A powerful cyclone swept northward across the three Baltic states on Saturday, killing two as strong winds, torrential rain and thunderstorms ravaged Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Meteorological data showed Saturday's storm was the most destructive to hit Latvia since January 2005.

A senior Iranian security official on Saturday warned neighboring countries and other states against joining the United States in its "economic pressure campaign" against Iran, saying Tehran would regard such countries as "enemies."

Australia has confirmed its first case of H5 bird flu in a mammal after a long-nosed fur seal in the state of South Australia tested positive for the virus, authorities said on Sunday.

The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) has been granted a patent for an optical sensor for detecting vapors and gases, which will improve sensor systems used in industry, environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics. This was reported on the website of the institute.

ReshUCube-4, a nanosatellite under development at Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology together with the Keldysh Research Center, will put advanced green propellant technology through its paces in space.

In response to US President Donald Trump's 50 percent tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday that Canada would impose retaliatory tariffs on US steel, electronics and other imports starting September 8, media reported.

A Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying iron ore sank after it had set sailing from India's Paradip Port in the eastern state of Odisha, confirmed an official of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday.

Iran's top security official Mohsen Rezaei warned Saturday that any country participating in the US economic war against Iran will be considered an "enemy" by Tehran.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Saturday that Iran has received "numerous" messages from neighboring countries about "shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation" in the region.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a phone call on Saturday to discuss the latest regional developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.

Thailand's Fourth Army Region has advised the public to stay vigilant following the occurrence of multiple violent incidents in its southern border provinces.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday delivered a nationally televised address to outline Canada's position following the breakdown of trade talks with the United States, announcing that Ottawa's "dollar-for-dollar" retaliatory tariffs against 20 billion US dollars' worth of American goods would take effect on Sept. 8.

India's federal health ministry on Saturday listed symptoms to watch for H1N1 influenza cases and urged people to remain alert.

The United States and Canada failed to reach a trade deal on Friday, and the White House said that it would impose 50 percent tariffs on certain imports from Canada.

A temporary reversal in Antarctic ice-sheet mass loss from July 2021 to April 2023 has been traced to multiyear warming in the tropical warm pool spanning the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans, according to a study by researchers from China, the United States, Japan, Belgium and Hungary.

Ghana on Wednesday proposed deeper cooperation between China, Ghana, and the rest of West Africa to achieve improved outcomes of healthcare in the subregion. Deputy Health Minister Grace Ayensu-Danquah urged during the third China-West Africa Medical Expo and AI Diagnosis Summit that health sector partnerships with China should go beyond importing finished products to local manufacturing and assembly, technology transfer, research collaboration, professional training, and investment in local technical capacity.

Amid escalating tensions with Japan over the Southern Kuril Islands, Russia's Pacific Fleet carried out a missile strike against simulated enemy ships near the coast of the islands on Thursday. The deteriorating bilateral relationship also highlights Japan's increasingly isolated position in Northeast Asia due to the hardline approach pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi administration, said a Chinese expert.

At least nine Palestinians, including a woman, were killed Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas-run municipal police headquarters in central Gaza City, according to Palestinian sources. A brief press statement issued by the police force said that Israeli aircraft targeted the police headquarters, resulting in a number of casualties.

Top Iraqi leaders met on Wednesday with visiting Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to discuss bilateral ties and regional tensions, according to official statements.

South Africa on Wednesday returned ancestral remains and the mortal remains of two Namibian political prisoners during a solemn repatriation ceremony in Cape Town, the country's legislative capital. Two rooms were filled with ivory-colored coffins, side by side, each draped with the Namibian flag. The mortal remains of 84 indigenous people had been held at the Iziko South African Museum for more than 100 years and were said to have been used for "scientific reasons."

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday what he described as "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country." "This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," Trump posted on Truth Social, accusing Iran of failing to take the opportunity to make a deal.

The U.S. national debt has surpassed 40 trillion dollars for the first time in history, according to data released by the Treasury Department on Wednesday. The data shows that debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings stood at 32.266 trillion dollars and 7.782 trillion dollars, respectively, bringing total public debt outstanding to 40.047 trillion dollars as of Tuesday.

Volunteers sort aid bound for people affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026, in Choco department, Bogota, Colombia, on August 18, 2026. Photo: VCG

The top UN envoy for Libya on Tuesday called for political will to advance the political process in Libya. The UN-facilitated political roadmap has made important progress. However, progress does not solely require the efforts of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), but also a sustained willingness of the Libyan political actors to engage constructively, said Hanna Tetteh, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Libya and head of UNSMIL.

