World Briefing: Syria: Scores Are Killed In Airstrikes By Government On Islamic State’s Base

U. K. Prime MInister Rishi Sunak took the British public by surprise last month when he announced a general election on July 4. Sunak was not under obligation to call an election until December 2024, so calling an election earlier than necessary while the Conservative Party had not been performing well in the polls was especially unexpected.

Prince Harry opened up about experiencing grief in childhood in a candid conversation at a charity outreach event. The Duke of Sussex, 39, is the global ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a U. K. charity dedicated to helping children who have lost parents in the military. On Thursday, the charity posted a video titled “From Grief to Growth” on their YouTube channel.

Indian writer Arundhati Roy has been awarded the PEN Pinter prize, two weeks after Indian authorities approved legal action over political comments she made 14 years ago. The novelist said she is “delighted” to accept the prestigious literary award, in a statement shared via a press release by PEN English.

Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to North Korea was a remarkable event for many reasons. It was his first visit there in 24 years, the pageantry was especially lavish even by Russian and North Korean standards, and Kim Jong Un and Putin seized the moment with a new mutual defense pact that echoed the Cold War era.

As tensions escalate in the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said his country must “do more” in responding to China’s “illegal action” in the hotly contested waterway, following a confrontation last week that led to one Filipino navy serviceman losing a thumb. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: ‘Like They Are Pirates’: Philippines Slams Latest Chinese Confrontation in South China Sea Marcos told reporters Thursday that Manila has filed “over a hundred” diplomatic protests after individual incidents with China—which have escalated in recent months to include the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) using water cannons, military-grade lasers, and dangerous boat maneuvers—but strong words have not curbed Beijing’s aggression.

An overwhelming majority of participants in a Thai government survey have backed the Southeast Asian nation’s plan to reclassify cannabis as a narcotics to prohibit its recreational use. At least 80% of the 111,201 respondents supported a draft plan to once again label marijuana as a “category five” from next year, according to Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin.