International news

The private creative world of Rabindranath Tagore, the man Yeats called ‘greater than any of us’

A previously unseen family archive offers a glimpse into the Indian Nobel prize winner’s artistic process and personal relationships in his final years It’s easy to run out of words to describe Rabindranath Tagore. The first non-European to win the Nobel prize in literature, Tagore was a Bengali poet, musician, novelist, philosopher, songwriter, painter, humanist and educator. Born in 1861, Tagore left an indelible mark on the subcontinent’s literature, music, education and…

Wang Yi says China-Philippines relations face malicious interference

China-Philippines relations are facing malicious interference at present, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday, urging the Philippine side to faithfully implement its one-China policy and exercise prudence in its words and actions on maritime issues. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during phone talks with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro at the latter's request.

Kenya discharges first five Ebola patients

Posters displaying information about Ebola symptoms and hygiene precautions are seen at Nairobi Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, October 7, 2026. /VCG Kenya has discharged its first five patients who recovered from the Ebola (Bundibugyo virus) outbreak, while 46 contacts have completed quarantine and returned home, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday. The five men, treated at Kenyatta National Hospital and The Nairobi Hospital, were discharged following laboratory tests which…

Why South Africa's local elections matter

"We've decided not to vote. At all," Vatiswa Zoya said two days before voters in South Africa cast their ballots for new municipal government leaders. "What is the point? We will still sleep hungry." These very same frustrations are what will lead 22-year-old Lindokuhle Mbandazayo to the polls, although she has yet to decide where to place her cross. "When we vote for councilors, we ask them to fix the area," Mbandazayo told DW. "The electricity goes off regularly here. Ther…

Trump pulls plug on $4 billion Israel aid

US President Donald Trump answers questions alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, the United States, on December 29, 2025. /VCG US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a historic pivot in US-Israel relations, revealing a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut off $4 ​billion in annual funding by the end of the year. Speaking to Fox News' Fox and ‌Friends, Trump said Israel no…

What to know about the crisis around Poland's Constitutional Tribunal

Judges at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal are meeting to decide its future after the court president was suspended in a dispute with the government WARSAW, Poland -- Judges at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal are meeting Tuesday to decide its future, following the suspension of the court president in a dispute with the government and a battle over the future of the rule of law. Protesters have gathered daily outside the court in Warsaw since the suspension of the tribunal’s…

Libya's top religious authority rules against wearing Nike clothes

Libya's highest religious authority, the Dar al-Ifta, has issued a ruling banning Muslims from buying, selling or wearing clothing bearing the Nike logo. The ruling, issued by the Tripoli-based institution, states that the US sportswear giant was named after the Greek goddess of victory and that its famous swoosh logo was inspired by her wings. It argued that wearing clothing displaying the logo amounted to promoting symbols associated "with polytheism," or the worship of mo…

China and India achieved diplomatic thaw. Now the border is flaring up

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur sounded alarm bells across India by confirming that Indian and Chinese troops had confronted each other at several locations along the de facto border in Arunachal Pradesh state, in India's northeast. "In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened (with Chinese troops) at various locations in Arunachal and it still continues," he told reporters last month. "It may be difficult to counter…

Wang Yi reaffirms China's support for Myanmar's development

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Myanmar's Minister for the Ministry of National Planning, Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Aung Kyaw Hoe in Beijing, China, November 3, 2026. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called for joint efforts to advance the building of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, expressing China's suppo…

Paraguay seizes major digital bank tied to president, leaving millions in limbo

Paraguay’s central bank has seized a major digital bank with ties to President Santiago Peña ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay -- Paraguay’s central bank seized a major digital lender with close ties to President Santiago Peña early Tuesday, throwing the savings of millions of customers and hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds into limbo. The Central Bank of Paraguay said that its board voted unanimously Monday to put Ueno Bank into resolution after its solvency ratio — a measur…

Cyprus: From ties with Russia to a strategic alignment with the US

In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency on October 4, the new US ambassador to Cyprus, John Breslow, outlined plans to upgrade the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos to accommodate large US military transport aircraft. He also announced plans for more frequent visits by US warships to Cypriot ports and an expansion of joint military activities. But one statement carried particular political weight: his assurance that "the United States will protect Cyprus in the futur…