A bus stop used by staff of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) came under a drone attack, leaving one dead and 17 injured, the plant said on Tuesday.

Japan's right-wing forces have recently made a fresh push to expand the country's military apparatus. The country's Defense Ministry is reportedly considering a major organizational expansion in fiscal 2027 that could add up to three new bureaus, tentatively named as a "defense infrastructure bureau," an "international policy bureau" and a "facilities policy bureau," all tentative names at this point, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Tuesday.

The death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province has risen to 68, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 33 percent, the lowest level of his presidency, amid public concerns over the U.S. war against Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded Monday.

The Philippine government has suspended in-person classes in Metro Manila and 12 other provinces as heavy rains from tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon continue to batter the country, local media reported on Monday. According to Memorandum Circular No. 127 issued by the presidential office on Monday, schools and government agencies in affected areas were directed to adopt alternative work arrangements, except for frontline services such as health, disaster response and other essential functions.

Just hours before a military exercise between the US and South Korea due to get underway on Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would reduce military exercises with key regional ally Seoul, citing his positive relationship with the North Korean leader and South Korea's lack of assistance with Iran, CNN reported.

Some recent developments of US Navy, including low morale on carriers, have dealt a series of heavy blow to the force, exposing mounting challenges across its carrier fleet and broader shipbuilding programs. These symptoms of a deeper decline in US shipbuilding capacity, if unchecked, may erode the US Navy's readiness, undermine the US' credibility with allies, and weaken the foundation of its global military ­hegemony, said a military affairs expert.

Australia's acquisition of Japan's Mogami-class frigates, a key topic reportedly expected to feature in Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's upcoming talks with his Australian counterpart and deputy prime minister on Tuesday, could go beyond a warship transaction, potentially extending to the transfer of related technologies and industrial supply chains and carrying broader geostrategic implications, a Chinese analyst said, adding that such moves risk stoking tensions and furthering Japan's remilitarization.

Syrian Airlines resumed regular direct flights between Damascus and Moscow on Sunday after a suspension of more than 18 months.

An investigation published by Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with China Media Group, said on Saturday that Japan's government-run generative AI platform Gennai could become a vehicle for right-wing political narratives in administrative work.

US President Donald Trump's reported push to reshape the US Navy's next-generation aircraft carriers - from moving the island to abandoning electromagnetic catapults in favor of steam-powered systems - could impose heavy engineering, financial and schedule costs, Chinese military affairs experts said, warning of a widening gap between political preferences and the realities of building some of the world's most complex warships.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran has made no decision yet on the resumption of negotiations with the United States, the state-run IRIB news agency reported Saturday.

The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and several strong aftershocks that struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia has risen to 20, an emergency official said Saturday.

The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and several strong aftershocks that struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia has risen to five, local authorities said Saturday.

A vessel belonging to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, the company said Saturday.

A 39-year-old gunman killed five people and then himself in a series of killings on Friday in the US state of Michigan, state police said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday criticized the United States' recent revocation of visas for Mexican public figures, calling the move an act of political interference.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, said Egypt is ready to support efforts to reach a political settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as soon as possible.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Friday rejected the US-mediated framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, describing it as an Israeli-imposed arrangement.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 jolted off the coast of Flores Island in Indonesia early Saturday, the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.

Researchers at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University have successfully tested a new bioactive material for orthopaedics based on the natural mineral hydroxyapatite with the addition of nitrogen oxide. This development will help reduce the risk of prosthesis rejection and protect patients from bacterial infections.

Russian scientists are developing a new system to recycle solid waste in space — a critical step for long-duration interplanetary missions, Vyacheslav Ilyin from the Institute of Biomedical Problems said.

As football fans prepare for the start of the 2026 to 2027 ADNOC Pro League season, Dubai Police is calling on supporters to enjoy matches responsibly, follow stadium safety rules and ensure their support reflects the positive sporting spirit associated with major events across the UAE.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation to impose tariffs ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent on imported drones and their components, citing national security concerns.

Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Thursday that no commercial vessel or oil tanker has been, or will be, able to cross the Strait of Hormuz safely without the Iranian armed forces' permission and supervision.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest the country has ever faced, with 4,449 confirmed cases and 2,061 deaths reported as of August 10. New infections are doubling weekly in some hotspots and spreading faster than the response can be scaled up, the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Global Times in an email on Thursday.

