S. Korea's opposition leader Lee Jae-myung announces bid for presidency

Germany's CDU/CSU, SPD reach deal to form new gov't

Russian and U.S. officials will hold a new round of talks in Istanbul in the coming days, local media reported Tuesday, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Lee Jae-myung, chief of South Korea's main liberal opposition Democratic Party, resigned as party leader on Wednesday amid wide expectations for his presidential run.

Russian specialists are preparing detailed information on the innovative technology of oil and oil spills collection from water surface and successful practices of plastic collection on Lake Baikal. This was announced by the Director of the Department of International Cooperation in the field of natural resources and environmental protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources Ivan Kushch, reports the press service of the Ministry.

Billionaire Elon Musk has made personal appeals to US President Donald Trump to reverse the sweeping tariffs, but the attempted intervention, confirmed by two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks, has not brought success so far, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The European Union (EU) on Monday proposed a 25 percent tariff on select U.S. products in response to President Donald Trump's recent decision to impose duties on European steel and aluminum, reported Reuters and Bloomberg, citing an internal document shared with EU member states.

Senior White House officials are making shocking remarks linking China to recent US market plunge — even targeting Chinese AI firm DeepSeek — as backlash mounts over US economic policies, including sweeping “reciprocal” tariff. Some comments have shocked even American media and netizens.

Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani pledged on Sunday to bolster the Self-Defense Forces' (SDF) transport capacity to remote southern islands through a newly launched unit called the Maritime Transportation Group, focused on maritime logistics citing so-called growing tensions over the Taiwan Straits, Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported.

Demonstrators in major European cities, including London, Paris, Berlin and Lisbon, joined the U.S. "Hands OFF" movement on Saturday to protest against the Trump administration's policies, especially the so-called "reciprocal tariffs."

The world's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) showed a notable decline in business activity last month, with a significant drag from the Americas, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday.

Protests erupted in dozens of cities across the United States on Saturday over the controversial policies unveiled by US President Donald Trump's administration since January.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended his first NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where he reaffirmed Washington's position that Europe should take more responsibility for defending the alliance.

More countries have voiced strong opposition to the US' new sweeping tariffs, with leaders from Europe, Asia, and Africa opposing the move and calling for more action to prevent further trade escalation.

The South Korean Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday, removing him from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The death toll in Myanmar has risen to 2,886, with 4,639 injured and 373 still missing, five days after the earthquake struck on Friday, according to the country's State Administration Council information team on Wednesday.

The BRICS Working Group has held a series of meetings to discuss sustainable transport solutions and improve air connectivity between member countries. These discussions are aimed at agreeing on priority topics to be presented at the BRICS Summit in July. This is reported by the official website of the Brazilian Government.

US President Donald Trump said he was "very angry" and "pissed off" at Russian President Vladimir Putin over the latter's questioning of Ukrainian leadership, and he threatened to impose secondary tariffs of Russian oil buyers in an interview with NBC News on Sunday. US President later also said Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky faces "big, big problems" if he backs out of a mineral deal with the US.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he may impose "secondary tariffs" on Russian oil if he believes Russia is at fault for not reaching a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Five survivors, including a child and a pregnant woman, have been rescued by Chinese rescue teams in Mandalay as of Monday morning as Chinese rescue teams are racing against time to save lives in quake-hit Myanmar.

Chinese rescuers pulled out a pregnant survivor in quake-hit Myanmar city Mandalay on Monday morning.

China Search and Rescue Team successfully recovered a female survivor at the Great Wall Hotel quake site in Mandalay city, Myanmar, early on Monday.

In the second article of "Readers' Reflections" column, GT reporter Chen Qingqing talked to Hodan Osman Abdi, the Somali Ambassador to China, who previously worked in Zhejiang and conducted extensive grassroots research across various regions in China.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Tonga Islands at 8:18 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The Washington Post on Saturday revealed a Pentagon internal guidance memo from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth which allegedly focuses on “deterring China's seizure of Taiwan” and shoring up US homeland defense. A Chinese expert said that the memo once again underscores Washington's positioning of comprehensive strategic competition with China as a core priority, however, the memo's contradiction with current US administration's America First doctrine means there could be policy inconsistency in implementation.

Members of the Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) team from China's Hunan Province recovered a quake survivor in central Myanmar's severely-hit city of Mandalay at around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday “praised American-Japanese friendship and trust” while attending a memorial service on Iwo Jima to honor those who died in a pivotal World War II battle, according to AP. Hegseth's related remarks have sparked strong criticism from many netizens. They slammed Hegseth's praise of the Japanese military as a desecration of the sacrificed American soldiers in the battle.

About 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive earthquake in Myanmar, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Saturday that she will visit Greenland on April 2 to 4 for talks with the territory's new government, according to Reuters.

