World
- WorldAFP
Satire article about 'fine for non-voting' resurfaces during 2024 India election
India's marathon general election sparked a wave of misinformation on social media including posts that falsely claimed the election commission will take away 350 rupees (4 dollars) from the bank accounts of people who do not vote. The commission said the claim was untrue while the posts actually featured a screenshot of a satirical article published by an Indian newspaper in 2019.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Hopes are fading for 44 workers still missing days after South Africa building collapse; 9 are dead
Hope was fading Friday for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa, with authorities saying rescuers are now faced with the challenge of moving thousands of tons of concrete with heavy machinery to see if there are any more survivors. The death toll rose to nine after a worker who was in critical condition died in the hospital, authorities said. Of the 28 workers rescued from the site, 21 were in critical condition or had life-threaten
2 min read - Businessdpa international
German insurer Allianz to allow use of used parts in auto repair
The Allianz insurance company will allow cars in Germany to be repaired with used spare parts, the Munich-based insurance giant said on Friday. Vehicles between three and eight years old are eligible under the scheme, which should make repairs both more environmentally friendly and cheaper, the insurer said. The DAX-listed company and largest German insurer referred to England, the Netherlands and France, where there have already been regulations promoting the use of reusable parts in car repair
2 min read - Worlddpa international
UNRWA says some 110,000 people have fled Rafah
Some 110,000 people have left Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip since the Israeli army started advancing on the city, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)said on Friday. "@UNRWA estimates around 110,000 people have now fled Rafah looking for safety," the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in a post on the X platform. "But nowhere is safe in the #GazaStrip & living conditions are atrocious," the post continued. "The only hope is an immediate #Ceas
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists. The couple, visiting the West African nation for the first time on the invitation of its military, arrived in the capital, Abuja, early in the morning, according to defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau. Harry and Meghan will b
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Poland's prime minister reshuffles Cabinet to release ministers running for European Parliament
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday announced a reshuffle of his Cabinet to replace four ministers running for the European Parliament next month. Tusk’s pro-European Union government has embarked on a wide reversal of the policies of its right-wing predecessors, the Law and Justice party, who between 2015 to 2023 put Poland on a collision course with the 27-member EU. Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, who spearheaded the change of management at the state TV, radio and news ag
2 min read - WorldThe Hollywood Reporter
Eurovision: Israel’s Entrant Booed During Rehearsal
Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, was booed during rehearsals on Thursday, with the crowd in Malmö, Sweden chanting “Free Palestine” during the singer’s performance. Ahead of the Eurovision semi-final, Golan was performing her song “Hurricane” when sections of the crowd turned on her and the jeering began. In video clips …
4 min read - WorldBBC
Chad's military ruler wins presidential poll
Gen Mahamat Déby's victory means that the 34-year rule of his family will continue.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Putin reappoints Mishustin as Russia's prime minister
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as the country's prime minister after the previous stint on the job during which the low-key technocrat has shown a distinct lack of political ambitions. In line with Russian law, Mishustin, 58, who held the job for the past four years, submitted his Cabinet’s resignation on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration. Mishustin’s reappointment was widely expected by political
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Lithuania holds a presidential vote as anxieties rise in the Baltics over Russia and war in Ukraine
Lithuania is holding a presidential election on Sunday at a time when Russian gains on the battlefield in Ukraine are fueling greater fears across all of Europe about Moscow's intentions, but particularly in the strategically important Baltic region. The popular incumbent, Gitanas Nausėda, is favored to win another five-year term. The president's main tasks in Lithuania’s political system are overseeing foreign and security policy, and acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces.
4 min read - BusinessCNN Business
Chinese tech exec’s fiery endorsement of toxic workplace culture sparks backlash — and costs her job
A Chinese tech executive has ignited outrage in China with her fiery endorsement of toxic workplace culture, which eventually caused her to lose her own job.
