Amsterdam to ban all diesel and petrol cars and motorbikes by 2030
Amsterdam’s head of transport has announced plans to ban petrol and diesel cars in the city by 2030. The clean air action plan aims to make the Dutch capital a “world leader in emission-free transport”. Transport chief Sharon Dijksma said residents “live a year less on average due to dirty air” and that the plan…
Salvini under fire for address from notorious balcony used by Mussolini to watch executions
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, has come under fire for addressing his political supporters in the town of Forli from the same balcony where former dictator Benito Mussolini witnessed the execution of his opponents during the fascist era. Mr Salvini, head of the far-right League Party, chose the small town only 10 miles from…
Man arrested in France for keeping white tiger cub
Investigators in southeast France have seized a white tiger cub at the home of a suspected exotic animal trafficker, while pythons and endangered marsupials were found at his mother’s house, a police source said Saturday. Members of the public health agency OCLAESP were recently informed of the illegal sale of lemurs and their investigations led…
Israel assassinates Hamas operative in Gaza as Palestinian militants fire 600 rockets
Israel and Hamas were locked in one of the bloodiest rounds of fighting since the 2014 Gaza War on Sunday night as civilian casualties mounted on both sides and Israeli forces massed for a possible ground offensive. Four civilians were killed in southern Israel on Sunday after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a barrage…
Thailand’s king Maha Vajiralongkorn takes to the throne as snubbed sister falls into line
Click:bearing manufacturer The new Thai King was doused with holy water before finally putting on a towering 7kg bejeweled gold crown as he ascended to the throne at the start of three days of pageantry steeped in ostentatious traditions. The series of ancient rites, last seen almost 70 years ago, began with a royal purification…
A mirror, a sword and a gem: Inside the mystery-laden coronation of a new Japanese emperor
Perhaps unsurprisingly for the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the ascension of his son Crown Prince Naruhito will be shrouded in a series of ancient rituals and ceremonies as complex as they are mysterious. Forget fairytale crowns. A sword, a mirror and a jewel will instead play the most symbolic…