Author: admin@primenews

Taiwan’s defense ministry has urged Beijing to stop its “persistent military harassment,” after it detected more than 100 Chinese warplanes close to the island in a 24-hour span between Sunday and Monday. The number of warplanes recorded posed “severe challenges to the Taiwan Strait and regional safety,” the ministry said in a statement. According to a flight map provided by the ministry, 40 of the 103 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line on the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Those 40 incursions were made by 10 Su-30 fighter jets, 12 J-10 fighter jets, four…

Old, round, imperfect and beautiful — that’s how fans of Korean art describe the moon jar, or “dalhangari.” These unassuming, plain white pots have entranced everyone from rapper RM, of K-pop sensation BTS, to philosopher Alain de Botton. The former director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Beth McKillop, has called the moon jar an “icon of Korean identity.” And if price is any indicator of popularity, one recently sold for over $4.5 million at a Christie’s auction. This month, a rare example from the late 17th or early 18th century will go on sale at Sotheby’s in New York, where it’s expected…

The US military has asked for the public’s help to try and locate one of its F-35 fighter jets after the pilot ejected from the aircraft. It went missing on Sunday afternoon when the pilot was flying over the southern state of South Carolina. The pilot, who has not been named, ejected and parachuted safely. He is in a stable condition in hospital. It is not yet clear what happened, but officials said the aircraft was involved in a “mishap”. They said they were focusing their search around two lakes north of the city of Charleston. Based on the jet’s…

An emotional Kylie Minogue has played a triumphant greatest hits-packed set to close Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester. “You’re spectacular,” she told the 35,000-strong crowd. “I am going to commit all of that to memory,” she beamed at the end of her 65-minute, 15-song set. This was the return of Radio 2’s annual live event after an absence of four years, due to a combination of coronavirus and the cancellation of events around the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year. The weekend in Leicester was the first time the festival had been expanded to two days and…

Five Americans jailed in Iran are expected to fly home as part of a deal mediated by the Gulf state of Qatar. The four men and one woman, who also hold Iranian passports, will board a plane once it is confirmed that $6bn (£4.8bn) in Iranian funds once held in South Korea have reached banks in Doha. This is part of a deal reached last month after a year of indirect talks. Five Iranians imprisoned in US jails, mainly on charges of violating US sanctions, will also be released. The Americans detained in Iran’s notorious Evin prison were told many…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute to the country’s British-era parliament ahead of a move to a new building. He was speaking at the beginning of a five-day special parliament session that has been called by his government. On Tuesday, the session will shift to the new building after an event to commemorate parliament’s legacy. The announcement of the session last month had taken opposition lawmakers by surprise. According to the government, eight bills have been listed for discussion during the session – this agenda could be changed or expanded during the course of the week. But opposition…

A Gold Coast man who filmed himself taking his pet snake for a surf has been fined by Australian wildlife authorities. Higor Fiuza and his bredli carpet python Shiva became local celebrities earlier this month after video of them catching waves went viral. But their short-lived fame also tipped off wildlife protection officers. They say the man endangered Shiva and breached his permit to keep the snake by taking her out in public. Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science says it began investigating the surfing duo after Mr Fiuza appeared in local media, and this week issued him a fine…

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi is visiting Russia for security talks, as Moscow seeks continued support for its war on Ukraine. A close ally of Moscow, Beijing is accused of supporting Russia indirectly during the war, which it denies. Mr Wang’s trip is thought to be paving the way for Vladimir Putin to make a landmark visit to Beijing soon. Earlier this month Mr Putin said he expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but did not say when. He has not travelled abroad since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him over war crimes in Ukraine.…

Staff of embattled property developer Evergrande’s wealth management unit have been detained by police in Shenzhen, southern China. In a post on social media police called on the public to report any cases of suspected fraud. Meanwhile, the takeover of the firm’s insurance arm by a newly created state-owned insurer was announced on Friday. Evergrande is at the centre of a crisis that has engulfed China’s real estate industry since 2021. “Recently, public security organs took criminal compulsory measures against Du and other suspected criminals at Evergrande Financial Wealth Management Co,” Shenzhen Nanshan District Police Bureau said on Saturday. No further…

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the war in Ukraine could be long, as Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russia continues to make only marginal gains. Ukraine’s allies have sought to accentuate campaign gains in recent weeks, but it has been underway for months with no major breakthroughs. The fall will bring changing conditions on the ground and the possibility that Russia will once again try to pummel Ukrainian energy infrastructure. “Most wars last longer than is expected when they first start. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost published Sunday. “We…