World

Surrounded by racks of colourful dresses and blazers in China’s manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, plus-size clothing brand owner and influencer Amanda Yao is on a mission to promote body positivity.She is part of a small but growing number of women in China challenging restrictive beauty standards, including thinness, pale skin and childlike features.Online, a frequently …

Chinese plus-size influencer spreads body positivity through fashion Read More »

Nepal’s prime minister was in Beijing on Tuesday to meet Chinese leaders, seeking to expand infrastructure cooperation after breaking with the longstanding tradition of new leaders making their first official visit to neighbouring India.Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, who returned to power in July after two previous terms in the top job, arrived in Beijing to …

Nepal PM kicks off China visit eyeing investment deals Read More »

President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership on Monday aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections.  The French leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a three-day state visit just as a …

Macron, Saudi crown prince sign strategic partnership, call for Lebanon elections Read More »

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was “alarmed” by the escalation of violence in Syria and called for an immediate end to fighting that his organization says has displaced nearly 50,000 people.”All parties must do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians who are fleeing …

UN chief ‘alarmed’ by Syria violence, calls for end to fighting Read More »

The United States called Monday for de-escalation in Syria, where an Islamist-led rebel alliance has wrested swathes of territory from the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government in a lightning offensive.The European Union also called on “all sides to de-escalate”, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “alarmed” by the violence and called for …

US urges push for Syria de-escalation Read More »

Ireland’s general election concluded late-Monday after three days of vote-counting, with the incumbent centre-right parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael set to retain power following coalition expected to take place in coming weeks.With all 174 seats in the lower chamber of parliament decided since Friday’s vote, Fianna Fail, on 48 seats, was well ahead of …

Greens, far-right among big losers in Irish vote Read More »

Nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon Monday, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah targets in retaliation for an attack claimed by the militant group amid a fragile ceasefire. Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations Monday of breaching the truce, which took effect on Wednesday to …

Lebanon says nine killed in Israeli strikes on southern villages Read More »

Turkey could be one of the big winners from the new Syria crisis, giving it a chance to tackle its Syrian refugee problem and the Kurdish threat along its border, observers say. Although Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spurned an offer of help from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara now appears to have an increasingly …

Turkey could benefit from rebel offensive in Syria: experts Read More »

Georgian police fired tear gas to try to disperse thousands of pro-EU demonstrators on Monday, rallying in the centre of Tbilisi amid a deepening political crisis in the Black Sea nation.The country’s prime minister hours earlier had vowed “no negotiations” with the opposition, enraged by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to shelve EU accession …

Thousands rally after Georgian PM vows ‘no negotiations’ with pro-EU opposition Read More »

Israel said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in strikes on Lebanon Monday after vowing retaliation for an attack claimed by Hezbollah, the militant group’s first since a fragile ceasefire began last week.Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations Monday of breaching the truce, which took effect on Wednesday to end a war that killed thousands …

Israel says hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon Read More »