The speaker of Georgia’s parliament said he signed into law Monday a divisive measure that has drawn weeks of protests by critics who say it will curb media freedom and jeopardize the country’s chances of joining the European Union. Speaker Shalva Papuashvili acted after the legislature, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, overrode a veto of…
SINGAPORE — China’s defense minister on Sunday acknowledged the importance of newly renewed military-to-military communications with the United States as tensions escalate in the Asia-Pacific, while at the same time accusing Washington of causing the friction with its support for Taiwan and the Philippines. “We will not allow anyone to bring geopolitical conflicts or any…
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Prices in Argentina have surged so dramatically in recent months that the government has multiplied the size of its biggest bank note in circulation by five — to 10,000 pesos, worth about $10. The central bank announcement Tuesday promised to lighten the load for many Argentines who must carry around giant…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi voted early on Tuesday as India held the third phase of a massive general election, when seats in his home state of Gujarat and 10 other regions will be decided. The world’s most populous nation began voting on April 19 in a seven-phase election in which nearly one billion people are eligible…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia has protested to Beijing through multiple channels that a Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian navy helicopter with flares over international waters, the prime minister said Tuesday. The incident occurred Saturday as the Australian air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart was enforcing U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the…
This year, Eurovision will be held in Malmo, Sweden, and already fans are descending on the country’s third-largest city, decked out in sequins, glitter, skin-tight metallics or neon, some of them with their country’s flags painted on their faces or draped around their shoulders. For fans, it’s a yearlong buildup to this weeklong party. For…
Japan and India on Saturday decried remarks by President Joe Biden describing them as “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, which the president said during a campaign fundraising event earlier in the week. Japan said Biden’s judgment was not based on an accurate understanding of its policy, while India rebutted the comment, defending itself as the…
The assessment, released by the U.N. Development Programme, said Gaza needs “approximately 80 years to restore all the fully destroyed housing units.” However, in a best-case scenario in which construction materials are delivered five times as fast as in the last crisis in 2021, it could be done by 2040, the report said. The UNDP…
BEIJING — For more and more people in China, coffee has become their cup of tea. Last year, China overtook the United States as the country with the most branded coffee shops in the world, according to a report by World Coffee Portal. The number of outlets in China grew 58% in 2023 to almost…
LONDON — King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months. The event marks the king’s first formal public engagement since Feb. 6, when Buckingham Palace announced that he would be taking a break from public duties…
