A New Zealand religious leader has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after being convicted over the death of a 70-year-old follower who had travelled from China to live with him and his family. Kaixiao Liu was found guilty of manslaughter and kidnapping after Shulai Wang died in March 2024. Her body…
The United States has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, ending a designation that had remained in place for 47 years and removing what Washington described as a major obstacle to investment and Syria’s reintegration into the global economy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision recognised what he…
A Syrian court has sentenced the country’s former top Muslim cleric to life in prison after finding him guilty of crimes. This includes inciting civil war and complicity in intentional killing during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Ahmed Hassoun (77) served as Syria’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021 and was one of…
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to maintain Britain’s support for Ukraine despite what he described as “outrageous threats” from Russia during his first official visit to the country as prime minister. Burnham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and chaired his first meeting of the “coalition of the willing”. An alliance established by the…
Russia’s second-largest online retailer, Ozon, has reported fires and injuries at several of its logistics facilities following a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes across the country’s south. The company said facilities in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea were affected by the overnight attacks. Workers were evacuated from some of the sites as emergency crews responded…
The Federal Government has released new national guidelines for continuous assessment (CA) scores used by examination bodies, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). The policy covers public and government-approved private secondary schools across Nigeria. It requires examination bodies to create secure CA portals linked to the Nigeria Education…
Authorities in China’s north-eastern Hebei province have opened an investigation after footage emerged showing cabbages allegedly being treated with formaldehyde before being transported for sale. The investigation began after an environmental blogger published a video showing individuals dipping cabbages into a liquid solution before loading the vegetables onto trucks. Officials in Kangbao county said they…
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected the latest U.S. trade proposal as a “bad deal.” He spoke to Canadians on Saturday after trade talks with Washington collapsed. Carney had ordered Canada’s negotiators back home on Friday. He said last-minute changes from the U.S. were unfair and economically damaging. “We cannot accept what they offered…
President Donald Trump’s new 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods have taken effect. The tariffs began at 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday. The move followed the collapse of last-minute trade talks between the United States and Canada. The new duties affect products ranging from hockey sticks to wine. However, key Canadian exports such as oil,…
The FBI has arrested a 35-year-old woman accused of planning to bomb the state Capitol in Albany and kill lawmakers. Jessica Bowie, a resident of Albany, has been charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. Prosecutors allege that she had previously pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) and spent weeks discussing…
