World
- WorldAssociated Press
On a visit to his Belarusian ally, Putin questions Zelenskyy's legitimacy as Ukraine's leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his Belarusian counterpart and close ally for talks Friday in Minsk, after which he questioned whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf. Russia is willing to hold talks about the war in Ukraine, Putin said, but Zelenskyy's five-year term in office was supposed to end May 20.
3 min read - WorldBBC
New lord mayor of Leeds sworn in
Abigail Marshall Katung, who was born in Nigeria, becomes the city's first mayor of African descent.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Berlin reticent about new EU air defence initiative
Germany on Friday gave a cautious reaction to a Polish-Greek proposal for a new European air defence shield. The initiative had been noted, said government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann, while referring to an existing German project to strengthen Europe's defence from aerial attack. Twenty-one countries are involved in the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) devised after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and intended to close gaps in NATO's defence shield for Europe. For examp
2 min read - BusinessRoad & Track
Land Rover Is About to Start Building Range Rovers Outside the U.K.
The Range Rover is a British icon, and has been exclusively manufactured in the United Kingdom since 1983 — but Land Rover is about to start building them in India.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
'Prosecco Nazis': Germany outraged over video of racist chant on Sylt
A video shared online of young Germans chanting racist anti-immigrant slogans outside a pub on the North Sea island of Sylt has sparked outrage in the country. The group chanted "Foreigners out!" and "Germany for Germans" as the hit party song "L'Amour Toujours" by Gigi D'Agostino played at a pub in the resort town of Kampen, a destination popular with wealthy German holidaymakers. In the recording, which is only a few seconds long and has been going viral on social media since Thursday, young m
4 min read - WorldAFP
Italian activist goes on trial in Hungary assault case
An Italian anti-fascist activist on Friday went on trial in Hungary for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis in a case that has sparked tensions between the two EU allies.Her case has sparked tensions between Rome and Budapest despite the cordial relations between their far-right prime ministers, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Hungary's Viktor Orban, with Rome making several official complaints on behalf of Salis.
3 min read - WorldBBC
World ignoring risk of Sudan genocide - UN expert
Sudan is facing a genocide as the world's attention is focused on Ukraine and Gaza, a UN expert warns.
3 min read - BusinessPackaging Gateway
ITO EN adopts SIG’s Drinksplus technology for new beverages
The move will allow ITO EN to expand its presence in Japan's veggie juice market.
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Germany ready to use Russian asset interest to help Ukraine
Germany is open to taking further steps to utilise interest generated from frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Friday. However, this should not have any "legally disadvantageous or economically risky consequences," Lindner told a meeting in northern Italy of finance ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized democracies. There was a shared openness on the part of European G7 members to scrutinize a corresponding US proposal to thi
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
European Union criticizes Russia for removing Estonian buoys, demand an explanation from Moscow
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday called the removal of Estonian buoys by Russian border guards on a river separating the Baltic country from Russia “unacceptable,” and demanded an explanation from Moscow and the immediate return of the orange floats. Early Thursday, Estonian border guards noticed that their Russian counterparts had removed 25 of the 50 buoys that Estonia had installed on the Narva River to prevent boats from accidentally crossing the border.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
As South Africa election nears, one candidate ditches political parties to go it alone
An outspoken former activist and member of South Africa's ruling African National Congress will be among at least 10 independent candidates seeking to become lawmakers for the first time in the country's history. Anele Mda was among members of the ANC who broke away from the party in 2008 to form the Congress of the People which contested elections the following year. Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of what's expected to be a highly contested election on May 29, Mda said she had given u
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Scholz blasts 'disgusting' video of racist chanting on holiday island
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply condemned the racist chanting by young people in front of a pub on the German resort island of Sylt that was captured on video. "Quite clearly, such slogans are disgusting, they are unacceptable," he said. "There must be no confusion about this. And that's why it's right that all of our activities are aimed at precisely preventing this from being a thing that spreads." In the recording that has gone viral, shouts of "Foreigners out!" and "Germany for Germans" c
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Latvia and Finland 'calmly' tracking Russian maritime border plans
Latvia and Finland will maintain a calm and factually grounded response to Russia's surprise legislative project to redefine its maritime borders in the Baltic Sea, leaders of the two countries said on Friday. "It is clear that Russia is looking for new ways for hybrid actions on both our EU and NATO borders. We must of course be vigilant and react based on facts," Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said in Riga after talks with her Finnish counterpart Petteri Orpo. "We will continue to follow
2 min read - Worlddpa international
The Week in Pictures: May 17-24, 2024
From the death of the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and the trial surrounding the alleged far-right coup plot in Germany, to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and the historic victories in football by Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen, dpa International presents its Pictures of the Week.
