TOKYO — Japan’s defense ministry is requesting a nearly 12% budget increase that includes two warships with advanced radar and long-range cruise missiles as it further fortifies the nation’s military in the face of North Korean threats and Chinese military … Read More
NEW DELHI/BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip a summit of G20 leaders in India next week, sources familiar with the matter in India and China told Reuters. Two Indian officials, one diplomat based … Read More
American citizens in Haiti should leave the country “as soon as possible” because of spiraling security and infrastructure “challenges,” the U.S. Embassy said in a travel advisory issued late Wednesday. The advisory urged U.S. nationals to depart Haiti immediately on commercial or … Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity. Under the new rules, Adams … Read More
PERRY, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday with fierce winds, torrential rains and pounding surf before weakening but turning its fury on southeastern Georgia, where floodwaters trapped some residents in their homes. … Read More
Seizure of power announced on television, cancelling election results that gave president third term in office Military officers in Gabon say they have taken power and put the president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, under house arrest, as the country becomes the … Read More
Pupils will be banned from wearing abayas, loose-fitting full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in France’s state-run schools, the education minister has said. The rule will be applied as soon as the new school year starts on 4 September. … Read More
Runways at the airport were damaged in the alleged attack, rendering it out of service, according to Syrian officials. An Israeli air ‘aggression’ put Aleppo International Airport out of service, the Syrian defense ministry said on Monday. “The Israeli enemy … Read More
Aug 27 (Reuters) – The U.S. military on Sunday said it believed it had killed 13 al Shabaab fighters in southern Somalia in what it called a “collective self-defense airstrike” at the request of the Somali government. The Somali government … Read More
The Modular Open Source Identity Platform, modeled after India’s biometric database, is expanding globally despite controversy over consent and data protections, but privacy advocates warn the Gates Foundation-funded digital ID initiative could enable tracking citizens “from cradle to grave.” Spurred … Read More