Author: Cesar Jacobs

Paris, Brussels, Kiev (11 June – 75) This meeting followed Macron’s announcement that France would be supplying Mirage combat aircraft to Ukraine, bolstering the country’s defense against Russia’s aggression. Zelenskyy’s visit to France coincided with his quest for additional Western support, particularly as Ukrainian forces battled fiercely to repel a Russian offensive near the eastern city of Kharkiv. The conflict, escalating rapidly, has become the largest in Europe since World War II, underscoring the urgent need for international solidarity and assistance. Amidst these grave circumstances, the diplomatic exchange between France and Ukraine exemplifies the crucial alliance and shared commitment to…

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is honored to welcome Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Washington, D.C. The two leaders mark a historic new phase of bilateral cooperation and friendship between the world’s second- and third-largest democracies. On the cusp of celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations and recognizing the two nations’ shared values of democracy and pluralism and common commitment to the rules-based international order, President Biden and President Widodo commit to elevate the U.S.-Indonesia relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In the eight years since establishing the U.S.-Indonesia Strategic Partnership, the two countries have made remarkable strides in increasing mutual…

Hearing the horror stories from Sudan, from refugees who have managed to escape or from some of the millions who have been forcibly displaced inside the country, one can only conclude that humanity is once again on trial. We are spectacularly failing not only the people of Sudan but also those who work in the service of peace. From what is happening now in Sudan, it is clear humanity has learned nothing from Rwanda, Kosovo and elsewhere. The outbreak of the conflict, on 15 April, did not happen in a vacuum. The signs had been there; it was simply a matter of when, not…

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg says he is moving on from a rumoured cage fight with Elon Musk, claiming the Tesla founder “isn’t serious”. The rival billionaire tech bosses apparently agreed to a brawl in June, when Musk tweeted he was “up for a cage fight”. Zuckerberg, who manages Facebook and Instagram, took a screenshot of Musk’s tweet, replying “send me location”. However, Zuckerberg on Sunday said on the social media platform Threads: “I think we can all agree Elon isn’t serious and it’s time to move on. I offered a real date. [Ultimate Fighting Championship boss] Dana White offered to make this a…

American authorities have examined around 800 mysterious reports of unidentified flying objects collected over decades – but only a small fraction are truly unexplained, a panel of researchers says. Nasa set up the panel last year to explain its work on what it calls unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). UAP are defined as sightings “that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective”. The panel held its first public meeting on Wednesday. Here are some of the revelatory moments. Many sightings can be explained – others remain a mystery “We have 50 to 100-ish new reports…

Canada will soon print warning labels directly on cigarettes in a world-first, the country’s health agency announced. New packaging will feature a warning on each cigarette with phrases like: “Cigarettes cause cancer” and “Poison in every puff”. The regulation will come into effect on 1 August, Health Canada said. It is part of an effort to reduce tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. In an announcement on Wednesday, Health Canada said the new regulations “will make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings” on tobacco products. The health agency anticipates that by April 2025, retailers in…

The New York District Attorney’s office investigating former President Donald Trump called Republican requests for its documents and testimony “an unprecedent inquiry into a pending local prosecution.” In a letter to three Republican House committee chairs, a lawyer in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr., said the congressional request suggested their inquiry is designed to “punish” the office for its investigation, and “is therefore indefensible.” “The DA’s Office will not allow a Congressional investigation to impede the exercise of New York’s sovereign police power,” General Counsel for the District Attorney of New York County Leslie Dubeck wrote…

China’s defense ministry said on Friday that it yet again had to monitor and drive away the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Milius that entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands. “We sternly demand the U.S. to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of unforeseen incidents,” a spokesperson said in a statement from the Ministry of National Defence. The U.S. Navy said the guided-missile destroyer was asserting its navigational rights and freedoms. “Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms…

PHOENIX — A woman was found dead Thursday after her vehicle got stuck in floodwaters in northeastern Arizona the previous night, authorities said. The 64-year-old woman’s husband survived the ordeal, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said. The husband told NCSO the couple was crossing a wash known as Seymour’s Crossing on Hutch Road, about 16 miles west of State Route 377, when the fast-moving water swept their Jeep off the dirt road late Wednesday. The Jeep came to rest after being pushed downstream, and the the couple managed to crawl out and reach the riverbank about an hour later. While they…

The Russian army continues to conduct offensive operations in five directions of the Ukrainian front. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we are talking about the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Shakhtyorsky directions. It is noted that Russia does not abandon its aggressive plans, despite significant losses. According to the General Staff, in the Kupyansky and Limansky directions, the Russians fired at the settlements of Dvurechnaya and Gryanikovka in the Kharkov region; Stelmakhovka, Nevskoye and Krasnopopovka in the Lugansk region and Berestovoye in the Donetsk region. Controversial, Vyemka, Belogorovka, Veseloe, Razdolevka, Bakhmut, Ivanovskoye, Stupochki, Predtechino,…