Multiple flights to European airports targeted by bomb threats

Polish authorities said they carried out inspections of two passenger planes targeted by bomb threats on Tuesday but did not find any explosives, in a string of bomb threats that hit several European airports. A bomb alert forced a LOT flight from London's Heathrow to make an unscheduled landing at Warsaw-Modlin airport, prompting the airport to shut down. Operations resumed around midday. "The passengers were evacuated and the plane underwent security checks. Nothing was fo…

Yemen: Houthi clashes near Taiz leave residents in a 'state of panic'

Four months into the fighting in Yemen between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, clashes are concentrated around Taiz in the country's southwest. Yemeni authorities have warned civilians of sniper fire from surrounding hillsides. Houthi forces have also largely blocked the delivery of goods to Taiz, which is under the control of government forces. Taiz is Yemen's third-largest city, with a population of around 1 million people. However,…

Wang Yi calls for advancing China-Laos community with a shared future

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called for advancing the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future, as the two countries mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Beijing.Wang pointed out China and Laos are friendly s…

Indian navy rescues 20 crew from Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia

Wang Yi meets Thai FM, calls for deeper bilateral cooperation

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow in Beijing, China, November 3, 2026. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow in Beijing, calling for stronger strategic communication and deeper mutually benefici…

Afghanistan's Taliban officials will attend UN climate summit for second time

Afghanistan's Taliban officials have been invited and will attend the upcoming U.N. climate summit as observers ISLAMABAD -- Taliban officials have been invited to attend an upcoming U.N. climate summit as observers for the second time since returning to power in Afghanistan, a Kabul official said Tuesday. The summit starts next week in the Mediterranean city of Antalya in Turkey. Two years ago, they attended a previous summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the first time since th…

US strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island as Vance voices optimism about a deal

Strikes on eve of US midterms reportedly target surface-to-air missiles being used against US assets The ⁠US launched limited strikes on ​Iran’s Qeshm Island late on Monday, hours after the vice-president, JD Vance, said he was optimistic that diplomatic efforts to end the war were moving in the right direction. The strikes, disclosed by Iranians on social media and confirmed by US Central Command (Centcom), came on the eve of crucial midterm elections in which Donald Trump’…

From robot competitions to inclusive cross‑border AI cooperation

Robot Lightning sets a new world record at the second World Humanoid Robot Games, held at the National Speed Skating Oval (the Ice Ribbon) in Beijing, China, August 22, 2026. /CGTN Editor's note: The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is set to convene in Shenzhen from November 18–19, 2026. Against growing global interest in embodied AI and cross‑border robotics collaboration, CGTN invited Zhou Changjiu, president of RoboCup Asia‑Pacific (RCAP) Confederation and vice‑president o…

Australia's social media ban challenged by Reddit and rights group in court

Australia's landmark social media ban for under-16s faces challenges in court over accusations that it amounts to censorship and creates privacy issues.

Tusk says Poland thwarted possible provocation on Kaliningrad border overnight

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Poland successfully prevented an attempted provocation on its border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave WARSAW, Poland -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Poland successfully prevented what appeared to be an attempted provocation on its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad overnight. He gave few details but said that “individuals with flashlights” had been observed in the border area. The Polish guards pre…

Collins Dictionary chooses 'mogging' as its 2026 word of the year

LONDON -- Collins Dictionary has named "mogging” — a slang word meaning to outshine someone or something — as its word of the year. Dictionary experts said Tuesday that the word, most often used by young people “in a playful and ironic way when someone is upstaged," has entered mainstream language and saw a 210% increase in usage in 2026. Other new and notable entries include “firewaves," defined as a series of urban wildfires in a short space of time, and “P(doom),” an esti…

Indian navy rescues 20 crew from Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia

Indian naval forces have freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The rescue of the Azini was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said. An official with the Pu…

Trump’s troubles with Iran could open the door to China

Beijing launches diplomatic salvo to woo Gulf leaders and bolster its influence in the region China has held a flurry of meetings with Gulf leaders in a sign that Beijing is stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The diplomatic salvo comes before a highly anticipated meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping when the US president is expected to attend the Apec conference in Shenzhen, China, on 18 and 19 November. Xi held talks with Haitham bin Tariq, Oman’s…