Page 5 - International News

Myanmar starts presidential election process under military influence

Myanmar's Parliament on Monday began the process of electing the country's next president, which will mark a nominal return to an elected government after five years of military rule, but is widely considered to be an effort to keep power in the hands of the army. The process began the same day that Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military-led government, announced that he was relinquishing his concurrent post of the military's commander-in-chief. The move is a prerequisite for becoming head of state, because the Constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position. Min Aung Hlaing will be among three nominees to contend for the president's post, but is virtually certain to get the job as lawmakers from military-backed parties and appointed members from the military hold a commanding majority in Parliament. Here's what to know about the nominal transition to elected democracy. New president could be named by end of ...

Five killed after a train and a van collide in rural Mississippi in US

Five people were killed when a train and van collided in rural Mississippi, authorities said Friday. All five killed were in the van, Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry said. The lone surviving van passenger, a 23-year-old woman, was flown to a hospital, Flurry said. No one aboard the train was reported injured. The crash occurred when a Canadian Pacific Kansas City freight train collided with a vehicle in a crossing, the railroad said in a statement. The location was near the town of Wiggins about 45 miles (72 kilometres) northwest of Biloxi. The Stone County Sheriff's Office was investigating the crash, the company said. "Our most sincere condolences go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy," the railroad company said. The driver of the van, Ryan C Peterson, 26, and the front seat passenger, Kristina Carver, 45, were among those killed, Flurry said. Two of Carver's daughters also died, 22-year-old Emley Chamblee and 20-year-old Sarabeth Chamblee, as did 23-year-old .

PM Modi congratulates Balendra Shah on being sworn in as 47th PM of Nepal

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' took oath as Nepal's democratically elected prime minister on Friday, around six months after the K P Sharma Oli-led government was ousted in a Gen-Z protest that shook the nation. The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader was sworn in at a ceremony at the President's Office in Sheetal Niwas at the auspicious time of 12.34 pm. Balen, also an engineer, is the youngest person to assume the office in the Himalayan nation, and also the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post. He was appointed as the 47th prime minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel in accordance with Article 76 (1) of the constitution earlier in the day. He is the first democratically elected prime minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former prime minister Oli was ousted in September last year, after the youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban escalated into violence. A

WTO chief calls for overhaul of global trade rules as world order shifts

Okonjo-Iweala said the body's problems over decision-making needed to be tackled. Its current consensus-based model has been regularly stalled by objections from some countries

India, China ties on correct path of improvement: Chinese FM Wang Yi

India, China relations have embarked on a "correct path" of improvement, and their shared interests far outweigh differences, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-India relations have embarked on a correct path of improvement and development, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), said. Facing a complex and turbulent international situation, China is willing to work with India to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, uphold the principle of viewing each other as development opportunities rather than threats and treat each other as partners rather than competitors, he said during a farewell call on the outgoing Indian Ambassador Pradeep Rawat. India, China relations, which were frozen for over five years following the military standoff in Ladakh, improved after the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Mo

Taco Bell, Dunkin franchisee to pay $1.5 million in NYC scheduling case

In December, New York City announced that Starbucks would pay $38.9 million to settle claims it violated the city's scheduling law

OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky dies of cancer at 43, says company

He also runs Leo, a venture capital fund he founded in 2009 that focuses primarily on investments in technology companies

Emmanuel Gregoire becomes Paris' new mayor, succeeds Anne Hidalgo

Emmanuel Gregoire, a Socialist little known to the French public, was elected mayor of Paris in a runoff vote Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo. Soon after claiming victory, Gregoire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener. Gregoire beat out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati, who acknowledged her defeat after partial results were made public. The race for Paris mayor was part of France's second round of municipal elections. Sunday's vote showed clear gains for the traditional left and right, and one major win for the far right in the French Riviera city of Nice. Long a discreet figure in French politics, Gregoire had for years worked by Hidalgo's side. Hidalgo was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020 but chose not to seek a third six-year term after leading the city through the 2015 extremist attacks and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here are five things to know about Par

