The China Mail - Boulevard

Featured

S. Korea prosecutors raid ex-president's house over shaman probe: Yonhap

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday raided the home of the country's ex-president, Yonhap reported, as part of a probe into a shaman accused of receiving lavish gifts for the former first lady.

Filipino cardinal, the 'Asian Francis', is papal contender

Asia's front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the "Asian Francis".

Last news

Pope 'stable', out of imminent danger as talk turns to return home

Pope Francis remains stable after almost four weeks in hospital with pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, declining to speculate on when he might go home, the day after doctors indicated he was no longer in danger.

Far-right Romania politician loses appeal against presidential vote ban

Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu on Tuesday lost an appeal against a decision barring him from standing in the country's presidential election re-run, as hundreds protested outside the court.

Ex-Philippine president Duterte bound for Hague after ICC arrest over drug war

A plane carrying former Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte left Manila bound for The Hague on Tuesday night following his arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs, President Ferdinand Marcos said.

Pope out of danger, talk turns to return home

Pope Francis was reported to be in good spirits Tuesday after the Vatican declared he was out of danger and could even be discharged in the near future after almost one month in hospital with pneumonia.

Spain near end of four-year drought: weather agency

A drought that has parched fields and prompted water restrictions in Spain since 2021 could be over soon thanks to recent abundant rainfall, national weather agency AEMET said on Tuesday.

Nigeria moves gingerly to tame Africa's biggest crypto market

Nigerian authorities are warily moving to regulate Africa's largest cryptocurrency market in long-delayed efforts to create legal certainty in a field still fraught with fraud and volatility.

Catching the world's most wanted: the ICC's impossible task

The arrest on Tuesday of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, by police acting on an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs, marks a success for the ICC, which has been struggling for almost 23 years against a lack of recognition and enforcement power.

Hong Kong pro-democracy social worker convicted over 2019 clash

A Hong Kong social worker was found guilty of rioting during the city's 2019 democracy protests, with the court on Tuesday rejecting her claim of being a mediator and ruling that she encouraged people to resist police.

Guatemala volcanic eruption deemed over after spewing lava, evacuations

Guatemalan authorities evacuated around 1,000 people Monday after Central America's most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks.

Maradona medical team on trial four years after icon's death

Seven medical professionals who cared for Argentine football legend Diego Maradona during his final days go on trial Tuesday accused of criminal negligence over his death.

120,000 properties still blacked out in storm-hit Australia

Australian utilities raced Tuesday to reconnect more than 120,000 homes and businesses still blacked out by gales and floods that bashed the east coast.

Russian oligarch's superyacht could be auctioned in US

A luxurious superyacht that belonged to Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov may be headed to the auction block after a US judge on Monday dismissed a competing claim to ownership of the $300 million vessel.

Colombia urges UN to remove coca leaf from harmful substances list

Colombia, whose President Gustavo Petro is a vocal critic of the US-led war on drugs, on Monday urged the UN to remove coca -- the main ingredient in cocaine -- from a list of harmful substances.

French parliament adopts bill to bring back village bars

French lawmakers Monday adopted a bill making it easier to open a bar in villages without one, with backers saying it would revive rural socialising, but critics warning of health risks.

LA prosecutor asks to withdraw Menendez brothers' bid for resentencing

The chief prosecutor in Los Angeles said Monday he was asking for the withdrawal of a resentencing motion for Erik and Lyle Menendez because the brothers continue to lie about the 1989 murder of their wealthy parents.

Huge fire, more than 30 injured after North Sea ships crash

A cargo ship ran into a US-military charted tanker carrying jet fuel in the North Sea on Monday, sparking a massive fire off the English coast and injuring more than 30 people, the tanker's operator and authorities said.

Los Angeles wildfires cost Lloyd's of London $2.3 bn

Insurance market Lloyd's of London on Monday said it had taken a financial hit totalling about $2.3 billion from the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year.

Far-right Romanian candidate appeals presidential vote ban

Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu on Monday appealed a decision barring him from standing in a presidential vote re-run, which has sparked violent clashes and plunged the EU and NATO member bordering war-torn Ukraine into deeper uncertainty.

Residents evacuated as Guatemalan volcano spews lava, rocks

Guatemalan authorities evacuated around a thousand people on Monday after Central America's most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks.

Huge fire, 32 injured after North Sea ships crash

A cargo ship struck a tanker carrying jet fuel on Monday in the North Sea, sparking a massive fire off England and leaving 32 people injured, the tanker's operator and authorities said.

Former Ubisoft bosses on trial in France accused of sexual harassment

Three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft, the maker of "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry", went on trial on Monday accused of psychologically and sexually harassing employees for nearly a decade.

'Too soon' to discuss pope's return home, says Vatican source

Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, is showing slight signs of improvement but it is too early to discuss his return home, a Vatican source said Monday.

Myanmar Catholics pray for ailing Pope Francis

In a cathedral's hush in Myanmar's biggest metropolis, Catholics bow their heads in prayer for Pope Francis -- returning the good wishes the ailing faith leader often sends the war-riven nation.

Floods hit eastern Australia, 190,000 properties blacked out

Torrential rain from the remnants of Cyclone Alfred flooded swathes of Australia's east coast on Monday, as workers battled to restore power to more than 190,000 homes and businesses.

Floods hit eastern Australia, 200,000 properties blacked out

Torrential rain from the remnants of Cyclone Alfred flooded swathes of Australia's east coast on Monday, as workers battled to restore power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses.

Syria security forces disperse rival protests in Damascus

Syrian security forces on Sunday fired in the air to disperse rival protests after pro-government demonstrators clashed with a gathering mourning dead civilians, following the reported mass killings of Alawites.

Wild weather blacks out 300,000 properties in Australia

Gusts and torrential rain have blacked out more than 300,000 properties and swamped parts of Australia's east coast, officials said Sunday, with one driver confirmed dead and a dozen troops injured in the wild weather.

Man with Palestinian flag arrested after scaling London's Big Ben

A man who scaled London's Big Ben, and spent the day perched on the historic clock tower with a Palestinian flag, was arrested shortly after he came down after midnight Sunday, police said.

Argentina port city 'destroyed' by massive rainstorm, 13 dead

Argentina's port city of Bahia Blanca has been "destroyed" after being pummeled by a year's worth of rain in a matter of hours, killing 13 and driving hundreds from their homes, authorities said Saturday.

Protesters rally on International Women's Day, fearing far right

Protesters took to the streets across the world Saturday to mark International Women's Day, demanding equal pay, political representation and an end to gender-based violence while voicing fears of rising repression.

Pope responding well to pneumonia treatment, Vatican says

Pope Francis is responding well to treatment for pneumonia after three weeks in hospital, the Vatican said Saturday, adding that the 88-year-old was showing "a gradual, slight improvement".

Sleeping man is struck by train in Peru but survives

An apparently drunken man somehow survived after being struck Saturday by a cargo train while sleeping along train tracks in Peru, local authorities said.

The China Mail - Boulevard (English)