September 19, 2026

03 World

Japan relaxes royal succession rules – but ban on female emperors remain– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Japan relaxes royal succession rules – but ban on female emperors remain– www.bbc.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

The Japanese parliament has approved a bill to relax imperial succession rules, amid concerns over the dwindling size of the imperial family.

The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15 and lets women keep their royal status after marrying outside the family.

But it does not change the law barring women from ascending the throne despite wide public support for a female emperor, meaning Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, is still not eligible to succeed the throne.

The bill cleared the lower house last week, and will move through the final legal procedures before the changes take effect.

Japan has the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, with a lineage that’s believed span more than 2,600 years.

Trump says Iran released ‘wrongfully detained’ American citizen– www.france24.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Trump says Iran released ‘wrongfully detained’ American citizen– www.france24.com
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EXCERPT:

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country.

“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding: “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran!”

Trump – who in recent days has ordered a resumption of strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade of its ports – did not name the woman or describe why she had been held, other than to say she had been “wrongfully detained.”

But a lawyer responded to Trump‘s post late Wednesday to say the released woman was his client.

“I am beyond excited to report that my client Dena Karari, a US-Iranian citizen, who has been trapped in Iran on bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage, is now safely out of Iran and on her way back to the United States,” attorney Jared Genser said in a statement.

Zelensky ‘wants civilian deaths’ – Ukrainian spy — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Zelensky ‘wants civilian deaths’ – Ukrainian spy — RT World News– www.rt.com
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EXCERPT:

Kiev was allegedly plotting a terrorist attack that would overshadow the Moscow Crocus City Hall massacre

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is directing the nation’s intelligence services not to spare civilians in their operations abroad, Vitaly Zhikovich, an acting colonel of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency (HUR), said in an exclusive audio recording obtained by RT.

Zhikovich is one of two Ukrainian spies who confessed to liquidating Anastasia Berezovskaya, the main suspect in last month’s bomb attack on exiled Ukrainian millionaire Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco. Russian security services identified him as an active military intelligence operative and shed light on his other attempted terrorist plots.

“My superior said that there would be casualties, civilian casualties. And my president – that green bastard – wants civilian casualties,” Zhikovich can be heard saying to an unidentified interlocutor in one of the recordings, referring to Zelensky, whose last name has a semantic association with the word ‘green’ in Russian and Ukrainian.