- Thursday, 23 October 2025
Reuters
Asia shares turn cagey as rate hikes, earnings loom
Asian shares turned cagey on Monday ahead of a week that is certain to see interest rates rise in Europe and the United States, along with U.S. jobs and wage data that may influence how much further they still have to go.
Maldives President Solih wins presidential primary, party says
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) presidential primary election, the first time an incumbent has faced a primary challenge, according to preliminary results on Sunday.
Peru bus plunges off cliff, killing at least 24
At least 24 people died in northern Peru after a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged off a cliff early on Saturday, police told local media.
Indian industry turns to biomass as capital bans coal in pollution fight
A toxic smog engulfs India's capital every winter, as particles from bonfires of crop stubble and vehicle exhausts hang in the air, but New Delhi is enforcing a ban on coal burning from this month that is forcing the industry to shift to biomass. The drive has pushed about half the 1,695 units in a cluster of small industries around one of the world's most polluted capitals to use biomass, regulators told Reuters, up from fewer than 15% counted in a 2020 study.
California shooting suspect kills himself after Lunar New Year massacre
A 72-year-old gunman killed himself when approached by police on Sunday, about 12 hours after he had carried out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that left 10 people dead and another 10 wounded.
Nationwide strike in France against Macron's pension reform
Trains will grind to a halt in France on Thursday, classrooms will be shut and businesses disrupted as workers walk off their jobs in an attempt to derail a planned pension reform that would see the retirement age pushed up by two years to 64.
Ukraine's interior minister among 18 dead in helicopter crash
Eighteen people including Ukraine's interior minister, other senior ministry officials and three children were killed on Wednesday morning when a helicopter crashed near a nursery outside Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.
WHO urges travellers to wear masks as new COVID variant spreads
Countries should consider recommending that passengers wear masks on long-haul flights, given the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said.
WHO meeting to decide on COVID emergency set for Jan. 27
A World Health Organization committee will meet on Jan. 27 to consider whether the COVID-19 pandemic still represents a global emergency, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, three years after it was first declared.
China reopens borders in final farewell to zero-COVID
Travellers began streaming into mainland China by air, land and sea on Sunday, many eager for long-awaited reunions, as Beijing opened borders that have been all but shut since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 200 people in Himalayan town evacuated after homes develop cracks
Indian authorities have moved nearly 200 people from their homes in the Himalayan town of Joshimath, an official said on Saturday, after hundreds of buildings in the area popular with pilgrims and tourists developed cracks due to shifting soil.
Pandemic blows hole in Australia population goal but migration recovering
The COVID pandemic has blown a million-person hole in Australia's population projections in a challenge for an economy that has relied on having more consumers to drive growth, though a speedy recovery in migration promises to soften the blow.
Afghan hospital wards fill with children suffering from pneumonia
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which supports several hospitals in Afghanistan, said even before the winter months, it had seen a 50% increase in children under five admitted for pneumonia in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Dubai scraps 30% tax on alcohol sales amid economic rebound
Dubai has suspended a tax of 30% on alcohol and dropped a licence fee previously needed to buy alcohol in the commercial and tourism hub, two major retailers said on social media.
(1)-original-thumb.jpg)
Flights to and from Philippine capital suspended due to technical issues
Philippine authorities halted flights in and out of Manila on New Year's Day due to a malfunction of air traffic control, causing chaos for tens of thousands of travellers. A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport operator said on Sunday.
