Vladimir Putin has approved the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with North Korea Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia’s Pacific Fleet has launched naval exercises in the Far East involving 40 warships and 20 aircraft and helicopters Read Full Article at RT.com

The African National Congress party says South Africa’s Government of National Unity will have 273 seats in the National Assembly Read Full Article at RT.com

A school course in family studies is set to be introduced in Russia, as the government strives to promote traditional values Read Full Article at RT.com

It is legal for Ukraine to attack targets in Russia with donated Western weapons, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said Read Full Article at RT.com

SINGAPORE — The number of cases of diplopia — which causes a person to see double — with no known cause seen at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) is rising, in line with the worldwide trend, said senior consultant Yvonne Ling. Commonly known as double vision, diplopia can occur when one eye is covered (monocular diplopia) or only when both eyes are open (binocular diplopia). A survey of binocular diplopia cases at SNEC conducted earlier in 2024 showed there were 234 patients between 2011 and 2020, up from 15 patients from 2001 to 2010. From 2021 to 2023, there were already 76 patients. These patients are mostly adults. Binocular diplopia is when you see double with both eyes open, and it disappears upon closing either eye, said Dr Ling. It may be due to a neurological problem, or it may be due to too much screen time, especially on mobile phones, she said. «If the 'double vision' happens with one eye alone, see your friendly optometrist first. All you may need is a change of glasses, or it may be early onset of cataract which is a non-urgent condition,» said Dr Ling, of monocular diplopia.

SINGAPORE — A teenager who placed a parang against a 16-year-old boy's neck, ordered him to strip naked and forced the victim to drink urine from a bottle, was sentenced to two years' probation on June 18. As part of his sentence, the offender, who is now 18, must spend a year at the Singapore Boys' Hostel and perform 100 hours of community service. He must also remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day, and his mother was bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour. The offender, who was identified in court documents as A1, cannot be named due to a gag order. A1, who turned 18 in September 2023, pleaded guilty in April to one count each of criminal intimidation and being a member of an unlawful assembly. His accomplices were identified in court documents as B1, B2, B3 and B4. They were the offender's friends and were between 15 and 17 years old at the time of the offences in March 2023. The names of all six boys have been redacted from court documents. A1 met his four friends in March 2023 and told them he wanted to beat up the victim for «harassing» a female friend.

She wanted to go on a quick day trip to Batam during the long weekend, but ended up making a U-turn home hours after. A Singaporean woman shared in a Lemon8 post on Sunday (June 16) that she had spent 2.5 hours stuck in a queue at Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. The 40-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Slacker Auntie, told AsiaOne that she had booked last-minute tickets to Batam with her friends and smoothly boarded the ferry on Saturday. However, problems arose once they arrived at their destination. «Ferry managed to reach Batam and then… we couldn't alight,» she wrote in her post. «It's been two hours and I am still stuck in this ferry.» Noting that the snaking queue had extended outside of the customs area, she decided to cut her losses and return to Singapore. Fortunately, the woman had bought a return ticket for 3.30pm that day. She later found out that the long queue has been a recurring problem at Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. Her friends also told her that customs are «always this messy». «I am sticking to Malaysia for short day trips,» Slacker Auntie said.

In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly designated 20 June as World Refugee Day, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Geneva Convention on to the Status of Refugees. It is a day to honour the courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

