U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and smuggling and was sentenced to nine years behind bars in a politically charged case that could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow.
WOMAN: (SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
MAN: Do you want to say something?
Taiwan accused the Chinese army of simulating an attack on its main island Saturday, as Beijing continued its retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taipei visit.
Elon Musk has accused Twitter of fraud, alleging the social media platform misled him about key aspects of its business before he agreed to a $44 billion buyout, as their court fight heats up.
The Indian rupee's volatility, measured in terms of the daily close-to-close, reached its highest level since late-March ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's policy decision. **The daily close-to-close rupee realized volatility climbs to 6.2% from 5.7% on Thursday. Implied volatility on out-of-the-money exchange traded options expiring Aug. 26 at 5.5%-6%.
Taiwan blasted its "evil neighbour" on Friday after China encircled the island with a series of huge military drills that were condemned by the United States and other Western allies.
Here's the latest update on the monkeypox situation in Singapore. What are the symptoms of monkeypox, and how is it spreading?
The White House on Saturday assailed Indiana lawmakers for passing sweeping curbs on abortion access, calling it "devastating" step for the Midwestern state.
Stem cell scientists say they have created "synthetic embryos" without using sperm, eggs or fertilisation for the first time, but the prospect of using such a technique to grow human organs for transplantation remains distant.
Israel's military warned Saturday deadly air strikes against Palestinian militants in Gaza could last a week, as cross-border fire reverberated for a second day in the worst escalation since last year's war. Israel has said it was forced to launch a "pre-emptive" operation against Islamic Jihad, saying the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the border with Gaza. Health authorities in the Palestinian enclave, which is controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, said a five-year-old girl was among 15 people killed in the Israeli bombardment, adding that more than 120 others have been wounded. In Jabalia, in the north of Gaza, Fouad Farajallah was on Saturday surveying what remained of his home, hit by an Israeli strike the day before. "I was sitting here on the sofa, with my wife and children, and suddenly it all fell on us," he said, surrounded by debris from a partially collapsed roof in a strike he said wounded his wife and son. Israel's ongoing strikes are being met with barrages of rockets from the Palestinian side, stoking fears of a repeat of an 11-day conflict that devastated Gaza in May 2021. Daily life in the enclave has come to a standstill, while the electricity distributor said the sole power station shut down due to a lack of fuel after Israel closed its border crossings. Civilians on the Israeli side meanwhile took refuge in air raid shelters, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. In Kibbutz Nahal Oz, an Israeli community beside the Gaza border, resident Nadav Peretz said he has been "in the bomb shelter or around it" since Friday. "We recognise that on the other side too there is an uninvolved civilian population, and on both sides children deserve to enjoy their summer vacation," the 40-year-old said. – 'Declaration of war' – An Israeli military spokesman said its forces were "preparing for the operation to last a week," and told AFP that the army is "not currently holding ceasefire negotiations". Sources within Islamic Jihad ruled out a ceasefire soon, with one saying: "for the movement, the focus is on the battlefield". Israel and Islamic Jihad confirmed the killing of Taysir al-Jabari, a key commander of the militant group, in a Friday strike. The Israeli bombardment has been condemned by Islamic Jihad's top backer Iran. Israel has "once again showed its occupying and aggressive nature to the world," said a statement from President Ebrahim Raisi's office. Jamal al-Fadi, a political science professor at Gaza's Al-Azhar University, said he expected the violence to end "within days". "Islamic Jihad is reacting in a limited manner and by doing so is preventing the occupation (Israeli military) from intensifying its air strikes," he told AFP. Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, but often acts independently. Both are blacklisted as terrorist organisations by much of the West. Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. A flare-up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, following Israel's killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari's predecessor. Hamas did not join the fray in that conflict. Hamas's moves now could prove crucial. Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said Hamas currently has an interest in staying on the sidelines as it has recently won more economic aid for Gazans. "But if more civilians are killed, then it will feel obligated to respond," she told AFP. – Five-year-old girl – Mohammed Abu Salameh, the director of Shifa, Gaza city's main hospital, said medics are facing "acute shortages of medical supplies". On Friday, the health ministry reported "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation" was among those killed. The girl, Alaa Kaddum, had a pink bow in her hair and a wound on her forehead, as her body was carried by her father at her funeral. Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said Friday "we are assuming about 15 killed in action" in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants. The Gaza strikes followed the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, including Bassem al-Saadi, who Israel accuses of orchestrating recent attacks. Israel on Saturday broadened its operation against Islamic Jihad, announcing the arrest of 19 people in the West Bank it said were members of the group. Israel has conducted a wave of often deadly raids inside West Bank towns and cities since mid-March in response to lethal attacks on Israelis. bur-rsc/kir
