World

BEIJING – Typhoon Dolphin's remnants channelled vast amounts of moisture into Beijing and the central province of Henan on Wednesday, as the ​capital braced to receive more than one-third of its average annual rainfall in 24 hours.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan's government has condemned "dangerous" planned Chinese navy drills with an Indonesian warship off the island's east coast, saying Beijing was trying to create a false impression to the international community that it controls those waters. China ​views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and in June began coast guard patrols off the island's east coast, causing anger in Taipei and concern in ⁠Washington and some other Western capitals.

 Pakistan’s defense minister said the United States and Iran are “close to some sort of arrangement” over the Strait of Hormuz, even after both sides appeared to harden their positions in the long-deadlocked negotiations.

DUBAI – The U.S. and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.

At least 77 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia early on Monday, knocking down buildings across several cities and leaving others trapped in the rubble.

BANGKOK – A gunman killed a Thai official inside a local government office on the capital Bangkok’s outskirts on Monday, authorities said, days after a teenager’s shooting spree at a school in the same province reignited debate over gun control.

The Yemeni military said seven people including military personnel and civilians ​were killed and 30 others wounded in a Houthi attack ⁠on the Red Sea port ‌city of Mocha, civilian ​infrastructure and armed forces.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal by U.S.-backed mediators for disarming Hamas, hardening his position after voicing misgivings at the suggestion that Israel reciprocate with phased pullouts from Gaza. “Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to an official translation. In his original remarks, he ...

Iran and Oman remained short of a final deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although President Donald Trump signaled patience, saying the U.S. could wait for Tehran’s economic suffering to soften its stance. For its part, Iran ruled out direct talks with the U.S. for now, citing what Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described as repeated violations of a short-lived interim peace agreement ...

A group of Italian divers discovered a Roman shipwreck stocked with hundreds of ancient clay jars in the warm waters off the coast of Sicily, authorities said. The ship is believed ​to date back to the second or first century B.C., according to the Italian Ministry of Culture. Divers located it about ⁠3 miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, a city on the ‌western coast of Sicily.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia to fight for Pyongyang's ally, while calling on South Korea to provide support for its air defence.

Ukraine and Russia accused each other of lethal attacks on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was targeting global food security by striking Odesa's seaport. Three ​people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where a multi-story apartment block was hit, while authorities in Russia's Belgorod ⁠said five were killed and 25 wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a landmark first visit on Saturday to Serbia to expand cooperation with the Balkan country whose leader has been scaling back once-close ties with Russia. Serbia and Ukraine will work together on the common goal of joining the European Union, and intend to finalize a mutual free trade agreement by the end of the year, Zelenskyy and his Serbian ...

CAIRO – Iran said on Saturday that a deal with Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz was close but would not be enough to free up the waterway, and the United Arab Emirates said Iran had hit another ship there.

A 14-year-old student opened fire on seven people and wounded more than 20 on Friday in one of Thailand’s deadliest school shootings in years.

Merck & Co.’s Ebola vaccine and an antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences Inc. are set for wider use in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to blunt the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Congolese officials plan to expand access to both products across two provinces as the epidemic outpaces conventional control measures. Almost ...

As the U.S. approaches six months of war with Iran, the costs to taxpayers and consumers continue to grow, beyond what has yet been fully quantified.