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The president of the Philippines has vowed not to withdraw his country’s ships from waters contested by China as a long-running dispute between the two nations over sovereignty of South China Sea territory heats up. Speaking in a televised address aired on Friday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not …

Mainland China reported seven new COVID-19 cases on May 13, including its first local transmissions in more than three weeks, the country’s national health authority said on Friday. Two of the new cases were local infections in the eastern province of Anhui, the National Health Commission said in a statement. …

Nine people were wounded Thursday evening in Rhode Island’s capital in what police there believe to be the largest shooting in city history. Of the nine, three had serious injuries and were “maybe critical,” Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh T. Clements told reporters at the scene. He said multiple guns …

The United States has completed its withdrawal from Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan, once the second-largest military base in the country for US forces, officials said on Friday. “They have not officially handed over the base to us but I can confirm they left the base on Wednesday,” said Khoja …

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Friday, the US Geological Survey said, triggering panic on the nearest island but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The shallow quake hit at 12:30 (0630 GMT) near the island of Nias, about 250 kilousgmeters (160 …

The operator of a critical US pipeline that provides the East Coast of the country with nearly half of its gasoline and jet fuel reportedly shelled out $5 million ransom to hackers, clearing the way for the pipeline to function normally again. According to reports in the US media, Colonial …

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would respond to what he called Ukraine’s ‘cleansing’ of the political space, a day after a Ukrainian court placed a prominent pro-Russian politician under house arrest. The Ukrainian court put Viktor Medvedchuk, who promotes closer ties with Moscow, and says Putin is …

India records 4,000 deaths and 343,144 infections in the last 24 hours amid reports that strain first detected in the country is spreading across the globe. The number of recorded COVID-19 infections in India has climbed above 24 million amid reports on Friday that the highly transmissible coronavirus mutant first …

No immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion that happened on the second day of a temporary ceasefire agreed upon between gov’t and the Taliban. At least 12 people have been killed and more wounded in an explosion at a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, according …

Death toll in Gaza rises to 119, as threat of a ground assault looms after Israel amasses tanks and troops near besieged enclave. Israel continued on Friday to bombard the Gaza Strip with air raids and artillery shells as it stepped up the deployment of troops and tanks near the …

Azerbaijan dismisses the accusations, saying it was enforcing its own border and is committed to easing tensions. Armenia’s leader has accused Azerbaijani troops of crossing the southern border and trying to stake claim to territory in a new escalation of tensions between the regional foes. Nikol Pashinyan, the country’s acting …

Men detained in a Home Office van have been released following a face-off between police and protesters in Glasgow. A crowd of around 200 people gathered in Kenmure Street this morning, with people lying under a Home Office van to stop it from moving. Dozens of police officers surrounded the …

A judge has postponed the trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd, the Associated Press reported Thursday. The trial, which was set for August, was pushed to March 2022.

Two South Korean fisheries associations have filed a lawsuit, demanding the Japanese government’s compensation over its plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. The court filing is seeking 10 million won ($8,850) per day from the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company …

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accused Paris of issuing a fresh “EU threat,” following reports the French government is set to block a post-Brexit financial services deal over the fishing access dispute. The latest war of words between London and Paris comes after it was reported …

Kandahar, Kunduz, and Ghazni provinces were rocked by four separate bombings, killing at least 11 civilians. At least 11 civilians were killed and 13 others wounded in four separate bombings in Afghanistan on Thursday, hours after a three-day ceasefire began across the country to mark the Muslim festival of Eid …

Union members, students, pensioners, and workers marched in anti-government protests around Colombia on Wednesday, as President Ivan Duque urged citizens to reject violence and stereotypes about demonstrators and police alike. The sometimes deadly demonstrations were initially fueled in late April by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan. But protesters’ demands …

Prime Minister Mario Draghi has appointed diplomat Elisabetta Belloni as the head of Italy’s spy agency, the first woman to lead the Department of Information Security (DIS). Belloni, 62, has since 2016 been secretary-general of the foreign ministry – the top job in the diplomatic service. Previously, she headed the …

Israeli fighter jets bomb high-rise buildings and other targets in Gaza while violence also spreads within Israel. Israeli fighter jets have attacked high-rise buildings and other targets in the Gaza Strip as Palestinians in the besieged enclave woke up on Thursday to mark the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday under relentless …

The reported death toll from nearly two weeks of anti-government protests in Colombia rose past 40 on Tuesday, a day ahead of a planned national strike, while major cities warned of a prolonged peak in COVID-19 cases due to demonstrations. Violent protests fueled by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan …