Ko Wen-je, once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential contender, was indicted Thursday on corruption charges. The 65-year-old is accused of accepting half a million dollars in bribes involving a real estate dealing during his term as mayor of Taipei, as well as misreporting campaign finances during his run for president in…
South Korea’s opposition lawmakers have filed a motion to impeach the country’s prime minister and acting leader Han Duck-soo, less than two weeks after parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. This comes after Han refused to appoint constitutional court judges nominated by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). “Han has revealed himself to…
BBC Frédéric Brochet is one of the wine makers now working on alcohol-free bottles In the vineyards of Bordeaux, the unspeakable has become the drinkable. Wine without alcohol has arrived. The heresy of yesterday is now – thanks to science and economic crisis – the opportunity of today. Wine estates which would have torched their…
Twenty big cats – including a Bengal tiger and four cougars – have died of the bird flu over the past several weeks at an animal sanctuary in the state of Washington. “This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals,” the Wild Felid Advocacy Center…
More than 1,500 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Mozambique, taking advantage of ongoing political unrest triggered by disputed election results, police say. Thirty-three people were killed and 15 injured in clashes with guards, police chief Bernardino Rafael told a press conference. About 150 more fugitives have since been recaptured, he added. Protests erupted…
Pope Francis has called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In his traditional Christmas Day address, the Pope said “boldness [was] needed to open the door” to dialogue “in order to achieve a just and lasting peace” between the two sides. His appeal…
The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the US, after President Joe Biden signed a law on Christmas Eve bestowing the honour upon the white-headed and yellow-beaked bird of prey. The bird has been a national emblem in the US for years, appearing on the Great Seal of the US – used…
Reuters Many Kyiv residents sheltered in metro stations Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia made a “conscious choice” by launching a major attack on his country’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day. Ukraine’s air force said it had detected 184 missiles and drones, but many were shot down or missed their targets. It said there were…
A court in Turkey has sentenced the owner and architect of a hotel which collapsed in an earthquake in 2023, killing 72 people, to jail. The owner of the Isias Grand, Ahmet Bozkurt, and architect Erdem Yilmaz, were each given 18 years and five months, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Bozkurt’s son, Mehmet Fatih,…
An investigation by the Israeli military has found that the actions of their forces on the ground likely influenced the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August by Hamas. It said the “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages”….