7 min read - WorldBBC
What is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ?
The International Court of Justice is considering whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
5 min read - WorldReuters
Strikes continue in Gaza, as UN court orders Israel to halt Rafah assault
Israeli forces stepped up military strikes on Gaza on Friday, residents and medics said, with planes bombing targets in the southern city of Rafah even as the U.N.'s top court ordered Israel to halt its offensive there. Heavy fighting was also reported in Jabalia, in the north, where Israel's military said it had recovered the bodies of three hostages killed during the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered the war. In Rafah, where an escalating Israeli assault has sent hundreds of thousan
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Russia smashes train tracks in a battered Ukrainian border region where children are being evacuated
A nighttime Russian attack destroyed trains and tracks in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, officials said Friday, and authorities organized the evacuation of children from the area as it is being pummeled by the Kremlin’s forces in a powerful new offensive. Authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the Kharkiv region since Russia launched an offensive there on May 10, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Officials on Friday announced the mandatory evacuation over the next 60
3 min read - Worlddpa international
EU member states give final approval to new supply chain law
Ministers for the European Union's member states on Friday gave their final approval to a much fought-over law requiring companies to protect human rights in their supply chains. The Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence - also known as the European Supply Chain Act - is intended to hold large companies accountable if they profit from child or forced labour outside the EU. No member states voted against the law, but 10 abstained, including Germany. Getting the law over the line too
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Polish Prime Minister Tusk rules out bid for presidency in 2025
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has emphatically ruled out his seeking election as president in 2025, despite rumours that he will take a second run at the position. "I say it this clearly: No, I will not run in the presidential election," Tusk told the country's TVP Info on Thursday evening. According to Tusk, who until 2019 was president of the European Council before returning as Poland's prime minister late last year, he had so much to do as head of government that a few months or years
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Thai town maddened by marauding monkeys launches plan to lock them up and send them away
A Thai town, run ragged by its ever-growing population of marauding wild monkeys, launched an offensive against the simian raiders on Friday, using trickery and ripe tropical fruit. Several high-profile cases of monkey-human conflict recently convinced authorities in Lopburi in central Thailand that they had to reduce the animals' numbers.
3 min read - Businessdpa international
German economy saw small growth in first quarter, data confirms
Germany's economy expanded slightly in the first quarter thanks to increased construction sector activity and a rise in exports, government data showed on Friday, matching a preliminary estimate of 0.2% quarter-on-quarter growth released last month. "After GDP fell at the end of 2023, the German economy started 2024 on a positive note," said Ruth Brand, president of the Federal Statistical Office, in a statement. Hopes for Europe's biggest economy in the coming months are pinned chiefly on a pic
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Ukraine's Kharkiv hit with another aerial bombing raid
Two glide bombs hit Kharkiv in a renewed overnight attack on the north-eastern Ukrainian city which has been the target of Russian airstrikes for months. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that there were no casualties reported and several residential buildings as well as an uninhabited building were slightly damaged. Seven people were killed by Russian strikes in Kharkiv on Thursday when at least 15 missiles hit the city and the surrounding area during daytime hours. One of Ukraine's
1 min read - WorldBBC
I couldn't bury my brother because of Sudan bombing
El Fasher residents in the firing line as satellite images show camp targeted by paramilitary fighters.
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel limits Spanish diplomatic services over Palestine recognition
Two days after Spain announced its intention to recognize an independent state of Palestine, Israel has imposed restrictions on the work of Spanish diplomats in the country. The Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Spanish Consulate General in East Jerusalem will in future be prohibited from offering their services to Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on the social media platform X on Friday. Katz justified the measure by pointing to a statement
1 min read - Worlddpa international
German health minister urges strict limits on 'laughing gas' sales
Germany's health minister, Karl Lauterbach, plans to introduce stricter rules to curb the sale of nitrous oxide, sometimes known as laughing gas, especially to young people. The drug, which is used in medicine as an anaesthetic and for pain reduction, has become a particularly popular party drug among young people in Germany. The sale and consumption of nitrous oxide is not restricted under current law. "We will come up with a regulation quickly," Lauterbach told public broadcaster ARD on Friday
2 min read - WorldBBC
I'm facing consequences of returning to politics - Lungu
Zambia's ex-president insists that he is under virtual house arrest, although this is denied by the police.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
A police officer is held in deadly shooting in riot-hit New Caledonia after Macron pushes for calm
A police officer in riot-hit New Caledonia shot and killed a man Friday after being attacked by a group of about 15 people, the territory's prosecutor said, the seventh shooting death in the unrest shaking the French Pacific archipelago. The fatal shooting came hours after an emergency round-trip from Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron to de-escalate the violence. Prosecutor Yves Dupas says the officer is believed to have fired one shot, killing the 48-year-old man on Friday afternoon.
