cap: A mourner carries the body of a Palestinian child killed by Israeli strikes, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday. Reuters-Yonhap

Zelenskyy says Russia launched 120 missiles KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack across Ukraine, targeting its energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy said Russia deployed various types of drones including Shaheds, cruise, ballistic and aero ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defense forces shot down 140 air targets, he said in a statement on Telegram. "The enemy's target was our energy i

Prosecution wants 2-year prison sentence for Marine Le Pen PARIS (AP) -- Paris prosecutors on Wednesday requested a 2-year prison sentence for far-right leader Marine Le Pen and an additional 5-year period of ineligibility to run for office, in a trial over the suspected embezzlement of European Parliament funds where her ability to participate in the 2027 presidential race is at stake. The National Rally party and 25 of its officials, including Le Pen, are accused of using money intended fo

Germany's political crisis Germany is headed for snap elections on Feb. 23, the main parties agreed Tuesday, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed last week. (Page 11)

No end in sight Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip over a single day, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, medics said. (Page 10)

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AFP) -- At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 injured in clashes Tuesday at a prison in the Ecuadoran port of Guayaquil, the latest in a series of massacres blamed on a war between drug cartels. Once seen as a beacon of stability in South America, Ecuador has become one of the world's most violent nations and a major drug trafficking hub in recent years. Much of the violence has taken place in prisons where more than 460 inmates have been killed since February 2021, oft

The US Senate's Democratic majority began a crusade on Tuesday to confirm as many new federal judges nominated by President Joe Biden as possible to avoid leaving vacancies that Republican Donald Trump could fill after taking office on Jan. 20. With Republicans set to take control of the chamber on Jan. 3, the Senate on Tuesday held a confirmation vote on one of Biden's judicial nominees -- former prosecutor April Perry -- for the first time since Trump won the Nov. 5 presidential elec

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after 20 months TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication with relatives or friends and met with her father, a human rights group said Tuesday. Kolesnikova, one of the most popular and charismatic figures who helped lead protests of Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, was last heard from in February 2023. The 42-year-ol

BERLIN (AFP) -- Germany is headed for snap elections on Feb. 23, the main parties agreed Tuesday, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed last week. The country's two biggest parties agreed on the early timetable, which will see center-left leader Scholz seek a vote of confidence on Dec. 16. This would pave the way for the February vote in a compromise his Social Democrats hammered out with the conservative opposition Christ

US contractor ordered to pay $42m to torture victims WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, their lawyers said. CACI Premier Technology Inc. was found liable at the conclusion of a long-running trial for its role in the torture of the three men at the notorious prison in 2003 and 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights said. Suhail Al Shimari, a middle school

Houthis attack US warships with drones, missiles WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted two US destroyers with drones and missiles as they transited the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but the warships defeated the attacks, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The Houthis began striking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, part of the region-wide fallout from Israel's devastating war in Gaza, which militant groups in multiple countries have cited as justification for

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past day, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, medics said. In Lebanon, Israel's warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs and killed 33 people elsewhere in the country on Tuesday. The latest bombardment came as the United States said it would not reduce its military support for Israel after a deadline passed for allowing more humanitar

US sanctions Sudan paramilitary commander WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States sanctioned a senior Sudanese military official on Tuesday, accusing him of overseeing human rights abuses in his country's West Darfur region. The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Abdel Rahman Joma'a Barakallah, a commander with Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it accused of being "a primary party responsible for the ongoing violence against civilians in Sud

Schools shut as Spain braces for more rain MADRID (AFP) -- Schools in flood-hit towns in eastern Spain will be closed on Wednesday as the region braces for more torrential rains, officials said. National weather office AEMET on Tuesday placed parts of Valencia as well as Catalonia in the northeast and Andalusia in the south and the Balearic Islands on orange alert -- the second highest level -- for strong or torrential rains until Thursday. The alert comes two weeks after an exceptional Medi

Ancient customs 고대의 풍습 On Sept. 27, an artisan works on a clay idol of Hindu goddess Durga, ahead of the Durga Puja festival at Kumartoli in Kolkata, India. Every year in Kolkata, the world’s oldest trade gets fleeting respect from an ancient custom -- when soil outside brothels is considered sacred and collected for Hindu rituals. (AFP) 두르가푸자 축제를 앞둔 지난 27일, 인도 콜카타의 쿠마르톨리구에서 한 장인이 힌두교 여신 두르가의 흙 우상을 만들고 있다. 고대의 전통에 따라 콜카타에서는 매년 “세계에서 가장 오래된 직업 (매춘업)”이 잠시나마 존경을 받게 된다. 매춘업소 바깥

Autumn, at last 드디어 가을 On Oct. 1st, as it rains across the country, a citizen is seen walking with an umbrella at the Open Songhyeon Green Plaza in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Some climatologists have warned that after experiencing record-breaking heatwaves this year, the Korean Peninsula may also face record-breaking cold waves as winter approaches. (Yonhap) 전국으로 비가 내린 1일 서울 종로구 열린송현녹지광장에서 한 시민이 우산을 쓰고 이동하고 있다. 일부 기후학자들은 올해 기록적인 폭염을 경험한 한반도는 겨울철에 들어서면서 역시 기록적인 한파가 찾아올 수도 있다고 경고하였다. (연합)

Pack of robot dogs 로봇개 무리 On the 25th, robotic dogs and other unmanned combat equipment are on the move during a media day rehearsal before the 76th Armed Forces Day, at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Quadrupedal “robotic dogs” are receiving attention for their potential use as future automated unmanned combat equipment, attracting significant interest from militaries around the world. (Yonhap) 25일 경기도 성남시 서울공항에서 열린 제76주년 국군의 날 미디어데이 리허설에서 로봇개를 포함한 무인전투체계 장비들이 이동하고 있

Flood death toll reaches 193 in devastated Nepal KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- The number of people killed by flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall over the weekend in Nepal reached 193 while recovery and rescue work stepped up Monday. Many of the deaths were in the capital, Kathmandu, which got heavy rainfall, and much of the southern part of the city was flooded. Police said in a statement that 31 people were still reported missing and 96 people were injured across the Himalayan n

JERUSALEM (AP) -- The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin announced the young man's death early Sunday, ending a relentless campaign by his parents to rescue him that included meetings with world leaders and an address to the Democratic convention last month. Goldberg-Polin, 23, was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued vide

Mexico has just elected its first female president, following a rare contest between two women. But while this result represents welcome gains for gender equality, it was an outlier. The broader picture is disheartening. Consider, for example, another recent election. Thirty years after the end of apartheid and the first free vote -- and despite impressive strides (led by women) toward gender equality in other domains -- the people of South Africa still have not had a chance to elect a woman to