Author: staff

Mauritius has long argued it was forced to give the Chagos Islands away in return for its own independence from Britain, with more than 1,000 islanders forcibly removed at the request of the U.S. A 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates on disputes between nations, found that the detachment of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius was “not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people concerned.” It said the U.K. was “under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.” The foreign…

During the interview she hit out at Israel, the United States and the secret services of both countries, which she claimed “influence[d] the court’s decision.” Some of the judges would rather she didn’t become president, the lawmaker said. “It’s because I am leading in presidential elections and I want to gain independence for Romania,” she said. According to a recent poll, around 13.6 percent would vote for Șoșoăca, putting her in fourth place. If the two-round presidential election, scheduled for Nov. 24 and Dec. 8, was to take place now, current socialist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu (20.3 percent) and independent…

A year ahead of a general election, Kühnert’s resignation comes as a new challenge for the already struggling SPD. In the European Parliament election in June, the party recorded its worst result in a national vote in more than a century. The party is currently polling at 16 percent nationally, nearly 10 percentage points below its result in the last federal election in 2021. At the same time, approval ratings for the SPD-led coalition are at a historic low. The SPD earned a reprieve in the eastern state of Brandenburg last month, edging out the far right in a hard-fought contest. But…

Syrians remain the largest group among asylum seekers, while Germany, Spain, Italy and France face the most cases. First-time applications from people seeking asylum in the EU have declined by 17% this summer, according to Eurostat.Syrians are still the largest group of people seeking asylum with more than 10,000 first-time applicants. Venezuelans followed them with 6,340 and Afghans with 5,930 applications. Germany, Spain, Italy and France still host the highest number of first-time asylum applicants. These four countries are processing 76% of all first-time applications in the EU. According to the report, in June the EU total of first-time asylum applicants…

New research uses extreme heat, drought, inland and coastal flooding and wildfires to rank the safety of US states. A new climate change risk index reveals the best states for Americans to escape the impacts of extreme weather like the recent devastating Category 4 Hurricane Helene.Using data from independent scientific group Climate Central, the new risk index ranks 48 US states (Alaska and Hawaii are excluded due to lack of comparative data) according to the impact the climate crisis is likely to have on the population.Nine out of 10 states predicted to experience the worst impacts from the climate crisis…

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters at a press conference Monday that “minor editing was done” to the photo, adding that slight touch-ups were customary in official group shots. “Group photos taken at official events at the prime minister’s office will remain as commemorative photos for the individual for a long time,” he said, according to Japanese media. It’s not the first high-profile Photoshop fail this year. British royal Kate Middleton was forced to publicly apologize in March for the clumsy editing of a family photograph after the world’s top media agencies pulled the photo offline after raising concerns…

Last year was the driest for global rivers in 30 years, while glaciers suffered the largest mass loss in 50 years. Last year was the driest year for global rivers in 33 years, warns a new report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). According to the State of Global Water Resources report, the past five years have seen below-normal conditions for river flows and reservoir inflows worldwide, increasing stress on global water supplies.The annual report paints the big picture of the world’s water cycle, from extreme floods to extreme droughts, from rivers and reservoirs to glaciers and groundwater. It brings…

The appointment has raised eyebrows among some China hawks in the British parliament, given TikTok is banned on U.K. government phones amid security concerns. Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat, who was sanctioned by China while working as the Commons foreign affairs committee chair, accused his Labour opponents of playing “fast and loose with our nation’s security.” “The prime minister’s latest decision to hire someone directly from the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece TikTok demonstrates, once again, that he cannot provide the leadership this country is crying out for,” Tugendhat said. TikTok insists it has overhauled its data security practices since the…

Astonishingly scything through arch-foe Hezbollah’s upper echelons, remorselessly picking off leaders and military commanders one after another, Israel’s becoming increasingly bullish, convinced the disaster of Oct. 7 is being paid back. Israel is being made safer, victory snatched from the jaws of defeat — or so its leaders argue. And soon, they believe, it will achieve the unbelievable — vanquishing both of Iran’s key allies in the region: Hamas and Hezbollah — the redrawing of the Middle East’s geopolitical map within its grasp. Of course, how Israel’s military campaign actually fares — whether Iran and Hezbollah find a convenient hook…

Netanyahu’s coalition faces increasing pressure as Israel’s conflict with Iranian proxies intensifies, with calls from the US and EU for a ceasefire in Gaza. As Israel raises its military stakes against the Iran-sponsored proxies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to persuade the traditional Western partners that his muscular strategy is the only option to save Israel from doom.Despite the US and the EU increasingly demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, the war has been extended to the Lebanese front.Israel is under attack and is fighting against Iran’s proxies, which might lead to an eventual showdown with the regime in Tehran.Meanwhile,…