WORLD

BEIJING | Xinhua |  Chinese leader Xi Jinping introduced a new package of reforms to propel the country’s modernization at a key policy meeting held last week, listing over 300 reform measures and a timeline to complete reform tasks by 2029. The reform-minded leader excels not only in designing reforms …

CARACAS | Xinhua | Venezuela on Monday called on the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay to withdraw their diplomatic staff accredited in the country. The measure, announced in an official statement released by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, also calls for withdrawing Venezuelan …

BEIRUT, | Xinhua | Several airlines announced on Monday the suspension of their flights to Lebanon, while some Western countries urged their citizens to leave as soon as possible amid fears of the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. A state of anxiety and tension prevails in the border area of …

Paris, France | THE INDEPENDENT | Kathleen Grace Noble who made history as the first Ugandan to compete in Olympic rowing, will retire from the sport at the end of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Noble, an Irish-Ugandan athlete, declared her decision after finishing second in the semi-final E/F 2 …

Paris, France | AGENCIES | Organisers of the Paris 2024 have been criticised for a scene at the Opening Ceremony that parodied Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous ‘The Last Supper’ painting. The scene, which resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before crucifixion and featured …

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES | TASS | A majority of Americans agree that US President Joe Biden should immediately resign presidency, according to a survey conducted by the US public opinion firm Rasmussen Reports. The survey said that 52% of the polled agreed that if Biden cannot run for a …

PARIS, GERMANY | TASS | The cost of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which kicked off in Paris on Friday, is estimated at 11 billion euros (almost $12 billion), about twice as much as originally planned, French daily Ouest-France reported on Friday. According to the daily, when Paris put in its bid …

PARIS, FRANCE | Xinhua | The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony has begun on the city’s River Seine. For the first time, an Olympic Games opening ceremony is moving out of a stadium and into the heart of the host city, Paris, with the river as the main backdrop. …

PARIS | Xinhua | The fact that names of Chinese swimmers involved in a contamination case were leaked by certain media organizations has caused concerns of athletes, said Olivier Niggli, director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday. His comments followed a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers, in …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Rachel Esther Sanyu, a Pharmacology and Toxicology student from Kampala, Uganda, has been included in the top 50 shortlist for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2024, an annual $100,000 award to be given to one exceptional student who has made a real impact on learning, …