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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, 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 termin

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

    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'

    1 MIN READBy AFP
    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'
  • World

    Pope Leo heads to Spain with migrants and polarisation in focus

    2 MIN READBy Reuters
    Pope Leo heads to Spain with migrants and polarisation in focus
  • 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
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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

Artemis II astronauts channel Apollo 8 with a striking Earthset photo

HOUSTON — The Artemis II astronauts are now forever intertwined with Apollo 8. A day after the historic lunar flyaround, NASA on Tuesday released striking new photos taken by the U.S.-Canadian crew. The four astronauts channeled Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968 with their own: Earthset, showing our planet setting behind the gray, pockmarked moon. Another photo captures the total solar eclipse that occurred when the moon blocked the sun from the crew’s perspective. The three Americans and one Canadian are now headed home, with a splashdown in the Pacific set for Friday. In the meantime, scientists at Houston's Mission Control are poring over the stream of moon photos beaming down. Apollo 8's three astronauts became the world's first lunar visitors, orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve 1968. Their Earthrise shot became a symbol of the modern-day environmental movement. Artemis II marks NASA's first return to the moon with astronauts — a critical step toward a lunar landing by another crew in two years.

Apr 8, 2026By AP
Artemis II astronauts channel Apollo 8 with a striking Earthset photo
World

Physical oil prices hit record highs near $150 a barrel as Hormuz crisis worsens

LONDON — European and Asian refiners are paying record high prices of near $150 a barrel for some crude oil grades, far exceeding prices for paper futures, highlighting the worsening supply crisis from the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. The Iran war has forced the shutdown of at least 12 million barrels per day — about 12 percent of world supply — from the Middle East due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, Brent oil futures reached $119.50 a barrel last month, the highest since 2022 although still short of the 2008 record high of $147.50. The nearby Brent contract is for June delivery. Competition for supply from Asian and European refiners to replace disrupted Middle Eastern oil flows has helped to drive up the prices of replacement crudes for more immediate delivery, such as those in Europe and Africa. As a result, some crudes are hitting records already. The outright price of North Sea Forties crude reached $146.09 a barrel on Tuesday, according to LSEG data, above the 2008 level and an all time high. The main driver of prices such as that of Forties i

Apr 8, 2026By Reuters
Physical oil prices hit record highs near $150 a barrel as Hormuz crisis worsens
World

Trump warns 'a whole civilization will die' if no deal reached with Iran

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian officials on Tuesday urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran does not meet his latest deadline to agree to a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, airstrikes hit two bridges and a train station in Iran, and the U.S. struck military targets on the Iranian oil hub of Kharg Island. The attack marked the second time the island was hit by American forces. Trump has extended previous deadlines but suggested the one set for 8 p.m. in Washington was final, and the rhetoric on both sides reached a fever pitch, leaving Iranians on edge. Trump threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not allow traffic to fully resume in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime. Iran’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight. It was not clear if the latest airstrikes were linked to Trump’s threat to attack bridges. At least two of th

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Trump warns 'a whole civilization will die' if no deal reached with Iran
World

US hits military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, Vance says no change to strategy

BUDAPEST/WASHINGTON — U.S. strikes on Iran's Kharg Island do not represent a change in American strategy, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday as a U.S. official separately told Reuters the additional strikes on military targets did not impact oil infrastructure. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described at least some of the strikes as targeting sites that had been previously struck before and said the attack occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Vance, speaking separately in Budapest, said the strikes were not a change in U.S. strategy, with the Trump administration confident that it can get a response from Iran by 8 p.m. in negotiations to end the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding Iran forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit waterway. “We were going to strike some military targets on Kharg Island, and I believe we have done so," Vance said. "We're not going to strike energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians either make a proposal that we can get behind or don't make

Apr 7, 2026By Reuters
US hits military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, Vance says no change to strategy
World

Soaring costs, fuel shortage fears drive Pakistan to electric motorbikes

ISLAMABAD/SINGAPORE — Days after Iran effectively blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the start of U.S. and Israeli attacks in late February, two Pakistani electric motorbike outlets 1,400 km away found themselves overwhelmed with enquiries. Haseeb Bhatti, who retrofits petrol-fuelled bikes with battery-powered motors in the northern city of Rawalpindi, said his March sales surged 70 percent. For Ali Gohar Khan, who owns a 7-year-old electric motorbike retail franchise with branches across Pakistan, the recent surge in sales is the steepest ever. "People have this fear that maybe in the near future, they might not get petrol at all," Khan said. The Middle East crisis has sent global fuel prices soaring, compounding pain for Pakistanis already hit by inflation and a post-pandemic economic downturn. As the nation imports nearly all its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, shortage rumours took hold despite the government's supply assurances. About 40 percent of Pakistan's petrol is used to fuel the 30 million two-wheelers and three-wheeled autorickshaws that dominate ro

