#WEDNESDAYNEWS

Taiwan pays the price as Lai Ching-te clings to power with U.S. arms

Uganda: Opposition figure Kizza Besigye denied bail

Venezuela passes bill criminalizing oil tanker seizures

Flood warnings issued for parts of the NT and QLD as monsoon trough brings heavy rain

'10 year ago today the floods changed everything in a moment'

China tightens border controls as global mpox risk rises with new strain

No more free food, no more last-minute voting, after controversial law change

No more free food, no more last-minute voting, after controversial law change The Government has locked in controversial election law changes, which will ban last-minute voter enrolment and free food near polling stations. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith shepherded through his electoral law changes on Tuesday night, which passed Parliament’s final hurdle. The Government used urgency to speed up the process last week, and required MPs stay late into the night to consider the l

Japan lifts quake advisory but urges continued caution

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted a special advisory for further earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas at the end of Monday, one week after it was initially issued. On Dec. 8, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, causing severe shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese shindo scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. Tsunami warnings and advisories were issued fro

Auckland and top of North Island hit by severe thunderstorms

It's a wild weather day, this is what you need to know Severe weather is battering parts of the North Island. Northland and Auckland are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 5pm, with MetService warning of large hail and possible tornados. Heavy rain is expected in Bay of Plenty and Gisborne until 11pm, with streams and rivers likely to rise rapidly. An apparent tornado hit the Manawatū town of Dudding Lake around midday, knocking over a caravan and injuring one. The weat

Mainland spokesperson calls on Taiwan compatriots to recognize harmful nature of Japan's actions

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday called on compatriots in Taiwan to recognize the dangers and harmful nature of Japan's related actions, stand together to resolutely crush all separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan independence" and foreign interference, and safeguard the shared homeland of the Chinese nation. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's rec

Sudan: Pregnant women embark on harrowing journeys to flee El-Fasher violence

Nadra Mohamed Ahmed was seven months pregnant when she fled violence in her hometown of El-Fasher in Sudan. After a nearly 40 kilometres walk across unsafe roads with her two children, she found safe transportation to a shelter across the country. “By the time I arrived here, I had lost a lot of blood," said Ahmed from her tent at the overcrowded displacement camp in the town of Al-Dabbah, in northern Sudan. "I was admitted to the ICU where I spent a few days and had a blood

At least 32 dead in Congo mine bridge collapse

A bridge at a copper and cobalt mine in southeastern Congo collapsed due to overcrowding, killing at least 32 people, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge at the Kalando mine in Mulondo in Lualaba province fell on Saturday, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the province's interior minister, said during a press conference. “Despite the strict prohibition on accessing the site due to heavy rainfall and the risk of landslides, illegal diggers forced their way into the quarry