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- Worlddpa international
Berlin summons Iranian ambassador over attack on Israel
The German Foreign Office has summoned Iran's ambassador following Tehran's attack on Israel, a spokesman said on Monday afternoon. The conversation is currently taking place at the ministry, he said. Iran had summoned the German ambassador to Tehran on Sunday, the spokesman in Berlin noted. Iran had justified its summons with the "irresponsible positions" of Germany, as well as France and Britain, whose ambassadors had also been called in. For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republ
1 min read - WorldBusiness Insider
Iran's aerial attack on Israel was based on Russian tactics in Ukraine, war experts say
Iran aimed to overwhelm Israel's air defense with drones so its ballistic missiles could then hit, a tactic borrowed from Russia, some experts said.
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Scholz warns China not to support Russia ahead of meeting with Xi
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he will warn Chinese President Xi Jinping against providing military support for Russia. He will point out that Russia is waging a war of conquest against Ukraine, "and insist that no one must help this to succeed," Scholz said in Shanghai on Monday. "That is why we are also calling on everyone not to circumvent sanctions ... and that is why we are also calling for no arms deliveries." This also applies to goods that can be used for both civilian and military p
1 min read - USAssociated Press
A man is arrested after a stabbing at a church service in Sydney. Police say no lives are in danger
Police in Australia say a man has been arrested after a bishop and three churchgoers were stabbed in Sydney. It occurred during a televised service at the church on Monday evening, police said. A video on social media shows a man dressed in black approaching a cleric at the altar identified as the bishop at Christ the Good Shepherd in suburban Wakely and appearing to stab him repeatedly in the head and upper body.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
EU releases blocked funds of $6.7 billion to Poland as part of its post-pandemic recovery package
The European Union disbursed 6.3 billion euros (about $6.7 billion) to Poland as a part of the 27-nation bloc's post-pandemic recovery fund, the biggest single transfer ever to the country, a government minister said Monday. Poland's former national conservative governmen t, voted out of power in October, made changes to the judiciary which the EU said violated democratic checks and balances, and so decided to block the money. The European Commission had said at the time Poland must meet certa
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Azerbaijan urges top UN court to toss out Armenian case alleging racial discrimination
Lawyers for Azerbaijan on Monday urged the top United Nations court to throw out a case filed by Armenia linked to the long-running dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, arguing that judges do not have jurisdiction. Armenia filed the case at the International Court of Justice in 2021, accusing Azerbaijan of a “state-sponsored policy of Armenian hatred” that has led to “systemic discrimination, mass killings, torture and other abuse.” The legal dispute stems from long-standing tensions that
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Berlin and Paris call for support for Sudanese people amid civil war
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné have called on the international community to provide urgent support for Sudan at the start of an aid conference on the northeast African country in Paris. One year after civil war erupted in the country, the Sudanese had become victims of being forgetten, in addition to being victims of displacement and hunger, Séjourné said. "Today we are placing a forgotten crisis on the agenda," she added. Baerbock pledged
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Israeli military renews warnings to Palestinians not to return to war-torn northern Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military renewed warnings on Monday for Palestinians in Gaza not to return to the embattled territory’s north, a day after Gaza hospital officials said five people were killed as throngs of displaced residents tried to reach their homes in the war-torn area. While around 250,000 people are said to be living in the north, the Israeli military has prevented most displaced people from returning throughout the six-month-long war, saying the area is an ac
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Germany's Baerbock urges Israel to comply with international law
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel must comply with international law when considering its response to Iran's massive aerial attack. "The right to self-defence means defence against an attack. Retaliation is not a category in international law," Baerbock said in response to a journalist's question about whether Israel had the right to retaliate. Iran's launch of 300 drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday had brought the region to the brink of all-out war, Baerbock said.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Lightning, rains kill 36 people in Pakistan as authorities declare a state of emergency in southwest
Lightning and heavy rains have killed at least 36 people, mostly farmers, across Pakistan in the past three days, officials said Monday, as authorities in the country's southwest declared a state of emergency. Most of the deaths occurred when lightning struck farmers harvesting wheat and rains caused houses to collapse in eastern Punjab province, said Arfan Kathia, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority. Rain also lashed the capital, Islamabad, and killed seven people in
2 min read - WorldAFP
False posts about 'anti-graft arrests on live TV' surface after 2024 China political meet
Posts that surfaced after China's "Two Sessions" political meeting in March 2024 misrepresented an old video they falsely claimed showed officials reacting to anti-graft arrests supposedly broadcast live on television. Chinese President Xi Jinping has waged a sweeping campaign against deep-seated corruption since coming to power but there were no official reports about the purported event described in the posts as of April 15, 2024. The video previously circulated in news reports about a politic
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Around 20,000 people displaced every day in Sudan, UN says
Around 20,000 people are newly displaced every day in Sudan, according to UN figures released on Monday to mark one year of civil war in the country. More than half of them are children and young people, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. More than 8.6 million people are estimated to have fled their homes since last April. Around 2 million have escaped across the border to Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, the IOM said. "Sudan is on a tragically fast track to becoming one o
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Testimony begins in lawsuit accusing Japanese police of racial profiling
A civil lawsuit accusing Japanese police of racial profiling opened Monday with emotional testimony from plaintiffs who said they were constantly stopped and questioned without good reason. The case, filed in January by three residents of Japan with overseas ancestry, including an American, claims their treatment constitutes discrimination and violates their human rights. Japan does not have any anti-discrimination law, nor any laws or guidelines aimed at preventing racial profiling, but the g
3 min read - WorldBBC
MSC Aries: India may soon meet its crew on ship seized by Iran
Seventeen of 25 crew members on the Israel-linked ship seized over the weekend are Indian nationals.