Apr 7, 2026By Reuters
Soaring costs, fuel shortage fears drive Pakistan to electric motorbikes
World

Iran rejects ceasefire deal as Trump's deadline for attacks on infrastructure nears

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war as U.S. President Donald Trump's ultimatum to make a deal ticked closer with an expanded threat of strikes against the Islamic Republic to include all power plants and bridges. Trump said Monday he is “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday 8 p.m. EST deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the U.S. that attacking civilian infrastructure is banned under international law, his spokesperson said Monday. Israel carried out a new wave of attacks on Iran early Tuesday, while Iran responded with missile fire against Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors. Airstrikes across Iran killed at least 15 people on Tuesday, while Iran fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge. The attacks came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, a

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Iran rejects ceasefire deal as Trump's deadline for attacks on infrastructure nears
World

Taiwan opposition leader heads to China in what she dubs ‘journey for peace’

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun is heading to China on Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she call it a “journey for peace” as Beijing calls for the self-ruled island to come under its control. The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled to take place in May. Before leaving Taipei, the chairwoman of the Kuomintang told reporters that Taiwan must spare no effort to prevent war and seize any opportunity to promote peace. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take it. “The purpose of this visit to mainland China is precisely to show the world that it is not just Taiwan that unilaterally hopes for peace,” Cheng said. “I believe that through this journey for peace, everyone is even more eager to see the sincerity and determination of the CPC Central Committee to use peaceful dialogue and exchange to resolve all possible differences between the two sides,” she

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Taiwan opposition leader heads to China in what she dubs ‘journey for peace’
World

Iranians fear the worst as Trump threatens power plants, bridges

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Zahra Arghavan and Mehdi Alishir stood on their balcony, watching the sun set over Tehran and bracing for the sound of airstrikes. As time ticks down on U.S. President Donald Trump's latest ultimatum, their thoughts were clouded by new fears: How long will the power be out if plants are bombed? How would they leave the city if the bridges are taken out? Five weeks on, they have grown used to the roar of American and Israeli fighter jets, the sound of explosions and sleepless nights. Like many, they've left the capital and returned in search of elusive safety. Married for over a decade, they made it through the COVID pandemic and the 12-day war last June. They've used clear packing tape to lines the edges of their windows, a precaution against blasts. Mirrors and fragile objects have been moved or secured. A packed bag holds documents, medications and essentials, ready in case they need to leave quickly. In an expletive-laden threat over the weekend, Trump vowed that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day,” and that Iran's leaders will be “l

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Iranians fear the worst as Trump threatens power plants, bridges
World

Vietnam elects Communist Party chief as president, echoing China's power structure

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as president for a five-year term, consolidating his control over both the party and the state. The move departs from Vietnam’s tradition of shared leadership, in which the jobs have typically been held by different people, and echoes power structures in China under Xi Jinping and neighboring Laos. It has been widely expected since Lam’s reelection as Communist Party head in January, when observers noted that his consolidation of party authority positioned him to assume the presidency as well. After being sworn in, the 69-year-old told the National Assembly that his top priority was to maintain peace and stability, which were the foundation for fast and sustainable growth. “We aim to improve people’s livelihoods so all can share the benefits of development,” he said. This is To Lam’s second time holding both jobs, after briefly doing so in 2024 when his predecessor as party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, died. The concentration of power was significant since it meant that Lam had a “stronger ma

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Vietnam elects Communist Party chief as president, echoing China's power structure
World

Trump has repeatedly delayed deadlines for Iran, but suggests Tuesday's is final

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back a deadline for Iran to cut a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz from Monday to Tuesday, the latest of several deadline delays, and threatened that without a deal “Hell will reign down on them.” Trump's previous deadline was for March 23, but that shifted several times over the ensuing weeks as Trump oscillated between heated threats, announced delays and proclamations that the negotiations were going well, sometimes in the same statement. Iran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal, the country's state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday. Shortly after, Trump gave an ominous warning to Iran if it didn’t capitulate, and suggested Tuesday’s 8 p.m. deadline was final. “They’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything," he said. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the U.S. that attacks on civilian infrastructure is banned under international law, according to his spokesperson. Trump, speaking with reporters, said he's “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes wit

Apr 7, 2026By AP
Trump has repeatedly delayed deadlines for Iran, but suggests Tuesday's is final
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