32 h. ago Delcy Rodríguez: ‘Venezuela has the right to have relations with Russia, China, Iran and Cuba’

Delcy Rodríguez: ‘Venezuela has the right to have relations with Russia, China, Iran and Cuba’  EL PAÍS English

Politics

4 d. ago Trump tells Iranians ‘help is on its way’ as protest death toll hits 2,000

The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spiked on Tuesday to at least 2,003 people killed, activists said, and Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown. The number of dead, as reported by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), dwarfs that in any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. These demonstrations,...

Events

4 d. ago Malaysian petrol station operators fume as foreign fuel abusers go unpunished

Two cases within a week involving foreign-registered cars receiving subsidised RON95 fuel have led to calls for Malaysia’s government to go after the vehicle owners as well rather than just the petrol station operators. The common view was that it was unfair for the operators to be the only party penalised while the vehicle owners were let off the hook. “Since there are no penalties, these culprits will try their luck,” said a cashier at a petrol station, who only wanted to be known as Lee. He...

Events

6 d. ago Iran rights group reports many dead as government calls counter

Iranian authorities have committed a “mass killing” in cracking down on the biggest protests against the Islamic republic in years, a rights group said on Sunday, as the government ordered counter-rallies in a bid to regain the initiative. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it had confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but warned the actual death toll could already amount to several hundred, or even more. The IHR has an extensive network of sources in the country. The...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump ‘cancelled’ second attacks on Venezuela after prisoner release, eyes oil investments

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the government, whose leftist president was removed by Washington, began releasing prisoners. Trump made the comments as he prepared to meet major oil corporations that he said will invest at least US$100 billion in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves. Trump was implicitly making clear he is ready again to use force to get his way in Venezuela, which he has vowed to force to...

Events

8 d. ago Why Bali wants to check tourists’ bank balances – and why it may be hard to enforce

Indonesia’s Bali is weighing a regulation that would require foreign tourists to disclose how much money they have had in their bank accounts over the past three months, the island’s most far-reaching proposal yet in a drive to deter low-spending visitors and promote what officials call “quality tourism”. Governor Wayan Koster said the measure would be included in Bali’s Draft Regional Regulation on Quality Tourism Management, which he said was nearing completion in the island’s...

Economics

8 d. ago Why Bali wants to check tourists’ bank balances – and the challenges of making it work

Indonesia’s Bali is weighing a regulation that would require foreign tourists to disclose how much money they have had in their bank accounts over the past three months, the island’s most far-reaching proposal yet in a drive to deter low-spending visitors and promote what officials call “quality tourism”. Governor Wayan Koster said the measure would be included in Bali’s Draft Regional Regulation on Quality Tourism Management, which he said was nearing completion in the island’s...

Economics

9 d. ago China launches Woody Island fresh food link as disputed Paracels hub expands

China has launched a fresh food supply service for residents of Woody Island, part of the hotly contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A flight carrying fresh fruit, vegetables and meat landed on Woody Island – known as Yongxing Island in Chinese – on Tuesday, according to local state broadcaster Sansha TV. Woody Island is the largest outcrop in the Paracels, which are called the Xisha Islands in China. The island hosts the government of Sansha, which was established to administer...

Politics

1 week ago ICE agent shoots woman dead in Minneapolis crackdown, sparking outcry

A US immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violence in US President Donald Trump’s nationwide crackdown on migrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adamantly rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that the agent fired in self defence, saying video of the shooting directly contradicted what he called the government’s “garbage...

Events

1 week ago Minneapolis on edge after ICE agent shoots woman dead, sparking outcry

Minneapolis was on edge on Thursday following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the latest violence in US President Donald Trump’s nationwide crackdown on migrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adamantly rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that the agent fired in self defence, saying video of Wednesday’s shooting directly contradicted what he called the government’s “garbage narrative”. “They’re already trying to spin...

Events

1 week ago Rights group says 16 dead in Iran protests, government clashes

At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups said on Sunday, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country, prompting violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Deaths and arrests have been reported throughout the week both by state media and rights groups, though the numbers have differed. Reporters have not been able to verify the figures independently. The protests are the biggest in three years and while smaller than some...

Events

1 week ago At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups said on Sunday, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country, sparking violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Deaths and arrests have been reported throughout the week both by state media and rights groups, though the figures differ. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the numbers. The protests are the biggest in three years. Senior figures have struck a softer...

Events

1 week ago 'Stop toppling Venezuela government': China demands release of Maduro, his wife; calls it breach of inter

'Stop toppling Venezuela government': China demands release of Maduro, his wife; calls it breach of inter  Times of India

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong police hunt man after missing woman, 35, found dead

Hong Kong police are searching for a man in connection with the death of a 35-year-old woman who had previously been reported missing and was later found dead. Officers discovered the woman’s body while investigating the missing person case, and were now tracking down a male suspect, a source told the Post. The source said the suspect and victim were lovers. On Tuesday night, a large number of officers were deployed to Lok Wah South Estate, a public housing development in Kwun Tong. The role of...

Events

3 w. ago Venezuela frees 99 prisoners detained after 2024 election protests, prisons authority says

Venezuela released 99 prisoners on Christmas Day, officials said, with the government calling it a goodwill gesture as it assesses arrests made after President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election. “The national government and the justice system have decided to evaluate each case individually and, in accordance with the law”, released 99 citizens “as a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice”, the Ministry of Penitentiary Services said. “They were deprived of liberty...

Events

4 w. ago Iran executes man as Israeli spy, rights group says confession ‘extracted under torture’

Iran executed a man convicted of spying for the Israeli intelligence and army on Saturday, state media reported. State TV identified the executed man as Aghil Keshavarz, saying he had “close intelligence cooperation” with Mossad and took photos of Iranian military and security areas. Keshavarz was arrested while taking pictures of a military headquarters in the northwestern city of Urmia, some 600km (370 miles) northwest of the capital Tehran in May. He was accused of carrying out more than 200...

Politics

4 w. ago Centrist Hong Kong lawmaker says win will spur more vocal candidates in future polls

The sole lawmaker-elect of the centrist Roundtable party in Hong Kong has said his victory in the recent Legislative Council election could embolden more moderate and outspoken politicians to contest future polls. Mark Chong Ho-fung also called on the government to strengthen oversight to improve public trust, citing two cases: the bottled water scandal and the use of substandard scaffolding nets suspected to have exacerbated the rapid spread of last month’s catastrophic fire in Tai Po. The...

Politics

4 w. ago Market rates set Hong Kong’s HK$150,000 subsidy for Tai Po fire victims: minister

Hong Kong authorities took market rates into account before setting a two-year annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,278) for flat owners displaced by the Tai Po fire, the city’s home affairs minister has said, amid calls for the government to monitor whether the new measure will further drive up rents in the area. Under the new measure, homeowners of the fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court will each receive the subsidy to rent homes in the private market, at a total cost of HK$1.2 billion. Both flat...

Events

last month Elior Group begins training technicians for Hong Kong’s aircraft disassembly industry

A French aeronautical services company planning to set up Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business has called on the government to support the new industry with measures such as tax breaks, as it launched its training programme for local technicians. The Elior Group, a subsidiary of the Derichebourg Group, expressed optimism that it would be able to secure the land required for aircraft dismantling, parts storage, processing and recycling in Hong Kong by the third quarter of next...

Politics