EU leaders open emergency summit on defence, Ukraine aid as U.S. security support wanes

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R), Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center), and European Council President Antonio Costa arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels on March 6, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP Facing the prospect that the United States might cut them adrift under President Donald Trump, European … Read more

France steps in to provide military intelligence to Ukraine as U.S. freezes vital information

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu. File | Photo Credit: Reuters “France is providing military intelligence to Ukraine after Washington announced it was freezing the sharing of information with Kyiv,” French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Thursday (March 6, 2025.) The U.S. said on Wednesday (March 5, 2025) it had paused its intelligence sharing with … Read more

International Women’s Day | Why kitchen jars are basic work accessories for this pilot from Austria

Often, Fanni Pajer finds herself at airstrips where there aren’t many facilities but only maintenance hangars.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Glass jars wrapped inside jute bags and portable urination devices are a must-have in a cockpit for 48-year-old Fanni Pajer. As a ferry pilot, she flies small planes for an Austrian aircraft manufacturer, delivering … Read more

Sri Lankan Minister Bimal Rathnayake urges India, Tamil Nadu to help protect livelihoods of northern Sri Lankan fishermen 

Bimal Rathnayake. File | Photo Credit: https://www.parliament.lk   “The Governments of India and Tamil Nadu must take decisive action against illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters to ensure that the livelihoods of northern Sri Lankan fishermen are protected,” Sri Lankan Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament, as the enduring Palk Bay fisheries conflict came under sharp … Read more

Lithuania quits cluster bomb ban treaty despite outrage

A file photo of a cluster bomb unit used for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: AP Lithuania on Thursday (March 6, 2025) quit an international convention banning cluster bombs, citing security concerns over neighbouring Russia in a move that has drawn criticism from human rights groups. The formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic state of 2.8 million … Read more

Women’s rights weakened in a quarter of all countries, UN says

Thousands, mostly women protesters march against the runaway cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Thirty years after world leaders adopted a historic blueprint to achieve gender equality, a new United Nations report says women’s and girls’ rights are under attack and gender discrimination remains deeply embedded … Read more