Diplomatic Cross

AFP|28May 2018 POOL/AFP / Thibault Camus A Malian migrant who scaled a Paris apartment block to save a four-year-old child was hailed Monday as an "example" by President Emmanuel Macron, who welcomed him to the presidential palace and offered him citizenship. Two days after his daring rescue -- viewed millions of times online -- Mamoudou Gassama, nicknamed "Spiderman" by French media for his astonishing climbing ability, met Macron in the splendour of the Elysee Palace. "You have become an example because millions of people have seen you. It is only right that the nation be grateful," Macron told the 22-year-old, adding that his immigration status would be "put in order". However several aid groups accused the president of "political exploitation", "hypocrisy" and covering up a harsh policy towards migrants. Macron, who presented him with a medal for bravery, also offered him a job wit...

Worried that fasting during Ramadan will have a detrimental impact on health? Find out why the month-long fast can have some surprising health benefits. Although millions around the world have successfully observed the spiritual cleansing of Ramadan for more than a thousand years, some people fear that fasting over such a long period time will have detrimental effects on their health. If you’re one of those worriers, then check out these seven health benefits you’ll enjoy during and after Ramadan. Dates Although three dates are eaten at the start of Iftar every day during Ramadan for spiritual reasons, they also come with the added bonus of multiple health benefits. One of the most important aspects of fasting is getting the right amount of energy, and considering an average serving of dates contains 31 grams (just over 1 oz) of carbohydrates, this is one of the perfect foods to give you a boost. Dates are also a great way of gettin...

US President, Donald Trump, has said that Saudi Arabia will have to pay if it wants US troops to remain in Syria. Speaking at a White House press conference, yesterday, President Trump said: “We’ve almost completed that task of defeating ISIS, and we’ll be making a determination very quickly, in coordination with others in the area, as to what we’ll do. “Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision, and I said, ‘Well, you know, you want us to stay, maybe you’re going to have to pay.” Trump had earlier spoken with Saudi King, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud over the phone to discuss a range of regional issues, including a peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians and opportunities to strengthen the American-Saudi strategic partnership.

Relations between Russia and the West are at a new low. But how should we describe the current situation? There's a lot of loose talk about a new "Cold War" - a comparison of present-day tensions to the bitter ideological and military rivalry that existed between the Soviet Union and the West from the 1950s to the end of the 1980s. But such comparisons may be misleading. "The Cold War," says Michael Kofman, a senior research scientist at the CNA Corporation and a fellow at the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, "was a competition resulting from a bipolar system, where two superpowers, both with economic and military advantages, were competing to shape international politics. "Their universalist ideologies made this competition inevitable, as did the distribution of power at the time." In contrast, he says, today's competition is not the result of a balance of power, or universalist ideology per se, but "conscious decisi...