Headlines:

Spain’s ex-king visits son in Madrid for first time in two years

king

During a brief but contentious homecoming home after two years in self-imposed exile, scandal-tainted Spanish ex-king Juan Carlos I paid a visit to his son and current royal Felipe VI in Madrid on Monday. The meeting came at the end of the former king’s first visit to Spain since he moved to the United Arab … Read more

5G ban in Canada: Tech companies upset

5G

Huawei said on Friday that Ottawa’s decision to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from Canada’s 5G networks was “an unfortunate political decision” that could not be justified based on national security concerns. “Huawei Canada is disappointed by the Canadian government’s decision,” the company’s Canadian subsidiary said in an email to AFP. “This is an unfortunate … Read more

Boeing’s Starliner spaceship docks with ISS in high-stakes test mission

spaceship

Boeing’s Starliner capsule landed with the International Space Station on Friday, marking a crucial milestone in a high-stakes uncrewed test voyage as the US aerospace giant attempts to repair its reputation after previous disasters. The spaceship made contact at 8:28 pm Eastern time (0028 GMT Saturday), a little over 24 hours after it blasted off … Read more

US high schoolers design low-cost filter to remove lead from water

design

When the pandemic forced schools to close, Rebecca Bushway, a science teacher in Washington, D.C., set her students an ambitious task: design and build a low-cost lead filter that attaches to faucets and removes the poisonous metal. Using 3D printing and high-school level chemistry, the team now has a working prototype — a three-inch (7.5 … Read more

Fresh floods hit South Africa

floods

Officials reported Sunday that heavy rains pounded South Africa, forcing approximately 500 people to escape their homes on the east coast, just a month after the worst floods in living memory killed more than 400 people. No fatalities were immediately recorded but there was severe damage to some buildings, mainly in Durban, capital of KwaZulu-Natal … Read more

‘Criminal leader’ killed in Tajikistan’s east after clashes: police

killed

According to police, a foe of Tajikistan’s authoritarian leadership was slain in the restive east of the ex-Soviet republic after protests caused deadly skirmishes between state forces and local population in the region bordering Afghanistan and China. Mamadbokir Mamadbokirov was killed “as a result of internal clashes of criminal groups”, according to an interior ministry statement carried … Read more

‘Business as usual’ with Russia impossible: Polish president

Russia

After the alleged mass deaths of Ukrainian citizens and war crimes attributed on Moscow’s soldiers, Poland’s president warned on Sunday that “business as usual” with Russia was impossible. Hundreds of civilian bodies have been found in towns near Kyiv previously occupied by Russian troops such as Bucha and Borodianka. The southeastern port city of Mariupol … Read more

6 Palestinians sentenced to extra 5 years for jail break

Palestinians

Six Palestinians were sentenced to an additional five years in prison on Sunday for escaping from a prison in northern Israel through a tunnel in 2021, according to Israeli media. The six, already serving life terms for anti-Israeli attacks, escaped on September 6 last year from Gilbao prison through a tunnel dug under a sink. … Read more

Biden warns of potentially ‘consequential’ monkeypox spread

Biden

Monkeypox has piqued the interest of US President Joe Biden, who stated on Sunday that people should be aware of the disease, which has the potential to have “significant” consequences if it spreads further. Several cases of monkeypox have been detected in North America and Europe since early May, sparking concern the disease, endemic in … Read more

Hundreds protest return of Spain ex-king Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos

Hundreds of protestors rallied in Madrid on Sunday against tarnished former King Juan Carlos I, whose return to Spain after nearly two years of self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates has stirred controversy. Holding signs reading “Justice” and “The Bourbon in prison”, the demonstrators gathered near the Spanish capital’s royal palace. A government spokesman … Read more

Food crisis strikes, Afghanistan’s new poor line up for relief.

food crisis

In the heat of the mid-morning sun, two lengthy queues of men and women wind around a World Food Programme (WFP) charity distribution facility in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. Many of those seeking assistance in Khwaja Rawash, a middle-class area near Kabul International Airport, are Afghanistan’s new poor. They used to have good careers, but now … Read more

Iraq trial of Briton and German for antiquity theft adjourned

trial

After a defence counsel requested more research, an Iraqi judge deferred the trial of a British man and a German man accused of attempting to smuggle artefacts for two weeks. James Fitton, 66, a retired British geologist, and Volker Waldmann, 60, a Berlin psychologist, have been in custody since they were arrested on March 20 … Read more

Biden arrives in Japan with no response on outreach to North Korea

Biden

President Joe Biden landed in Japan on Sunday for the second half of his Asia trip that emphasized the United States’ commitment to the area, but was overshadowed by fears that North Korea will test a nuclear weapon after disregarding Washington’s outreach efforts. Biden, making his first trip to Asia as president, flew from South … Read more