Showing 1 - 10 of 558
UK’s crumbling canals threatened with collapse
AFP, Published on 11/02/2026
» WHITCHURCH, England - On a misty winter’s day in the English midlands, engineers struggled to drag stranded narrowboats from a waterless, mud-filled canal that collapsed weeks earlier, in a delicate, multi-million-pound rescue operation.
'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase
AFP, Published on 11/02/2026
» MISATO, SAITAMA (JAPAN) - Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Japan PM Takaichi basks in election triumph
AFP, Published on 09/02/2026
» TOKYO - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was savouring an election triumph on Monday, with her ruling coalition projected to have won a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house.
US confirms sweeping visa service suspensions
Reuters and AFP, Published on 15/01/2026
» WASHINGTON - The administration of US President Donald Trump is suspending processing of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries including Thailand, a State Department spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, as part of Washington’s intensifying immigration crackdown.
French museum fare hikes for non-European tourists spark outcry
AFP, Published on 13/01/2026
» PARIS — Should foreign tourists pay more for state-funded galleries than locals, or should art be accessible to all, without discrimination? France is hiking prices for non-Europeans at the Louvre this week, provoking debate about so-called "dual pricing".
Vietnamese caught in Japan's illegal worker crackdown
AFP, Published on 07/01/2026
» TOKYO — For a decade, Vietnamese worker Minh did tough jobs like sandblasting ships and welding steel, helping address rapidly ageing Japan's dire labour needs.
Bondi shooters visited on Indian passports, says Philippines
AFP, Published on 16/12/2025
» MANILA — Philippine immigration authorities said the father and son accused of killing 15 people in Sydney visited the country last month and travelled on Indian passports.
China's scandal-hit Shaolin Temple urged to draw clear line between business and religion
South China Morning Post, Published on 16/12/2025
» The Communist Party chief of Henan province has made an impromptu visit to the famed Shaolin Temple, whose former abbot was rounded up on corruption charges earlier this year, and called for a clear boundary between the temple and business.
Louvre Museum closed as workers strike
AFP, Published on 15/12/2025
» PARIS (FRANCE) - The Louvre Museum closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery.
US seeks to expand social media checks for visa approval
Bloomberg News, Published on 10/12/2025
» The United States is proposing that foreign visitors provide their social media history over the last five years to enter the country, including those from Australia, Germany, Japan and the UK who can now enter without a visa.