U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed home a new demand that allies more than double defense spending, but his European counterparts sought to avoid more tension at a NATO summit, saying the president was friendlier than expected. Leaders’ low expectations showed the extent of European frustration with Trump’s “America ... Read More »
Make the most of your lives, rescued Thai cave boys told
The head of a Thai navy SEAL diving team that helped lead 12 boys and their soccer coach through a flooded cave complex to safety urged the boys on Thursday to “make the most” of their lives and be a force for good. The first footage of the boys, aged ... Read More »
Ireland moves to ban Israeli goods from occupied Palestinian territories
Senator Frances Black says the bill should show Ireland to be on the right side of ‘international law, human rights and justice’ Ireland has moved a step closer towards banning Israeli products which are produced in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill passed through ... Read More »
With Serbia and Kosovo both vying for EU membership, the question remains: who won the war?
In theory, both sides must observe each other’s ‘rights’ – which means that Serbia must recognise Kosovo – because Brussels is not going to have two hostile members joining its hygienic ranks Who won the war? There are a few ruins left from the Nato bombing of 1998, and outside ... Read More »
Syria conflict: After series of calamitous defeats, is Isis about to lose its last town?
Several hundred suicide bombers and 4,000 fighters belonging to Isis are preparing to defend Hajin in eastern Syria close to the border with Iraq. The town is the last stronghold of the Islamic State, the militarised Islamic cult that three years ago controlled territory the size of Great Britain. The ... Read More »
Illegal ivory trade across Europe is driving elephants to extinction, new study warns
Undercover investigators easily found items from tusks of recently killed animals on sale in 10 countries Ivory from recently slaughtered elephants is being illegally sold across Europe, fuelling the extinction crisis, a study has found. New radiocarbon-dating tests proved that ivory items bought in many countries, including Britain, were from ... Read More »
Japan floods latest: More than 100 dead after mudslides and record heavy rains destroy homes
Worst flood disaster hits Asian nation since 1983 More than 100 people have been killed and dozens are missing after record torrential rains unleashed floods and landslides in western Japan. Rescuers are searching for nearly 80 people who are still accounted for, most of them in the hardest-hit Hiroshima area. ... Read More »
Thai cave rescue: Four boys emerge after weeks trapped in dark
AN operation to rescue the remaining nine people trapped in a flooded Thai cave system is in full swing as the same divers who brought the first four boys to safety go in again. AN operation to rescue the remaining nine people trapped in a flooded Thai cave system is ... Read More »
Iran Threatens to Stop Hormuz Oil Exports If Own Crude Cut
Iran will stop oil exports from the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint, if the U.S. succeeds in halting crude sales from the Persian Gulf nation, a Revolutionary Guards official said. “Any hostile attempt by the U.S. will be followed by an exorbitant cost for them,” said ... Read More »
Baltic Sea oxygen levels at ‘1,500-year low due to human activity’
Nutrient run-off from agriculture and urban sewage are likely to be to blame, scientists say The coastal waters of the Baltic have been starved of oxygen to a level unseen in at least 1,500 years largely as a result of modern human activity, scientists say. Nutrient run-off from agriculture and ... Read More »