5 min read - BusinessSouth China Morning Post
China's EV price war spreads overseas as carmakers chase market share, higher profit margins
A price war among Chinese electric vehicle (EV) assemblers is spreading to overseas markets as more than a dozen players look abroad to bolster sales and chase higher profits to offset losses at home. In Southeast Asia, where battery-powered cars are becoming more and more popular, Chinese EV builders from established giants like BYD and Great Wall Motor to start-ups such as Hozon New Energy Automobile are offering discounts in a bid to take on Japanese rivals whose petrol vehicles dominate the
5 min read - USAssociated Press
Excess weight on terrace of Spanish building may have led to collapse that killed 4, officials say
Excess weight on a first-floor terrace may have contributed to the collapse of a building housing a bar and restaurant club on the Spanish island of Mallorca that killed four people, officials said Friday. Spain’s National Police said the collapse Thursday killed two German women, ages 20 and 30, and a 33-year-old Spanish woman as well as a 44-year-old Senegalese man. Palma de Mallorca Mayor Jaime Martínez and fire department spokesman Eder García told reporters that excess weight on the terra
2 min read - WorldAFP
Old Singapore Airlines footage recirculates after flight's high-altitude ordeal in 2024
Old footage showing items scattered on a Singapore Airlines plane cabin's floor has been viewed more than one million times in posts falsely linking it to a flight that hit extreme turbulence over Asia on May 21, 2024. The clip, however, has circulated since 2013 in reports about another Singapore Airlines flight that was rocked by turbulence during the breakfast service.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Iran's military says Raisi's helicopter caught fire soon after crash and there was no sign of attack
The helicopter carrying Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was no sign it was attacked, state media reported, citing the military's crash investigators. The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was read on state television late Thursday. The crash Sunday killed Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and six other people.
1 min read - WorldBBC
In pictures: North India boils as temperatures near 50C
Parts of northern India are experiencing a brutal heatwave, with temperatures crossing 48C.
2 min read - NewsWFLA
Staying hot and dry through Memorial Day
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Temperatures climb into the low 90s this afternoon, but the humidity remains at comfortable levels. Be sure to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. We’ll get a breeze off the Gulf of Mexico in the afternoon, but there’s not enough moisture for showers to form. The rain chance remains less than 10% […]
1 min read - Worlddpa international
UN court to decide on demand for Israel to withdraw from Rafah
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is due to rule on Friday on South Africa's demand for further legal action against Israel to prevent genocide against the Palestinians. In particular, the ruling concerns the possible ordering of an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli military from Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. South Africa submitted an urgent application to this effect to the ICJ on May 10. The ruling will be announced by the president of the court, Lebanese lawyer Nawaf Salam, a
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Security Council approves resolution decrying attacks on UN and aid workers and demanding protection
The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution Friday that strongly condemns attacks on humanitarian workers and U.N. personnel and demands that all combatants protect them in accordance with international law. Switzerland’s U.N. Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl welcomed the strong support for the resolution, which had 97 co-sponsors, telling the council its objective was simple but important: to protect the men and women working as humanitarians and for the United Nations who risk their
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Pakistan to pay $2.58 million in compensation to families of 5 Chinese who died in suicide bombing
Pakistan will pay $2.58 million in compensation to the families of five Chinese engineers who were killed in March when a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle carrying them in the northwest, the finance ministry said. The Chinese were attacked in the town of Bisham as they were heading to Dasu Dam, Pakistan’s biggest, where they worked. The compensation was approved at a meeting led by Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb, the statement said.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Fire at chemical factory in India kills at least 9, with searchers looking for more victims
Rescuers combed through piles of debris and wreckage Friday searching for bodies after an explosion and fire at a chemical factory in western India killed at least nine people and injured 64 others, officials said. The explosion in the factory’s boiler on Thursday led to a fire that affected nearby factories and houses in Maharashtra state’s Thane district, administrative official Sachin Shejal said. The factory produced food coloring and used highly reactive chemicals that can cause explosion
1 min read - USAssociated Press
A fire in an apartment building in Hanoi, Vietnam, kills 14 people and injures 6
An overnight fire in an apartment building on a narrow alley in Vietnam's capital killed 14 people and injured six others, state media said Friday. The apartment building in central Hanoi could only be accessed through an alley just 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide, preventing firetrucks from reaching it, and firefighters eventually contained the fire by using hoses, state media said. The fire started around 12:30 a.m. and was accompanied by several explosions, the Vietnam News Agency said.
2 min read - WorldAFP
Old video falsely shared as 'poll-rigging by supporters of Indian Muslim candidate'
Election authorities in India's southern state of Telangana c onfirmed a video shared online was filmed years before national elections in 2024, contrary to Facebook posts that falsely claimed it showed supporters of a Muslim candidate tampering with votes in this year's polls. The footage has circulated online since at least February 2022 in news reports that said it showed voter fraud in the eastern state of West Bengal.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Climate change and rapid urbanization worsened the impact of East African rains, scientists say
The impact of the calamitous rains that struck East Africa from March to May was intensified by a mix of climate change and rapid growth of urban areas, an international team of climate scientists said in a study published Friday. The findings come from World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists that analyzes whether and to what extent human-induced climate change has altered the likelihood and magnitude of extreme weather events. The downpours caused floods that killed hundreds of peopl
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Thursday in Belarus for a two-day visit as part of several foreign tours to kick off his fifth term in office, underscoring close ties with a neighboring ally that has been instrumental in Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Putin traveled to China earlier this month, and is expected in Uzbekistan on Sunday. Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president hosted Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Kremlin.
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel shows ambassadors with Palestine statehood plan hostage video
The ambassadors of Spain and Ireland as well as the Norwegian representative to Israel have been reprimanded at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. They were also shown a video on Thursday of the brutal capture of army observers on October 7 by militants from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Foreign Minister Israel Katz had already announced this plan on Wednesday together with the summoning of the diplomats. Israeli media had also been invited to the screening of the video. In a subsequent state
1 min read - ScienceSpace
China launches test satellite to very low Earth orbit (video)
China launched four satellites on Tuesday (May 21) to test out new technologies. The spacecraft went up on the third-ever launch of the Kuaizhou-11 solid rocket.
2 min read - USDefense News
Replicator drones already being delivered, Pentagon says
The program meant to counter China by helping the Pentagon quickly buy thousands of drones. It's nearing the halfway point of an August 2025 deadline.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Lithuania urges coordinated response to Russian maritime border plans
Lithuania has urged a coordinated response to a Russian legislative project on the possible redefinition of its maritime borders in the Baltic Sea. "We continue to work with our neighbours and partners at both EU and NATO level to ensure a unified response to the situation," Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told the BNS news agency in Vilnius on Thursday. In Russia, a draft from the Ministry of Defence was published earlier on Thursday in the government's legislative database. It announced an adj
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Former South African president Jacob Zuma criticizes top court over election disqualification
Former South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday criticized the country's highest court and his former allies in the ruling African National Congress over his disqualification from next week's election and said he would fight for his rights “in a disciplined way.” Zuma's comments came in a video message he said was aimed at the people of South Africa and released on social media six days before the possibly pivotal national vote. The 82-year-old former leader made clear he would still cam
3 min read - WorldINSIDER
China's military is surrounding Taiwan, sending its new president an unmistakable message
China's provocative military drills near Taiwan are seen as "strong punishment" and follow the recent inauguration of its new president, Lai Ching-te.
5 min read - SportsExplorersWeb
Spring Causes Change of Plans On Quebec-Labrador Journey
Almost a year ago, in June 2023, Justin Barbour set out to canoe, snowshoe, and trek 3,800km from Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada down to the southernmost point on the island of Newfoundland. He wanted to finish in a year and has mostly stayed on schedule, despite some setbacks and a recent route change. We […]
3 min read - WorldBBC
Sixteen arrested over Oxford University Gaza protest
Oxford Action for Palestine organised a sit-in at university offices on Wellington Square.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Pakistan says United Arab Emirates to invest $10 billion in Pakistan
The Pakistani government said Thursday that the United Arab Emirates committed to investing up to $10 billion in Pakistan during a meeting in the UAE capital between that country's president and the Pakistani prime minister. The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the commitment during a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Sharif, who is visiting the UAE. The statement said Sharif told the UAE president about measures
1 min read
