Russia's influence on Africa (www.dw.com)
Russia is trying to undermine democracy in more than two dozen African countries, according to a new study from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the US Department of Defense....
Trump lawyers meet with US special counsel as indictment looms (www.reuters.com)
Western officials make a beeline for Indo-Pacific to counter China’s influence (www.scmp.com)
A major diplomatic counteroffensive against Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific is fully under way, and there’s no better sign than Western leaders visiting the region’s once-neglected islands – all at once....
Ukraine sends fresh troops into the battlefield in new push against the Russians (www.politico.com)
Spain isn't bowing to the rise of the far-right in the EU. Why? (www.euronews.com)
Europe has seen an increasing trend of far-right parties surging in popularity and conservative parties rising to power. Why has Spain bucked this trend?...
More than 900 migrants drown off Tunisia's coast in 2023 (www.dw.com)
More than 900 migrants have drowned off Tunisia’s coast so far this year, the country’s Interior minister, Kamel Feki, said on Wednesday....
Six killed in blast near Damascus Shia shrine ahead of Ashura (www.aljazeera.com)
At least six people have been killed and more than 20 wounded after a bomb exploded near a Shia Muslim shrine south of the Syrian capital Damascus a day ahead of Ashura – a day of mourning observed by Shia Muslims, according to the interior ministry....
Sweden: Quran burning protests leave PM 'very concerned' (www.dw.com)
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Thursday said he was “very concerned” about the large number of applications police had received for anti-Islam protests in the Scandinavian country....
Google alert failed to warn people of Turkey earthquake (www.bbc.com)
Google’s earthquake warning system failed to get to many Turkish residents before February’s deadly tremor, a BBC Newsnight investigation has found....
AMLO defends Mexico’s military after report on missing students’ case (www.aljazeera.com)
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spoken out in defence of the country’s armed forces, days after an independent panel accused them of being complicit in the disappearances of dozens of students nearly a decade ago....
Eurozone interest rates reach joint record high (www.bbc.com)
The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised interest rates in the eurozone once again, taking its key rate to a record high last seen in late 2000....
Gallium and germanium prices up as China export curbs loom (www.theregister.com)
Prices of two vital chipmaking materials are rising ahead of export restrictions imposed by the Chinese government coming into effect next week....
Student in Mauritania charged with blasphemy over exam paper (www.bbc.com)
Mauritanian authorities have charged a high school student with blasphemy over a mock exam paper she submitted....
Disabilities in Syria: A 'hidden' crisis (www.dw.com)
The al-Hassan family have been victims of Russian-launched cluster bombs twice in Syria now, both times with horrific consequences....
El Salvador clears way for mass trials as crackdown on gangs ramps up (www.theguardian.com)
Nayib Bukele’s government has already locked up 2% of El Salvador’s adult population and built the largest prison in the Americas to house the 70,000 alleged gang members he has imprisoned....
Isles of Scilly Iron Age warrior was probably a woman (www.bbc.com)
A decades-long mystery over whether an Iron Age warrior who lived on the Isles of Scilly was a man or woman has been solved....
What are Black July massacres that triggered Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war? (www.aljazeera.com)
Forty years ago, mobs in Sri Lanka burned 13 people alive, part of a weeklong pogrom that caused simmering ethnic unrest to soon escalate into an all-out civil war....
Niger coup: Ruling party HQ attacked after President Bazoum ousted (www.bbc.co.uk)
North Korea's Kim shows off banned missiles to Russian minister (www.reuters.com)
The Cryptographer Who Ensures We Can Trust Our Computers (www.youtube.com)
Han Kuang: Taiwan conducts drills to repel a Chinese invasion (www.bbc.com)
The first sign of invasion comes with a group of attack helicopters flying low over the northern Taiwan coast....
Protesters, banks demand action after Iraqi dinar plunges post-US sanctions (www.aljazeera.com)
Dozens of people protested outside the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad while bank owners urged action as the Iraqi dinar fell after the United States blacklisted 14 Iraqi banks....
Ukraine war: Western armour struggles against Russian defences (www.bbc.com)
The general in charge of Ukraine’s stuttering counter-offensive in the south has said Russian defences are making it difficult for military equipment, including Western tanks and armoured vehicles, to move forward....
India, Manipur genocide : 'Dangerous Precedent' ; Academics Criticise Criminal Complaint Against Prof Who Spoke on Manipur (thewire.in)
"It is indeed most unfortunate that his views — based on considered opinion and professional investigations — have been construed as criminal by individuals outside the academic community."