A powerful 7.5 earthquake has hit central Japan, the USGS said, prompting tsunami warnings and authorities to urge people in the area to move to higher ground. “All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” national broadcaster NHK said after the quake hit the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around …

Fireworks illuminated skies over Paris, Rio and Sydney to celebrate the entry to 2024, while rockets and strikes marked the year’s earliest hours in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine. Much of the world’s population – now more than eight billion – is hoping to shake off high living costs and global …

Every year brings its challenges to the farming sector and there have been many over the last 12 months – income cuts, bad weather, regulatory pressure, emissions concerns and non-stop change kept farmers fully mentally and physically engaged in 2023. Farming is one of the few ways of life directly …

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen expressed hopes on Monday for Taipei and Beijing to seek “long-term peaceful coexistence” and said future relations should be decided by Taiwan’s “democratic procedures”. Taiwan is less than two weeks from an election, closely watched from Beijing to Washington as it determines the future of the …

A long-awaited European Union scheme allowing Kosovo nationals to travel to Europe’s borderless zone without a visa came into force on Monday. The new regime enables Kosovars to travel to the passport-free Schengen zone without a visa for periods of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Kosovo, with …

Ukraine’s shelling of the city of Donetsk in early New Year’s Day killed four people, a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said, while Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed in Russia’s air attack on Odesa. Fourteen people were also injured in “heavy shelling” by …

Hundreds of companies here will be liable to pay 15% corporation tax, as the biggest shake-up in the State’s corporate tax system in three decades is implemented. It follows the introduction of the new minimum effective rate of tax for big multinationals under the terms of an agreement struck by …

When the announcement came, it was not a surprise, but it was low key. The confirmation from Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would be running as a candidate in the upcoming Russian elections was made at an event in the Grand Kremlin Palace to honour Russian soldiers who had …