According to United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) estimates, the number of migrant children increased from 24 million in the 1990–2000 period to 36 million in 2020. In 2022 alone, some 35 200 children arrived in southern European countries. Of them, some 23 500 (67 %) were unaccompanied or had been separated from family members during the journey. A child may be unaccompanied or get separated for various reasons, including persecution of the child or parents; international conflict and civil war; human trafficking and smuggling, including sale by parents; accidental separation from parents during the journey; and a search for better economic opportunities. There is a comprehensive international legal framework on children's rights and their protection in place, yet irregular migrant children, especially those unaccompanied or separated from their parents during their journey, face numerous obstacles and challenges during and after migration. These include a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and abuse, military recruitment, child labour (including for foster families) or detention. In many countries, children are routinely denied entry or detained by border or immigration officials. In other cases, they are admitted but denied access to asylum procedures, or their asylum claims are not handled in an age- or gender-sensitive manner. The vulnerable situation of unaccompanied and separated children worldwide, and the threats they face, need to be addressed, particularly in view of the constant rise in their numbers. Applying the 'best interests of the child' principle, EU asylum law offers special protection to such children, and the EU has adopted numerous instruments and identified key actions for the protection of all children in migration, including those who are unaccompanied or who have been separated from their parents. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The High Court in Mzuzu will tomorrow, deliver its ruling on whether Tadikira Mafubza, former president Peter Mutharika step son, and five other people suspected to have had a hand in the murder of about 30 Ethiopian nationals have a case to answer or not. Bodies of the 30 Ethiopian nationals were found buried in […] The post Does Mutharika’s step son, Tadikira, has a case to answer or not? Mzuzu High Court to rule tomorrow appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

RIYADH: The Saudi minister responsible for labor issues has praised the ministry’s workers for their efforts during this year’s Hajj, the Saudi Press Reported. Ahmed Al-Rajhi, minister for human resources and social development, made the remarks on a visit to the ministry’s Hajj headquarters, where he reviewed the activities of the regulatory teams and inspected relevant workflows. The teams are tasked with ensuring that establishments involved in Hajj operations comply with labor laws and other regulations.

RIYADH: Specialist medical teams deployed in Makkah for the Hajj season had successfully performed 24 open-heart surgeries on pilgrims, the Ministry of Health said on Monday. In a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry said 249 pilgrims had also undergone cardiac catheterizations, and 1,006 had dialysis operations, in addition to the admission of 4,082 pilgrims in need to hospitals and medical centers to receive the necessary health care.

RIYADH: More than 47,000 calls have been received by the Saudi Ministry of Health’s 937 call center since the start of Hajj, Saudi Press Agency reported. Staff at the center handle health inquiries, offer medical consultations and help find missing or hospitalized pilgrims at the holy sites. They can deal with reports in seven different languages and a team of administrative staff, specialists and consultants are available around the clock to offer advice and support.

RIYADH: Saudi’s rulers have hosted the families of military personnel who were killed or injured in the line of duty, Saudi Press Agency reported. Maj. Gen. Dr. Suleiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Maiman, Ministry of Interior undersecretary for military affairs, said 289 pilgrims from families of martyred or injured personnel had been welcomed during this year’s Hajj season. Every effort was made to ensure the guests had comfort, peace of mind and as much ease as possible in performing their rituals, added the report.

CBC News embedded with the RCMP’s border patrol unit amid the rise of human smuggling operations along the Quebec-New York State border. More than 5,000 people have been apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol at the Canadian border since the start of 2024, the majority of them in this region.

Airline fees are nothing new. But some major carriers have raised the ire of customers by introducing charges for once-complimentary services, like overhead space for carry-on bags and booking flights by phone.

