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Thai activist's death in custody reignites calls for justice reform in Thailand
The death of a 28-year-old Thai activist in pre-trial detention earlier this month has reignited calls for reform in Thailand's justice system. Netiporn "Bung" Sanesangkhom, a member of pro-democracy group Thalu Wang, went on a hunger strike to protest her detention and demand judicial reform. Thai authorities said Sanesangkhom died on May 14 after suffering a cardiac arrest while in custody on lese majeste charges (insulting the monarchy).
3 min read - USDefense News
Replicator drones already being delivered, Pentagon says
The program meant to counter China by helping the Pentagon quickly buy thousands of drones. It's nearing the halfway point of an August 2025 deadline.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Former South African president Jacob Zuma criticizes top court over election disqualification
Former South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday criticized the country's highest court and his former allies in the ruling African National Congress over his disqualification from next week's election and said he would fight for his rights “in a disciplined way.” Zuma's comments came in a video message he said was aimed at the people of South Africa and released on social media six days before the possibly pivotal national vote. The 82-year-old former leader made clear he would still cam
3 min read - WorldINSIDER
China's military is surrounding Taiwan, sending its new president an unmistakable message
China's provocative military drills near Taiwan are seen as "strong punishment" and follow the recent inauguration of its new president, Lai Ching-te.
5 min read - WorldBBC
Sixteen arrested over Oxford University Gaza protest
Oxford Action for Palestine organised a sit-in at university offices on Wellington Square.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Pakistan says United Arab Emirates to invest $10 billion in Pakistan
The Pakistani government said Thursday that the United Arab Emirates committed to investing up to $10 billion in Pakistan during a meeting in the UAE capital between that country's president and the Pakistani prime minister. The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the commitment during a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Sharif, who is visiting the UAE. The statement said Sharif told the UAE president about measures
1 min read - Worlddpa international
EU criticizes China's large-scale manoeuvres off Taiwan
The EU has criticized China's large-scale manoeuvres off the democratic island of Taiwan. "China’s military activities that started today around Taiwan increase cross-strait tensions," a spokesman for EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell said on Thursday, referring to the narrow strait that separates Taiwan from mainland China. "Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity." "All parties should exercise restraint
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Von der Leyen sets Ukraine as red line for work with right-wingers
Support for Ukraine is one of European Commission President' Ursula von der Leyen's "red lines" for cooperating with politicians to her right after the June 6-9 European Parliament elections, she said in a televised debate on Thursday. Von der Leyen had hinted in earlier debates that she might be prepared to work with parliamentary groups to the right of her own centre-right European People's Party. Support for the EU, for Ukraine, and for the rule of law were von der Leyen's conditions for futu
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Iran's late president Raisi laid to rest in home city of Mashhad
Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last weekend, was laid to rest in his home city of Mashhad on Thursday. Raisi was buried next to the mausoleum of the eighth Shiite Imam Reza in Mashhad, state broadcaster IRIB reported. It is considered the most important Shia shrine in Iran. Three million people attended the funeral ceremony in Mashhad, according to the state news agency IRNA. There were no independent estimates of the size of the crowd. Raisi and his foreign
3 min read - WorldAFP
Culling controversy as French wolf population falls in 2023
The estimated number of wolves in France last year was 1,003, down nine percent from the year before, environmental associations said Thursday, urging the French government to lower its quota for the number of the animals which can be killed each year. The drop in the predator's population is the first in almost ten years, according to loupfrance.fr, a site managed by France’s biodiversity authority.
3 min read - WorldAFP
Germany's far-right AfD cast out by EU partners
Germany's AfD party was expelled Thursday from its far-right group within the European Parliament after a series of scandals involving a high-profile lawmaker, in the closing stretch of an EU election race in which the radical right is riding high.Two days later ID voted to expel the German party and its nine EU lawmakers.
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Germany's AfD party expelled from European Parliament group
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been expelled from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, in a further blow to the German party. ID "no longer wants to be associated with the incidents" involving Maximilian Krah, head of the AfD list for the European parliament elections in Germany in June, a group statement said on Thursday. Marco Zanni, the leader of the ID group, made a request to expel the nine AfD members after negative headlines about the party in
2 min read - WorldBBC
Blast in sugar factory kills 11 in Tanzania
Among the dead are citizens of Kenya, Brazil, India and China, official say.
