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    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz

    CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. — The U.S. military said it shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and then struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response, raising the risk to a shaky ceasefire as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran . “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said on social media. The military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump's Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections. U.S. Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.” It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger termi

    3 MIN READBy AP
    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz
  • World

    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics
  • World

    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station
  • World

    Bitcoin drops below $60,000, first since October 2024

    1 MIN READBy AFP
    Bitcoin drops below $60,000, first since October 2024
  • World

    US highlights shared denuclearization goal ahead of Xi's NK trip

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    US highlights shared denuclearization goal ahead of Xi's NK trip
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

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World

Humanoid robots show off their language, boxing skills in Hong Kong

HONG KONG — A humanoid robot about the size of a primary school student had something to share in Hong Kong — it sang songs and spoke to people in Mandarin and English, answering whatever questions they posed and delighting the audience around it. More than 100 robots were showcased at two exhibitions starting Monday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The X2 Ultra robot from China’s prominent humanoid robot manufacturer AGIBOT Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co. was among them. When asked about its hobbies, the robot's list went from doing sports and dancing to studying technology and listening to music. Describing the people in front of it is no challenge either: "a woman holding a phone, a woman holding a bag and a phone, a man holding a camera,” it said at one point. Calvin Chiu, the chief operating officer of Novautek Autonomous Driving, AGIBOT's agent in Hong Kong, said that the robot can provide emotional satisfaction to humans through conversations and serve as a teacher to older adults and children. Different robots can be programmed with different perso

Apr 13, 2026By AP
Humanoid robots show off their language, boxing skills in Hong Kong
World

Russian FM to visit China April 14-15: Beijing

BEIJING — Russia's foreign minister is due to visit China this week, Beijing said on Monday, as the two sides hope to boost cooperation. "At the invitation of ... (China's top diplomat) Wang Yi, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit to China from April 14 to 15," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference.

Apr 13, 2026By AFP
Russian FM to visit China April 14-15: Beijing
World

Cuba’s fuel rationing is driving some commuters to an underwater bus

HAVANA — On a recent sweltering afternoon in the Cuban capital, dozens of commuters on bicycles, scooters and electric motorcycles gathered in a tidy row at the entrance of the Havana Bay Tunnel. They were waiting for the Ciclobús, a bus specially fitted to take people — and their rides — through the underwater tunnel linking Old Havana to the eastern side of the island. The diesel-powered bus can accommodate around 60 travelers and their vehicles, making enough trips to transport more than 2,000 people per day. It features a front seating section, but half its metallic frame is an open bay for cargo. Riders enter via a specialized ramp and stay with their vehicles for the duration of the trip, holding onto wall-mounted grab bars for balance. Bicycles, motorcycles and scooters are not allowed in the tunnel. While the Ciclobús is not new, it has never been as popular — and essential — as Cuba navigates its most severe energy crisis in decades. The energy blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump in January has forced the country to ration gasoline to only 20 liters (5 g

Apr 13, 2026By AP
Cuba’s fuel rationing is driving some commuters to an underwater bus
World

Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech

HONG KONG — China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technologies and renewable power, industries that China dominates. Most of the oil and gas from the now mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was Asia-bound. Asian nations are scrambling to conserve energy and bolster dwindling reserves. As a temporary ceasefire teeters , gasoline prices in the U.S. and Europe are spiking. While most of Asia is hit hard , China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil. China leads the world in battery, solar and electric vehicle exports, and its industries are forecast to face a rise in demand for renewable products. Before the start of the Iran war in late February, China's lead in clean technologies was lengthening. The U.S. under President Donald Trump scaled back on renewable energy and leaned on its vast oil and gas resources, promoting energy exports to achieve what Trump described as “energy dominance.” Now Chinese industry giants like vehicle-ma

Apr 13, 2026By AP
Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech
World

US military says it will blockade Iran's ports as ship traffic appears to halt in Strait of Hormuz

CAIRO — The U.S. military announced it will begin a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, tempering President Donald Trump 's earlier vow to entirely block the strategic Strait of Hormuz as early reports indicated that ships had stopped crossing the waterway. The move came after marathon U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, and it set the stage for a showdown. Iranian leaders vowed to counter the blockade. U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would begin on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran, and would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.” CENTCOM said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president’s earlier threat to blockade the entire strait. Trump later confirmed the timing in a post on his Truth Social website. The announcement of the blockade halted the limited ship traffic that resumed in the strait si

Apr 13, 2026By AP
US military says it will blockade Iran's ports as ship traffic appears to halt in Strait of Hormuz
World

Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media on Sunday, saying the first American pope should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” It was an extraordinary broadside against the global leader of the Catholic Church, exacerbating a feud that began over the war in Iran. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote on social media. He also wrote that “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon." A short time later, speaking to reporters after Air Force One landed outside Washington from Florida, Trump said, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.” “He’s a very liberal person,” Trump said of Leo, before adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.” Trump’s post followed Leo having denounced over the weekend the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace. Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on the same day the United States

Apr 13, 2026By AP
Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff
World

Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán ejected after 16 years in European electoral earthquake

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favor of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions. It was a stunning blow for Orbán — a close ally of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — who quickly conceded defeat after what he called a ″painful″ election result . U.S. Vice President JD Vance had made a visit to Hungary just days earlier, meant to help push Orbán over the finish line. Election victor Péter Magyar, a former Orbán loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary's relationships with the European Union and NATO — ties that frayed under Orbán. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar. His victory was expected to transform political dynamics within the EU, where Orbán had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, promptin

Apr 13, 2026By AP
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán ejected after 16 years in European electoral earthquake
World

US to begin blockading all ships entering or exiting Iranian ports Monday

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military will begin blockading all ships entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. Monday (Washington time) in line with President Donald Trump's proclamation, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday. Hours earlier, Trump said that the U.S. Navy will conduct a blockade of all ships trying to enter or leave the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend. "The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," the command said in a statement. "CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," it added. Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade, it said. "All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 1

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
US to begin blockading all ships entering or exiting Iranian ports Monday
World

Iran aims to restore majority of refining capability within two months, oil ministry official says

DUBAI — Iran expects to restore most damaged refining and distribution facilities to 70–80 percent of their pre-attack capacity within one to two months, a senior oil official said, as authorities work to recover from a wave of strikes on energy infrastructure. Deputy Minister of Oil Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar told the Student News Network that repair work had begun and that part of the Lavan refinery is expected to resume operations within about 10 days, with other units coming back online gradually.

Apr 12, 2026By Reuters
Iran aims to restore majority of refining capability within two months, oil ministry official says
World

Russia accuses Ukraine of 1,971 Easter truce violations

MOSCOW — Russia on Sunday claimed that Ukraine had committed nearly 2,000 truce violations, as the warring neighbours traded accusations of breaching an agreement to temporarily halt hostilities for Orthodox Easter. "A total of 1,971 ceasefire violations by units of the Ukrainian armed forces were recorded between 4:00 pm Moscow time on April 12 and 8:00 am on April 12," the Russian defence ministry said, as reported by the TASS news agency.

Apr 12, 2026By AFP
Russia accuses Ukraine of 1,971 Easter truce violations
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