Lithuania Declares National Emergency Over Suspicious Balloons From Belarus
Hundreds of weather balloons sent to Lithuania this year have disrupted flights and stirred alarm in a sabotage campaign against a NATO state.
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Lithuania declares state of emergency over smuggler balloons from Belarus
Move comes with concern rife that Minsk, alongside ally Russia, is using hybrid warfare and testing NATO.
What’s changed in Sudan after the Rapid Support Forces’ control of Heglig?
RSF’s control of the Heglig oilfield means government has lost the most important oil facility in the country.
New York City braces for new casinos as gambling surge in US worries experts
Three proposed casinos approved as researchers say they take money from businesses and increase addictionNew York City will probably soon see three new casinos, whose owners could rake in profits because of a recent surge in gambling in the United States that has some campaigners worried.The New York gaming facility location board this week approved three proposed casinos in the US’s largest city – two in Queens and one in the Bronx – after determining the businesses would create new jobs and generate billions in tax revenue, according to the group’s report. Continue reading...
US civic health rating downgraded after year of ‘restrictive‘ Trump actions | First Thing
Civicus, a non-profit that monitors global civic freedoms, moved the US from the ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’ category. Plus, the ‘gay wool’ taking over a New York catwalkGood morning.A coalition of global civil society organizations has downgraded the civil health rating of the US from “narrowed” to “obstructed”.What does it mean by “obstructed”? Countries where civic space is heavily contested – where civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them, including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements.What’s holding up the European plan? Though a majority of EU countries support the plan, it has met strong resistance from Belgium. About £160bn ($213bn) of Russian assets are immobilised at Euroclear, a central securities depository in Brussels, and the Belgian government is concerned that it will bear liability for any seizure and face retaliation from Moscow. Continue reading...
Badenoch admits Brexit has damaged economy as she announces plan to review benefits system – UK politics live
Tory leader says financial crisis, Brexit and Covid have all hit the economy and a review of which conditions deserve benefits is neededBadenoch says the Tories will review the way the household benefit cap operates.This is a policy introduced by George Osborne when he was chancellor. It imposes a cap on the total amount a household can receive in benefits.We will review every circumstance in which benefits are currently paying more than work.We will undertake a full eview of the level and operation of the household benefit cap, which currently acts more like a sieve than a cap, because most people on benefits avoid it through one exemption or another. Continue reading...
Europe a ‘decaying’ group of nations led by ‘weak’ people, Trump says – latest updates
US president blames leaders for being ‘politically correct’ and says migration is ‘unchecked, unvetted’ in interview with PoliticoOh, and a little warning shot from EU’s Kallas:“If we go into the fight [of] pointing fingers, I mean, we can also point a lot of fingers [on] what is wrong in America, but this is not the way we work, we are not going to meddle with the internal affairs of other countries.” Continue reading...
The Conflict Over Nigeria’s Returned Treasures
Western museums are returning the Benin Bronzes — priceless items looted during colonialism — to Nigeria, but political infighting has jeopardized the ability to display and maintain the masterpieces. Our reporter, Alex Marshall, traveled to Nigeria to see some of the Bronzes.
New Cambodia-Thailand clash: What’s up with the other wars Trump ‘ended’?
The US president claimed credit for ending eight wars but not all peace deals have survived.
World Cup 2026: Iran objects to ‘Pride Match’ branding for Egypt game
Iran's football boss has labelled World Cup game chosen by organisers as an LGBTQ 'Pride Match' as an 'irrational move'.