1 min read - WorldNBC News
Macron blasts Putin for rejecting Olympics truce
French President Macron said Russia's Putin is "not ready to make peace" in Ukraine after rejecting an "Olympic truce." Ukraine's Zelenskyy has also said no.
3 min read - BusinessElectronic Payments
UnionPay Online Payment now available in 60+ apps for visitors to China
UnionPay online payment is designed to fully accommodate the payment preferences of international users in China
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Far-right grouping in European Parliament expels high-flying Alternative for Germany party
A German far-right party hoping for big gains in upcoming European elections suffered a another setback on Thursday when it was kicked out of its group in the European Parliament. The Identity and Democracy group said it was expelling lawmakers from the Alternative for Germany party with immediate effect because of growing controversy surrounding its lead candidate in the June 6-9 polls. “The ID Group no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian Krah,” it said in a
3 min read - USFox Weather
9 killed, dozens injured in Mexico after stage collapses during severe thunderstorm
A stage collapsed in northeast Mexico on Wednesday during a thunderstorm, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, according to local government officials.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Myanmar quietly announces plans to study controversial Chinese dam project suspended 13 years ago
Myanmar’s military government appears to be considering reviving a massive China-backed hydroelectric dam project, work on which was suspended more than a decade ago after protests over its possible impact on the environment. A notice from the Information Ministry, published online in the latest issue of the government gazette on Tuesday, announced a new leadership team for the Myitsone hydropower project, which was put on hold in 2011 by Myanmar’s military-backed former president, Thein Sein.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
In South Africa, a community struggling for clean water reflects wider discontent ahead of election
On days when a municipal truck comes to Hammanskraal to deliver drinking water, a queue of South Africans starts forming early in the morning to fill their buckets. This is not a distant, rural community, but a township on the edge of the administrative capital city of Africa's most advanced economy. It's barely 30 miles from the government buildings in nearby Pretoria. Hammanskraal's problems — a lack of clean water, a shortage of proper housing and high unemployment — are a snapshot of the i
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Putin visits Belarus on second trip abroad since start of new term
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to Belarus for a two-day state visit. Putin is scheduled to meet his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday evening for discussions on key international issues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The two countries are close allies and Minsk has provided support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, without participating directly in the conflict. Lukashenko last visited Moscow on May 9 for Russia's Victory Day military parade. His
1 min read - Worlddpa international
ICJ to make interim ruling on Israeli withdrawal from Rafah on Friday
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to rule on Friday on further legal steps to prevent the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in response to a South African application. The ICJ said on Thursday that the ruling would be announced during a public sitting at the Peace Palace in the Dutch city at 3 pm (1300 GMT). ICJ presiding judge Nawaf Salam will read out the court's order. The ruling refers to a request by South Africa on May 10 this year concerning the application of the Conve
2 min read - Worlddpa international
German far-right party faces expulsion from European Parliament group
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could face expulsion from the European Parliament group it belongs to, according to a document seen by dpa on Thursday, just two weeks ahead of European elections. Marco Zanni, the leader of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, made a request to expel the AfD after multiple negative headlines about the party in recent weeks, including about the AfD's lead candidate for the elections in June, Maximilian Krah. The move comes after a "string of in
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Iran's late president Raisi to be buried in home city of Mashhad
Ebrahim Raisi, the late Iranian president who died in a helicopter crash at the weekend, is to be buried in his home city of Mashhad on Thursday as mass mourning ceremonies continue in the country. Raisi is to be laid to rest at the city's shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth imam of Shia Islam. High-ranking representatives of friendly states are expected to attend, including Russian parliamentary leader Vyacheslav Volodin. Iran's state railway company organized special trains to take mourners from T
2 min read - BusinessJust Auto
Renault and VW end talks for joint ‘e-Twingo’ – report
The two companies had been talking about collaboration on a low-cost EV to meet challenge from China
2 min read - WorldINSIDER
Putin has 'both eyes' on a strategic island belonging to new NATO member Sweden, army commander says
The strategic Baltic island of Gotland is now a key target for Russia, after Sweden joined NATO earlier this year, Sweden's army chief said.
