Crude oil deliveries to Slovakia resumed this week through the Druzhba pipeline, ending a nearly three-month interruption that had strained energy supplies across Central Europe and complicated European Union decision-making. The restart restored a critical route for Russian crude that runs through Ukrainian territory and supplies refineries in Slovakia and Hungary. The pipeline had been inactive since late January following…
Hong Kong is facing difficult questions after a high-rise apartment fire killed at least 156 people at the Wang Fuk Court public housing complex in the Tai Po district. The late-November inferno, the city’s deadliest residential blaze in decades, has triggered anger over suspected construction corruption, weak enforcement of safety rules and failures in government oversight. As residents leave flowers…
Rising Floods Across South and South East Asia Large parts of South and South East Asia are dealing with severe flooding that has caused widespread casualties and displacement. Recent storms have brought extraordinary rainfall to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, overwhelming infrastructure and isolating entire communities. Indonesia was one of the first countries to feel the full impact when provinces…
Pope Leo XIV gathered on Friday with Eastern and Western Christian leaders on the shores of Lake Iznik in northwestern Turkey, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with a joint prayer for unity. Standing above the exposed foundations of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos, the pope, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other patriarchs and bishops recited…
France is preparing to reintroduce a limited form of military service for young adults, marking a major shift in national defense policy and signaling defensive readiness amid growing concerns about Russia. The decision comes more than two decades after the French government phased out conscription. The program is designed for volunteers rather than mandatory participation, and its purpose is to…
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has unveiled a special defense budget of $40 billion USD (about NT$1.25 trillion) spread over eight years, one of the island’s most ambitious efforts yet to strengthen deterrence against China. The plan, covering 2026 to 2033, will fund major arms purchases, largely from the United States, and bankroll a new multilayered air-defense network known as the…
China Launches Shenzhou 22 to Secure Astronaut Return China has launched the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft to guarantee a safe return path for three astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station after a previous vehicle was deemed unsuitable for flight. The new craft docked successfully and will serve as the replacement return capsule for the crew currently living and working in orbit.…