Accenture beats quarterly revenue estimates on strong AI demand

Acquisitions of fast-growing firms and AI-focused assets will account for roughly $5 billion in spending this year, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said

Robert Mueller, ex-FBI chief who led Trump-Russia probe counsel, dies at 81

Robert S Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation's premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, has died. He was 81. "With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away" on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday. "His family asks that their privacy be respected." At the FBI, Mueller set about almost immediately overhauling the bureau's mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century, beginning his 12-year tenure just one week before the Sept 11 attacks and serving across presidents of both political parties. He was nominated by Republican President George W Bush. The cataclysmic event instantaneously switched the bureau's top priority from solving domestic crime to preventing terrorism, a shift that imposed an almost impossibly difficult standard on .

Gold falls 2.7% to over 1-month low on strong dollar, hawkish Fed tone

Central banks in the US, Canada and Japan struck hawkish tones this week, wary that rising energy prices could spark a fresh wave of inflation

Ex-Illinois Republican Party chairman wins GOP primary for US Senate seat

Don Tracy, the former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, has won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. The retirement of Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin triggered a competitive campaign, with 10 Democrats and 6 Republicans in the race. Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked the contest, which has tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. He backed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton over U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in that primary. Tracy was the state party chairman from 2021 to 2024. Illinois last had a Republican in the Senate a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated by Democrat Tammy Duckworth. Illinois voters decided primaries Tuesday for six open U.S. House and Senate seats in contests that became a testing ground for issues shaping the Democratic Party's future. From questions about the cryptocurrency and AI industries to immigration enforcement to fracturing U.S. support for Israel, the state's voters confronted such issues as super PACS poured

London Metal Exchange halts electronic trading across metals markets

Prices were mixed before the outage, with copper up 0.6 per cent and aluminum down 1.3 per cent

'One Battle After Another', tale of political resistance, shines at Oscars

Sinners, a horror fantasia about African American trauma, received four Oscars, including one for Ryan Coogler's original screenplay

Nebius signs AI infrastructure deals with Meta worth up to $27 bn

Nasdaq-listed Nebius shares, which closed at $112.50 on Friday, have risen 35 per cent so far this year, giving it a market capitalization of $28.6 billion

Wild weather disrupts flights, dumps snow, and knocks out power in US

Heavy snow touched off blizzard warnings from South Dakota to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Sunday, the National Weather Service said

Active shooter reported at synagogue in Michigan, police respond

FBI director Kash Patel said on X that agency personnel are also on the scene responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation

China passes ethnic unity law to promote assimilation of minorities

The law, which was approved at the close of China's legislative meeting on Thursday, has wide-ranging provisions that touch on education, housing policy, entertainment and other areas

FAA grounds all JetBlue flights across US after request from airline

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all JetBlue flights due to a request from the airline, the agency said on Tuesday. The ground stop impacts flights to all destinations, according to the advisory. It was not immediately clear why JetBlue requested the ground stop or how long it would last. The airline and the FAA didn't immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press requesting more information. The airline, which was founded more than 25 years ago, has its headquarters in New York City and its flagship terminal at the city's John F Kennedy International Airport.

Japan set to deploy first batch of home-developed long-range missile

Japan is preparing to deploy its first batch of domestically developed long-range missiles, with their launchers arriving at an army camp Monday as the country accelerates its offensive capability in response to rising challenges in the region. The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles will be deployed at Camp Kengun in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto by the end of March, completing the process of deployment, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said. Army vehicles carrying their launchers and other equipment arrived early in the morning in a highly secretive mission criticized by local residents who protested outside the camp. Opponents have complained about the lack of transparency and said the deployment would instead escalate tension and make the missiles the target of attacks. The Defence Ministry last year moved up the schedule of the missiles' deployment by one year as Japan accelerates a military buildup in the southwestern region as China escalates tension ..