3 min read - SportsExplorersWeb
Everest and Lhotse Without O2 in Single Push
Forty-eight hours after summiting Lhotse, Piotr Krzyzowski of Poland has reached the top of Everest. He did both without oxygen or sherpa support and without descending lower than Camp 4. At the time of writing this story, Krzyzowski was still on his way back to Camp 4. We will update as soon as we have […]
1 min read - Worlddpa international
German president honours 75-year-old constitution as 'great gift'
Germany's constitution, or Basic Law, was a "great gift" after the tyranny of the Nazi regime, President Frank-Walter Steimeier said at the ceremony marking the entry into force of the law 75 years ago. "A gift that must not only be remembered, but that we must cherish, preserve and defend in the everyday life of the republic," Steinmeier said during the celebration on Thursday in Berlin. It is one of the oldest constitutions in the world and has become a model for many constitutions, Steinmeier
2 min read - Worlddpa international
European Parliament group leader moves to expel Germany's AfD party
The leader of the Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament has made a request to expel the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to a document seen by dpa on Thursday. The move comes after a "string of incidents involving Mr Maximilian Krah and - by extension - the German delegation of the Group" and their impact on the group's reputation, the text of the motion reads. Krah has come under significant public scrutiny following his comments that not all Schutzstaf
1 min read - BusinessFreightWaves
DHL launches virtual cargo airline for supply chain customers in Brazil
DHL’s supply chain unit has invested nearly $100 million to set up an air line haul operation with the help of a local airline that will support logistics customers in Brazil. The post DHL launches virtual cargo airline for supply chain customers in Brazil appeared first on FreightWaves.
5 min read - USFox News
Harvard board votes to block 13 sanctioned protesters from graduating, risks 'faculty rebellion,' says prof
The Harvard Corporation vetoed a decision by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to permit 13 seniors facing discipline for participating in an anti-Israel encampment to graduate.
4 min read - WorldINSIDER
UK-supplied drones have destroyed over $1.2 billion of Russian military gear in Ukraine, says UK official
UK drones have taken out $1.2 billion of Russian military gear in Ukraine since 2022, the UK's defense secretary boasted, with over 4,000 drones sent.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
From South Korea to India, devotees mark the birthday of Buddha with lanterns and prayers
A devotee knelt and gently touched his head on the dome of the Boudhanath Stupa, an iconic Buddhist monument in Kathmandu, as a mark of reverence on Thursday, which marks the birth of Buddha. The birthday of Buddha is a holy occasion for all Buddhists, but is celebrated on different dates depending on the school of Buddhism or country to which one belongs. The highlight of the celebration in South Korea is the lotus lantern festival called Yeondeunghoe, a parade of thousands of colorful, light
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Heavy police presence at ceremony to celebrate German constitution
A total of about 1,000 police officers were deployed in and around the government district of Berlin on Thursday, a spokeswoman said, in order to police the state ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of Germany's constitution. The police were also out on the Spree river on patrol boats and had deployed a helicopter. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and special task forces (SEK) from the Berlin State Criminal Police Office and from Lower Saxony were also involved. The situation was calm
2 min read - USWTXF
Pro-Palestine protesters pack up tent encampment at Drexel University
A pro-Palestine tent encampment that overtook part of Drexel University's campus peacefully disbanded early Thursday morning.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Doctors treat hundreds of victims of heatstroke in Pakistan after heatwave hits the country
Doctors treated hundreds of victims of heatstroke at hospitals across Pakistan on Thursday after an intense heatwave sent temperatures above normal levels due to climate change, officials said. The city, known for its archaeological sites, is in southern Sindh province, which was badly hit by climate-induced monsoon rains and devastating floods in 2022. The heatwave is forecast to continue for at least a week.
3 min read - WorldBBC
Crisis-hit university students ordered to leave UK
Teesside University students have struggled to pay tuition fees since currency in Nigeria crashed.
5 min read - Worlddpa international
German construction industry misses targets amid housing crisis
Housing construction in Germany again failed to gain momentum last year despite high demand, particularly in urban centres, according to the official figures released on Thursday. The number of flats that been completed fell by 0.3% compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office reported, representing a total of 294,400 homes built. This was a smaller drop than feared, but was still a long way off the centre-left government's target of building 400,000 new homes per year. The numb
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration
Brought into the international spotlight by the ban on hijabs for French athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics, France’s unique approach to “laïcité” — loosely translated as “secularism” — has been increasingly stirring controversy across the country. Perhaps the most contested ground is public schools, where visible signs of faith are barred under policies seeking to foster national unity. “It has become a privilege to be allowed to practice our religion,” said Majda Ould Ibbat, who was con
6 min read - WorldAFP
The Who bassist's guitar up for auction in France
A bass designed by and built for The Who rocker John Entwistle will be sold at auction in Lyon in eastern France Thursday, an auction house said."The Who was a legendary group," said Antoine Stacchetti, the former manager of the Lyon Guitar Center, who came to see the bass and other items on sale Thursday.
