Author: staff
Belt and Road beneficiary Turkey, received a $150 million loan from AIIB last year to support a major highway, while Kazakhstan — where Xi first launched BRI in 2013 — received a $47 million loan for a major wind farm in 2019. Belt and Road beneficiary Turkey, received a $150 million loan from AIIB last year to support a major highway. | Erdem Sahin/EPA “China, although precluded from using the AIIB directly as a tool to fulfill its ambitious BRI agenda, is using the bank as leverage in pushing forward the BRI,” writes Yu Hong, a senior research fellow at…
A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday opened fire before detonating an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people praying, killing at least 22 and wounding 63 others, local media reported. The attack took place inside the Mar Elias Church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, the Syrian capital. The church bombing was the first of its sort in Syria in years, and it comes amid Damascus’s efforts to gain support from minorities under its de facto Islamist government. SANA, the Syrian state media outlet, shared a picture of the church’s pews covered in blood and…
In order to bring Madrid on board, the new language that leaders will approve on Wednesday was changed from “we commit” to “allies commit” to spend 5 percent on defense, a NATO official said. That would allow Spain spending flexibility as long as it meets NATO’s updated capability targets approved by alliance defense ministers on June 5. In a statement on Sunday, Sánchez described the outcome as a “success,” which will allow Spain to “fulfill its commitments to the Atlantic alliance and preserve its unity, without having to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.” “Each NATO member ……
BRUSSELS — Benjamin Netanyahu’s government issued a searing condemnation of the European Union after the bloc reviewed its economic ties with Israel in response to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. A private submission to the EU from the Israeli government, seen by POLITICO, described Brussels’ decision to reexamine its association agreement with Israel as “outrageous and indecent.” It accused EU officials of relying on biased evidence and failing to give Israel a fair chance to respond. The European Commission launched an investigation into whether Israel may have breached its human rights obligations under the association agreement after a majority…
Iran’s parliament endorsed a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global transit chokepoint, in response to overnight U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian state media reported Sunday.Iran’s state-owned broadcaster Press TV reported that the legislature had reached a consensus to close the strait. The final decision rests with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, it said.The channel, which separates Iran and Oman, is a vital gateway for oil shipments from Persian Gulf countries. The parliamentary endorsement comes directly after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
Revolutionary Guard commander Sardar Esmail Kowsari told local media in an interview closing the Strait of Hormuz “is under consideration, and Iran will make the best decision with determination.””Our hands are wide open when it comes to punishing the enemy, and the military response was only part of our overall response,” added Kowsari, who is a member of parliament in addition to his military position.Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles would be capable of targeting oil infrastructure platforms, pipelines in the Strait, or even attacking commercial vessels, and surface-to-surface missiles could target tankers or ports along the Gulf. Airstrikes using aircraft…
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday announced he will travel to Moscow in the coming hours for urgent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly after the United States launched airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear sites. Araghchi emphasized the “strategic partnership” between Iran and Russia. “We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” he told reporters in Istanbul, according to media reports. Russia is a close ally of Iran. Tehran supplied Moscow with military drones to strike Ukraine and, in return, has received help with its civilian nuclear program. The Kremlin has also maintained warm relations with…
By Adithi Ramakrishnan with AP Published on 22/06/2025 – 10:58 GMT+2An Australian moth follows the stars during its yearly migration, using the night sky as a guiding compass, according to a new study.When temperatures heat up, nocturnal Bogong moths fly about 1,000 kilometres to cool down in caves by the Australian Alps. They later return home to breed and die.Birds routinely navigate by starlight, but the moths are the first known invertebrates, or creatures without a backbone, to find their way across such long distances using the stars.’The moths really are using a view of the night sky’Scientists have long wondered how the…
U.S. President Donald Trump said late Saturday that the American bombing of the major nuclear sites was a “very successful attack” and threatened additional assalts if Tehran does not make peace. The targeted Fordo enrichment plant was described by Trump as “completely and totally obliterated.” The American aistrikes were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lauded Trump’s “bold decision” as a move that “will change history.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, meanwhile, called for deescalation and urged Iran to return to diplomatic negotiations to address the “grave threat” of its nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)…
A new law in Sweden that makes it illegal to buy custom adult content will take effect on July 1. But the content creators say it makes their profession more dangerous. The new updated legislation makes it so anyone who purchases online sexual content (sexual acts performed remotely with no ty physical contact) or operates a website that makes it easier to get in touch with adult content creators could be imprisoned for up to one year. Sweden’s updated laws are the latest in a series of restrictions to digital porn, like France’s age verification law that saw Pornhub temporarily stop operations…