World News

World's longest prison sentences

By AFP

Istanbul - As a Turkish Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily-clad women he called "kittens" starts a 1,075-year jail term for sex crimes, we look at some of the world's longest prison sentences.

Asian stocks swing as virus and unrest offset vaccine, stimulus

By AFP

Fpo - Asian markets fluctuated Tuesday as hopes for the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and a new stimulus out of Washington competed with fears over surging infections, new lockdowns and brewing political and social unrest in the United States.

Washington chaos leaves image of 'exceptional' America in tatters

By AFP

Sydney - The storming of the US Congress left America's image as a beacon of democracy severely tarnished Thursday, with allies unable to hide their shock and authoritarian regimes gleefully exploiting the unrest.

World leaders condemn 'assault on democracy' at US Capitol

By AFP

Paris - World leaders and governments have expressed shock and outrage at the storming of the US Capitol in Washington by supporters of President Donald Trump.

World ushers in New Year in shadow of pandemic

By AFP

New York - Confetti fluttered on to frontline workers scattered across Times Square after fireworks burst above eerily quiet landmarks from Sydney Harbour Bridge to Copacabana beach, as the world ushered in the New Year with muted celebrations and said good ridda...

World begins ushering in locked-down New Year

By AFP

Sydney - The world began ushering in the New Year Thursday, with pandemic controls muting celebrations for billions of people eager to bid farewell to a virus-ridden 2020.After a grinding year that has seen at least 1.

US, European stocks end at records on US stimulus, Brexit deal

By AFP

New York - US and European stocks pushed into record territory on Monday, buoyed by a pandemic recovery package agreed in the US and Britain's Brexit deal with the EU.

2020: What a funny old year it was...

By AFP

Paris - The coronavirus has not given us much to laugh about in 2020. Yet the year still had its fair share of the weird and the wonderful.

Massive outage hits Google services worldwide

By AFP

New York - A massive blackout on Monday temporarily disrupted popular Google services such as Gmail and YouTube, derailing the remote learning, work and entertainment that people have come to rely on during the pandemic.

Silent Night: How coronavirus is killing Christmas

By AFP

Paris - The first Christmas in a coronavirus world will be a season like no other, with governments urging people to rein themselves in to stop another deadly wave of the pandemic.

European stocks retreat after virus boost

By AFP

London - European stock markets retreated Tuesday as a rally based on raised vaccine hopes petered out.In Asia, equities closed mostly higher with investors there catching up with news from US biotech group Moderna that its vaccine candidate was 94.

Coronavirus: Latest global developments

By AFP

Paris - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:- Markets sink again - After a rally on vaccine hopes and Joe Biden's election, Europe and Asia markets sink as investors fret that surging global infection and death rates could damage economi...

Last month warmest September on record globally: EU

By AFP

Paris - Earth's surface was warmer last month than during any September on record, with temperatures since January tracking those of the hottest ever calendar year in 2016, the European Union's Earth Observation Programme said Wednesday.

World leaders wish Trump a speedy recovery

By AFP

Paris - World leaders on Friday wished US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania a quick recovery following his announcement that they were quarantining after testing positive for coronavirus.

Chatting with Lilly King: The 'Queen of Breaststroke' in Swimming Special

By Markos Papadatos

Olympic gold medalist and world record holder swimmer Lilly King chatted with Digital Journal's Markos Papadatos about the second season of the International Swimming League (ISL), where she will be competing for the Cali Condors once again.

'Masks up, emissions down' as climate demos restart

By AFP

Berlin - Thousands of young people across Europe joined a global day of climate protests on Friday, many wearing masks and keeping their distance against the coronavirus.

Asian stocks plunge with Wall St as tech surge halted

By AFP

Fpo - Asian markets fell deep into negative territory Friday following painfully deep losses on Wall Street, where the tech sector finally succumbed to profit-taking after months of mind-boggling gains.

Dow erases 2020 losses as US stocks charge upwards

By AFP

New York - Wall Street flexed its muscles on Friday, with the Dow erasing its losses for the year and the S&P and Nasdaq again hitting records as investors shrugged off the ongoing coronavirus crisis, while markets elsewhere saw more moderate trading.

Why do 'non-lethal' weapons maim and kill protesters?

By AFP

Nicosia - Riot police from Beirut and Baghdad to Hong Kong and Minsk often use so-called "non-lethal" weapons for crowd control -- so why do protesters keep dying and being maimed?

World offers support, condolences to Lebanon after devastating blasts

By AFP

Beirut - Emergency medical aid and pop-up field hospitals were dispatched to Lebanon on Wednesday, as the world offered assistance and paid tribute to the victims of the huge explosion that devastated Beirut.

World population in 2100 could be 2 billion below UN projections

By AFP

Paris - Earth will be home to 8.8 billion souls in 2100, two billion fewer than current UN projections, according to a major study published Wednesday that foresees new global power alignments shaped by declining fertility rates and greying populations.

Ten million kids 'may never return to school' after virus

By AFP

London - The coronavirus pandemic has caused an "unprecedented education emergency" with up to 9.7 million children affected by school closures at risk of never going back to class, Save the Children warned Monday.

Gay Pride events go online to mark 50th anniversary

By AFP

Paris - Fifty years on from the first Gay Pride march, the LGBT community and their supporters took many of their events online Saturday, responding to the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

Asian markets swing as new virus cases temper reopening hopes

By AFP

Fpo - Asian markets fluctuated Monday as investors kept a nervous eye on a spike in virus infections around the world, while Europe pressed ahead with the easing of lockdown measures.

Fresh world protests against racism and police violence

By AFP

Paris - Thousands marched in cities around the world for a second week of rallies Saturday to support the US Black Lives Matter movement, but also to highlight racism and police brutality in their own countries.

Airlines improvise gradual liftoff as lockdowns ease

By AFP

Frankfurt Am Main - Cabin crews on standby with destinations revealed only hours before the flight, pilots put on simulators to keep up to date -- an airline restarting after the pandemic is a far cry from the clockwork precision of the pre-coronavirus world.