South Korea Sees Marriage Bump for First Time in Over a Decade (open.substack.com)
Czech Republic to deliver thousands of extra artillery shells to Ukraine (www.theguardian.com)
The Czech Republic says it is on the verge of delivering thousands of extra artillery shells to Ukraine, just weeks after it announced an initiative to source the much-needed supplies from outside the EU....
Government's endorsement of amended Palestinian statehood motion wins praise, draws outrage (www.cbc.ca)
(Canada’s) Liberal government’s last-minute endorsement of an amended NDP motion on Palestinian statehood is being welcomed by the country’s Muslim advocacy group and derided by Jewish voices who say Ottawa has sub-contracted its foreign policy to “anti-Israel radicals.”...
These Birds Are National Symbols but Getting Harder to See | The populations of some Latin American birds are declining, even in the countries they symbolize. (www.nytimes.com)
Killing of teenager in China sparks debate about ‘left behind’ children (www.theguardian.com)
Death of 13-year-old boy has put spotlight on juvenile crime and the plight of children left behind by rural migrant workers...
Many hospitals in China stop newborn delivery services as birth rate drops (www.reuters.com)
Hong Kong may design new halal certification system as part of Mideast outreach (www.scmp.com)
Mob targets Gujarat University’s foreign students during namaz, 5 injured (indianexpress.com)
Is loneliness a threat to democracy? – Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com)
Iceland volcanic eruption: barriers reinforced as lava flows towards town (www.theguardian.com)
Flows pose danger to infrastructure in Grindavik, and hundreds of people are evacuated from nearby Blue Lagoon...
China Nobel prize winner tarred as one of ‘three new evils’ amid rise in nationalist fervour (www.theguardian.com)
Mo Yan is widely celebrated in China but now faces a lawsuit accusing him of smearing the Communist party amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere online...
Internet restored in Côte d'Ivoire after submarine cable disruption (apanews.net)
Croatian parliament dissolves to pave way for parliamentary election later this year (apnews.com)
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s parliament was dissolved on Thursday to pave the way for a parliamentary election later this year....
A plan to find new leadership for Haiti is moving forward, Caribbean officials say (apnews.com)
A plan to create a transitional presidential council is moving forward after a majority of Haitian parties and coalitions submitted the names of those charged with finding new leaders for the country, Caribbean officials said Thursday....
Blow for Milei as Senate rejects sweeping mega-reform decree | Buenos Aires Times (batimes.com.ar)
‘We don’t know where the money is going’: the ‘carbon cowboys’ making millions from credit schemes (www.theguardian.com)
Carbon schemes are touted as a way to transfer billions in climate finance to the developing world – but people at the Kariba project in Zimbabwe say most of the profits never arrive...
Funding cuts to UN aid agency threaten new crisis in Lebanon (www.theguardian.com)
Denying same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a Japanese high court says (apnews.com)
Gaza war: Dozens wounded in Israeli attack on UNRWA hub (www.newarab.com)
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Wednesday said a number of its staff members were killed in an Israeli strike struck a food distribution centre in war-hit Gaza....
This year people in prison also elect president (article in Spanish) (elpais.com)
Thai election body to seek dissolution of progressive party that won last year's general election (apnews.com)
Human rights activist charged over alleged kidnapping and assault of a man in Melbourne (www.abc.net.au)
Chinese Nobel-winning author targeted in patriotic lawsuit (apnews.com)
His writing won China’s first Nobel Prize for Literature, but is it patriotic enough for Xi Jinping’s China? That’s the question at the center of a high-profile lawsuit that has driven a debate about nationalism in China in recent weeks....
Russia reports Ukrainian drone strikes on targets deep inside its territory and a border incursion (apnews.com)
Ukraine launched a wave of long-range drones against targets deep inside Russia on Tuesday, Russian officials said, hitting at least two oil facilities in the attack on eight regions of Russia in the latest display of Kyiv’s expanding drone capacity....
