WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand lawmakers unanimously voted Wednesday to exempt victims of domestic violence from a mandatory two-year separation period before divorce can be sought. The required cooling-off period before a couple in New Zealand can file for divorce — during which they must also live apart — is the longest among no-fault divorce laws in comparable countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada and most …
$55M plan to give Notre Dame a green facelift is part of Paris eco plan
PARIS — As Notre Dame gears up to reopen its doors in December, Paris is on the verge of a remarkable eco-revival, bringing nature back to the forefront of the City of Light. Beyond restoring the cathedral’s iconic spire and medieval charm, the city announced plans Tuesday to revamp Notre Dame’s surroundings — to a tune of 50 million euros ($55 million) — into a serene, …
Iraq Kurds head to polls with little hope for change
Arbil, Iraq — Voters in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament for the oil-rich region, where voters have expressed disenchantment with the political elite. Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in the turbulent Middle East, attracting foreign investors due to its close ties with the United States and Europe. However, activists and opposition figures …
Japan’s beloved former Empress Michiko marks her 90th birthday
tokyo — Japan’s beloved former Empress Michiko received greetings from her relatives and palace officials to celebrate her 90th birthday Sunday as she steadily recovers from a broken leg, officials said. Michiko is the first commoner to become empress in modern Japanese history. Catholic-educated Michiko Shoda and then-Crown Prince Akihito married on April 10, 1959, after what is known as their tennis court romance. The couple …
Demonstrators in France praise Gisèle Pélicot’s courage in harrowing rape trial
PARIS — Women and men demonstrated together Saturday in Paris and other French cities in support of Gisèle Pélicot and against sexual violence highlighted by the harrowing trial of her ex-husband and dozens of other men accused of rapes while she was drugged and unconscious. The demonstrations outside Paris’ criminal court, in the southeastern city of Lyon and elsewhere underscored how Pélicot’s courage in speaking out …
6-time Olympic cycling champion Hoy reveals he has terminal cancer
Britain’s six-time Olympic track cycling champion Chris Hoy has revealed he has “two to four years” to live after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which metastasized to his bones. The announcement comes after the 48-year-old Scot said in February he was feeling “optimistic and positive” as he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer diagnosed last year. However, the sprinter, who worked as …
US probes unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel attack plans
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate. The documents are attributed to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and note that Israel continues to move military assets in place to conduct a military …
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
JAKARTA, indonesia — Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto on Sunday will take over as president of the world’s third-largest democracy after sweeping the country’s election with policies like free meals for school children and with the outgoing leader’s son as his running mate. The 73-year-old former special forces commander won the February 14 contest with nearly 60% of the vote and has spent the past nine months building …
North Korea FM calls new US-led sanctions monitoring team unlawful
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s foreign minister said a new multilateral sanctions monitoring team led by the United States was “utterly unlawful and illegitimate,” state media said Sunday. The United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday announced the launch of a new multinational team to monitor the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea after Russia and China thwarted monitoring activities at the United Nations. …
German police arrest Libyan suspected of planning attack on Israeli embassy
German police have arrested a Libyan suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group and of having planned an attack on the Israeli embassy, federal prosecutors told Agence France-Presse on Saturday. “There is some suggestion he had planned an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin,” said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, adding that the suspect was also thought to be affiliated with the …
Ukraine repels Russian aerial attack on Kyiv
Ukraine’s military deployed air-defense systems late Saturday to repel an aerial assault on Kyiv, according to the capital’s top elected official. “Stay in shelters!” Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned on the Telegram messaging app, according to Reuters. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the scope of the aerial assault. Saturday’s attack follows a visit to the city by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said …
Germany says Britain taking lead on possible Eurofighters for Turkey
istanbul — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets was an effort being driven by Britain and was in the early stages. “It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there [Britain],” he said when asked about potential movement on the issue at a press conference in Istanbul with …
Turkey says Israel pushing Iran to take ‘legitimate steps’
ISTANBUL — Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and Gaza are pushing Iran to take “legitimate steps,” Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday in a joint news conference in Istanbul with his Iranian counterpart. “Israel’s aggressive stance is forcing Iran to take legitimate steps,” Turkey’s Hakan Fidan said alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “constantly opening new fronts in the region” and “trying …
Iran hosts joint naval drills with Russia, Oman in Indian Ocean
Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman and observed by nine other countries began in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Iran’s state TV said. The exercises, dubbed “IMEX 2024,” are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security,” the English-language Press TV said. Participants …
North Korean troops in Ukraine would be escalation, France warns
KYIV, UKRAINE — The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday. France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country, …
G7 defense summit convenes as conflicts rage
NAPLES, ITALY — G7 defense ministers started talks on Saturday against a backdrop of escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting. Italy, holding the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven countries, organized the body’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense, staged in Naples, the southern city that is also home to a NATO base. Italian …
King’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy
MELBOURNE, Australia — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has rekindled debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain. The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be brief by …
Pyongyang says it has recovered remains of South Korean drone
seoul, south korea — North Korea claimed Saturday it had discovered the remains of at least one crashed South Korean military drone in the capital Pyongyang, releasing images of the device that some analysts confirmed was South Korean. The nuclear-armed North recently accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital. Pyongyang’s defense ministry spokesperson said security authorities found the remains of …
Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE
Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. Russia’s Defense Ministry, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian service members were undergoing medical checks in Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies in the more than 2-1/2-year-old …
Biden in Germany for quick visit focused on Middle East, Ukraine
US President Joe Biden met with European counterparts on Friday, in a brief trip to Germany where leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and the widening conflict in the Middle East. White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Berlin. …
Trump breaks his silence on Sinwar as Harris seizes opportunity in his death
washington — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday reiterated her call to end the bloodshed in Gaza, underscoring that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar creates an opportunity “to end this war and bring the hostages home.” She spoke between campaign events in Michigan, a state home to the largest percentage of Arab Americans in the country, many of whom are outraged over the Biden …
Days of torrential rain bring major flooding to central France
paris — France’s prime minister said Friday that firefighters and other rescuers have been involved in about 2,300 operations, some of them lifesaving, in what appears to be the biggest flooding in 40 years in central France. Michel Barnier visited French authorities’ crisis center in Paris and said there hadn’t been such violent rain in many people’s memory. Over 1,000 people were evacuated. Most of them …
New York Times opens Vietnam bureau amid claims of media repression
bangkok — Vietnam is anxious for international media to tell its story, but a restrictive environment makes accurate and impactful coverage difficult, say media analysts. That conflict of interests will be tested by the decision of The New York Times to open a bureau in the Southeast Asian country, where limited options exist for local independent journalism. The announcement of the newspaper’s return to the country …
Israel denies UN accusations that it’s targeting peacekeepers in Lebanon
geneva — A U.N. official Friday accused the Israel Defense Forces of repeatedly targeting U.N. peacekeepers along the blue line, the U.N.-drawn provisional border between Israel and Lebanon. “We have been targeted several times and deliberately attacked once inside the borders in Naqoura, injuring two peacekeepers,” Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, told journalists in Geneva from Beirut. “They hit the …