From recent reports on corroding buildings and falling ceilings at US military facilities across the Pacific to an intensifying mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Chinese military affair expert observed that behind this situation lie US strategic ambitions that have outpaced Washington's capacity to sustain its force structure, contributing to mounting problems across the US military.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa officially launched the country's Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system on Wednesday, aimed at facilitating travel while strengthening border security and supporting tourism, investment and economic growth. Ramaphosa launched the system at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa's busiest international gateway, saying the ETA would make travel to South Africa "easier, faster and more predictable."

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday declared a state of disaster following a boat capsize in Lake Kariba, as police confirmed the death toll from the tragedy had risen to 44.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners continue to support the government-led response to the devastating earthquake in Colombia, said the office on Wednesday. Latest reports indicate that more than 200 people have been killed and 2,500 others injured. Widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure has also been reported, OCHA said in its daily news update.

Two people were killed Wednesday after a U.S. military Apache helicopter crashed in central Texas, authorities said. The helicopter crashed in Salado, Texas around 1:35 p.m. local time, and the two pilots on board were confirmed dead, said Cliff Coleman, spokesperson for the Bell County Sheriff's Office.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August. Leavitt is leaving "so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family," Trump said in a social media post.

U.S. small business optimism is on the rise, according to data released Tuesday, but the general public remains disgruntled with the economy. The Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.4 points in July, climbing above its 52-year average and marking the highest level since August 2025, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon survived a caucus confidence vote on Wednesday, retaining his leadership of the National Party less than 90 days before the country's general election.

Australia will become more vulnerable and less safe, and its capacity to make its own decisions will be further eroded, unless it changes its current policy course, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Monday.

Vietnamese President To Lam and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged on Tuesday to broaden cooperation across major areas including defense, maritime and border security, agriculture, energy and minerals during Lam's visit to Australia.

In its latest move, the US has demanded that Iran pay compensation to individuals impacted by conflicts spanning more than 50 years, injecting fresh uncertainty into the prospect of reopening talks over the Strait of Hormuz.

More than 400 Syrian families returned to the city of Ras al-Ain in northeastern Hasakah province and its surrounding villages on Monday, marking the first organized convoy of displaced residents heading home in that area after nearly seven years of displacement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker highlighted great potential in bilateral cooperation during a live-streamed joint press conference here on Monday.

Türkiye's parliament on Monday approved a legal framework for the disarmament and reintegration of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a key step toward ending a decades-long conflict.

The official, who was shot earlier on Monday in Thailand's Nonthaburi province, has died, according to Thai media reports.

The death toll from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to 111 nationwide, with 87 others injured, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said in Bogota.

As the conflict between the US‑Israel and Iran drags on, divisions between the two allies on another Middle Eastern front have drawn growing global attention. Multiple media outlets have reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel rejects a 15-point Gaza peace roadmap plan presented by the US-led self-styled "Board of Peace."

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 jolted Colombia at 1234 GMT on Monday, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said.

A shooting incident occurred at the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization office building in Thailand at about 11 a.m. local time, Thai media reported on Monday. The chairman of the provincial administrative organization, Thongchai Yenprasert, was shot in the head and seriously injured. His personal driver was also injured in the incident. They have been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. The police are collecting evidence at the scene and investigating the details of the case.

At least eight people were killed on Sunday as Yemen's Houthi group launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on the Red Sea port city of Mocha and other government-held areas along the country's western coast, local sources said. A local medical source said on condition of anonymity that four civilians and four government military personnel were killed and about 32 other people wounded in Houthi strikes on government-held Mocha Port and surrounding areas in southwestern Taiz province.

Realities have proved that the Japanese side's so-called "neighboring security threat" is merely a pretext for breaking free from its pacifist constitution and the "exclusively defense-oriented" policy, and expediting remilitarization, Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Friday.

A school shooting occurred Friday morning in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand, leaving at least 7 people dead and 15 injured, Thai media reported.

A shooting incident occurred at a school in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand, leaving at least 2 people dead and about 20 people injured, Thai media reported on Friday.

Four people were injured early Thursday in Israeli airstrikes targeting the town of Burj al-Shemali, near the southern city of Tyre, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 4,053, including 1,850 deaths, according to an update released Thursday by the country's health authorities.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders to narrow birthright citizenship -- a new effort by the administration following the Supreme Court's ruling against its previous order.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to set minimum import prices and a 15 percent tariff on products made from polysilicon, a key material for solar panels and semiconductors.

