Apr 12 German parliament approves measure making it easier for transgender people to change legal name and gender By Geir Moulson, Associated Press The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on Nov. 1 after being approved by parliament on Friday. Continue reading
Apr 12 Competition to field military drone swarms could fuel global arms race between the US and China By Frank Bajak, Associated Press U.S. and Chinese military planners are gearing up for a new kind of warfare in which squadrons of air and sea drones equipped with artificial intelligence work together like a swarm of bees to overwhelm an enemy. Continue reading
Apr 11 Watch 8:59 U.S. bolsters military ties with Japan and Philippines amid Chinese provocations By Nick Schifrin, Teresa Cebrián Aranda, Solveig Rennan, Nana Adwoa Antwi-Boasiako President Biden hosted the leaders of Japan and the Philippines on Thursday, sending a strong message of unity to Beijing. The administration says the network of alliances and partnerships in Asia is expanding in direct response to actions by China. Continue watching
Apr 11 Biden says U.S. support for Philippines, Japan defense ‘ironclad’ amid growing China provocations By Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Associated Press The trilateral summit on Thursday was called amid growing concern about provocative Chinese action in the Pacific, which will be a large focus of the leaders' talks. Continue reading
Apr 11 Watch 7:20 Wind-assisted vessels could make commercial shipping climate-friendly By Malcolm Brabant, Trine Villemann Is a revolution in commercial shipping to take place? Eighty percent of all international trade is carried by sea, producing substantial carbon emissions. Following the successful operation of two giant wind-assisted vessels, a British company predicts that by 2026, half… Continue watching
Apr 11 Mexico asks the UN to expel Ecuador over its police raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito By Associated Press Tensions between Mexico and Ecuador have soared since late last week when Ecuadorian authorities forced their way into the diplomatic mission to arrest Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been holed up there seeking asylum in Mexico. Continue reading
Apr 11 Vietnam sentences real estate tycoon Truong My Lan to death in massive fraud case By Aniruddha Ghosal, Associated Press The 67-year-old chair of real estate company Van Thinh Phat was accused of fraud amounting to $12.5 billion — nearly 3 percent of the country's 2022 GDP. Continue reading
Apr 11 How an aid convoy in Gaza became Israel’s target By Jack Jeffery, Julia Frankel, Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press On March 30, three ships and a barge left Cyprus carrying enough rice, pasta, flour, canned vegetables, and other supplies to prepare more than 1 million meals, the group said. Two days later, some of those supplies were ready to… Continue reading
Apr 11 South Korean officials resign following ruling party’s defeat in parliamentary elections By Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press The results of Wednesday’s elections mean the liberal opposition forces will prolong their control of parliament until after Yoon completes his single five-year term in 2027. Continue reading
Apr 11 Ukraine’s parliament aims to increase conscript numbers for war effort with new law By Samya Kullab, Illia Novikov, Associated Press The law — which was watered down from its original form — will make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country, where even in war many have dodged conscription by avoiding contact with authorities. Continue reading