Kurdish Syrian man, 26, said he fled forced conscription by YPG militia because he ‘didn’t want to kill people’An asylum seeker sent back to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme faces being returned to Syria after authorities in Paris ruled it was safe to do so, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.When the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the “groundbreaking” deal in July 2025 to stop small boats crowded with asylum seekers from crossing the Channel – by forcibly returning one small-boat asylum seeker to France in exchange for bringing one in northern France legally to the UK – they emphasised that France was a safe country for returnees. Continue reading...
Exclusive: The collection, including donations from Paul McCartney’s brother Mike, shows band’s development in early 60sA rare set of letters and photos from the early days of the Beatles, in which they write about feeling like stars for the first time, is to go on display in Hamburg.The collection, from an influential period when the band lived in the German city, includes the only letter in existence with words from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon, which was written to the bassist’s brother, Mike McCartney. Continue reading...
As a Mast of Fraternity and Memory is unveiled in Nantes, calls are growing for Macron to announce framework for discussionsIn the French port city of Nantes, once France’s largest departure point for ships that trafficked enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, a new wooden mast rises 18 metres into the sky from the waterside.The Mast of Fraternity and Memory, inaugurated this month, marks a turning point in France’s complicated relationship with the legacy of its history of enslavement – just as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, comes under pressure to make key announcements on a process of reparatory justice. Continue reading...
German defence minister responds to US president’s announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in GermanyHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany.Trump said he is “not satisfied” with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents.The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It came as Washington warned European allies including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war, according to a report in the Fianancial Times citing multiple sources.In Lebanon, 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, Lebanon’s health ministry said, including in the town of Habboush, where the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order despite the continuing ceasefire. Israeli warplanes “launched a series of heavy strikes … less than an hour after” the warning, the state-run National News Agency said.The US Treasury Office warned that any shipping companies that paid tolls to Iran for passage through the strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would risk punitive sanctions. Tehran has proposed charging fees on vessels passing through the strait, as part of a deal to end the war.Trump wrote to US lawmakers on Friday declaring hostilities with Iran “terminated”, despite no change in the US military posture, as he faces continuing pressure at home to seek congressional authorisation for the war.The state department’s announcement on Friday included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of advanced precision kill weapon systems (APKWS) costing $992.4m. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and “disappoint” its enemies, as the war and years of sanctions take a toll. In a written statement he also said “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce”. Continue reading...
「Targeted support」意味著特定的銀行和金融機構可以提供投資和退休金方面的免費額外幫助。許多英國民眾對投資領域望而生畏，但新的 City 規定意味著特定的銀行和金融機構可以針對投資和退休金提供免費的額外協助。上個月「targeted support」正式啟動，這是一項新的受監管服務，允許公司向客戶建議可能提供更佳回報的投資和退休金產品。繼續閱讀...
WHO 對 Coartem Baby 的 prequalification 意味著新生兒可以獲得安全治療，而無需使用針對大齡兒童的藥物。首款嬰兒 malaria 治療藥物已獲得 World Health Organization 批准，為全球廣泛應用開啟了門戶。在 Africa 的部分地區，多達 18% 的六個月以下兒童會感染 malaria，但歷史上針對這群年齡最小的幼兒一直缺乏安全的治療方案。2024 年共有 610,000 人死於 malaria，其中約四分之三是 Africa 的五歲以下兒童。繼續閱讀...
人類壽命延長和生育率下降所帶來的社會與經濟影響正衝擊全球各國。適應是關鍵。在 Japan，現在有專門清理獨居老人公寓的公司，這些老人去世後數週或數月才被發現，而成人失禁護墊的銷量在過去十多年間已超過了嬰兒尿布。在 Italy，人口減少的村莊正以 €1 的價格出售房屋，以吸引新居民並維持服務運作。在 UK，學生人數下降已導致 London 部分地區的學校和教室關閉。這些並非孤立的奇聞，而是許多已開發國家正在發生的更廣泛轉變之跡象。Oxford Institute of Population Ageing 的主任 Sarah Harper 教授表示：「在 2024 年的 EU，27 個國家中有 21 個國家的死亡人數多於出生人數。」橫跨 Asia 和 Americas —— 從 Japan 和 South Korea，到 Cuba 和 Uruguay —— 許多國家也正呈現相同的趨勢。Continue reading...
