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The White House has asked countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent seat on a new “Board of Peace” chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a draft charter seen by AFP and shared with invitees. The body—initially framed as a vehicle to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction—would be empowered to address conflicts far beyond the Palestinian territory, positioning itself as an alternative to existing multilateral institutions. Under the terms outlined in the charter, member states would be represented by their heads of…

EU finance ministers have agreed to impose a €3 duty on every small parcel imported into the 27-nation bloc starting 1 July next year, a measure aimed at stemming a flood of ultra-cheap e-commerce shipments from platforms such as Shein and Temu. The flat levy follows the bloc’s move last month to scrap a duty exemption for direct-to-consumer packages valued at less than €150. An EU spokesperson said the €3 charge will be temporary and will remain in place until member states settle on a permanent approach to taxing the…

In Madagascar, the constitution requires the state to organize "public education, free and accessible to all," but in fact, school, even public, is far from free. In addition to tuition fees, the parents of students often have to contribute to the payment of salaries to "Fram masters", the teachers who only have the matriculation exam in their pocket. Given these significant costs for the most…