World

South Africa has given the OK for China and Russia to conduct naval exercises off its coast, sparking concerns of further alienating the country from the west.  Operation Mosi – which means “smoke” – is scheduled to take place between February 17 and February 26 of next month, Bloomberg reported.  …

A seven-year-old girl was “seriously injured” by shotgun pellets fired from a black Toyota in London, UK, police have said. A memorial service was being held at St. Aloysius Church in Euston for a young woman and her mother who both died from natural causes.  Police then believe a black …

The British government on Monday blocked a controversial Scottish law that would have made it easier for people to legally change their gender. The Gender Recognition Bill would have allowed residents to obtain a gender recognition certificate without needing a medical diagnosis for gender dysphoria. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, who …

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced her resignation on Monday after a series of public blunders, writing in a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz that “months of media focus on my person” have prevented her from effectively leading the military.  Lambrecht, 57, had been defense minister since December 2021 when …

A draft budget in the U.K. city of Newport is proposing to switch off streetlights to cut back on costs, but officials are concerned that the move would put residents at risk.  The city, located in South Wales, included the measure in its 2023/2024 draft budget. If implemented about half …

The German and Dutch foreign ministers on Monday condemned the deportation by Russians of thousands of Ukrainian children, calling it a deliberate policy of cruel and inhumane abductions that is tearing families apart. Since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine nearly a year ago, Russians have been accused of deporting …

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed a deal to write a memoir of his tumultuous time in office, which began with a vow to “get Brexit done” and ended in scandal and resignation. Publisher HarperCollins said Monday that the as-yet untitled book will be a prime ministerial memoir …

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday it recommended that China monitor excess mortality from COVID-19 to gain a fuller picture of the impact of the surge in cases there. China said on Saturday that nearly 60,000 people with COVID-19 had died in hospital since it abandoned its zero-COVID …

A bus swerved to avoid hitting a donkey and collided with a truck, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens of others in Senegal on Monday, authorities said. The collision happened near Ngeun Sarr in the country’s north, President Macky Sall tweeted. “Yet another fatal accident on our roads,” …

Some 5,000 people marched Monday to the EU parliament in the French city of Strasbourg in support of Iran’s anti-government protesters as Paris prepared an Eiffel Tower tribute to Mahsa Amini, whose death in September prompted the demonstrations. The Strasbourg march was organized by Iranians in Europe on the 44th …