New legislation in Hong Kong has banned Styrofoam products and single-use plastic cutlery.Under the new law, single-use cutlery like forks, spoons, straws and plates cannot be sold or distributed to dine-in or takeaway customers.The goal of the regulation is to reduce plastic pollution at its source, according to Hong Kong’s…

European Union countries, including the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, are hesitant to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.The Netherlands is exploring options to support Ukraine financially and is considering depleting its stock of Patriot systems.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said existing capabilities across the alliance could be made available to…

Heavy rainstorms that swept across southern China over the weekend killed at least four people in riverside cities, while a search was underway for 10 others missing, state media said Monday.The official Xinhua news agency said three people died in Zhaoqing city while one rescuer died in Shaoguan city. It…

A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the “Sex and the City” TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.Nancy Gonzalez…

Ahead of a planned trip to China this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reported to have alleged that Beijing is still committing genocide against Uyghur Muslim minorities. The comments in the State Department’s annual report on human rights around the world echoed language in previous years concerning China’s…

Water levels in some overflowing rivers in Russia were starting to drop on Monday, but flooding remains widespread, Russian state TV reports said.More than 5,000 properties in Russia’s Kurgan region, about 1,000 miles east of Moscow along the border with Kazakhstan, are flooded, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, and…

A climate protester who could have faced up to two years in prison for holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants cannot be charged with contempt of court, a London judge ruled Monday.Trudi Warner had been arrested last March and accused of “deliberately…

Six Georgian opposition parties appealed on Thursday for mass protests against a government bill on “foreign agents” which they say aims to block the South Caucasus country’s path towards the European Union and NATO.The bill, which critics compare to legislation that Russia has used extensively to crack down on dissent,…

Thousands of Indigenous people began gathering in Brazil’s capital on Monday for what was expected to become a protest against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s unfulfilled promises to create reserves and expel illegal miners and land-grabbers from their territories.Holding Lula’s government to account appeared to be the focus of…

A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.Ana Estrada fought for years…