Zelenskyy discussed war, Russia with UK's Starmer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had spoken with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, noting their shared view on the threat posed...
On the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, survivors and families across Southeast and South Asia gathered to honour the 230,000 victims. Memorials were held in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, where emotional tributes and prayers were offered.
Twenty years ago, on December 26, a magnitude 9.15 earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered one of the deadliest tsunamis in recorded history.
This disaster claimed over 226,000 lives, left nearly 2 million people homeless, and caused catastrophic devastation across 14 countries. Entire communities were wiped off the map, with over 50,000 bodies never recovered.
Indonesia was the hardest hit, with 166,000 people dead or missing. In Banda Aceh, the devastation was overwhelming, but extensive reconstruction efforts have since rebuilt a new city atop the ruins. Sri Lanka and Thailand also suffered catastrophic losses, while fatalities were reported as far away as Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Waves towering up to 17.4 meters obliterated coastlines, with destruction extending as far as the east coast of Africa, affecting nations like Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.
Across the affected region, survivors, families, and communities gathered at memorial sites to honor the lives lost. Many visitors, including relatives of the lost, laid flowers and paid their respects in solemn silence.
At the time, no formal warning system existed, leaving victims with no chance to escape the approaching waves. Today, a $400 million early-warning system connects 28 countries. It includes 101 sea-level gauges, 148 seismometers, and nine buoys, designed to mitigate future risks.
Despite these efforts, concerns about the system’s maintenance and effectiveness remain. Experts caution that complacency and preparedness gaps still leave millions vulnerable to another catastrophic wave.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
Chinese automaker Chery has denied an industry-ministry audit that disqualified more than $53 million in state incentives for thousands of its electric and hybrid vehicles, insisting it followed official guidance and committed no fraud.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had spoken with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, noting their shared view on the threat posed by Russia’s attempt “to reduce everything to discussing the impossible.”
Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday that certain countries would make “titanic efforts” to derail the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for 15 August.
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited newly inaugurated Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the White House for an official working meeting on 3 September, Nawrocki’s chief of cabinet announced on Saturday.
Thousands gathered in Nagasaki on Saturday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the city’s atomic bombing, with Mayor Shiro Suzuki warning that ongoing global conflicts risk bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
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