Israel's military warned Saturday deadly aerial operations against Palestinian militants in Gaza could last a week, as cross-border fire reverberated for a second day in the worst escalation since last year's war. Israel has said it was forced to launch a "pre-emptive" operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the border with Gaza, a Palestinian enclave. Health authorities in Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, said a five-year-old girl was among 13 people killed by the Israeli bombardment, adding that more than 110 others have been wounded. In Jabalia, in the north of Gaza, Fouad Farajallah was on Saturday surveying what remained of his home, hit by an Israeli strike the day before. "I was sitting here on the sofa, with my wife and children, and suddenly it all fell on us," he said, surrounded by debris from a partially collapsed roof in a strike he said wounded his wife and son. Israel's strikes were met with barrages of rockets from the Palestinian side, and cross-border fire continued in both directions on Saturday, stoking fears of a repeat of an 11-day conflict in May 2021 that devastated Gaza. Daily life in the enclave has come to a standstill, with streets largely deserted and most shops closed. Its sole power station ground to a halt due to a lack of fuel after Israel closed its border crossings days earlier, according to the electricity distributor. Civilians on the Israeli side meanwhile repeatedly fled to air shelters, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. – 'Declaration of war' – An Israeli military spokesman said its forces were "preparing for the operation to last a week," and told AFP that the army is "not currently holding ceasefire negotiations". Sources within Islamic Jihad ruled out a ceasefire soon, with one saying: "for the movement the focus is on the battlefield". Israel and Islamic Jihad confirmed the killing of Taysir al-Jabari, a key leader of the militant group, in a Friday strike on a building in the west of Gaza city. Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, but often acts independently. It declared that the initial Israeli bombardment amounted to a "declaration of war". "Israel isn't interested in a wider conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either," Prime Minister Yair Lapid had warned in a nationally televised address on Friday. Jamal al-Fadi, a political science professor at Gaza's Al-Azhar University, said he expected the violence to end "within days". "Islamic Jihad is reacting in a limited manner and by doing so is preventing the occupation (Israeli military) from intensifying its airstrikes," he told AFP. Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas are considered terrorist organisations by much of the West. Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. A flare up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, following Israel's killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari's predecessor. Hamas did not join the fray in that episode. Hamas's moves now could prove crucial, with the group facing pressure from some to restore calm in order to improve living conditions in Gaza. Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said Hamas currently has an interest in staying on the sidelines as it has recently won more economic aid for Gazans. "But if more civilians are killed, then it will feel obligated to respond," she told AFP. – Five-year-old girl – Mohammed Abu Salameh, the director of Shifa, Gaza City's main hospital, said medics are facing "acute shortages of medical supplies". On Friday, the health ministry reported "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation" was among those killed. The girl, Alaa Kaddum, had a pink bow in her hair and a wound on her forehead, as her body was carried by her father at her funeral. Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said Friday "we are assuming about 15 killed in action" in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants. The Gaza strikes followed the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, including Bassem al-Saadi, who Israel accuses of orchestrating recent attacks. Israel on Saturday broadened its operation against Islamic Jihad, announcing the arrest of 19 people it said were members of the group in the occupied West Bank. Israel has conducted a near relentless wave of often deadly raids inside the West Bank since mid-March in response to lethal attacks on Israeli citizens. bur-rsc/dwo
With empty streets and drawn curtains, Gaza feels like a ghost town. Its residents — tested by repeated wars — feel like they are living the same scenes again and again.
Singapore is assured of its second gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, after paddlers Feng Tianwei and Zeng Jian took both spots in the women's singles final.
China said Friday it was ending cooperation with the United States on a litany of key issues including climate change, anti-drug efforts and military talks, as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over the island of Taiwan.
American candy giant Mars Wrigley has insisted it "respects China's national sovereignty" and apologised after an advert for its Snickers bar referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage on the mainland.
Two professional esports players were charged with allegedly being involved in match-fixing during a Valorant tournament in 2020.
Pyongyang has reiterated that its nuclear weapons and missile programs are purely means of self-defence
Every morning, his skin bronzed by the sun, pensioner Metin Cakmakci rushes to grab a deckchair under a parasol on his local beach on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Beijing is freezing its cooperation with Washington on global warming, but experts are hoping that, for the sake of humanity, the cold spell between the world's two largest emitters is only temporary.
It criticised The Straits Times' "disappointing" decision to publish an opinion article that called for the retention of Section 377A.
American drugmaker Pfizer is close to a deal to purchase Global Blood Therapeutics, which manufactures a recently approved drug against sickle-cell anemia, for $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Top-seeded Singaporean shuttler Loh Kean Yew will leave the 2022 Commonwealth Games without a men's singles medal, after he lost to Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong in the quarter-finals.