High pollution levels in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces are keeping tourists away and alarming locals, with the government on Monday, April 10, urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. For several weeks last month the city was at the top of air quality information platform IQAir’s global chart on poor air … Read more
CNN — For the first time, the Chinese navy appears to have simulated strikes by aircraft carrier-based warplanes on Taiwan, as drills around the island wrapped up on their third day. Beijing launched the drills on Saturday, a day after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a 10-day visit to Central America and the United … Read more
Paris CNN — Between four and 10 people are believed to be trapped under rubble in the southern French port city of Marseille after a building collapsed early on Sunday, according to French authorities. A “violent explosion” at around 12:30am local time is believed to be the cause of the collapse, according to Marseille Mayor … Read more
Konstantinivka CNN — “God protects me,” says 73-year-old Tamara. She’s one of the few people who have stayed in the town of Konstantinivka, eastern Ukraine. “If there is a need, God will save me. If not,” she adds with a shrug, “it is what it is.” Tamara has lived in the same flat for the … Read more
Watch Alex Marquardt’s report on the sting operation on Erin Burnett OutFront on Monday, April 10, at 7 p.m. ET. CNN — A team of South Korean spies and American private investigators quietly gathered at the South Korean intelligence service in January, just days after North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea. For … Read more
CNN — Farmers in central and eastern Europe protested this week against the impact of cheap Ukrainian grain imports, which have undercut domestic prices and hit the sales of local producers. Protesters blocked traffic and border checkpoints with tractors along the border between Romania and Bulgaria, in an effort to prevent Ukrainian trucks from entering … Read more
CNN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared Iftar with Ukrainian Muslim soldiers observing Ramadan on Friday, in what he said would become an annual “new tradition of respect.” Iftar is the meal breaking the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Addressing participants at the dinner which included leaders of the Mejlis, the … Read more
Jerusalem CNN — Dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, in a major escalation that comes amid regional tensions over Israeli police raids at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Some 34 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, with … Read more
Taipei, Taiwan CNN — Defying Beijing’s repeated threats, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy presented a carefully choreographed united front in California on Wednesday against an increasingly powerful and aggressive China. For Taiwan, the rare high-level, bipartisan meeting is a timely show of US support, as China ramps up diplomatic and … Read more
Bangkok, Thailand CNN — Smoke from fires in northern Thailand is making it hard to breathe, and at least one hospital in Chiang Mai says it’s reached “full ward capacity” as people present with respiratory issues from breathing air pollution. Air pollution has been a longstanding problem in Thailand, usually caused by heavy road traffic … Read more