SEOUL, South Korea — SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean held in Russia on an espionage allegation is a missionary dispatched there to support the needy and spread the gospel, a South Korean Christian aid group said Wednesday, calling the spying suspicion “preposterous.” Russia’s state news agency Tass said Monday that the South … Read more
Wagely, a fintech out of Indonesia, made a name for itself with earned wage access: a way for workers in Southeast Asian countries to get advances on their salaries without resorting to higher-interest loans. With half a million people now using the platform, the startup has expanded that business into a wider “financial wellness” platform, … Read more
Donald Trump wasn’t happy with HBO host Bill Maher’s quips on “Real Time” last night, lashing out at the libertarian satirist via the former president’s Truth Social platform. While it was unclear what the specific part of Maher’s show that set Trump off was, it may have been when Maher pointed to what he called … Read more
The head of the main United Nations agency supporting people in Gaza alleged that Israel is intent on “destroying” the organization along with the idea that Palestinians are refugees and have a right to return home one day. Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger of having a “long-term political … Read more
Photo: SOPA Images / Contributor (Getty Images) At the beginning of 2023, TikTok was one of the weirdest and most delightful places on the internet. An app with a reputation for memes and 30-second dances had become the front page of the internet, and it seemed TikTok was only getting better as the platform matured. … Read more
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Melodic Colombian Spanish fills a hospital treating soldiers wounded fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s ranks are depleted by two years of war. As it battles the Russian war machine, Ukraine is welcoming hardened fighters from one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. Professional soldiers from Colombia bolster the ranks of … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The return of sea otters and their voracious appetites has helped rescue a section of California marshland, a new study shows. Sea otters eat constantly and one of their favorite snacks is the striped shore crab. These crabs dig burrows and also nibble away roots of the marsh grass pickleweed that holds … Read more
RIGA, Latvia — Boris Nadezhdin claims he wants to do the unthinkable: unseat Vladimir Putin in Russia’s March presidential election by campaigning against the war in Ukraine. Many Putin critics suspect that Nadezhdin, a former member of parliament, is playing by the Kremlin’s rules — and is the latest to join a cast of approved … Read more
NEW DELHI — Three decades after Hindu mobs tore down a historical mosque, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration of a grand Hindu temple at the same site on Monday in a political move to boost his party ahead of a crucial national vote. Experts say the temple, dedicated to Hinduism’s most … Read more
Perhaps you’ve heard: In many places, it’s really very cold out. Deep freezes hit wide bands of the US this week; snow and freezing rain have swept across northern Europe. This is all less than ideal for electric vehicles, which historically have not loved the cold. A handful of Chicago Tesla Supercharger stations made headlines … Read more