First Russia, now Iran is sanctioned
The EU has is sanctioning Iranian producers of drones and missiles after Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel.
The EU already has a wide range of measures in place which target Iran over its human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation activities and military support for Russia, and already has multiple sanctions in place against Iran, including for selling drones to Russia for...
You can now have a sex change at 16 in Sweden
Swedish parliament has passed a law lowering the age at which people can change their legal gender from 18 to 16.
The law passed with 234 votes in favour and 94 against in Sweden's parliament.
Though Sweden was the first country to make gender transition legal, in 1972, the new law has sparked intense debate, says the BBC.
Some say it will...
Meghan is selling strawberry jam
American Riviera Orchard is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s freshly launched business venture.
Meghan announced this last month with an Instagram teaser video, showing her cooking and arranging white hydrangeas and roses, posted to the new American Riviera Orchard Instagram account.
As of yet, the jam attracted commentary by appearing in limited edition of 50, distributed to Meghan’s friends and various influencers....
Saxons tap into their roots and rhubarb in a bid to make centuries-old villages sustainable
Romania’s resourceful Saxon community are promoting their region with bike rides in the meadows of southern Transylvania, UNESCO-protected fortified churches and local rhubarb.
TV personality Andreea Marin launched this year’s Haferland Festival on Wednesday, an event that embraces and promotes 10 villages across a swath of gently rolling hills across central Romania.
The area which is a like a slit on...
eToro enables AGM voting across entire stock universe as voting appetite grows among retail investors
Users can now vote at AGMs for all stocks, having a say on topics such as executive pay and dividends
The feature has been expanded after proving popular with eToro users, more than 145,000 votes cast in 2023 on US stocks
The trading and investment platform eToro has extended its proxy voting feature to all stocks listed on its...
Silent Cradles: Life Histories of Romania’s Looked-After Children, or an important book
Mariela Neagu’s Voices from the Silent Cradles: Life Histories of Romania’s Looked-After Children was first published by Policy Press in the UK.
Neagu, a research associate at the University of Oxford, describes her book as follows:
“In 1990, disturbing television footage emerged showing the inhumane conditions in which children in Romanian institutions were living, and viewers were surprised that the babies...
Russia’s economy will soar
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Russia to grow 3.2% this year - significantly more than the comparably advanced economies of UK, France and Germany.
Russia is one of the world's biggest oil exporters and in February, the BBC revealed millions of barrels of fuel made from Russian oil were still being imported to the UK despite sanctions.
Oil exports have...
Is the last “Larry David Moment” the end of humor?
As the world went mad about halfway through Curb's run – snowflakes to the left of me, MAGA to the right – it is a wonder it managed to survive
My first “Larry David Moment” came in college. My roommate was holding court in the cafeteria with a group of young women listening rapt to his well-worn tale of how...
Iran warns severe and painful retaliation
President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that the “smallest action against Iran’s interests” will be met with a “severe, extensive and painful” response.
He is a Principalist politician and Muslim jurist.
In a call with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday, the president desribed Iran's attack on Israel this weekend as an act of “legitimate defense”.
Qatar warned against escalation.
“As...
Ukraine’s plants, or the real Achilles’ heel in this war
Russia's war on Ukraine has entered a new phase, the BBC says.
Drone and missile attacks from Russia on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are increasingly frequent and signifcant - something Ukraine’ air defenses, buttressed as they have been by NATO, is unable to take.
Officials in Ukraine say they can "count on one hand" the thermal and hydro power plants across the...