World

At a press conference on Friday, Valais canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said investigators were interviewing witnesses and would review video evidence to determine whether a bar that went up in flames in the early hours of 2026 had the correct fire safety procedures and emergency exits. Officials have not said whether the bar had the two escape routes required under Swiss fire and building codes — or whether those exits were usable at the time of the fire.  Some Swiss media reports suggest that the bar's basement area may have had only one access and exit route, which could have made evacuation extremely difficult in a panic situation. However, at the press conference on Friday, Pilloud gave no further details about the number of escape routes or whether they met safety requirem...

Unrest is continuing in Iran, with protesters calling for a change of government. US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran's regime and Israel's spy agency, the Mossad, has expressed support for protesters. It is unclear what impact the protests will have. The economically motivated demonstrations have been smaller than the last major uprisings, brutally repressed, in Iran in 2022. There have been few overt reactions from Iran's allies, neighbors and enemies in the Middle East. But, given the level of involvement Iran has in the internal politics of many countries int he region, there's no doubt that leaders are watching carefully — some likely with concern, others potentially sensing opportunity should protests weaken Iran's government. Saudi Arabia, UAE: 'Frenemies' for stability...

South Korean boy band BTS have announced their comeback for March, after a nearly four-year hiatus.    "March 20 comeback confirmed," the band's entertainment company BigHit Music wrote on X.   BTS — short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, literally "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in Korean — is expected to release an album on March 20, followed by a world tour. The 2026 album will be their first release since the 2022 anthology album "Proof."  The Bangtan Boys take BerlinTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video BTS's highly anticipated return Thursday's announcement marks the end of the K-pop sensation's hiatus of nearly four years. On June 14, 2022, BTS dropped the news that they'd halt group activities to focus on solo projects ...

A powerful earthquake struck central and southern Mexico on Friday, killing at least two people, officials said. The magnitude 6.5 quake struck near the tourist hotspot of Acapulco, in Guerrero state on the Pacific coast.Tourists in Acapulco had to evacuate their hotelsImage: Francisco Robles/AFP The tremor was also felt around 400 kilometers (250 miles) away in the capital, Mexico City, where President Claudia Sheinbaum had to interrupt a press conference to evacuate the presidential palace. What do we know about the earthquake? The earthquake's epicenter was 14 kilometers outside of San Marcos, a town in the southwestern state of Guerrero, Mexico's National Seismological Service said. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said a woman in her 50s was killed "when her house collapsed on to...

To protest Iran's dire economic situation, shopkeepers in the capital, Tehran, have kept their stores shuttered since last weekend. Large street protests have spread across the country in recent days. Iran's economy is struggling with high inflation and sanctions related to the government's nuclear program. According to the International Monetary Fund, inflation in Iran reached 32.5% in 2024. The IMF estimates that consumer prices will have risen by 42.4% in 2025 and will not fall below the 40% mark in 2026. By comparison, the European Central Bank is targeting an inflation rate of 2% in the eurozone. The value of Iran's national currency, the rial, had previously plummeted to a historic low on the black market. The economy suffers from chronic structural weaknesses. These can only mitig...

Amsterdam's Vondel Church, near one of the city's most popular parks, was largely destroyed in a fire just as New Year celebrations were in full swing, local media reported on Thursday. The former Catholic Church's roughly 50-metre-high (164-feet) tower and the roof collapsed in the blaze, which an emergency services spokesperson said had made the 154-year-old structure "no longer salvageable." "It is a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church," lamented Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. Fire broke out minutes after fireworks The blaze was first reported shortly after midnight and was quickly escalated to a major incident, with firefighters calling in assistance from other regions of the Netherlands. The Dutch navy deployed its 60-meter-high aerial work platform to help t...

Venezuela's government on Thursday announced the release of 88 people jailed for protesting President Nicolas Maduro's claimed victory in the July 2024 elections. In a statement published on Instagram, the Ministry of Penitentiary Service said that there had been "88 new releases" of people detained "for crimes committed during violent actions by extremist groups." "These actions are part ‌of the comprehensive review process of cases ordered ‌by ⁠President Nicolas Maduro," it added.  The ‍New Year's Day release comes after Maduro's government decided to free 99 people on Christmas Day as "a concrete expression of the State's commitment to peace, dialogue and justice."  Venezuela's disputed 2024 re-election of Maduro In July 2024, mass protests erupted in Venezuela after Maduro was dec...

Finnish police on Wednesday seized a vessel suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia. The cargo vessel called Fitburg was spotted with its anchor lowered near the site in Estonia's exclusive economic zone where telecom provider Elisa detected a fault early Wednesday. A Finnish border guard vessel and helicopter located the ship and ordered it to stop, raise its anchor, and move into Finnish territorial waters. "Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary," President Alexander Stubb wrote on X. Undersea 'sabotage' has countries ‍on high alert Finnish police said they were investigating the incident as "aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated inter...

Finnish police on Wednesday seized a vessel suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia. The cargo vessel called Fitburg was spotted with its anchor lowered near the site in Estonia's exclusive economic zone where telecom provider Elisa detected a fault early Wednesday. A Finnish border guard vessel and helicopter located the ship and ordered it to stop, raise its anchor, and move into Finnish territorial waters. "Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary," President Alexander Stubb wrote on X. Undersea 'sabotage' has countries ‍on high alert Finnish police said they were investigating the incident as "aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated inter...

"Gen Z is a generation of convenience," Harshita V. said, referring to her cohort's political activism, as she sipped her strawberry-flavored kombucha.   When India's Supreme Court ordered the removal of stray dogs from the streets of New Delhiin August, she said, a friend of hers organized a protest. Scores signed up online. But when the protest took place the next day, only four or five people showed up. "They rally online," Harshita said. "But, when it comes to finishing something they have started, the enthusiasm fizzles out." This anecdote set the tone for the conversation on Gen Z youths in India and their politics on a cold afternoon in late December among a small group of young people in the capital, New Delhi. A melting pot of political opinions India has the world's largest ...