6 min read - WorldThe Hill
UN Palestinian aid agency says Israelis set fire to headquarters
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) chief said that Israelis twice set fire to the perimeter of the agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem on Thursday. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that both UNRWA and other U.N. agency staff were present when the incidents happened. He said no casualties occurred among U.N. staff, but…
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel says troops have killed 50 gunmen in eastern Rafah
Israeli troops have killed about 50 gunmen since advancing into the eastern part of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip at the start of the week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday evening. According to army estimates, around 150,000 Palestinians have been evacuated from eastern Rafah since the beginning of the operation. Israeli soldiers have also advanced into parts of Rafah on the border with Egypt, with the army taking control of the border crossing on the Palestinian side. The Ti
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Zelensky intends to regain battlefield momentum with Western weapons
Ukraine intends to regain battlefield momentum with the arrival of promised Western weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. "As soon as the arms supplies arrive, we will stop their initiative," Zelensky said of Kiev's plan to halt the Russian advances in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky made the remarks at a press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kiev. The event was abruptly ended after about 25 minutes due to the sounding of air raid sirens. Before he le
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Caramelo, the Brazilian horse stranded on a roof by floods, is rescued after stirring the nation
A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users garnered national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stranded on a rooftop in southern Brazil, where massive floods have killed more than 100 people. About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamoring for his rescue, a team in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state on Thursday successfully removed Caramelo, providing a dose of hope to a beleaguered region. The brown horse had been balancing on two narrow
4 min read - WorldAFP
Costa Rica to ration electricity as drought bites
Costa Rica has become the latest Latin American country to introduce rationing due to drought, announcing Thursday it will limit access to electricity for which it relies heavily on hydro-generation.Further south, Ecuador has recently had to ration electricity due to a shortage of water for hydro-generation, while the capital of Colombia, Bogota, is rationing municipal water. apg/fj/db/mlr/st
1 min read - Worlddpa international
China's president signs agreements with Hungary, pledges closer ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Thursday on the last stop of his trip to Europe and the two leaders committed to closer ties. They agreed on a "comprehensive strategic partnership" between the two countries, the leaders said in a joint statement broadcast on Hungarian state television. Orbán said that the two countries had always been friends and that Chinese companies are securing tens of thousands of jobs in Hungary today. Hunga
2 min read - WorldThe Inertia
Japanese Commercial Whalers Can Now Hunt Fin Whales
Fin whales aren't doing so well, population-wise. Despite that, Japan added them to the list of whales permitted to be hunted by Japanese commercial whalers.
2 min read - WorldFuturism
Whistleblower Says Saudi Arabia Told Operatives It's Okay to Kill Villagers to Build 105-Mile Skyscraper
Crossing the Line Saudi Arabia wants to build a colossal skyscraper called "The Line" that stretches across 105 miles of desert. And that's only one part of an even greater ambition, the world's largest construction project simply called "Neom." Unsurprisingly, The Line is already turning out to be a hot mess, with architects struggling to […]
2 min read - WorldINSIDER
Russia again had only one tank in its big Victory Day military parade, and it was a World War II relic
It was a kind of lackluster showing, but Putin flexed his country's muscles in other ways, with warnings and nuclear missiles.
3 min read - BusinessAFP
Users spread unfounded claims of impending Canadian departure fine
Claims circulating on social media that Canadians would soon have to pay a Can$25,000 (USD$18,212) penalty when moving out of the country are false. Canada's Department of Finance said it was not considering any such emigration fee and the posts misrepresent an existing requirement for some people to settle a tax bill on gains from certain types of assets if they move abroad.
3 min read - WorldBBC
Nigeria’s powerful ex-minister charged with corruption
Former aviation minister Hadi Sirika is charged along with his daughter and son-in-law.
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Chinese President Xi to sign bilateral agreements with Hungary
Chinese President Xi Jinping was greeted with military honours in Budapest on Thursday ahead of talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Hungary is the last stop on Xi's trip to Europe, which took him to France and Serbia earlier in the week. Xi and Orbán are due to sign more than a dozen bilateral agreements on Thursday afternoon, the government in Budapest said. Hungary is the only European Union country participating in China's Belt and Road infrastructure and investment initiative.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Poland lifts immunity of a judge who defected to Belarus, paving way for an arrest warrant
A disciplinary court in Poland on Thursday lifted the immunity of a judge who fled the country to neighboring Belarus, an autocratic ally of Russia, paving the way for an international arrest warrant for him on espionage allegations. Poland's prosecutors and special services launched an investigation this week after Belarus media reported that the judge, Tomasz Szmydt, arrived in the country and asked for protection.