Thirteen Chinese nationals were injured in the earthquake in Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar confirmed on Sunday.

A small plane crashed in a residential area in the U.S. state of Minnesota on Saturday, setting a house on fire, said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

A rescue team of China's Yunnan Province, joined by Myanmar's rescue forces, retrieved an elderly man in earthquake-hit Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw at 05:00 local time on Sunday.

A total of 1,644 people died, 3,408 were injured, and 139 remained missing in a powerful earthquake in Myanmar, according to the Information Team of the State Administration Council on Saturday night.

Two survivors with vital signs were found by China's Yunnan Rescue Medical Team in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, on Saturday, following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday.

Four people were injured in a knife attack in Trondheim, Norway, local media reported on Saturday.

US Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused Denmark of failing to protect Greenland from countries like Russia and China and other nations, suggesting the US would be better suited to safeguard the island. Vance's comments are a continuation of Washington's obsession with great-power competition, a Chinese expert said.

A total of 694 people were killed, 1,670 injured and 68 missing in a deadly earthquake in Mandalay region of Myanmar as of Saturday morning, the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council reported.

Greenland announced the formation of a new autonomous government on Friday in Nuuk, the capital, just hours ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to the Arctic island.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday announced a state of emergency in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, after a strong earthquake.

A 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar at 14:20 on Friday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada's old relationship with the United States "based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over."

Amid escalating armed clashes and rising security risks, the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan has advised Chinese nationals to evacuate as soon as possible via commercial flights. In case of emergencies, they are advised to contact the embassy promptly, the embassy said on Thursday.

A 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar at 2:20 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 jolted Myanmar at 06:20:54 GMT on Friday, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday is scheduled to host European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential cease-fire with Russia, reported AFP. Experts viewed the summit as Europe's latest push to secure a seat at the negotiation table alongside the US and Russia, though they noted that Europe's influence over Washington is limited.

The death toll rose to 26, with 30 others injured, as South Korea's worst-ever wildfires continued to rage in southeastern areas, government compilation showed Thursday.

Hamas Spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanou has been killed in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza, according to media report on Thursday.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, released on Wednesday the full content of a group chat regarding the operation plan to strike Houthi forces in Yemen, after President Donald Trump and several high-ranking officials claimed the group chat did not contain classified information.

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted of election law violation by an appeal court on Wednesday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet were officially dismissed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday afternoon.

Eighteen people were killed and 19 others injured as deadly wildfires raged in South Korea's southeastern region, government compilation showed Wednesday.

U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz assumed "full responsibility" for a leaked group chat discussing an upcoming strike in Yemen, he said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday stood by his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, after The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was accidentally added to Signal group chat where high-level national security officials were discussing military plans in Yemen.

Three days of technical-level negotiations on the details of a potential ceasefire in Ukraine concluded here Tuesday without an official joint statement, as participating parties offered somewhat conflicting assessments of the talks.

Senior U.S. national security officials added a prominent journalist to a Signal group chat discussing a military strike on the Houthis in Yemen, making him aware of the airstrike plan two hours before the U.S. operation.

Top Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, discussed details of a highly sensitive operation to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen in a group chat that mistakenly included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, according to Goldberg on Monday.

The new round of talks between Russian and U.S. delegations concluded here on Monday after some 12 hours, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

US and Russian officials began talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday, following US negotiations with Ukraine on Sunday, aimed at making progress toward a broad cease-fire in Ukraine with Washington eyeing a separate Black Sea maritime cease-fire deal before securing a wider agreement, according to the Reuters.

A high-profile US delegation will visit Greenland this week to visit an American military base and watch a dogsled race as President Donald Trump promotes the idea of a US annexation of the strategic, semi-autonomous Danish territory. This move has faced both opposition from Greenland and Denmark governments, according to a report by Reuters.

U.S. and Russian delegations started fresh talks on Monday in Saudi Arabia, which are reportedly expected to cover discussions on the Ukraine settlement and the Black Sea initiative.

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Monday dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president in the ongoing turmoil over suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol's brief imposition of martial law, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday.

South Korea's constitutional court on Monday rejected a motion by the parliament to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, according to the court.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced Sunday that the talks between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations have concluded in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, saying the discussion was "productive and focused," with "key points including energy" addressed.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has topped 50,000, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had met top military commanders in the country's northeast to discuss the frontline in Ukraine's war with Russia and Ukrainian delegation's meetings with US officials due to get under way in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the Reuters on Sunday.

Chinese and New Zealand scientists have successfully concluded a groundbreaking collaborative dive expedition to the Puysegur Trench, supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Global Trench Exploration and Diving program (Global TREnD).

