Ukraine plans overhaul of citizenship process after Putin’s passport offer
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has ordered an overhaul of the process for granting Ukrainian citizenship, in response to a Russian decree expanding the number of Ukrainians who can apply for fast-track Russian passports.
South Korean political leaders vow to work together to resolve Japan dispute
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and leaders of the country’s major political parties vowed on Thursday to work together to resolve a worsening political and economic dispute with Japan.
About 30 believed killed in suspected arson attack on Japan studio
About 30 people were feared dead in a suspected arson attack on an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto on Thursday, an official for the Kyoto City Fire Department said.
Bruised but driven, Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving PM
Benjamin Netanyahu makes history this weekend by becoming the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, surpassing a record held by the country’s founding father David Ben-Gurion.
Protesters take to streets to declare new Ethiopian region
Protesters in the Ethiopian city of Hawassa blocked roads and burned tires on Thursday after security forces thwarted a meeting of activists to declare a new region for their Sidama ethnic group, witnesses said.
Activists from Sidama ethnic group in Ethiopia to delay declaring new region
The head of a political party representing some of Ethiopia’s ethnic Sidama people said on Thursday it would postpone plans to declare a new region in defiance of the federal government and would accept the offer of a referendum in five months’ time.
Italy’s Di Maio says League must state clearly if it wants to quit government
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, who also heads the 5-Star Movement, said on Thursday his far-right League allies had to decide whether they wanted to quit the coalition or keep it going.
Former Pakistani PM Abbasi arrested: anti-graft agency
Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency arrested a former prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Thursday, a spokesman for the agency, the National Accountability Board (NAB), said.
Bangladesh floods worsen after breach, death toll nears 100 in India
One of Bangladesh’s main rivers breached an embankment, flooding a northern district and forcing thousands from their homes, an official said on Thursday, as the toll from monsoon rains in neighboring India climbed to 97 in two flood-hit states.
Irish PM says he will listen to alternatives to Northern Ireland backstop
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday he was willing to listen to alternative proposals from the next British prime minsiter on keeping Northern Ireland’s border open after Brexit.