2 min read - BusinessAssociated Press
PR executive at Chinese tech firm Baidu apologizes for comments seen as glorifying overwork
A top public relations executive from Chinese technology firm Baidu apologized Thursday after she made comments in a series of videos that critics said glorified a culture of overwork. Baidu's head of communications Qu Jing sparked a public outcry in China after she implied in the videos that she was not concerned about her employees as she was “not their mom” and said she only cared about results. The backlash was swift, with many on social media platforms like Weibo criticizing Qu for her la
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in Malmo against Israel's Eurovision participation
Not everyone in Malmo was welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest to town. Protesters waving green, white, black and red Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several miles (kilometers) from the Eurovision venue. Chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Israel is a terror state,” the demonstrators set off smoke flares in the Palestinian colors during a noi
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Death toll from floods in southern Brazil rises to 107
The death toll from the severe flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 107, according to civil defence officials in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday. Another 136 people remain missing, and 374 have been injured, officials said. The floods forced more than 230,000 people to leave their homes, and an estimated 1.4 million people or more were affected across 425 towns in the state. Brazil's air force has brought 25 tons of relief supplies to the region, including medicine, wate
1 min read - ScienceSpace
China launches 4 satellites on 1st flight of new Long March 6C rocket (video)
China launched its first Long March 6C rocket, helping the nation further its goal of launching 100 orbital missions this year.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Polish defense minister fends off criticism after he says he keeps an emergency backpack ready
Poland's defense minister said Thursday that since early in Russia's war against Ukraine he has kept an emergency backpack ready, drawing detractors who said his comments did not send a reassuring message about the country's safety. The comment from a high government official reflected the anxieties that have taken hold in Europe, particularly among those in central and eastern Europe close to the war in Ukraine. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is both defense minister and deputy prime minister
2 min read - WorldINSIDER
A company that hauled $43 million in silver bars from the 'Indian Titanic' wasn't even given a salvage fee by a court
Argentum Exploration lost a legal battle with South Africa over salvage fees for $43 million in silver bars it pulled from the wreck of the SS Tilawa.
3 min read - WorldBBC
Possible genocide committed in Sudan, report says
The RSF is accused of committing ethnic cleansing against Massalit and other non-Arab communities.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
India says Canada has shared no evidence of its involvement in killing of a Sikh separatist leader
India said Thursday that Canada has shared no evidence to back its allegation that the Indian government was involved in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year, despite the recent arrests of three Indian men in the crime. India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated India’s longstanding allegation that Canada harbors Indian extremists. Three Indian nationals who had been living in Canada temporarily were arrested on Tuesday in the slaying las
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Ukrainian minister dismissal results in German talks cancelled
Ukraine's parliament on Thursday dismissed the deputy prime minister responsible for reconstruction, resulting in the cancellation of a meeting with German Development Minister Svenja Schulze who had travelled to Kiev to meet him. Schulze went to Kiev specifically to prepare for an international reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin in June. Oleksandr Kubrakov, 41, had been minister of infrastructure since 2021 and deputy prime minister since 2022. His ministry was also responsible for
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Putin claims West trying to undermine history of Soviet victories
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the West in remarks at the military parade in Moscow to mark the 79th anniversary of Allied victory over Adolf Hitler's Germany. The West is trying to distort the memory of the Soviet Union's victory in the war, Putin said in Moscow on Thursday. The truth disturbs "those who build their colonial policy on hypocrisy and lies," Putin claimed. "Revanchism, the mockery of history, the effort to justify today's imitators of the Nazis - this is part of the ge
1 min read - WorldAFP
Old video shows attack on Botswana minister’s car, not a robbery in Nigeria
As Abuja experienced an upsurge in violent crimes in recent months, a social media account claimed that a video showed a robbery at a traffic stop in Nigeria's capital city. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found that the video had been online since February 2022 and was of an attack on Botswana’s health minister Edwin Dikoloti.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Poland is strengthening its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration
Poland's defense minister said Thursday his country is strengthening the metal barrier along its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration. “We are mending the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border, we are strengthening this barrier,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on private Radio Zet. “The spending on these purposes is the highest in (Poland’s) history.”
