British voters are heading to the polls Thursday for a crucial general election that is being seen as a referendum on 14 years of Conservative rule. The snap vote, called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is being held months earlier than necessary and caught much of his party by surprise.…

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday urged regional leaders to resist “external interference” at a gathering of a Eurasian security bloc touted by Beijing and Moscow as a counterbalance to Western power. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s annual leaders’ summit in Kazakhstan, Xi called on member states to “consolidate…

Iran’s snap presidential election will head to a second vote on Friday, with a reformist and conservative hardliner facing off to replace Ebrahim Raisi amid unprecedented voter apathy. After none of the four initial candidates secured more than 50% of the vote on June 28, reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian and…

In a landmark decision, Japan’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay damages to people who were forcibly sterilized under a now-defunct eugenics law, ruling the practice was unconstitutional and had violated their rights. The Eugenic Protection Law, in place from 1948 to 1996, allowed authorities to forcibly sterilize…

The former leader of Northern Ireland’s most prominent pro-union party, Jeffrey Donaldson, will stand trial over allegations of historical sex offenses including one charge of rape. Donaldson stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in March after he was charged with 11 sexual offenses. The politician has since…

Israel and Hamas appear to be on the brink of a framework agreement for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations said. Israeli officials believe Hamas’ latest response will enable the two parties to enter detailed negotiations to reach an agreement, the source said.…

France’s most streamed singer Aya Nakamura has joined the chorus of voices calling on the French electorate to vote against the far right in Sunday’s high stakes election. The National Rally party, which is slated to win big in this Sunday’s second round of voting, has drawn criticism and concern…

Hurricane Beryl, an early-season storm super-charged by abnormally warm ocean temperatures, is tearing through the Caribbean. Grenada’s Carriacou island was “flattened” when Beryl made landfall as a Category 4 storm. Several charities are actively distributing aid throughout the region. If you’d like to help victims, click here or use the form below.…

Eyewitnesses have recounted scenes of chaos and confusion after a religious festival in northern India ended in tragedy when scores of people were killed in a crowd crush. At least 121 people died – almost all of them women – and 35 others were injured when overcrowding at a sermon in…