1 min read - WorldAFP
Video shows Russia preparing military parade, not 'mobilisation of nuclear weapons'
A video of missiles being transported to Moscow ahead of an annual military parade has been falsely shared in posts that claimed it showed nuclear weapons moved on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin after he warned the West against sending troops to aid Ukraine. The footage was in fact filmed before Putin issued the warning about the "real" risk of nuclear war in February 2024.
2 min read - WorldBBC
Unprecedented insurrection in New Caledonia - Macron
France's president says reinforcements will stay "as long as necessary", as he visits the Pacific territory.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Norway further tightens its restrictions on the entry of Russians
Norway on Thursday said it will further tighten its restrictions on the entry of people from Russia, saying those with tourist visas issued by Norway before regulations were tightened in 2022 or issued by another European country will be barred from entering the Scandinavian country as of next week. Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said the tightening was a response to “Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Deputy Russian military chief of staff jailed for bribery in latest arrest of high defense official
A deputy chief of the Russian military general staff has been arrested on charges of large-scale bribery, Russian news reports said Thursday, the latest in a series of bribery arrests of high-ranking military officials. The arrest of Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin followed the arrest earlier in the week of Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, a former top commander in Russia's offensive in Ukraine, also on bribery charges.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Top UN court declines to issue preliminary orders in Mexico-Ecuador dispute over Quito embassy raid
The top United Nations court declined Thursday to issue an immediate order for Ecuador to protect Mexican diplomatic property following the storming of Mexico's embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice president. International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam said pledges made by Ecuador in a letter to the court and in public hearings last month “encompass the concerns expressed by Mexico” in its request for interim measures. Ecuador's ambassador to the Netherlands, Andres Teran Parral,
3 min read - WorldAFP
Flag seen on China's new aircraft carrier is used for communication
China's new aircraft carrier flew a signalling flag during its first sea trials in May 2024, not a Japanese flag, contrary to false claims circulating on social media. The China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which manufactured the vessel, confirmed the flag is in fact used by ships to communicate with each other.
3 min read - WorldBBC
Israeli hostage's family hope kidnap video reminds world of need for deal
New harrowing footage shows the moment Naama Levy and other women were seized by Hamas gunmen.
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Nine dead in Mexico as wind topples stage at campaign event
Nine people died and scores more were injured as strong winds caused part of a stage to collapse during an election campaign event in north-eastern Mexico on Wednesday evening. Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, who attended the scene, said that nine people, including a minor, died and 50 suffered medium or serious injuries. At least three people were in surgery. "If you can, avoid going out because there are storms and atypical winds," García said in a post on social media platform X. "I regret
1 min read - Worlddpa international
75 years of German constitution, republic to be marked in Berlin
Germany plans to celebrate the entry into force of its constitution, the Basic Law, and the founding of the modern federal republic 75 years ago with an official state ceremony in the heart of Berlin's government district on Thursday. The Basic Law come into force on May 23, 1949, which is also the founding date of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Peaceful Revolution in the former East Germany, which marks its 35th anniversary this year, is also be commemorated on Thursday. It ultimately led
2 min read - WorldNBC News
Hostage families share disturbing video of Israeli soldiers being abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7
The families of the Israeli women taken hostage on Oct. 7 released disturbing video Wednesday of five female soldiers being captured by Hamas militants who call them “dogs” and threaten to shoot them.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
UN approves resolution to commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica genocide annually over Serb opposition
The United Nations approved a resolution Thursday establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs, a move vehemently opposed by Serbs who fear it will brand them all as “genocidal” supporters of the mass killing. The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 84-19 with 68 nations abstaining, a reflection of concerns among many countries about the impact of the vote on reconciliation efforts in deeply divided Bosnia. Russia's U.N
5 min read
