China hopes Myanmar achieves rapid national reconciliation: Wang Yi

HONG KONG: (Reuters): China hopes Myanmar achieves national reconciliation quickly and continues its political transformation, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Wednesday (Dec 6). Wang, who met Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Swe in Beijing, said both countries should strengthen law enforcement cooperation to eradicate telecom fraud, China's foreign ministry said in...

Palestinians in Gaza living in ‘utter, deepening horror’, says UN human rights chief

RAMALLAH: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Wednesday (Dec 6) that "Palestinians in Gaza are living in utter, deepening horror," as they "continue to be relentlessly bombarded by Israel and collectively punished." Speaking at a press conference ahead of Human Rights Day, Türk said that "humanitarian aid is again virtually cut off,...

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused in gang-rape of teenager in New York

(Reuters) - Hip-hop star Sean "Diddy" Combs was accused in federal court on Wednesday of taking part in the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in his Manhattan recording studio in 2003, marking the fourth lawsuit leveling sexual assault allegations against him in recent weeks. Combs, 54, founder of the landmark label Bad Boy Records and...

French police checked IDs on ‘massive’ scale in 2021, no objectives defined -report says

PARIS (Reuters) - The French police conducted ID checks on a "massive" scale in 2021, despite not having a doctrine to define their objectives or good practice during such checks, France's public audit office, the Cour des comptes, said in a report on Wednesday. The report detailed for the first time the number of ID checks...

Sakai knives draw global fans to Japanese city, sharpening sales

TOKYO: Visitors from around the world have been flocking to a small two-storey building in Sakai city, about a 30-minute train ride from Osaka. According to Nikkei Asia, many of those who turn up at the Sakai Traditional Crafts Museum visit for one thing: its showroom, which features hundreds of chef’s knives made famous by the...

Southern Philippine province rocked by more than 1,600 aftershocks

MANILA: More than 1,600 aftershocks have jolted a southern Philippine province following a magnitude-7.4 earthquake that left at least one dead and hundreds of houses and buildings damaged, officials said on Monday (Dec 4). The aftershocks included a magnitude-6.8 quake that struck at 3:49am on Monday (1949 GMT Sunday) in Cagwait town in Surigao del Sur...

Tears as owner and dog reunite after dramatic rescue on busy expressway

SINGAPORE: Following a dramatic rescue involving motorists and the police on a busy expressway, a pet dog was reunited with his tearful owner a day after he escaped. Footage of the incident circulating on social media shows Katsu the Italian greyhound running along the expressway on the morning of Dec 1, with car drivers and motorcyclists...

Eleven climbers killed as Indonesia volcano erupts, search on hold

JAKARTA (Reuters) -Eleven climbers were found dead in Indonesia on Monday following the eruption of the Marapi volcano in West Sumatra, a rescue official said, as a search to find 12 more missing was temporarily halted over safety concerns. Three survivors were found on Monday along with the bodies of the 11 climbers, among 75 in...

Man sexually assaulted four unconscious women and recorded it, US officials say

A 63-year-old man was charged with six counts of sexual assault in the alleged attacks of four women between 2004 and 2008, Colorado officials said. Christopher Jackson’s home in Littleton was searched by police in February after the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children unit linked his Internet provider address to a pornography upload, according to a Nov 30...