GREENLAND: A court has further extended the detention of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson as Denmark considers an extradition request from Japan.

The court ruled today that the Canadian-US dual national must remain in detention until October 2 while Denmark’s Justice Ministry considers the request. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

SOUTH KOREA: Authorities said today that it has detected suspected rubbish-carrying balloons launched by North Korea, in the latest round of a dispute between the two rival states.

The metropolitan government of Seoul, South Korea’s capital, issued text alerts today warning that objects likely to be North Korean balloons had been spotted in regions north of the city. It advised people to stay indoors and beware of objects falling from the sky.

MONGOLIA: Russian President Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome on Tuesday, as the country ignored calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The visit, which ended on Tuesday night, was Mr Putin’s first to an International Criminal Court member nation since it issued the warrant in March 2023. 

EGYPT: President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi made his first official visit to Turkey today since taking office, after the two regional powers ended years of tensions.

Mr Sissi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral relations, the conflict in Gaza and escalating tensions in the Middle East, among other topics. 

They were also expected to oversee the signing of more than a dozen co-operation agreements to strengthen the relationship between their nations.