3 min read - WorldBusiness Insider
Iran's attack on Israel could be bad for Russia's war in Ukraine
Iran is a key arms supplier and economic partner to Russia.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
58 killed by 2 weeks of floods in Tanzania
Floods have killed 58 people in Tanzania during the last two weeks, the government said, as heavy rains continue in the East African country. The coastal region was hit hardest, with 126,831 people affected, according to the government. Government spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi said on Sunday that essential supplies including food had been distributed to those affected.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Paris hosts Sudan aid conference one year after start of war
One year after a brutal war erupted between rival factions of Sudan's security forces, France and Germany are leading an international donor conference in Paris on Monday to raise funds for urgently needed humanitarian aid. French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell headline the event that will also feature aid groups working on the ground and representatives of Sudan's neighbours. A bloody power struggle is ragi
2 min read - WorldBBC
Ukraine's power plants at the mercy of Russian missiles
Russia now frequently targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure in an attempt to cripple the country.
8 min read - Worlddpa international
Weary refugees wait in searing heat, hoping Sudan's conflict will end
Claudia Godid sits on a bed frame and pushes the green headscarf over her face to protect herself from the omnipresent dust. She looks wearily towards the two flagpoles that mark the border between South Sudan and Sudan, a good 100 metres away. She has come to Joda border point from the Sudanese town of Rabak and originally lived in Khartoum. "It was bad, very, very bad," Godid says of the start of Sudan's bloody conflict a year ago. "It was no longer safe – the airstrikes, the shootings. Many w
8 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Croatia's parliamentary election follows harsh contest between country's top two officials
Croatia's upcoming parliamentary election, set for Wednesday, follows a campaign that was marked by heated exchanges between the country’s two top officials, sparking a political crisis in the Balkan country that belongs to both the European Union and NATO. The ballot will pit the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic against an alliance of centrist and left-wing parties informally led by populist President Zoran Milanovic and his S
3 min read - WorldBBC
Sudan conflict: A front-row seat to my country falling apart
Zeinab Mohammed Salih reflects on what has happened to Sudan since fighting broke out a year ago.
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Report: Hamas presents counter-proposal for hostage deal
The Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas has presented mediators with a counter-proposal for a hostage deal, in indirect negotiations in the Gaza war, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. This would only provide for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip after a 42-day ceasefire, Haaretz reported on Sunday night, citing Palestinian and Arab sources. Hamas had previously rejected
3 min read - Worlddpa international
German leaders urge restraint following Iranian attack on Israel
German leaders called for de-escalation and urged restraint on Sunday following Iran's overnight attack on Israel, amid fears Tehran's move could spark a wider conflagration in the Middle East. Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned while on a visit to China against any further escalation. "Things must not continue in this way," Scholz said in Chongqing. "We will do everything we can to avoid further escalation." Scholz termed the Iranian attack "absolutely unjustifiable" and added that it was in no way
3 min read - Worlddpa international
Stop tolerating Russian terrorism, Zelensky tells West
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western countries to do better in implementing sanctions to prevent Russian "terrorism" in Ukraine. Every missile that hits Ukraine contained components that were sourced from companies in other countries and imported via the territory of Russia's neighbours, Zelensky said in his evening video address on Sunday. "All of this must and can be stopped: the connivance at terror, the ability of terrorists to seek accomplices around the world, and a
3 min read - Worlddpa international
German foreign minister calls for more sanctions on Iran after attack
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for tougher sanctions on Tehran after Iran launched a direct and unprecedented attack on Israel. Sanctions are already in play concerning the drones used in Russia's war on Ukraine, she said. "I am strongly in favour of extending them to Iran, because we can see how dangerous its actions are at the moment," she told public broadcaster ARD. Her comments came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels would discuss fu
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Herzog: We are protecting Europe from the Iranian 'empire of evil'
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has described Iran's attack on Israel as a "declaration of war" and said in interview with British broadcaster Sky News that Israel is protecting Europe from this "evil" country. "We are here to protect Europe from this evil empire and it is time that this became clear," Herzog said in the Sunday interview, according to the Israeli government press office. "It's about time that the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran, and make it clear to the Iranian regime t
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Moscow and Tehran warn against further escalation
Less than a day after Iran's attack on Israel and ahead of an imminent response from the Israeli military, both Russia's and Iran's foreign ministers have warned of the threat of further escalation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday that "new provocations" could lead to "dangerous" levels of tensions across the Middle East. "A further escalation of the situation in the region and new dangerous provocative actions could lead
1 min read - WorldBBC
DFDS ferries cancelled due to adverse weather
Early sailings on Monday between Newhaven and Dieppe, in France, are cancelled, says ferry operator.