Seychelles is celebrating the 31st anniversary of its Constitution on Tuesday, June 18, in flag-raising ceremonies on the three most populated islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. The events commemorate the day the Constitution of the Third Republic of Seychelles was adopted by the Seychellois nation. On June 18, 1993, the island nation took a new direction guided by fundamental principles essential for its development as a sovereign and democratic state. The first flag-raising ceremony took place on the main island of Mahe at the 'Lavwa Lanasyon' monument in the capital of Victoria. Attending the ceremony were Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan, Vice President Ahmed Afif, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, the Chief Justice, Rony Govinden, and other high-level government officials and members of the diplomatic corps. Attending the ceremony were President Wavel Ramkalawan, high-level officials and dignitaries. (State House) Photo License: CC-BY   In his opening address, the master of ceremony for the event, Ahmadou Sylla, said the event celebrates «our people's unity and diversity. We are celebrating everything that unifies us and makes us strong as a nation.» Sylla, said, «Amid great challenges that our country and the world is going through, we have come here to shout very loud that we are one people under one sun, united under one flag and the protection of our creator. Today we especially celebrate our Constitution, the fundamental document that guides us in our everyday lives and that shows us which direction our country should go.» After the flag was hoisted, a blessing was done through a gospel song of the late Father Gustave Lafortune ''En Soley Pe Leve« (A Sun is Rising) performed by youths of the Seychelles National Youth Council with Taniah Entertainments. A late Father Gustave Lafortune song was performed by SNYC youths and Taniah. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY   This was followed by the reading of a poem written and delivered by Elodie Ah-Time, a student from the School of Advanced Level Studies, entitled 'Monn Konnen', (I Have Known) accompanied by Jael Ellen, a member of the National Youth Troupe. The ceremony ended with a performance of a patriotic song, »Mon Sesel", (My Seychelles) written by singer Simon Amade. Two other flag-raising ceremonies will be done on La Digue, the third most populated island and on Praslin, the second most populated island.  

The defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, filed by BJP's Vijay Mishra over remarks about Amit Shah, was postponed to June 26 due to the judge's absence. Gandhi faces allegations for comments made in 2018 accusing Shah of criminal involvement. Previously, he appeared in court in February 2020 and was granted bail. The case revolves around statements made at a Bengaluru press conference.

On his first visit to Varanasi post-elections, PM Modi faced criticism from Congress's Jairam Ramesh for barely winning the seat. Ramesh raised issues like the failed Namami Gange project and alleged election irregularities, asserting that Modi's narrow victory reflects a vote of no-confidence from Varanasi's residents.

[Business Day Africa] Qatar Airways is set to acquire a 49 percent stake in RwandAir next month, concluding nearly five years of negotiations with the East African-based carrier.

The yuan decreased by 8.8 kopecks to 11.88 rubles

«The bilateral declarations signed back then defined the main priorities and areas of our constructive multidimensional partnership for years to come,» the Russian leader noted

The attack was being prepared by members of Wilayat Khorasan, which has links to the Islamic State terrorist organization which is outlawed in Russia, Hurriyet said

«Russia has incessantly supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy,» the Russian leader underlined

President Joe Biden's advanced age is a major sore point heading into the upcoming election, and the 81 year-old's recent spate of public gaffes are raising more concerns.

A BJP fact-finding team, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad and other leaders, investigated post-poll violence against party workers in West Bengal. They met victims, highlighting instances of assaults and threats, condemning the state government's alleged inaction. Prasad emphasized the plight of victims and criticized Mamata Banerjee's administration, while seeking national-level intervention to address the situation.

The education ministry body NCERT has made changes to the Class 12 political science textbook, causing significant political controversy. Opposition parties have criticized the BJP-led NDA government, accusing it of promoting the «RSS agenda.» The revisions by NCERT have led to responses from a wide range of political figures. The changes include the removal of topics such as the 2002 Gujarat riots and the Babri mosque demolition.

Former Malawi leader, Professor Peter Mutharika has honoured the departed vice president Saulos Chilima by decorating hims with beautiful words, saying he embodied rare courage and wisdom in decision-making, always guided by principles of honesty and transparency. Writing on his Facebook page after attending the burial, Mutharika underlined that their journey together in the political […] The post Mutharika honours Chilima: “Had rare courage and wisdom in decision making, always honest and transparent.” appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Socialite Dorothy Kingstone Zeze popularly known as Cash Madam in social media platforms will be back in court on August 29, 2024 after a two year break to answer charges of abuse of money at Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera). The socialite briefly appeared before the Lilongwe Resident magistrate court on Friday along with former […] The post Cashmadam, Dorothy Kingstone, not off court’s hook: Her corruption case in court on Aug 29 appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.