World News

NASA releases James Webb telescope 'teaser' picture

NASA has a provided a tantalizing teaser photo ahead of the highly-anticipated release next week of the first deep-space images from the James Webb Telescope –- an instrument so powerful it can peer back into the origins of the universe.. The image has some "rough-around-the-edges" qualities, NASA said in a statement, but is still "among the deepest images of the universe ever taken" and offers a "tantalizing glimpse" at what will be revealed in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 2 mins read

World News

Sudan activists to unite under 'revolutionary council'

Pro-democracy groups in Sudan announced a "revolutionary council" Thursday to close ranks against coup leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejecting his offer of a civilian government, as protesters keep pressing for his resignation.. On Thursday, pro-democracy groups, including local resistance committees, announced their plans to establish a revolutionary council in opposition to Burhan.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 2 mins read

World News

Dominant Tunisia party urges boycott of constitution vote

Tunisia's Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party urged its supporters on Thursday to boycott a July 25 referendum on President Kais Saied's new constitution, saying it would "lead to a repressive, authoritarian regime".. The constitution, the centrepiece of Saied's drive to remake the Tunisian political system, sparked instant criticism for the nearly unlimited power it gives the president.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 1 mins read

World News

UK backing for Ukraine set to outlive Johnson

Although Boris Johnson has been one of the West's most vocal supporters of Ukraine following Russia's invasion, experts say the British prime minister's Thursday resignation will not diminish London's backing for Kyiv.. Announcing he would step down from the leadership of the Conservatives Thursday, Johnson spared a line for Ukraine, saying "we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom as long as it takes".

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 3 mins read

World News

China's Wang meets Lavrov in Bali ahead of G20 talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bali Thursday to discuss Moscow's invasion of Ukraine ahead of a G20 ministerial meeting overshadowed by the war. . The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Wang stressed "the need for the maintenance and development of the G20" in their meeting. 

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 2 mins read

World News

EU warns of worst Palestinian displacement in 'decades'

An EU envoy warned Thursday over the possible mass displacement of Palestinians from a West Bank area at the centre of a protracted legal battle, after a controversial Israeli court ruling. . The European Union's ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, issued the warning as he toured Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, where evictions of Palestinians have increased after they lost a land rights case in Israel's top court on May 4. 

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Foreigners flock back to Spain bull-running fiesta

As soon as Peter Millington heard that Spain's San Fermin fiesta would be held again this year after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, he started making travel arrangements.. Millington said he booked his flight from London and made hotel reservations in February, just days after Pamplona's mayor announced that San Fermin would likely go ahead this year.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 3 mins read

World News

Russia occupies 22% of Ukraine farmland: NASA

Russian forces now occupy about 22 percent of Ukraine's farmland since the February 24 invasion, impacting one of the major suppliers to global grain and edible oils markets, NASA said Thursday.. According to US data, before the war Ukraine supplied 46 percent of the sunflower oil traded on global markets, nine percent of the wheat, 17 percent of the barley, and 12 percent of maize.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Ukraine ammo stocks become crucial as artillery rages

Ammunitionstocks are fast becoming key in the war in Ukraine as artillery units burn through tens of thousands of shells per day, testing both sides' capacity to replenish dwindling reserves.. Russia's defence industry capacity to produce the artillery shells needed to replenish stockpiles is "significant", RUSI said.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 3 mins read

World News

Johnson exit marks 'opportunity' to reset UK-Ireland ties: Irish PM

Irish premier Micheal Martin said Thursday that Boris Johnson's resignation as Conservative leader, paving the way for a new UK prime minister, was "an opportunity" to reset fraught relations.. On Thursday, Northern Ireland's first minister-elect, Michelle O'Neill, of Irish nationalists Sinn Fein -- which won a historic first victory in the May ballot -- accused Johnson of trying to "sabotage" peace there.

Thu, Jul 7, 2022 2 mins read