Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Poland’s president has vetoed legislation to prolong welfare payments for Ukrainian refugees, honouring a campaign pledge to tighten support at a time of rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the country. Karol Nawrocki, who took office earlier this month after his spring election victory, said only Ukrainians in work should be entitled to child benefit. “We remain open to providing assistance to Ukrainian citizens that hasn’t changed,” Nawrocki said in a statement. “But after three and a half years, our law should be amended.” Read Also:Ukrainians arrested over attempt to smuggle migrants into UK by yacht The bill, which Nawrocki rejected on…

India’s supreme court has ordered an investigation into Vantara, a vast private zoo and animal rescue facility run by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man, following allegations of illegal wildlife imports and financial misconduct. Located in Gujarat state and spread across 3,000 acres next to a Reliance Industries oil refinery, Vantara claims to be the world’s largest wild animal rescue centre. It is home to an estimated 200 lions, 250 leopards, 900 crocodiles and tens of thousands of other animals. The court announced on Monday that a panel led by retired judges will examine the alleged unlawful acquisition…

Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and export restrictions on countries that levy digital taxes or introduce regulations targeting major American technology firms, including Google, Meta, Amazon and Apple. Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, the US president claimed that “digital taxes, legislation, rules or regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American technology”. READ ALSO: Trump signs order to prosecute flag burners He singled out the UK’s digital services tax (DST), introduced in 2020, which raises around £800m annually through a 2% levy on revenues of global tech firms. Trump said such measures “outrageously give…

Angela Mortimer-Barrett, the former Wimbledon champion and three-time grand slam winner, has died at the age of 93. Mortimer-Barrett captured the Wimbledon ladies’ singles title in 1961, defeating fellow Briton Christine Truman, three years after losing her first final to Althea Gibson. She also won the French Championships in 1955 and the Australian Championships in 1958. In doubles, she triumphed at Wimbledon in 1955 alongside Anne Shilcock, beating Shirley Bloomer and Pat Ward in an all-British final. Her career was marked by resilience, overcoming hearing loss and frequent illness to establish herself among the game’s elite. She was appointed MBE…

Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal prosecutors to seek criminal charges against people who burn the American flag during protests, in a move that challenges a long-standing supreme court ruling protecting the act as free speech. The order instructs the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to examine incidents of flag burning and determine whether individuals can be prosecuted under existing laws, such as disturbing the peace or environmental violations. It marks an attempt to sidestep the 1989 supreme court decision in Texas v Johnson, which struck down flag-burning bans in 48 states. READ ALSO: Trump reveals venue, date…

Cambodia’s parliament has passed legislation enabling authorities to revoke the citizenship of citizens deemed to be “colluding” with foreign countries, a move rights groups say will be used to silence dissent. All 120 members of the National Assembly, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, voted in favour of the bill on Monday. The law allows nationality to be stripped for acts of collusion with foreign powers or actions considered to undermine “sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security”. READ ALSO: Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating border ceasefire A committee established at the request of the interior minister, Sar Sokha, will oversee cases. Before…

Postal services across Europe have suspended most parcel shipments to the United States, citing confusion and a lack of clarity over new import tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump.

The Gokteik bridge, which opened in 1901 during British colonial rule, partly collapsed on Sunday following clashes between junta forces and pro-democracy fighters in Shan State.

Kilmar Ábrego García, whose case has become indicative of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, was taken into custody on Monday after reporting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Baltimore. Speaking outside an ICE field office, Ábrego’s lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, accused officials of acting vindictively. “The only reason he was taken into detention was to punish him,” he told supporters gathered at the scene. Earlier that day, Ábrego had filed a fresh lawsuit challenging both his detention and the prospect of deportation to Uganda. Court documents filed over the weekend revealed that he had previously refused an offer…

Moscow has accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drone attacks across its territory, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Kyiv marked 34 years since declaring independence from the Soviet Union. Russian authorities said a drone strike on the Kursk nuclear power plant, about 37 miles (60km) from the Ukrainian border, damaged an auxiliary transformer and forced one reactor to halve its output. The blaze caused by the downed drone was quickly extinguished, with no casualties or rise in radiation levels reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that radiation readings near the plant were…