Captain Cook’s statue vandalised in Melbourne on the eve of Australia Day

A century-old Captain James Cook statue has been cut down and a Queen Victoria monument covered in red paint in an apparent protest in Australia.

The late-night vandalism occurred in Melbourne on the eve of Australia Day and is under police investigation.

The holiday on…[Read more]

Macron administration formalises tougher immigration law

The law’s promulgation comes after France’s Constitutional Council censured 35 of its 86 articles, including contentious additions insisted on by the right, such as measures restricting access to social benefits and the introduction of immigration quotas.

While the bill was seen as one of…[Read more]

Climate activists hurl soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris

In a video posted on social media, two women with the words “FOOD RIPOSTE” written on their T-shirts can be seen throwing soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece and passing under a security barrier to get closer to the painting.

“What’s the most impo…[Read more]

French govt prepares to head off ‘siege’ of Paris planned by agricultural unions

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday tasked law enforcement officials with putting into place “extensive security measures” to prevent farmers from blocking Paris area airports or its Rungis market and “to prohibit any entry into Paris”.

The leaders of two o…[Read more]

Japan joins others in halting funds for U.N. Palestinian refugee agency

Japan has decided to suspend funding for a U.N. agency that supports Palestinian refugees, joining the United States and others, amid allegations that its staff may have been involved in Hamas’ attack on Israel last year.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maki Kobayashi said in a…[Read more]

Japan preparing to add transport roles to skilled visa amid shortages

Japan is preparing to add four sectors including the transportation industry to its foreign blue-collar skilled worker visa granting up to five years of working rights, government sources said Sunday, amid fears of driver shortages.

The move would bring the eligible industries…[Read more]

Aso praises Kamikawa but says she is ‘not very beautiful,’ and calls her ‘Kamimura’

Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso praised Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a speech Sunday in Ashiya, Fukuoka Prefecture, but mistakenly called her “Kamimura” twice and said he didn’t think she could be called “very beautiful.”…[Read more]

Tea producers in Türkiye address ‘salty tea’ controversy

Tea producers in Türkiye have chimed in on an American chemist’s seemingly outrageous suggestion to put salt while brewing tea which sparked controversy on social media saying, “tea should be drunk in its purest form, without altering the taste.”

“When tea is drunk completely unsweet…[Read more]

Istanbul church attack: Gunmen kill one person during Sunday morning mass

Two gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Istanbul, turning morning mass into a scene of terror and killing one man.

The shooting happened at the Church of Santa Maria during Sunday mass at around 11:40 local time (08:40 GMT).

Turkey’s interior minister later said on X,…[Read more]

US approves sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey

The United States has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after the Turkish parliament this week ratified Sweden’s NATO membership.

The US Department of State notified Congress of the $23bn agreement to sell the warplanes to NATO ally Turkey on Friday night, along with a companion $…[Read more]

Gov’t estimates Japan quake damage will reach ¥2.6 tril

The government on Thursday said damage to infrastructure from the earthquake that rocked central Japan on New Year’s Day may reach as high as 2.6 trillion yen.

The magnitude-7.6 quake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan has added a layer of uncertainty over the economy, amid…[Read more]

21,818 people committed suicide in Japan in 2023, health ministry says

The number of suicides in Japan in 2023 was 21,818, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced on Friday. The provisional figure, based on National Police Agency statistics, was 63 fewer than in 2022.

Males accounted for nearly 70% of the total, at 14,854, and…[Read more]

Diet starts 150-day regular session, with funds scandal in focus

Japan’s Diet convened a 150-day ordinary session on Friday, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set to be grilled over a political fundraising scandal that has continued to rattle his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

During the Diet session through June 23, the government’s response…[Read more]

Traffic jams as French farmers block highway near Paris to protest low prices

Unions have called for the roadblocks in and around Paris to increase pressure on Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s government, which the farmers accuse of not doing enough to help them.

“We will go right into Paris to highlight our rage, our grievances,” said farme…[Read more]

France Rejects Russia’s ‘Mercenary’ Claims, Doubles Down on Support for Ukraine

Paris has rejected claims by Moscow that dozens of French “mercenaries” were killed in a recent Russian strike on a facility in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

“France helps Ukraine with supplies of military material and military training in full compliance…[Read more]

France Gets Ready to Say ‘Merci’ to World War II Veterans for D-day’s 80th Anniversary This Year

France is getting ready to show its gratitude toward World War II veterans who will return, many for the last time, to Normandy beaches this year for 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day to mark the defeat of the Nazis.

A ceremony at Omaha Beach…[Read more]

Jim Chalmers defends Albanese government’s revised stage three tax cuts

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has defended the Albanese government’s revised stage three tax cuts, which critics say do not address the issue of bracket creep.

Treasury modelling shows that over the next 10 years, the extra bracket creep will result in the government raking in an…[Read more]

Cricket Australia ends up mentioning Australia Day at the Gabba Test on Friday against the West Indies

Cricket Australia opted for mentioning Australia Day at the Gabba on Friday after a couple of days of tossing up the idea, though Indigenous culture was the main focal point in the pre-match welcome.

After a tense interview on 2GB with Ben…[Read more]

‘Show some respect’: Warren Mundine clashes with Indigenous activist during heated Australia Day debate

Two prominent Indigenous leaders have become embroiled in a tense debate on Australia Day, disagreeing on Woolworth’s controversial move to drop patriotic merchandise from its shelves.

Indigenous activist Jay Walton appeared alongside former…[Read more]

Turkey, Iran agree on need for regional stability amid Israel’s war on Gaza

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he and his Iranian counterpart have agreed to avoid steps that could threaten Middle East stability, during a visit to Ankara by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.

At a news conference after the meeting on Wednesday, Erdog…[Read more]