The US Department of Defense announced on Friday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will depart next week for a trip to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Japan. This will be Hegseth's first official visit to the Indo-Pacific region during his tenure. Unlike traditional first trips to the Asia-Pacific region by US defense secretaries, which typically include South Korea, Hegseth has notably omitted South Korea and included the Philippines instead. Experts interviewed by the Global Times believe that this arrangement demonstrates the US intention to target China and is likely to encourage the Philippines to take further provocative actions against China.

South Korea's opposition parties on Friday submitted an impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, deputy prime minister for economic affairs who became acting president in December last year following the impeachments of both president and prime minister, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

S. Korea's opposition parties submit impeachment motion against acting president

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to formally begin the process of dismantling the Education Department, saying that his administration is returning education back to the states.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will sign a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine "very shortly."

US President Donald Trump has held what he described as a "very good" hour-long phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, a day after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian President put his support behind President Trump's push for a limited ceasefire with Russia.

A senior Philippine military official has called on India and South Korea to join the “Squad,” an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. A Chinese expert described the move as a reflection of Manila's anxiety and a risky bet to embolden itself by drawing external powers into the region.

The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Wednesday agreed to "a partial ceasefire against energy" between Russia and Ukraine.

Ceasefire talks on Russia-Ukraine conflicts are scheduled for Sunday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, a US envoy said Tuesday.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since last June, returned to Earth Tuesday afternoon.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call on Tuesday that the peace in Ukraine "will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Tuesday that any peace negotiations regarding the conflict in Ukraine must fully involve the Ukrainian government.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated the country's "unwavering support" for Ukraine in a phone talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening, according to a Downing Street statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call on Tuesday that the peace in Ukraine "will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire."

The two American astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were scheduled for a nine-day mission but ended up spending more than nine months in space, are finally returning to Earth. At 13:05 Beijing time on Tuesday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the two astronauts undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and began its journey home, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The spacecraft is expected to splash down in waters near Florida early Wednesday morning Beijing time.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov has met with Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Zhamshid Khodjaev to discuss key aspects of bilateral economic cooperation. This is reported by the official website of the Russian Government.

Researchers at South Ural State University (SUSU), a partner of TV BRICS, have patented a programme to detect traffic anomalies using neural network technology. It analyses CCTV footage, recognises different vehicles and tracks their speed and trajectory with an accuracy of up to 30 centimetres. This allows to form visual maps of traffic flow difficulties in real time, the press service of the university reports.

The UAE Cybersecurity Council has identified more than 1,200 cases of internet begging in 2024, warning of fraudulent donation campaigns exploiting social media, particularly during Ramadan.

Hamas says head of its government in Gaza killed in Israeli airstrikes

Death toll from Israeli Gaza airstrikes rises to 310 - Gaza health authorities

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was striking dozens of Hamas targets, in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January, according to AP. The strikes have killed at least 100 Palestinians and wounded tens of others, the Xinhua News Agency reported citing Palestinian medical and security sources.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced early Tuesday he had ordered the military to "act forcefully against Hamas in the Gaza Strip," launching a wave of airstrikes across the Palestinian enclave.

The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until March 17, 2026.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will release 80,000 pages of unredacted files related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy (JFK) on Tuesday.

A military drone and a helicopter crashed at an army airfield in South Korea Monday, without any casualty, according to local broadcaster YTN and Yonhap news agency.

At least 34 people died as of Saturday night as dozens of violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and gust-driven wildfires continue battering the central and southern United States on Saturday.

Hundreds of staffers at Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other outlets received a weekend email that they will be barred from their offices and should surrender press passes and equipment, local media reported Saturday.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed to defend Hungary's sovereignty and resist external control, describing the European Union (EU) as an empire seeking domination, like past foreign powers.

European shares dropped this week as a broad sell-off took hold, fueled by mounting concerns over the fallout of "Trumpcession," a term coined by economists to describe the turbulence triggered by "erratic" trade and economic policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The US warplanes on Saturday night launched airstrikes on several Houthi sites in Yemen's capital Sanna and the northern province of Saada, killing at least 13, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Friday that Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufay'i, also known as Abu Khadija, was killed by Iraqi security forces, with the support of the US-led coalition fighting ISIL, Aljazeera reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff late Thursday to discuss the details of an American-proposed 30-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, asking him to relay Moscow's perspectives to Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Friday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. This follows Putin's remarks Thursday that Russia is "in favor" of the 30-day ceasefire plan proposed by the US and Ukraine, but nuances exist.

South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun is facing mounting backlash over allegations that he was in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. The controversy has intensified both in South Korea and in China on Friday, especially after his agency issued an urgent statement acknowledging their past relationship but emphasized that Kim Sae-ron was of legal age at the time.