World

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti won a clear victory in Kosovo's second parliamentary election in 2025 with some 49.3% of the vote, results suggested on early Monday, with most of the votes counted. Kosovo has been mired in political paralysis for most of the year, after Kurti's leftist party lost the absolute majority it had won in 2021 and failed to secure the support of any other party to form a government. Months of unsuccessful coalition talks led to President Vjosa Osmani dissolving the parliament in November and calling an early election. What are the Kosovo election results? Kurti's left-leaning Self-Determination party fell just short of an absolute majority. But it remains to be seen whether he will need a coalition in order to form a government. According to the preliminar...

At least 13 people were killed and more than 90 others were injured after an intercity train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday. The Interoceanic Train was carrying 250 people when it derailed near Nizanda, according to the Mexican Navy, which oversees the railway line. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X that five ‌of ⁠the injured were in critical condition. She said senior officials had been dispatched to the site to assist the families of the victims and that an investigation is underway. Oaxaca state Governor Salomon Jara Cruz also offered his condolences to those who had lost loved ones in the accident.At least 13 people were killed and scores more were injuredImage: Rusvel Rasgado/AFP Mexico's railway push The Interoceanic Train was inaugurated in 2023 by Sheinb...

China announced "major" military exercises around Taiwan on Monday amid rising tensions with Japan over the status of the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory.The maneuvers around Taiwan come after Beijing expressed anger at US arms sales to Taipei and a statement from Japan that its military could get involved if China acted against Taiwan. While China's military has conducted live-fire drills and practiced port blockades around Taiwan in the past, Monday's announcement was the first time it publicly stated that drills were aimed at "deterrence" of outside military intervention. China said its live-fire drills simulate a blockade of Taiwan's key portsImage: Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via REUTERS What we know about China's latest drills around Taiwan Giving d...

Italy's competition authority (AGCM) has hit Ryanair with a fine of more than €255 million ($300 million) for abusing its dominant position. The regulator said the low-cost airline blocked or restricted travel agencies from offering flights combined with other airlines or services. The alleged practices took place from 2023 and continued "at least" until April 2025. Ryanair used 'an abusive strategy' The AGCM said the company tried to prevent or complicate travel agents’ ability to buy Ryanair flights on its website, whether alone or bundled with other airlines or services. The agency described it as "an abusive strategy to hinder travel agencies." "Ryanair rolled out facial recognition procedures on its website aimed at users who purchased their ticket through a travel agency," the ...

Lawmakers in Japan's Niigata Prefecture have approved a request from the operator of the world's largest nuclear power plant to resume operations, overriding the concerns of local residents and anti-nuclear campaigners. The prefectural assembly voted on Monday to permit Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, on the north coast of Japan and about 220 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of the capital, Tokyo. TEPCO has indicated that it will restart one of the seven reactors at the plant as early as January 20. Japan ordered the shutdown of all 54 nuclear power stations across the country in the immediate aftermath of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011. Three of the six reactors at the plant suffered catastrophic breaches at the t...

One question continues to arise after the recent killing of two US soldiers and a civilian translator in central Syria by a follower of the extremist "Islamic State" group. The killer had infiltrated the Syrian security forces. How many others in the Syrian security forces might hold similarly extreme opinions? The attack "exposes holes in the Syrian government's intelligence capabilities, a known vulnerability given the shortages of personnel and resources, and the country's geographic instability," Syrian researcher and journalist Subhi Franjieh wrote for London-based media outlet Al Majalla shortly afterward. "The Palmyra attack may be used to argue that the Syrian government is compromised and cannot be trusted in key areas like counterterrorism." Franjieh points out that, although...

The actions of the US fleet in the Caribbean are increasingly causing alarm. US warships not only have alleged drug boats in their sights; since early December, they have also been targeting oil tankers. Experts differ in their assessments of Venezuela's role in drug trafficking, but they all agree that oil exports are vitally important to the South American country. Venezuela's economy may be in tatters, but it is sitting on the world's largest known oil reserves, estimated at more than 300 billion barrels. It can safely be assumed that these mineral resources also play a role in the strategic considerations of the oil-friendly US president, Donald Trump. For his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, they act as a lubricant for foreign relations. But the intensification of the US con...

What you need to know The US Food and Drug Administration approved using Wegovy in pill form to treat weight loss Starting dose to be available in January Daily pill could replace weekly injection The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a pill version of the drug Wegovy from Novo Nordisk as a treatment for weight loss. The pill was approved for chronic weight management ‌in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one related health condition. The oral medication contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, which is also made by Novo Nordisk and primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes. The FDA had already approved an oral semaglutide made by Novo for ⁠diabetes called Rybelsus. Daily pill could replace a weekly injection for weight loss ...

Key points Vince Zampella died after the Ferrari he was driving crashed and caught fire near Los Angeles He was a renowned video developer whose studios have created some of the world's best-selling games One of his crowning achievements was the creation of the 'Call of Duty' franchise Renowned game designer Vince Zampella has died, US video gaming company Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday. The gaming juggernaut did not mention the cause of death. A separate report by the NBC Los Angeles, however, stated that the 55-year-old had been driving a Ferrari with another passenger on Sunday afternoon when the car slammed into a concrete barrier and caught fire. Zampella died at the scene, while the passenger later died in hospital, the broadcaster said. Police told the LA Ti...

A Mexican navy plane carrying burn patients to a Texas hospital in the United States crashed Monday in the waters of Galveston Bay, killing at least five people, officials said. Mexico's Navy said eight people were on board the twin-turboprop aircraft, including four navy officers and four civilians, one of them a child. The plane was transporting burn patients to Shriners Children's Hospital in Galveston. Cause of the crash under investigation The aircraft, a King Air ANX-1209, departed from Merida in Mexico's Yucatan state and was headed to Galveston Scholes International Airport. The flight was part of a medical mission coordinated with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which arranges emergency transport for children with life-threatening burns to the hospital. Authorities said the c...