The US Defense Department's policy chief is drafting a new nuclear strategy that reportedly emphasizes the potential use of shorter-range tactical nuclear weapons in a regional conflict with China or Russia, NBC News reported. A Chinese expert said Washington is hyping external threats to justify tactical nuclear weapons development, even though such weapons may be technically feasible, while ignoring that any nuclear use would trigger retaliation with catastrophic consequences.

As Hiroshima observed the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city on Thursday, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stood at the Peace Memorial Park to emphasize that Japan pledges to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons while upholding the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, despite Japanese media noted that she has left the door open for its future revisions.

Scientists at Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU) have developed a technology for creating filtration membranes based on hydroxyapatite – a mineral that makes up human bones and teeth. The innovation makes membrane production more environmentally friendly and improves the efficiency of purifying substances important for human health, such as whey proteins and blood components. This was reported on the university's website.

Russian researchers have identified the new mineral at the Kirovsky mine in the Khibiny Massif on the Kola Peninsula. It has been named Kola Ashcroftine, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education told Sputnik.

Iran and Oman have made progress in talks on establishing a safe commercial shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday, adding that Tehran has no plans for senior officials to visit Pakistan or Qatar this weekend.

A mass shooting at a rural house in Caswell County, North Carolina, led to multiple deaths on Wednesday morning, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday criticized the U.S. decision to revoke the visa of Brazil's ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, calling the move "irresponsible and thoughtless."

As the 81st anniversary of atomic bombing on the western city of Hiroshima approaches, domestic rifts in Japan over nuclear policy and defense strategies keep deepening, while the rightward tilt of the Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi administration has triggered widespread concerns across all sectors of society. For example, ahead of the planned year-end revision of Japan's three key national security documents, a record 128 local assemblies across 36 prefectures have submitted opinion papers calling for the country to uphold its Three Non-Nuclear Principles. These submissions were made between the inauguration of Takaichi's cabinet on October 21 last year and July 28 this year, as concerns mount that Takaichi could review the policy, media reported on Wednesday.

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force officer charged over a knife-carrying intrusion into the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo appeared at a detention hearing at the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, where he said he "reflects on and regrets" his actions. However, some Japanese media, including Kyodo News, hyped up suspect's claim that his motive was to force a change in China's so-called "hardline" foreign policy.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran will be "hit very hard" if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened "very soon." In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the United States is "having very good discussions" with Iran. But Tehran denied it is having any talks with Washington.

At least six people have died due to adverse weather conditions currently affecting Sabaragamuwa Province and Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts in central Sri Lanka, local police said Tuesday.

Brazil has downgraded bilateral relations with Argentina to the charge d'affaires level, Brazilian media said Tuesday, citing sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The United States has revoked the visa of Brazilian ambassador to the United States Maria Luiza Viotti amid a diplomatic dispute, U.S. media reported Tuesday.

Hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to headline a Tuesday evening fundraiser at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course in Los Angeles County, California, authorities announced that they had arrested a heavily armed individual seen wandering the grounds on Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The US State Department has notified Congress that it plans to close five foreign missions, Reuters reported on Tuesday, describing the move as "a rare downsizing of America's global diplomatic footprint." While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has framed the closures as part of a broader effort to streamline government and reduce costs, a Chinese expert said that the move reflects mounting fiscal pressure facing the US, which has pushed Washington toward a more cost-conscious diplomatic strategy.

The US Pacific Command chief's latest accusations against China over the South China Sea have drawn criticism from Chinese experts, who said on Tuesday that the Philippines' current hardline stance toward China is undoubtedly closely linked to the US' continuous reinforcement of its so-called alliance commitments and security support.

A cargo vessel has reported that they have been hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said late Monday.

"When I began driving electric buses, I could immediately tell that they were very different from the buses I had driven before. They run quietly and smoothly, with hardly any noise or vibration. Most importantly, they are environmentally friendly," said Nurlan Salmanli, a 34-year-old bus driver in Baku.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that talks with Iran are "going on right now," adding that "this is a last chance."

A coalition of 25 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that U.S. President Donald Trump exceeded his legal authority by imposing sweeping new tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners, according to a court document.

Japan and the US on Monday confirmed coordinated foreign exchange intervention to prop up the yen after the currency tumbled to a nearly 40-year low. However, economists pointed out that Washington's participation stems entirely from its own economic interests, adding that the joint action is unlikely to fundamentally reverse the yen's long-term depreciation trend over the medium and long term.