ISTANBUL, Turkey: At least 38 women were detained after riot police set up barricades and fired pepper gas to block demonstrators from joining an International Women’s Day march in central Istanbul on March 8. A group of demonstrators who tried to board a ferry across the Bosporus to join the march were also detained, Cumhuriyet […]

BANGKOK, Thailand: In a bid to counter a declining birth rate, Thailand has encouraged its citizens to have more babies by offering parents access to childcare and fertility centers, as well as using social media influencers to showcase the joys of family life. The campaign comes as the country’s birth rate has dropped by nearly […]

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Ratings agency Fitch has warned that a Russian default on its national debt is “imminent,” and downgraded the country’s healthy-investment rating to “C.” A recent decree by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin allowing certain foreign debts to be paid off in the plummeting ruble, which is currently worth less than eight-tenths […]

CHICAGO, Illinois: It is not only oil and gas prices reaching new heights because of the war in Ukraine, as wheat prices have now reached new highs. Officials said consumers should prepare for higher prices for products made with corn and wheat, as prices for wheat are up 37 percent, while corn prices increased 21 […]

MOSCOW, Russia: As the economic fallout from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine intensified, ten major car and motorcycle manufacturers announced the closures of their factories or the suspension of sales in Russia. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai said they would cease manufacturing in Russia, and Porsche and BMW closed their plants due to a lack of parts […]

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Russian soprano Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from performances at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement on March 3, Met Opera general manager Peter Gelb said, “It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera. Anna is […]

HONG KONG: As health officials reported a record 55,353 daily infections and over 100 deaths occurring on March 2, Hong Kong Chief executive Carrie Lam said people’s movements may be restricted during mandatory testing this month of the entire population for Covid. Authorities are still refining the plan, but reiterated that there would be no […]

ATLANTA, Georgia: The Georgia Senate has passed an election year bill along a strict party line that would remove the need for a permit to carry a firearm in public. Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), sponsor of the bill during the Senate debate, said, “Criminals do not care about having a carry permit.” Constitutional carry would […]

HAMBURG, Germany: German authorities have seized one of the world’s largest yachts, owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, as part of the European and U.S. crackdown on Russian billionaires associated with Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s custom-built 512-foot yacht Dilbar was docked in Hamburg, Germany, where it was undergoing a refitting job that began in October 2021. […]

TAIPEI, Taiwan: A delegation of former senior U.S. defense and security officials have arrived in Taipei. However, the visit was denounced by China, especially as it is occurring during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The visit, led by former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Navy admiral Mike Mullen, comes at a time when […]