Top World News

Jul 5, 2025 - World

Three Indian nationals have been kidnapped by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in the West African nation of Mali. Among those kidnapped is 28-year-old P Venkataraman, a resident of Odisha's Ganjam district.

Jul 5, 2025 - World

Fiona Eastwood says real-life experiences that bring people together are vital amid a battle for attention in the digital eraArtificial intelligence is in the process of upending the business models of companies all over the world, but when it comes to the $100bn (£73bn) global theme park business the thrill of “big metal” rollercoasters is still the biggest draw.Fiona Eastwood, the boss of the sector’s second biggest operator, Merlin Entertainments, says that in a world dominated by battles over screen time it is real-life experiences that provide families with an “antidote to phones and digital technology”. Continue reading...

Jul 5, 2025 - World

Donald Trump's twin obsessions of wanting to be center stage all the time combined with his desire to be linked to popular sporting events may put him on a collision course with his most rabid MAGA supporters.That is according to Politico which is reporting that the Trump administration is bending over backwards to accommodate the 2026 World Cup to be played in the U.S. at the same time that the same administration is waging war on immigrants and foreign visitors.According to Politico's Sophia Cai, a quick phone call to the White House from Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York-New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee, got the White House to call off plans to send “suited and booted” ICE agents to matches which had alarmed officials after it was posted on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Facebook page. That Facebook post was later deleted.The report notes that all the harsh rhetoric about foreigners coming to the U.S. fades into the background when it comes to the world's most popular sport holding its most popular event in Trump's U.S.As Cai wrote, Trump's apparent desire to make himself a main character during the World Cup has led his administration to work more closely not only with foreign governments but the leaders in the cities and states hosting games, many of them Democrats."Trump has long gravitated personally to the testosterone and glitz of athletic competition," Cai wrote before adding, "Now in his second he has the opportunity to preside over the games themselves. But that requires his administration to coordinate logistically complex events that rely on the type of global cooperation and free movement of people that is anathema to Trump’s 'America First' agenda."Adding, "Enthusiasm for the pageantry has led Trump to quickly embrace every aspect of what will be among the largest sporting events ever, even at the risk of alienating his most loyal supporters," Cai reported Trump "regularly dismisses the United Nations, NATO and World Health Organization, [but] he caters to the demands of FIFA." Alan Rothenberg, who assisted in putting on the 1994 U.S. World Cup, suggested, "Trump, as we all know, likes attention. How could you have more attention than a couple billion people watching you kick out the ceremonial first ball and awarding the World Cup trophy to the ultimate champion?”According to the report, in May, Vice President J.D. Vance was put on the spot about the administration, "attempting to balance its otherwise uncompromising attitude towards foreign visitors with a newfound desire to welcome soccer fans."Vance replied,"We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise they’ll have to talk to Secretary [Kristi] Noem.”You can read more here.

Jul 5, 2025 - World

Pressure grows on Pedro Sánchez to call snap election as latest resignation adds to corruption allegationsPedro Sánchez’s efforts to reset Spain’s ruling socialist party after damaging corruption allegations that threatened to topple his coalition government have suffered a severe setback after a party official resigned over accusations of sexual harassment.The prime minister had hoped this weekend’s meeting of the federal committee of his Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) would help the party move past weeks of scandals that have undermined the ethical and anti-corruption pledges on which it came to power seven years ago. Continue reading...

Jul 5, 2025 - World

Almost 300 researchers have applied for for positions at Aix-Marseille University after Trump unleashed his attack on academia It was on a US-bound flight in March, as Brian Sandberg stressed about whether he would be stopped at security, that the American historian knew the time had come for him to leave his home country.For months, he had watched Donald Trump’s administration unleash a multipronged attack on academia – slashing funding, targeting international students and deeming certain fields and even keywords off limits. As his plane approached the US, it felt as though the battle had hit home, as Sandberg worried that he would face reprisals over comments he had made during his travels to the French media on the future of research in the US. Continue reading...