France banned domestic short-haul flights this week because the government wants to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, CNBC reported. The new law – published via decree – will prohibit short flights between French destinations when a train journey of fewer than 2.5 hours “provides a...
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German police raided the homes of members of the “Last Generation” climate advocacy group Wednesday, over allegations that some of its activists are part of a criminal organization, Politico reported. Raids took place in 15 properties across Germany, with authorities saying the goal of the searches...
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Somalia’s Puntland will hold local government elections Thursday, the first democratic polls since 1967 for the semi-autonomous state that has long been known as a haven for international piracy and a hideout for Islamic jihadist groups in the Horn of Africa, Bloomberg reported. The vote will...
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New Zealanders expressed outrage at a Florida zoo for allowing visitors to pet a kiwi – New Zealand’s national bird – prompting the institution to stop the controversial practice and apologize to the island nation, the Washington Post reported. Earlier this week, more than 10,000 people...
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Greece’s ruling conservatives and its main leftist opposition party rejected mandates to form a coalition government following the results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections – which could lead the European Union country to hold another vote next month, Reuters reported Tuesday. The results of the elections showed...
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Colombia’s government this week suspended a ceasefire agreement with a rebel group accused of killing Indigenous people in a recent attack, another setback for leftist President Gustavo Petro’s efforts to achieve peace with the country’s armed groups, Al Jazeera reported. Officials announced they will resume attacks...
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Saudi biologist Rayyanah Barnawi became the first female Arab astronaut to go into space, a milestone for the desert kingdom where women were only given permission to drive in 2018, the BBC reported. Barnawi is one of two Saudis on Axiom Space’s second private mission, which...
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European regulators fined Facebook’s owner, Meta, a record $1.3 billion on Monday for sending users’ information to the United States, the latest clash between the European Union and American tech giants amid negotiations for a new trans-Atlantic data deal, the Wall Street Journal reported. Ireland’s Data...
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Papua New Guinea and the United States signed two new security deals Monday aimed at boosting ties and countering China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, Bloomberg reported. The agreements came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister James Marape in the...
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A Slovak court acquitted a businessman accused of orchestrating the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in 2018, his second acquittal in the case and one that the victims’ families and press groups described as “shocking,” the Associated Press reported. The...
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Russian troops took control of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin announced Sunday, after more than eight months of fighting that has left most of the besieged city in ruins and resulted in an unknown number of casualties on both sides, Sky News reported. Russian President...
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Iran executed three men accused of killing security officers during the anti-government protests that have gripped the country since September, prompting condemnation from human rights groups and Western governments, CBS News reported Friday. A court had found the three individuals guilty of “moharebeh” – or waging...
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Italy will spend nearly $30 million to help people develop their digital skills amid concerns that the growing trend toward the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advancements could threaten a large portion of the workforce, the Washington Post reported. Established in 2021, the...
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Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso, facing a looming impeachment vote, dissolved parliament this week, a move observers warned could worsen the crisis in the Latin American country that is currently dealing with a deteriorating security situation, CNN reported. The conservative leader invoked a constitutional procedure known as...
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Lesotho imposed a national curfew this week following the murder of a prominent journalist, as authorities attempt to address rising crime rates in the small southern African kingdom, the Guardian reported Thursday. Unknown assailants shot and killed radio presenter Ralikonelo “Leqhashasha” Joki as he left his...
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South Korea is debating whether it should eliminate its designated “no-kid zones” in public spaces and venues at a time when the country is currently dealing with declining birth rates, the New York Times reported. Earlier this month, lawmaker Yong Hye-in took her toddler to parliament...
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A French appeals court upheld a prison sentence against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday on charges of corruption and influence-peddling, the Guardian reported. The ruling confirmed a 2021 verdict from a lower court that sentenced Sarkozy to three years in prison, with two years...
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Cambodian election officials barred the country’s main opposition party from participating in upcoming elections in July, a move that critics said could guarantee a clear win for the ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Radio Free Asia reported. The National Election Committee rejected the Candlelight...
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Mexico will launch a new database later this month to help collect information on the tens of thousands of people that have gone missing across the country, a move that was cautiously welcomed by human rights groups, Reuters reported. The federal prosecutor’s office said the new...
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Energy giant ExxonMobil settled a decades-long lawsuit filed by villagers in the western Indonesian province of Aceh, who alleged that soldiers the company had hired to guard a natural gas facility in the area committed torture, murder, and other human rights abuses, Al Jazeera reported...
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