#international-calendar

#international-calendar

The designation prohibits the sites from being targeted or used for military purposes, with violations potentially constituting serious breaches of the 1954 Hague Convention and grounds for criminal responsibility.

Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is causing a ripple effect in global agriculture, as farmers face fertilizer shortages that threaten crop yields and food security.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said on Saturday that at least 56 museums, historical monuments and cultural sites in Iran have been damaged over the course of the war, which began on February 28, state-run news media reported. The heritage sites damaged include the Qajar-era Golestan Palace in Tehran.

Singapore has a special way of blending old traditions with modern life, especially evident in its historic neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam. There, colorful shophouses, temples, and mosques sit alongside cafes and boutiques, while long-standing food and craft traditions remain part of daily life.

Communities make museums and museums make communities. Part of the establishment of M+ was a public consultation where people were asked what kind of museums they wanted. The recommendation was not to build lots of little museums, but to create a big museum that was cross-disciplinary, unburdened by labels like "modern" or "contemporary". It was to be a museum plus more, and that was how we became M+.

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Origins in women's suffrage have evolved into a day of celebration and advancement of women's rights. The first official International Women's Day was in 1975, when it was recognised by the United Nations (UN).

Pakistan's military fended off attacks by the Taliban along its border with Afghanistan in the latest outburst of tensions between the two neighbors.

There is a profound, quiet magic in standing alone under a truly dark sky, but the experience becomes something else entirely when shared with a community of fellow explorers. Star parties are the heartbeat of this experience: communal, high-energy gatherings where everyone from veteran astronomers to total beginners can share a wide-angle view of the cosmos. It's a chance to level up your astrophotography skills, learn the latest in deep-space science from experts,

LONDON Just over 80 years ago, directly after the Second World War, the United Nations General Assembly met for the first time, in a Methodist hall in Blitz-damaged central London. There, representatives from 51 countries convened to talk about the importance of international cooperation. Advocates hoped that the UNGA would be the main forum for world leaders to discuss global issues, and thereby avoid future conflict.

Education has long been understood as a cornerstone of social development, shaping not only individual futures but also the collective capacity of societies to respond to change. Observed annually on 24 January, the International Day of Education invites reflection on the role education plays in addressing global challenges and sustaining social progress. As the world confronts overlapping challenges, from technological transformation to deepening inequalities, the question of how education is imagined, governed, and experienced has become increasingly urgent.

Most of the targets are U.N.-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels that focus on climate, labor and other issues that the Trump administration has categorized as catering to diversity and woke initiatives. The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity, the State Department said in a statement.

World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced that it will use more than $7m to fund 21 new projects around the globe in 2026. These include a number of sites from WMF's 2025 Watch list of threatened heritage-such as the Inca Qhapaq Ñan road system spanning the Andes in South America, the crumbling terracotta sculptures at Portugal's Alcobaça Monastery and historic Jewish religious buildings in Debdou, Morocco.

The US Supreme Court has struck down much of the Trump administration's tariffs on foreign goods, which have been a cornerstone of its trade and foreign policies. Also, Iran prepares for a possible US military strike. And, the International Energy Agency has removed climate change from its list of priorities for the next two years, following threats from the US

The administration turned its back on the climate "hoax", as Trump describes it, withdrawing from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the basis for the Paris climate agreement (abandoned twice by Trump in his two terms), and signed by 197 nations in 1992. Other non-U.N. organizations were dropped as well, including the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

A court in Seoul sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison today for his brief martial law decree in 2024. Also, a look at fishing boat diplomacy in the East China Sea and gunboat diplomacy in the Persian Gulf. And, flag football is set to make its debut at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. Plus, a look at how glitter makes Carnival sparkle in Rio de Janeiro, but also pollutes the environment.

As bitter cold descends on Ukraine, so has a fresh barrage of Russian drone and missile strikes. Recent attacks on transformer substations and power plants have plunged Kyiv into its worst wartime heating and power outage. Also, as opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado meets US President Donald Trump in Washington, Venezuelans are watching with a mix of hope and unease.

With votes tallied from about 50% of polling places, incumbent President Yoweri Museveni is projected to win reelection in Uganda. Also, Indian authorities continue searching for an elephant that's already killed 22 people in the first two weeks of 2026. And, Sara Mardini, who was arrested for helping rescue migrants from the sea in 2018, is acquitted of her charges in Greece. Plus, searching for the best mıhlama for breakfast in Turkey.

There are more signs that the United States is disengaging from the global order established after World War II. President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to pull out of more than 60 agencies, half of them part of the United Nations. Trump argues that being a member of these organisations is contrary to his country's interests. The secretary of state went as far as saying they're useless or wasteful.

A month after US forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, some signs of change have emerged. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has proposed a sweeping amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners, but families and human rights groups remain wary. Also, the son of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, has been killed.