1 min read - WorldAFP
Russian governor warns of 'very difficult' plight as floods rise
Floodwaters in southern Russia on Sunday threatened to submerge thousands more homes in the Kurgan region, where the governor predicted a "very difficult situation" in the coming hours.The floods have already submerged 34,000 homes in Russia's southern Orenburg region, due to the rising Ural River.
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Three bakeries resume operations in Gaza with UN aid
Three bakeries in Gaza City resumed operations on Sunday with the help of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). According to eyewitness reports, thousands of people showed up to buy food shortly after the announcement was made that bread would be baked in the bakeries again. Israeli airstrikes have destroyed many of the city's bakeries, and according to Palestinian sources, the WFP had now provided gas and repaired bread-making machines to allow baking to resume. Palestinian officials s
1 min read - WorldReuters
Ukraine's top commander says Russia aims to capture Chasiv Yar by May 9
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's top commander said on Sunday Russian forces aimed to capture the town of Chasiv Yar by May 9, setting the stage for an important battle for control of high ground in the east where Russia is focusing its assaults. The fall of the town west of the shattered city of Bakhmut by the date Moscow marks the Soviet victory in World War Two would indicate growing Russian battlefield momentum as Kyiv faces a slowdown in Western military aid. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, w
3 min read - Worlddpa international
White House on Iranian attacks: 'We don't want to see this escalate'
The US seeking to avoid further escalations in the Middle East following Iran's attack on Israel, White House spokesman John Kirby said. "We don’t want to see this escalate. We are not looking for a major war with Iran," Kirby, communications director of the US government's National Security Council, said on Sunday, adding that the US president had been clear he was not seeking war with Iran. The US would continue to help Israel defend itself, Kirby said, but said that how Israel responds now wi
1 min read - Worlddpa international
EU condemns Iran's attack on Israel as 'unprecedented escalation'
The European Union condemned Iran's direct aerial attack on Israel in the "strongest terms" on Sunday. "This is an unprecedented escalation and a threat to regional security," the bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said on behalf of the EU on Sunday. "We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint." In this highly tense regional situation, further escalation can be in no one's interest, Borrell said in a statement. He also reaffirmed the European Union's commitment to Israel's security. "T
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Lufthansa suspends Tel Aviv, Erbil, Amman routes after Iranian attack
Germany's flagship airline Lufthansa is temporarily suspending several flights to cities in the Middle East, it said on Sunday, amid wider disruption unleashed by Iran's attack on Israel. The measure affects regular flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, to Erbil in Iraq and Amman in Jordan, the Lufthansa Group said on its website. Flights to the three destinations are set to resume on Tuesday, under current plans. Flights to Beirut in Lebanon and Tehran in Iran are to remain suspended until at
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Yemen's Houthis voice support for Iran's attack on Israel
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis has described Tehran's major aerial attack on Israel as a "legitimate" response to a suspected Israeli bombing of an Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this month. "[Iran] will not be able to get away with its crimes unpunished," the militia's spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam said in a post on social media platform X, referring to Israel, Iran's arch-foe. Houthi militants have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in what they say is retaliation for
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel calls for Iran's Revolutionary Guards to be declared terrorist
Following Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel, the Israeli Foreign Ministry says one immediate response would be to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which carried out the attacks, as a terrorist organization. According to a statement on Sunday, which Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat also posted on social media platform X, Israel would also impose "painful sanctions" on Iran, including on the area of missile development. The Iranian attack was accompanied by additional terro
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel's Gantz hopes for regional coalition against Iran
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, is hoping for the formation of a regional coalition to counter Iran. Iran will be made to pay the price for its attack on Israel "as and when it suits us," Gantz said on Sunday. "Iran is a global problem, a regional challenge and also a threat to Israel," he said. The world joined Israel in confronting this danger overnight, Gantz said, calling this a strategic success for Israel. Israel proved "that it is an anchor of military and technological str
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Hundreds rally in Berlin in support of Israel after Iranian attack
Several hundred people gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Sunday following a call from the German-Israeli Society to show solidarity with Israel following the Iranian attack overnight. Police in the German capital put the number at around 500 and said the event had passed off peacefully. Demonstrators held up placards reading "Hands off Israel" and "There is no right to anti-Semitism." Many carried Israeli flags, and there were also old-style Iranian flags from before the 1979 Islamic Revo
1 min read - WorldBBC
Somali pirates free Bangladesh-flagged vessel, MV Abdullah
The Bangladesh-flagged cargo vessel and its crew were seized last month off Somalia's coast.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Heavy rains set off flash floods, killing 33 people in Afghanistan
Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people and injured 27 others in three days, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday. Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that flash floods hit the capital, Kabul, and several provinces. The flooding also damaged around 800 hectares of agricultural land, and more than 85 kilometers (53 miles) of roads, Saiq said.
