RE-ENGAGEMENT: The bloc is to start formal talks with Syria’s transitional authorities next month, and has outlined measures on migration, trade and security
The EU plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations.The background paper, produce
Tourists crowded beneath the Door of No Return, an arch built by the beach at Ouidah in southern Benin in memory of those crammed onto slave ships bound for the New World.Benin has in the past few years leaned into its painful past to encourage tourism. Once a key departure point in the transatlanti
Russia is trying to produce more pro-war influencers through content creation camps, training teenagers to spread the Kremlin’s hardline, anti-West narrative to the next generation.Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has ramped up control of the domestic information space, outlawing criticism of
JAPANNew name for sizzling daysThe Japan Meteorological Agency has formally adopted a name for sizzling-hot days ahead of what is set to be another scorcher of a summer. Days with a maximum temperature of 40°C or higher will be referred to as “kokushobi,” it said in a statement yesterday. The name,
THREE PERCENT TARGET: The defense minister said this year’s defense spending of 2.8% of GDP would put Australia ahead of comparable European and Asian nations
Australia would raise defense spending to 3 percent of GDP by 2033 as armed conflicts flare worldwide, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday.“International norms that once constrained the use of force and military coercion continue to erode,” Marles said in a speech in Canber
Police in South Africa yesterday said that they had arrested anti-Western activist Kemi Seba, who is wanted in Benin for “inciting rebellion” after he supported a foiled coup in December last year.Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, heads the Pan-Africanist Emergency non-gove
SOCIAL MEDIA MEETING: ‘We owe it to parents, and to the next generation, to put children’s safety first — because they won’t forgive us if we don’t,’ Keir Starmer said
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to hold talks yesterday with representatives from social media firms to press them to do more to keep children safe online, as calls grow for a ban on under-16s using the platforms.“Today is about making sure social media companies step up and take responsibil
Authoritarian governments that reach across borders to persecute their own citizens did so at a greater rate last year, particularly in Southeast Asia and east Africa, a human rights group said yesterday.The phenomenon of so-called transnational repression exploded into public awareness with the hor
In these polarizing times, Minnesotans have found something they can agree on — the thrill of a meat raffle.Meat raffles have been popular in pockets of the US for decades, offering a fun way to raise money for charities while handing out prizes ranging from ground beef and hot dogs to chicken breas
NEPALAssets commission launchedThe government has formed a commission to investigate the assets of politicians and officials, an official said yesterday. Led by a former Supreme Court judge, the five-member commission would examine assets of top figures who have held public office since 2006, said D
The French Air Force’s Patrouille de France aerobatic flying team releases colored trails as they take part in a training session at the 701 Air Base in Salon-de-Provence, France, on Wednesday.
MEETING WITH LAVROV: The Chinese president said that the two nations would uphold multilateralism, and help revitalize the authority and vitality of the UN
The stability and certainty of China-Russia relations are particularly “precious” in the face of an international landscape intertwined with change and chaos, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said yesterday during a meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov in Beijing.The stro
Former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, gathered hundreds of supporters in Lima on Tuesday and gave authorities 24 hours to annul the first round of the country’s election over allegations of fraud.Lopez Aliaga is locked in a tight three-way race with two other candid
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday.Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts i
NINE RESCUED: UN agencies said that a trawler departed from Bangladesh carrying many people to Malaysia, but overcrowding and rough seas caused the boat to sink
At least 250 people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, were missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman Sea on the way to Malaysia, the UN’s refugee and migration agencies said.While details remained sketchy, Bangladeshi Coast Guard spokesman Sabbir Alam Suzan yesterday said th
Residents of a New Jersey city mobilized within days to kill a planned data center — and activists across the US want to know how they did it.Grassroots resistance to the computing fortresses is spreading across the US, even as Big Tech pours hundreds of billions of dollars a year into artificial in
FRANCEPicasso painting wonA Parisian art enthusiast could not believe his luck when he found out on Tuesday that he had won a Pablo Picasso painting worth US$1 million with a US$117 raffle ticket. “How do I check that it’s not a hoax?” said Ari Hodara, 58, after organizers called him following the d
CANADA BY-ELECTIONS: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said the Liberals won through ‘backroom deals,’ and floor-crossers had betrayed people who voted for them
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s party secured a majority in parliament on Monday after winning all three by-election seats up for grabs, boosting his Liberals as they work to bolster a nation shaken by threats from the US.Carney’s Liberals won the most seats in elections a year ago, but fell j
PAPAL RETORT: Pope Leo told reporters that he has ‘no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel’
US President Donald Trump has feuded with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran conflict — setting off an unholy row that could have serious political implications for the Republican leader back in the US.Trump has drawn barbs even from some allies over the attacks on the US-born pontiff, who has criticized th
RSS