International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
COPENHAGEN (AP) — Sweden’s parliament on Wednesday approved Magdalena Andersson as the country’s first female prime minister, tapping the finance minister who recently became the new leader of the Social Democratic party. Andersson was tapped to replace Stefan Lofven as party leader and prime minister, roles he relinquished earlier this year. The development marked a
WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) – The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its “Summit for Democracy” next month, according to a list of participants published on Tuesday, a move that infuriated China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory. The first-of-its-kind gathering is a test of President Joe Biden’s assertion, announced in his first foreign policy address in office in February, that
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A measure to legalize marriage and adoption by same-sex couples was approved by the lower house of Chile’s Congress on Tuesday, moving it close to final adoption. It had already passed the Senate. The bill approved 101-30 now awaits only final modifications related to the rights of same sex couples. President
Two-year-old Haoyang has likely just months to live — but the only medicine that can help his rare genetic condition is not found anywhere in China and closed borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic mean he cannot travel for treatment. Instead, his desperate father, Xu Wei, has created a home laboratory to create a
KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban administration has released a set of restrictions on Afghan media, including banning television dramas that included female actors and ordering women news presenters to wear “Islamic hijab”. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue set out nine rules this week, a Taliban administration spokesman said on Tuesday, largely centred on banning any media that contravened “Islamic or Afghan values”. Some edicts were targeted specifically
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Nov 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday. Biden, 79, has suffered a dip in his job approval ratings in recent months, leading some Democrats to wonder whether he might not seek another four-year term. “He is. That’s his intention,” Psaki said as Biden flew aboard
BRUSSELS (AP) — Tens of thousands of people demonstrated through central Brussels on Sunday to protest reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases. Many among the police estimate of 35,000 at the rally had already left for home when the demonstration descended into violence as several hundred people
Sydney (AFP) – Australia formally embarked Monday on a hotly-contested programme to equip its navy with nuclear-powered submarines in a new defence alliance with Britain and the United States. Defence Minister Peter Dutton joined US and British diplomats in signing an agreement allowing the exchange of sensitive “naval nuclear propulsion information” between their nations. It is
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — An SUV sped through barricades and into a parade of Christmas marchers in suburban Milwaukee on Sunday, killing multiple people as it hit more than 20 adults and children in a horrifying scene captured by the city’s livestream and the cellphones of onlookers. Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said “some” people
BEIJING, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have been a matter of international concern for weeks, attended a tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, according to official photos published by the tournament organised by China Open. Peng can be seen among guests at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals,
BEIJING, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had a video call on Sunday with the president of the International Olympic Committee and told him she was safe and well, the IOC said, after Western governments expressed mounting concern for her well-being. Photos and videos of Peng at a children’s tournament in Beijing
GHAZIABAD, India (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he would repeal three agriculture laws that farmers have been protesting against for more than a year, a significant climb-down for the combative leader as important elections loom. The legislation, introduced in September last year, was aimed at deregulating the sector, allowing farmers to sell produce to buyers beyond
