Iran has abruptly raised prices as much as 300% for a variety of staples like oil, chicken, milk and eggs.

LAS BAMBAS, Peru – The community of Fuerabamba in the Andean region of Peru was resettled eight years ago to make way for a giant Chinese-owned copper mine, in a $1.2 billion scheme billed as a model solution to protests dogging the South American nation’s mining sector.

PRISTINA  – Kosovo government said on Thursday it will apply for membership at the European rights watchdog the Council of Europe, seizing an opportunity after Russia quit the body in mid-March.

ROME – Italy’s population will shrink by 5 million within 30 years unless decisive steps are taken to increase the number of births, the head of the country’s statistics institute ISTAT warned on Thursday.

JAKARTA  – Indonesia is seeking a balance between capitalising on high global palm oil prices while ensuring food at home is affordable, a senior government official said on Wednesday, amid the country’s ongoing ban on exports of the vegetable oil.

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI – China’s military said on Wednesday that it had monitored and warned a U.S. warship that had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that happened shortly after China carried out drills near the island.

Britain has pledged to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland, including with military support, if the two Nordic nations came under attack under security deals Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with his Swedish counterpart in Stockholm and the Finnish president in Helsinki.

The remote Greek island of Tilos has pioneered a recycling plant that could act as a blueprint for other islands — including popular holiday destinations — that struggle with waste disposal.

South Korea’s new president says he’ll present “an audacious plan” to improve North Korea’s economy if it denuclearizes.

KUWAIT – Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah finally accepted the resignation submitted by the government more than a month ago, issuing a decree on Tuesday asking it to stay on in a caretaker role, state news agency KUNA reported.