's threats

Trump has repeatedly said Greenland is vital to US national security because of its strategic Arctic location and mineral resources, and has not ruled out the use of force to acquire it

India in touch with Iran over consular access for 16 detained sailors

In a statement, the mission said it was informed in mid-December about the detention of the vessel by Iranian authorities, with 16 Indian crew members on board

China cuts US debt holdings to 17-year low, shifts reserves to gold

China has reduced its US Treasury holdings to a 17-year low as part of the continued diversification of its forex reserves towards gold and overseas equity investments amid unsettling ties with Washington. China's holdings of US treasuries fell to USD 682.6 billion in November last year, down from USD 688.7 billion in October, the lowest since 2008, according to data released by the US Department of the Treasury on Thursday. Beijing's move to trim its US holdings came as the foreign ownership of the US debt hit a record high, with Japan and the UK scaling up their holdings, according to the data. Japan's holdings rose by USD 2.6 billion to USD 1.2 trillion, while the UK's pool rose by USD 10.6 billion to USD 888.5 billion. China holds the world's largest forex reserves totalling USD 3.3579 trillion at the end of December 2025, according to the official media reports here. Observers say the reduction of US holdings by China is part of its continued efforts to adjust its strategic .

As more Chinese youth live alone, new app bluntly asks: 'Are you dead?'

Today, China has over 100 million households with only one person, according to an annual report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 2024

Trump warns of invoking Insurrection Act as Minnesota protests grow

The 1807 law allows the president to use regular military troops on US soil for domestic law enforcement. It was last invoked during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles

US imposes sanctions on Iranian officials accused of protest crackdown

The US is imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against Iran's theocratic government. The Treasury Department on Thursday targeted the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security for allegedly calling for violence against protesters. The sanctions also affect 18 people and companies involved in a shadow banking network linked to Iranian financial institutions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the US supports the Iranian people's call for freedom and justice. The sanctions block access to US assets and business, but they are mostly symbolic as many targets lack US funds.

EU leaders Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen to be Republic Day guests

Top European Union leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen will be the chief guests at India's 77th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. Costa and von der Leyen will undertake a three-day visit to India beginning January 25 and the two sides are expected to announce firming up of the much awaited India-EU trade pact during their trip. India and the European Union (EU) have been strategic partners since 2004. The bilateral ties have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas, particularly following the historic visit of EU College of Commissioners to India in February last year, the ministry said. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be on a state visit to India from January 25 to 27, it said. The MEA said the two European leaders will be the chief guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.

Ukraine defence minister says 200,000 deserted as 2 million dodged draft

Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers are among a raft of challenges facing Ukraine's military as Russia presses on with its invasion of its neighbour after almost four years of fighting, the new defence minister said Wednesday. Mykhailo Fedorov told Ukraine's parliament that other problems facing Ukraine's armed forces include excessive bureaucracy, a Soviet-style approach to management, and disruptions in the supply of equipment to troops along the about 1,000-kilometre front line. We cannot fight a war with new technologies but an old organisational structure, Fedorov said. He said the military had faced some 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed 34-year-old Fedorov at the start of the year. The former head of Ukraine's digital transformation policies is credited with spearheading the the army's drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms. His appointment was part

Pakistan signs deal with Trump-linked crypto firm on $1 stablecoin

The announcement represents one of the first publicly announced tie-ups between World Liberty, a crypto-based finance platform launched in September 2024, and a sovereign state

Greenland to be largest US land acquisition, if Trump has his way

Trump has based his fixation on Greenland, which has been part of the Danish Kingdom for over 300 years, on reasons of "national security"

US pulls some staff from military bases amid Iran's threat of strikes

The US has started pulling some personnel from its military bases in West Asia as tensions with Iran grow and diplomatic contacts between both nations collapse, sparking fears of a wider conflict

Trump says 'anything less' than US control of Greenland is 'unacceptable'

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that American control of the island was necessary to counter the influence of Russia and China

Zubeen Garg drowned, was intoxicated and without life jacket: S'pore police

Garg, 52, was with a yacht party on September 19, 2025 and initially wore a life jacket but removed it and later declined to put on a second one offered to him