Tens of thousands of railway workers walked off the job in Britain on Tuesday, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades. About 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff were holding a 24-hour strike, with two more planned for Thursday and Saturday. Compounding the pain for commuters, London Underground subway services were also hit by a walkout on Tuesday. The dispute centers on pay, working conditions and job security as Britain’s railways struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Last-minute talks on

French voters have denied the re-elected President Emmanuel Macron an absolute majority. The result announced in the early hours of Monday. According to the result, Marcon secured 245 out of a total 577, however, it still fell short of the 289-seat threshold for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, France's lower house. After the new result, Macron became the first sitting French president to not win a parliamentary majority since a 2000 electoral reform. According to the publication, it is expected to try and form alliances with other political parties, including the traditional rig

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office announced Monday that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to new elections. Bennett has struggled to keep his unruly coalition of eight parties together, and defections have left the crumbling alliance without a majority in parliament for over two months. Bennett and his main coalition partner, Yair Lapid, decided to present a vote to dissolve parliament in the coming days, Bennett's office said. Lapid is then to serve as caretakever prime minister. The election, expected in the fall, would be Israel's fifth in thre

The steady uptick in the COVID-19 infections in the Philippines signals the start of the peak of cases, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday. "Right now, (we see) that the number of cases is continuously increasing," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a television interview. "We can see that this is really the start in the peak in the number of cases." Vergeire said the Southeast Asian country is seeing a trend similar to what happened in September 2021 and January 2022. The Philippines reported the highest single-day tally on Jan. 15 this year, with 39,0

The European Union's executive arm on Friday recommended making Ukraine a candidate for EU membership, a first step on what was expected to be a long road forthe war-torn countryto join the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission delivered its proposal to award Ukraine candidate status after a fast-tracked analysis of answers to a questionnaire. The Ukrainian government applied for EU membership less than a week after Russia invaded the country. “Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective,” commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “We want them to live with us, the E

After leading the Ireland team through a successful era, former Ireland captain William Porterfield announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, calling time on a 16-year career. He was appointed as Ireland captain in 2008 and led his team over 250 times. "It's been an honour to represent my country for 16 years. It's something I had always wanted to do since I was a child," Porterfield said in an official statement released by Ireland Cricket. Andrew Balbirnie, the current Ireland captain, said Porterfield would be "a huge loss."

Italian luxury sportscar maker Ferrari has outlined an electrification strategy that calls for 40% full-electric and 40% hybrid models by 2030. CEO Benedetto Vigna confirmed Thursday that the first electric car will be presented in 2025, with the first deliveries the following year. Now, just four Ferrari models, or 20% of the range, are hybrid cars. Its first hybrid model was the limited edition La Ferrari launched in 2013, capitalizing on Formula 1 technology. Vigna, a former technology entrepreneur who joined Ferrari as CEO nine months ago, said the electrification strategy is ``highly r

A minister in Pakistan's newly elected government faced criticism Wednesday following his plea to the nation to drink less tea to help save on imports amid a deepening economic crisis. Pakistan is among the world's top tea importers, a hugely popular drink among both the rich and the poor in this country of 220 million people. The government has to spend about $600 million dollars from the central bank's hard currency reserves for tea imports annually. A Pakistani is believed to drink at least three cups of tea a day on average, the nation's caffeinated drink of choice. Prime Minister Shahbaz

Mexico's government wants citizens to produce more of their own food in a move toward self-sufficiency and lower prices in key products. The idea isn't new, but the ravages of the pandemic, climate change and the market turmoil created by the war in Ukraine have given it new urgency. The government wants to head off food insecurity in a country where 44% of its population lives in poverty and where 27.5 million tons of corn are produced, but more than 40 million tons are consumed. Some farmers are hopeful about additional government financial help and subsidized fertilizer. Others are suspic