Iran designates EU naval and air forces as ‘terrorist entities’ in reciprocal move
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” i...
China has pledged stronger support to Pacific Island nations in combating climate change, offering new investments and infrastructure projects, as it looks to expand its regional influence while U.S. aid remains stalled.
China will step up its support to Pacific Island nations in addressing climate change, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced during a summit held in Xiamen on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Wang pledged that China—the world’s second-largest economy and largest bilateral lender—will launch 100 "small but beautiful" projects in countries with diplomatic ties to Beijing over the next three years. The projects are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure strategy championed by President Xi Jinping.
In addition, China will invest $2 million in Pacific nations to develop clean energy, enhance fisheries and ocean sustainability, build low-carbon infrastructure, and promote eco-friendly tourism. While the amount is modest, it reflects a broader reduction in Chinese overseas lending amid the country’s slowing $19 trillion economy.
"China fully recognises the vulnerability of the economic and social development of the Pacific Island countries in the face of the climate change crisis," the foreign ministry’s statement said.
The announcement comes as U.S. aid programs in the region remain frozen and several Pacific nations contend with steep U.S. tariffs. China’s move is seen as part of a renewed effort to bolster its strategic and diplomatic presence in the Pacific, a region increasingly caught in the geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
Beijing’s latest commitments aim to strengthen cooperation in climate adaptation and sustainable development—key concerns for low-lying Pacific Island states that face existential threats from rising sea levels and extreme weather.
Quentin Griffiths, co-founder of online fashion retailer ASOS, has died in Pattaya, Thailand, after falling from the 17th floor of a condominium on 9 February, Thai police confirmed.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has captured global attention after forming an unusual but heart-warming bond with a stuffed orangutan toy following abandonment by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics in Verona on 6 March, citing the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (12 February) announced the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, and eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani has killed at least 31 people and left four others missing after tearing through eastern Madagascar, the government said on Wednesday, with the island nation’s second-largest city bearing the brunt of the destruction.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Greenland registered its warmest January on record, sharpening concerns over how fast-rising Arctic temperatures are reshaping core parts of the island’s economy.
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