The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has raised its key interest rate from 1% to 1.25%. The move takes Japan’s rate to its highest level since 1995. The central bank wants to control rising prices linked to global tensions and the Iran war. Japan now joins the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank in tightening…
Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ has announced it will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria and will not broadcast the event, citing the ongoing crisis in Gaza as the reason for the boycott. It marks the second consecutive year Ireland has pulled out of Eurovision over Israel’s inclusion in the competition. RTÉ…
South African police are investigating the deaths of nine women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months. The latest victim was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet beside a road in Dawn Park on Thursday morning. Police said her identity has not yet been established. The…
The US House of Representatives has voted to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena linked to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Black, who had business ties with Epstein, was ordered to appear before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and provide…
Former US President Barack Obama has announced the death of the family’s Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, at the age of 13. “Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” Obama wrote on X, describing Sunny as a loyal companion who was “pretty much perfect” and had remained by the family’s side for 13 years….
Over 1,000 children have died in Bangladesh’s worst measles outbreak in decades, with new cases continuing to rise despite an emergency vaccination campaign. More than 19.8 million children have been vaccinated so far, but about 1,000 new suspected cases are still being reported each day. UNICEF told the BBC that Bangladesh will begin an “intensified…
The US Department of Justice has charged five people accused of working with Russian intelligence services to organise attacks and planned killings in the United States and Europe. The charges, unsealed on Tuesday, allege that members of the Russian Intelligence Services Network paid or attempted to pay people to surveil and target individuals seen as…
At least 20 people, including five children, have been killed after a war-damaged residential building collapsed in Gaza City, according to rescue teams. Dozens more are believed to be missing as rescuers search the rubble of the six-storey building in the Tal al-Hawa area. Local residents said about 10 families had been living in the…
The European Commission president has backed proposals for Canada to become the European Union’s first “associate member”, signalling plans for closer cooperation between the two sides. Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Europe should consider “opening the door” to Canada through deeper ties across several strategic sectors. Canadian Prime Minister…
Turkish police detained dozens of people in Istanbul on Tuesday as authorities intensified a crackdown targeting LGBTQ+ activists, organisations and venues. The latest arrests came as protesters gathered outside Istanbul’s main courthouse to demand the release of activists detained during weekend raids. Authorities had raided gay bars and the homes of activists over the weekend…
