All posts tagged: Overseas

Emotional turmoil grips Iranians watching conflict unfold overseas | Israel-Iran conflict News

Emotional turmoil grips Iranians watching conflict unfold overseas | Israel-Iran conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Maryam’s life stopped last Saturday. Since then, every minute of every day has been divided between getting updates from her family in Iran when they can communicate with her, and the hours between, when she’s left guessing what their fate might be. Maryam, who asked that we not use her real name for security reasons, is not alone. The Iranian diaspora is one of the largest in the world, including those who fled persecution under the former shah pre-1979, those who fled oppression under the Islamic Republic, and those who simply sought financial stability or careers overseas. Now, like Maryam, they live for snatches of information about the welfare of their relatives in the midst of a war that threatens to engulf the region. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “What is happening now is my worst fear,” Maryam, 33, says from Madrid. She was last in Tehran in January, but returned to the Spanish capital, where she works, following the wave of mass protests that month, when thousands were killed. “This is …

“Did not help us at all”: Hundreds of Americans stranded overseas following Iran strikes

“Did not help us at all”: Hundreds of Americans stranded overseas following Iran strikes

Published by Sam Flores

The war in Iran caught many people by surprise, including thousands of traveling Americans. Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran over the weekend plunged the region into conflict. Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in Iran. Casualties have been reported in multiple other countries, including Israel, Oman and the U.A.E. Many Americans were still in the region as hostilities commenced, and were left with little help from both the State Department and U.S. embassies. President Donald Trump said there was no evacuation plan in place following the strikes, because the joint operation “happened very quickly.” “We thought and I thought…we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Consular services were suspended by the U.S. embassy in Qatar, which advised Americans to “shelter-in-place” or leave if possible, though the embassy would not be providing assistance. The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem said it is “working closely with Washington to support American citizens in the region” but did not mention arranging evacuations. The situation and lack of …

Spanish Soccer League Wants to Try Again in the US and Resurrect Overseas Game

Spanish Soccer League Wants to Try Again in the US and Resurrect Overseas Game

Published by Sam Flores

La Liga president Javier Tebas said Thursday that he was not giving up on taking a top Spanish match abroad after controversial plans to play outside Miami last year were scrapped in the face of pushback from clubs, players and fans. “We are going to try again. I’m not sure when. We have to bring it up at the right time,” Tebas told a news conference in London. Barcelona and Villarreal were slated to play at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 20, which would have made Spain the first major European league to move a regular-season match abroad. But those plans fell through in October as opposition grew, with some claiming it impacted the fairness of the competition by moving a game overseas. “I don’t think it will cause damage,” Tebas said Thursday when attending the Financial Times Business of Football Summit. “We are talking about one match out of 380 in a season.” He said European soccer’s big leagues had benefited from fans all over the world, with broadcast rights sold …

North Korea opens new housing area for families of soldiers killed overseas | Kim Jong Un News

North Korea opens new housing area for families of soldiers killed overseas | Kim Jong Un News

Published by Sam Flores

Leader Kim Jong Un unveils housing for families of soldiers killed overseas amid North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 16 Feb 202616 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has opened a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of soldiers killed while fighting overseas amid the East Asian country’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. Kim said Saeppyol Street was “a source of honour for our generation and a pride of Pyongyang and our state”, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “He prayed for the immortality of the martyrs along with its inauguration which will etch the martyrs’ names and images in history,” it added. While the report did not mention Russia, Kim last week pledged to “unconditionally support” all of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies and decisions. Under a mutual defence pact with Moscow, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of soldiers to Ukraine in 2024, …

Layoffs loom at the British Council as budget squeeze hits overseas programs – POLITICO

Layoffs loom at the British Council as budget squeeze hits overseas programs – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The Council has asked the government to relieve the financial pressure of the loan and declining grants, requesting an extra £20 million in annual funding. Its chief executive warned last year that the organization might have to sell assets to survive, and that dozens of country operations were at risk.  A similar process has unfolded at the BBC World Service, often cited as another standard bearer of British soft power. The BBC said in a statement this week that the service is facing hundreds of millions of pounds in cuts in the next three years. ‘Detaching from foreign engagement‘ “The axe has finally fallen,” said one British Council staffer whose role is expected to go. “It’s going to be a bloodbath, and we are not going to go quietly.” Italy is expected to be especially hard hit. Of 150 roles in the country, 120 are “in scope” — about 80 percent of the workforce. Plans in a European Works Council consultation pack emailed to staff indicate that in Italy the entire teaching division would close …

Looking overseas for policy lessons

Looking overseas for policy lessons

Published by skeptic

Different approaches to SEND in 14 countries provide valuable insight for English policymakers ahead of white paper, say Loic Menzies and Taylor Hughson “If you push too strongly towards inclusion, you will run into political resistance, and you are doomed to failure.”  This was the stark warning issued by a policymaker in one nearby country, interviewed as part of the Centre for Education System’s (CES) study of SEND policy in 14 countries. It’s a stark warning to those in Whitehall girding their loins in anticipation of the white paper’s launch. I am not sure anyone in Westminster is looking for more warnings right now. But the great thing about looking overseas is that you soon realise there is nothing new under the sun. Important lessons Most countries are trying to improve their approach to special needs, and several have introduced major reforms against tough odds. There are therefore important lessons we can learn from our neighbours, without falling into the trap of “policy borrowing”. Firstly, it seems that countries get in trouble when they focus …

Trump Is Boosting MAGA X Accounts Operating Overseas

Trump Is Boosting MAGA X Accounts Operating Overseas

Published by skeptic

A new feature on X has revealed that a number of major MAGA accounts on the platform are operated by people based overseas. And in the days since these accounts were exposed, President Donald Trump has continued boosting several of them. Many of the accounts, which have large followings and claim to be conservative people based in Texas or “America First” accounts “promoting good resisting evil,” are actually operated everywhere from Chile and Nigeria to Russia and across Eastern Europe. These accounts largely post about divisive issues, including immigration, gender, and Israel. In one instance, a verified account called MAGA NATION with almost 400,000 followers and the American flag in its screen name was revealed to be operated from a non-EU country in Eastern Europe. Many of the accounts feature the names of members of the Trump family, including an Ivanka Trump news account with over 1 million followers that was based in Nigeria. The account has since been suspended. On Saturday, Trump shared on Truth Social a screenshot of an X post from an …