International, Climate & environment, Crime & justice
591 storiesSouth Korea: North Korean mines south of MDL breached armistice, minefield cleared
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that a Sept. 21 landmine explosion on the western DMZ was caused by a North Korean mine placed about 10 metres south of the Military Demarcation Line, an armistice violation, and the military re…
Former German BND chief August Hanning arrested on espionage suspicion
August Hanning, the former president of Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND), was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage, the federal prosecutor's office s…
Cornell protests grow; faculty push no-confidence vote over rape case handling
Students at Cornell University protested Monday and Tuesday over the school's handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity, after activists vandalized the Day Hall administration building with red-painted messages and a s…
California couple charged with child abuse in surrogacy case involving 21 children
Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested Tuesday at their Arcadia, California, home and charged with child abuse, conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County District A…
Germany detains ex-BND chief Hanning on suspicion of espionage
August Hanning, who headed Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, has been detained on suspicion of espionage, obtaining state secrets and attempted high treason, according to German and Russian outlets. His former …
Director of Russia's Patriot Park detained on suspicion of taking bribes
Igor Vasilyev, general director of the Patriot Park, has been detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe on an especially large scale, according to TASS and Kommersant. The Investigative Committee's Main Military Investigative Directorate p…
Christa Pike conscious and speaking after failed Tennessee execution, lawyers say
Christa Pike, 50, is conscious and speaking and receiving critical medical care nearly a week after Tennessee's attempt to execute her with the drug pentobarbital failed, her attorneys said Tuesday. They said her prognosis remains unclear, …
Lavrov takes part in CIS foreign ministers' council meeting in Turkmenistan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is taking part in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries on 7 October. The meeting is being held in Avaza, a centre on the Caspian Sea coast near the city of Turkmenbashi in…
Trump says a phone call with Putin is planned “very soon”
US President Donald Trump said a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned and will take place “very soon”. Trump gave no date or agenda. Russian outlets carried the announcement without reporting any Kremlin comment o…
Seoul appeals court to rule in ex-President Yoon's free opinion poll case
A Seoul appeals court is due to deliver its verdict on Oct 7 in the political funds case against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of receiving 58 free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun. The first trial sentenced Yoon…
Couple in their 60s found dead in Naju house; police seek suspect
A couple in their 60s were found dead at a house in Naju, in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region, according to police reports carried by several South Korean outlets on Oct 6. Local reports described the bodies as bound and said police believe the c…
Case opened in Russia’s Syzran over reported beating of children at camp
Russian authorities opened a criminal case after reports that children were beaten at a camp in Syzran, official outlets reported. Social media posts cited by TASS said a counselor beat two brothers with autism. A State Duma deputy from the…
Cornell records show accuser said she “felt like bait”; New York AG to investigate
Records from Cornell University’s disciplinary investigation show a woman who says she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 told investigators she “felt like bait,” according to excerpts reviewed by The Associated …
Four former Sanko Seika executives indicted over 2022 fire that killed six
Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four former executives of rice-cracker maker Sanko Seika, including former CEO Motoyasu Sato (56), on charges of professional negligence resulting in death over a February 2022 fire at its…
South Korea's Lee chairs public report on K-GX green transition strategy
President Lee Jae-myung chaired a public report in Seoul on October 7 presenting the Korean-style Green Grand Transition (K-GX) strategy and the K-GX Signature Project private investment plan. About 80 people attended, including Deputy Prim…
Pianist Kyohei Sorita indicted over 144 km/h speeding; admits charge, verdict 29 Oct
Pianist Kyohei Sorita, 32, has been indicted on-home for driving at 144 km/h on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo on 20 December last year, 84 km/h over the 60 km/h limit. At a first hearing at the Tokyo District Court on 6 October, prosecutors…
Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan to be executed by firing squad Dec. 3
The U.S. Army has set Dec. 3, 2026, for the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle said the execution will take place at Fort Hood,…
Supreme Court hears Boulder climate suit as justices question both sides
The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of arguments Monday on whether the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, can sue Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy in state court to recover costs tied to climate change. Conservative justices questioned…
Tennessee Republicans weigh new execution methods after botched lethal injection
Some of Tennessee's top Republicans said they want to explore alternative ways of executing condemned prisoners after the failed execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30, in which a large dose of pentobarbital did not kill her. Gov. Bill Lee h…
US forces in Okinawa order 48-hour pause and night curfew after Marine arrest
The top US commander in Okinawa, Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, ordered a 48-hour suspension of operations for US military personnel in the prefecture from noon on 7 October to noon on 9 October, with off-base outings and drinking on and off bas…