North Korea conducts another ‘crucial test’ at missile base
North Korea has conducted another "crucial test" at its Sohae satellite launch site, state media reported Saturday, as nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington remain stalled with a deadline approaching. The announcement comes a day before US Special Envoy on North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to arrive in Seoul for a three-day visit, and…
US government workers to get 12 weeks paid parental leave
The US government is set to give 12 weeks paid parental leave to federal workers for the first time. It will be available to around two million government personnel when they become mothers and fathers. The move came as part of a defence bill passed by the House of Representatives, and is set to be…
Moscow angered by Prague monument to Russian army ‘traitors’ who helped liberate city
Russia has said it has been left “baffled” and indignant by plans from a district of the Czech capital Prague to build a memorial to a notorious Russian army that sided with the Nazis during the war. The memorial to the men of the Russian Liberation Army will go up in the western district of Řeporyje,…
New Zealand volcano eruption: elite military team recovers six bodies from White Island as divers continue hunt
A team of expert divers will continue looking for the last two missing victims of the White Island eruption on Saturday, after the New Zealand Defence Force and police recovered six bodies from the island on Friday in a high-risk operation. Deputy Commissioner of Police Mike Clement had warned that “a lot will have to go…
Canada’s conservative leader quits after election defeat and school fees scandal
Canada’s opposition Conservative leader said on Thursday he will resign as party leader after weeks of infighting and a disappointing performance in parliamentary elections. Andrew Scheer, 40, called resigning "one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made." He will stay on until a new leader is elected. "Serving as the leader of the…
Shinzo Abe cancels Japan-India summit amid citizenship bill violence
Japan’s prime minister cancelled a planned summit in India after a second day of violent unrest over the enactment of a controversial new citizenship law. Clashes erupted between police and students in Delhi, a day after two people were shot dead in widespread protests in the north eastern state of Assam. Narendra Modi’s government has…
Merkel faces backbench rebellion over Huawei
Huawei could be excluded from Germany’s 5G network following a backbench rebellion against Angela Merkel. In a blow to the German chancellor’s authority, backbenchers from her own party and her main coalition partners have united to block the controversial Chinese telecommunications company from the project. Mrs Merkel has so far defied US pressure to exclude…
New Zealand volcano eruption: recovery team lands on White Island
A dangerous mission to recover the bodies from New Zealand’s White Island has begun, with an elite team landing on the island amid warnings that the chances of a new eruption remain perilously high. New Zealand Police confirmed the risky operation had started shortly before 7.30am on Friday NZT (6.30pm UK time), following a blessing at…
Iraq mob lynches 16-year-old after he attacked and killed anti-government protesters
An angry mob killed a 16-year-old and strung up the corpse by its feet from a traffic pole after the teen shot and killed six people on Thursday, including four anti-government protesters, Iraqi officials said. Dozens of people pointed their cellphones at the body dangling high above them in a central Baghdad square. Videos circulating…
Computer is set to complete Beethoven’s unfinished symphony
In the most ambitious project of its type ever attempted, a computer has been set to work to complete Beethoven’s unfinished 10th symphony. Artificial intelligence has long been able to compete with the human mind at games like chess and complex maths problems. But musicologists and computer programmers in Germany are attempting to prove it…