Sydney, Aug 6 (IANS) Australia’s Great Barrier Reef’s hard coral cover has sharply declined, returning to near long-term average levels after recent record highs, a report revealed Wednesday. The findings underscore a new volatility in coral health, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s (AIMS) annual survey report of the world’s largest coral reef system off the coast of Australia’s Queensland.The Great Barrier Reef has experienced the largest annual decline in coral cover in…

Seoul, Aug 6 (IANS) Former first lady of South Korea Kim Keon Hee apologised Wednesday for causing concern to the people as she appeared for questioning by a special counsel over her alleged involvement in stock manipulation schemes, election meddling and other allegations. The wife of jailed former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at special counsel Min Joong-ki’s office 10 minutes later than scheduled, becoming the first spouse of a former or sitting president to publicly appear as…

Vladivostok, Aug 6 (Xinhua) A dam has been destroyed near the Klyuchevskoy Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, raising concerns over potential mudflows and transportation disruptions in the region, local authorities said on Wednesday. Fieldwork conducted from July 30 to August 2, 2025, near the Studenaya River revealed that the dam — constructed in 2023 to separate the river’s right and left channels — has collapsed, allowing water to flow freely through both channels, the…

Seoul, Aug 6 (IANS) The South Korean military has completed removing loudspeakers for propaganda broadcasts against North Korea along the heavily fortified border, military officials said Wednesday. About 20 fixed speakers installed in the front-line areas had all been dismantled as of Tuesday afternoon, nearly a day after the military began removing them on Monday in an effort to ease inter-Korean tensions, according to officials.The removed speakers are to be stored in military units, Yonhap n…

Phnom Penh, Aug 6 (IANS) Thailand’s legal action against Cambodia for using military forces and weapons to violate its sovereignty is baseless and politically motivated and lacks an incredible basis, a Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s Secretary of State and Spokesperson Chum Sounry said this legal measure is entirely baseless and represents a deliberate attempt to divert both domestic and international public attention from Thailand’s hostil…

United Nations, Aug 6 (IANS) UN humanitarians pushed for a pause in hostilities in Sudan to reach trapped families facing starvation, particularly in the besieged city of El Fasher. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday that it seeks a standdown in order to rush in aid on a large scale and to restore a full UN presence.”OCHA once again urges all parties to allow humanitarian access across the country and calls on donors to scale up flexible funding to …

Seoul, Aug 6 (IANS) Another round of heavy rains is expected to drench South Korea this week, with downpours of more than 120 millimetres expected in some parts of the country, the weather agency said Wednesday.Northeastern areas of Gyeonggi Province and northern parts of Gangwon Province saw more than 80 mm of downpours Wednesday morning, with rainclouds forecast to travel southward in the afternoon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).Around 30 to 100 mm of rain was expe…

Washington, Aug 6 (IANS) A former senior US official, Robert Joseph, said that he is not ruling out the possibility of the United States accepting North Korea’s possession of nuclear arms, as Washington can deter the recalcitrant regime’s nuclear threats. Robert Joseph, the former under secretary of state for arms control and international security of the US, from 2005-2007, made the remarks during an online seminar hosted by The Washington Times Foundation, as North Korea has rejected any dialo…

Moscow, Aug 6 (IANS) Moscow on Wednesday said that it is not surprised by the record-long absence of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump, given the “unprecedented deterioration” of Russia-US relations during the tenure of former US President Joe Biden. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remarks on an assessment, which noted that for the first time in the modern history of Russia, the US-Russian summit had not been held even after mor…

New York, Aug 6 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said that he was waiting to see what happens at the meeting between Russia’s leaders and his special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday before deciding on the punitive tariffs on those buying oil from Russia.Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, he said, “We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We’re going to see what happens, we’ll make that determination, at that time”.On Tuesday morning, Trump warned that he would impose he…