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Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved former supreme court chief Andras Baka, a critic of Viktor Orban who was fired during the ex-premier’s time in power, as the country’s next head of state.
The post became vacant following the contested removal last month of the previous president, an Orban ally, as pro-EU conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar pushes to loosen his predecessor’s lingering hold over state institutions.
Parliament, where the ruling Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority,…

In a landmark change to Lebanon’s penal system, the country’s parliament on Tuesday approved legislation abolishing the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The vote makes Lebanon the first Arab country to formally abolish the death penalty.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who attended the parliamentary session, described the vote as a “historic step” for Lebanon.
The measure was approved by a majority of the…

Connecticut woman designs tiny cottage, brings three generations togetherPhoto credit: The Picket Fence Projects via Bussines Insider When interior designer Caitlin Swann spoke to Business Insider about her family’s living arrangement, she described it as “the best” and “a blessing”, and it’s easy to see why. In Fairfield, Connecticut, Swann and her husband live in their main house with their three children, while her retired parents, Patti and Gary Christie, now reside in a custom 725-square-foot cottage just a few steps away in the backyard. What began as a practical housing decision has turned into a warm multigenerational setup where babysitting is a stroll across the lawn and grandparents are part of daily life.A crossroads for Patti and GaryIn 2024, Patti and Gary, then in their mid-70s, found themselves at a turning point. They had lived in their New Jersey family home for over 40 years, raising their children there and building their routines and memories in that space. Once th..

Thalles Winner DeSouza with Terry Smily and Usama El-Sehrawey celebrating his acceptance into Yale A Wendy’s worker who survived a shooting in Brazil is heading to Yale University after his bosses helped him pay for college.Thalles Winner DeSouza, 23, had started working at a Wendy’s restaurant in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while he was still in high school. As per his Facebook post, his plans at the time were focused on earning money, and he had considered leaving Wendy’s for construction work.It was then when his bosses, Usama El-Sehrawey and the late Ernest Smily, encouraged him to stay and continue his education. They eventually helped fund his studies at Cape Cod Community College, an opportunity DeSouza says changed the direction of his life.Four years after receiving that support, DeSouza has been accepted into Yale University. He shared his journey in an online post on July 28, thanking the people who had supported him and saying their generosity had opened a door that changed hi..

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American nation and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.
The epicentre was in San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco region about 400km (250 miles) west of Colombia’s capital, Bogota, the US Geological Survey and Colombia’s counterpart reported.
The USGS said it struck at a depth of 107 km (66 miles).
Choco Governor Nubia Córdoba said on social media that in…

The China-India-Pakistan triangle has never been short on danger, but Islamabad’s new defensive alliance has added another variable to an already volatile situation.
Last week, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a pact in Mecca in which they agreed to treat an armed attack on one as an attack on all. The three governments have described it as defensive and not directed at any particular state.
Analysts said its main significance for India lay less in whether it would be invoked, but in how…