Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
ABC World News
US accuses Chinese tech firms, research institutes of weaponizing biotechnology, creating ‘brain-control weaponry’
Oleksii Liskonih/iStock (WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration has blacklisted and sanctioned dozens of Chinese government research institutes and private-sector tech firms, accusing them of weaponizing technology for use at home and abroad, the U.S. departments [Read More…]
Queen Elizabeth cancels annual family pre-Christmas lunch amid COVID-19 surge
Chris Jackson/Getty Images (LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth has canceled her annual pre-Christmas celebration for family for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 95-year-old monarch traditionally holds a lunch at [Read More…]
Five children dead after wind lifts bouncy castle 32 feet into the air in Australia
MCCAIG/Getty Images (HONG KONG) — Five children died in Australia on Thursday after wind lifted the bouncy castle they were in about 32 feet into the air, local police said. Nine children were in the [Read More…]
State Dept. suggests Afghan Fulbright hopefuls seek other options as program stalls
Courtesy of Maryam Jami (WASHINGTON) — A group of 100 or so potential scholars in the State Department’s prestigious Fulbright Foreign Student Program will have to continue waiting for a final answer on whether their [Read More…]
Fire briefly trapped scores of people in Hong Kong skyscraper, injuring 13, authorities say
Chen Xuming/VCG via Getty Images (HONG KONG) — Scores of people were trapped in a Hong Kong skyscraper on Wednesday after a major fire broke out, authorities said. Flames ignited at the World Trade Centre [Read More…]
Belarus jails husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya for 18 years
Aliaksandr Bukatsich/iStock (LONDON) — A court in Belarus has sentenced the husband of the leader of the country’s pro-democracy movement, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to 18 years in prison, convicting him in a closed-door trial widely condemned [Read More…]
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to NOAA report
Mlenny/iStock (NEW YORK) — Scientists have long predicted that sea level rise will be one of the most disastrous consequences of global warming — and now, they’re discovering that the northernmost region, the biggest contributor [Read More…]
Hopeful Fulbright scholars in Afghanistan await update from State Department
Courtesy Maryam Jami (WASHINGTON) — Maryam Jami, 23, an attorney in Herat, Afghanistan, who calls herself a “mini-human rights activist,” still dreams of obtaining her Masters of Law in the United States as a Fulbright [Read More…]
US Embassy in Tokyo warns foreigners of suspected racial profiling cases involving Japanese police
Rich Legg/iStock (TOKYO) — Earlier this month, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo warned foreigners of an increase in suspected racial profiling cases involving Japanese police. Non-Japanese people were being stopped and searched by the police, [Read More…]
Far-right pundit vies for French presidential office
Jaroslav Frank/iStock (NEW YORK) — On Sunday, Eric Zemmour, a former journalist and far-right political pundit with tough views on immigration had his first campaign rally as candidate for the French presidential election. Zemmour announced the [Read More…]
Hunger crisis hits Peru, where COVID-19 deaths per capita are highest in the world
Aicha ElHammar/ABC News (LIMA, Peru) — The COVID-19 pandemic spread across South America at an alarming rate in 2021, with the death toll surpassing one million in Latin America and the Caribbean in May, according [Read More…]
Prince William, Kate share Christmas card photo taken on family vacation
Comic Relief/BBC Children in Need/Comic Relief via Getty Images (LONDON) — Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, have shared with the public their 2021 Christmas card photo. The photo shows William, Kate and [Read More…]
Vaccine hesitancy in South Africa causes spread as omicron cases grow: Experts
Dr. Mpho Shabangu is a Tshwane district vaccine coordinator. – ABC (NEW YORK) — The omicron variant has exponentially spread in South Africa in a short time, and now experts are warning that widespread vaccine [Read More…]
Fifty-four migrants dead, 105 injured after vehicle overturns in Chiapas, Mexico: Authorities
MattGush/iStock (CHIAPAS, Mexico) — A vehicle full of migrants overturned in Chiapas, Mexico, Thursday night, leaving 54 dead and 105 injured, authorities said. “After the accident that occurred in Chiapa de Corzo, I inform you [Read More…]
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai among three prominent democracy activists convicted on Thursday
Anthony Kwan/Getty Images (HONG KONG) — Hong Kong’s already-jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai was among three prominent democracy activists convicted on Thursday for taking part in a banned gathering in June 2020 to remember the [Read More…]
India’s top military leader among 13 dead in helicopter crash
omersukrugoksu/iStock (NEW YORK) — India’s military chief and his wife were among 13 killed in a helicopter crash around noon local time on Wednesday. Gen. Bipin Rawat was traveling to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington [Read More…]
Pressure grows on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign over alleged lockdown Christmas party
GETTY/WPA Pool (LONDON, U.K.) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing calls to resign over reports that members of his staff attended a Christmas party last year while the country was in lockdown. The Daily Mirror newspaper reported [Read More…]
Biden warns of ‘severe consequences’ if Putin moves on Ukraine
iStock/dicus63 (UKRAINE) — President Joe Biden gave his first comments Wednesday on his video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was “very straightforward” with the Russian leader, that “there were no minced words,” and [Read More…]
Royals get into holiday spirit at Christmas carols concert hosted by Duchess Kate
GETTY/Chris Jackson/Staff (UNITED KINGDOM) — Members of Britain’s royal family got into the holiday spirit Wednesday, attending a Christmas carol service. Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, were front and center at the service [Read More…]
Biden confronts Putin over Ukraine in high-stakes meeting
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz (WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video meeting on Tuesday that the United States “would respond with strong economic and other measures [Read More…]