1 min read - WorldCNN Business
Air India Express cancels scores of flights after about 100 cabin crew call in sick
Dozens of cabin crew at Air India Express called in sick earlier this week, forcing the budget carrier to cancel 85 flights since Tuesday evening and disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Huge fire at a chemical storage tank in Thailand kills one and injures 4
At least one person was killed and four others were injured after a huge fire broke out at a chemical storage tank in an Eastern Thailand industrial park on Thursday. Fire workers estimated it might take more than 10 hours to be able to fully extinguish the flames, according to the Rayong province’s public relations department. About 400 workers and residents have been evacuated to a temporary shelter, the department said.
1 min read - WorldBBC
Cyril Ramaphosa - South African union leader, mine boss, president
Behind the South African leader battling to preserve his party's 30-year reign.
7 min read - BusinessHotel Management Network
IIHM and Mayfair Hotels & Resorts sign memorandum of understanding
The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) and Mayfair Hotels and Resorts aim to enhance the hospitality sector in India.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Israeli police raid Al Jazeera offices in Nazareth
Israeli police have raided the offices of broadcaster Al Jazeera in the city of Nazareth, confiscating equipment belonging to the Arab-language TV channel. The raid comes several days after the Israeli government banned Al Jazeera, both blocking access to Al Jazeera's content in Israel and banning the broadcaster from operating. Israel's communications minister signed a closure order for the broadcaster on Sunday, and Al Jazeera's office in the Ambassador Hotel in East Jerusalem was raided that
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
The Taliban warn journalists and experts against cooperating with Afghanistan International TV
The Taliban on Thursday warned journalists and experts against working with Afghanistan International TV, saying they would be committing a crime if they cooperated with the station. Afghanistan International TV, which is headquartered in London, is accessible through satellite, cable and social media. A spokesman for the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Information and Culture alleged the station was committing professional violations and violating moral and legal boundaries.
2 min read - WorldCNN Business
Asia’s most powerful billionaires are getting drawn into the world’s biggest election
Two of the planet’s richest businessmen are becoming embroiled in India’s increasingly divisive election campaign.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Hungary and China sign strategic cooperation agreement during visit by Chinese President Xi
Hungary and China signed a number of new agreements on Thursday to deepen their economic and cultural cooperation during a visit to the Central European country by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a trip meant to solidify China's economic footprint in the region. Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks in the capital Budapest as part of the Chinese leader's final stop on a five-day European tour that also took in Serbia and France. During a press briefing following the talks, Orbá
4 min read - WorldCNN Business
Big Chinese cities are making it easier to buy homes to boost depressed property market
Two major cities in China have eliminated all remaining curbs on home-buying, in yet another sign that local governments are trying to revive the beleaguered real estate sector and spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
3 min read - WorldBBC
Nigeria, twins and a love-hate relationship
Two communities with different views about twins that meant the difference between life and death.
7 min read - WorldBBC
Benin blocks Niger oil exports in border row
Benin's president accuses Niger of treating his country like an "enemy", as tensions escalate.
2 min read - Worlddpa international
German far-right lawmakers injured in attack in Stuttgart
Two lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party were attacked and injured in front of the state parliament in Stuttgart before a celebratory event to mark the 75th anniversary of Germany's constitution, police said on Thursday. Suspected opponents of the party blocked the information stand of the AfD's state parliamentary faction on Wednesday afternoon on the square in front of the city's opera house and held up banners. Members of the parliamentary group were verbally and p
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Japan proposes expanding commercial whaling to fin whales, a larger species than the 3 allowed now
Japan's Fisheries Agency has proposed expanding commercial whaling along the country’s coast to fin whales, a larger species than the three currently permitted. The proposal comes five years after Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019. It ended 30 years of what Japan called "research whaling" that had been criticized by conservationists as a cover for commercial hunts banned by the commission in 1
3 min read - USBBC
Jersey returns illicit funds to Mozambique
Jersey has seized £829,500 from a corrupt trust and returned it to authorities in Mozambique.
1 min read
