Romina Pourmokhtari, Sweden’s 30-year-old Climate Minister, made history by bringing her infant son to the EU Council session on Thursday—the first time a baby has attended, according to officials. Pourmokhtari, brought her baby to the European Council meeting in Luxembourg as an assertion of the benefits of the parental leave policy implemented in her country. She carried him during discussions on climate policies, with her husband on hand from his parental leave to assist. Pourmokhtari highlighted Sweden’s 480-day parental leave system, including non-transferable months for each parent, as key to balancing family and career without sacrifice. Colleagues praised the moment...

Giorgia Meloni: “Italy did not participate in the conflict with Iran. “In fact, if we had participated in the conflict with Iran, it would be difficult to explain the repeated disappointment expressed by the American President. “We respected our commitments by making our bases available only for logistical and technical activities, not for combat operations. “And when requests were made that went beyond that framework—and you know this because it has been widely reported—we did not grant authorization for the use of our facilities.”

The WNBA has suspended Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas for one game after she made contact with her fist to Caitlin Clark’s throat in Wednesday night’s matchup against Indiana. It happened with 6:52 left in the second quarter and was deemed to be a non-basketball act. The league gave Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty for it. No foul was called on the play by officials. The WNBA is allowed to review a game to reclassify a Flagrant foul or to classify as Flagrant any foul not called as such during a game. Thomas will serve her suspension on Saturday when the...

The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday, in its latest opinion backing Second Amendment rights. The high court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls and gas stations, unless the owners specifically say guns are banned at their establishments. It comes shortly after the court found that marijuana users can’t be completely banned from owning firearms. It’s a win for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, which argued the law violates the Second Amendment. The measure was sometimes referred...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed major weapons tests and called for the military’s “deadly and destructive offensive posture” to be bolstered, state media reported Friday, as South Korea announced it would drastically boost its drone warfare capabilities. The development comes as tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim pushing to strengthen both nuclear and conventional military capabilities while refusing to return to talks with South Korea and the United States. The tests watched by Kim on Thursday were meant to evaluate the power of a “special mission” warhead for a tactical ballistic missile, an upgraded multiple...

Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600 million of confiscated illegal drugs destroyed nationwide. Myanmar, also known as Burma, has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. It has been a major source of illegal drugs destined for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts to crack down, and has long been one of the world’s largest producers of heroin...

rime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday Canada should reopen its embassies in Iran and Venezuela that his predecessors closed. Carney argued the lack of a diplomatic presence hampers Ottawa’s ability to help Canadians abroad and respond to humanitarian crises despite deep disagreements with the two governments. “Engagement is not endorsement,” Carney said. “Having an embassy, having consular services in a country, does not mean we endorse the policies of that country.” Carney said not having a diplomatic presence creates challenges, citing Venezuela where Canada could be providing more immediate earthquake assistance.. He stressed a decision has not been made but...

Apple on Thursday announced an increase in prices for Macs and iPads, citing a memory chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom. The Cupertino, California-based company called the demand spike an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics industry. “The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” the company said in a written statement. The new, entry-level MacBook Neo will now cost $699, up from $599. The 512 gigabyte MacBook Air now costs $1,299, up from $1,099....