1 min read - Worlddpa international
EU foreign ministers to discuss de-escalation, security on Tuesday
The European Union's top diplomat has called a meeting of EU foreign ministers for Tuesday, as Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel fuels fears of a wider war in the Middle East. "Our objective is to contribute to de-escalation and security of the region," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iran directly attacked its arch enemy Israel overnight. The attack was retaliation for the kill
1 min read - WorldBBC
FM condemns attack on Israel and repeats ceasefire call
Humza Yousaf described the attack as 'worrying' and stood by his call to end UK arms sales to Israel.
2 min read - Worlddpa international
Spain's Sánchez urges restraint following Iranian attack on Israel
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called on all international leaders to show responsibility and restraint following the Iranian attack on Israel. Madrid had "always condemned all forms of violence against the safety and wellbeing of innocent civilians and will continue to do so," he said in a post on X. Madrid has been a sharp critic of Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attacks. Sánchez called for lessons to be learned from history and for diplomatic ways to
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Israel will respond 'with action, not words,' military spokesman says
An Israeli military spokesman has announced an unspecified response following the major Iranian attack on Israel. "We will respond to Iran with action, not words," he told the Iranian exile broadcaster Iran International on Sunday, according to a post on social media platform X. The military spokesman did not go into detail about what Israeli response might look like. Another X post by the army in Farsi stated: "Every action has a reaction, not with words, but with action." It is as yet unclear
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Germany's Scholz warns of further escalation after Iran airstrikes
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned against "any further escalation" following the Iranian airstrikes on Israel. "Things must not continue in this way," Scholz said on Sunday in the Chinese metropolis of Chongqing. "We will do everything we can to avoid further escalation." Scholz once again strongly condemned the Iranian attack. "This is an absolutely unjustifiable attack, it is a serious escalation of the situation," he said, adding that it was in no way acceptable, understandable or tole
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Germany's Scholz trip to China overshadowed by Iran attack on Israel
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz began a three-day visit to China on Sunday, overshadowed by Iran's unprecedented air attack on Israel. Scholz learned of Tehran's massive drone and missile attack during his overnight flight to the Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, which is home to some 32 million inhabitants. Upon landing, Scholz immediately condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms," in comments on his behalf by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. Later, Scholz said it was an "an a
4 min read - Worlddpa international
Moscow: Iran invoking self-defence following Damascus bombing
Moscow expressed concern at escalation in the Middle East on Sunday following the Iranian overnight attacks on Israel and blamed Western powers for failing to respond to the earlier attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus. "Unfortunately, due to the position adopted by its Western members, the [UN] Security Council was unable to provide a proper response to the strike on the Iranian consular mission," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Iran was invoking its right to self-defence under the UN Char
1 min read - Worlddpa international
Western European heads condemn Iran, warn of Middle East escalation
Western European leaders condemned Iran's direct overnight attack on Israel in sharp terms on Sunday, while issuing warnings of an escalation in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron said the attack threatened to destabilize the region. "France is working along with its partners for de-escalation and calls for restraint," he posted on X. Macron expressed solidarity with the people of Israel and emphasized the significance of Israeli security for France. Accord
2 min read - WorldLive Science
'Most of Gorongosa's large animals had died': How an African paradise for nature recovered from the ravages of war
In this excerpt from the beautiful book "Rewild the World at Bedtime" by Emily Hawkins and illustrator by Ella Beech, we discover how one of Mozambique's most diverse national parks recovered from the devastating effects of war.
6 min read - WorldPolitico
Hamas demands written commitment that Israel will withdraw from Gaza
Israel said earlier Sunday that Hamas had rejected the latest proposal for a deal submitted last week.
2 min read
