Kyiv renames iconic Soviet monument

Kyiv

The mayor of Kyiv renamed an iconic Soviet-era arch symbolizing ties with Moscow “Arch of the Freedom of the Ukrainian People” on Saturday. The symbolic move comes after the city demolished a statue of two workers under the arch last month, one Russian and the other Ukrainian. “The city council today decided to ‘de-communise’ the … Read more

US stocks finish bruising week on positive note

US

Wall Street stocks recovered on Friday after a bruising week marked by concerns about inflation, the Ukraine war, and the economic outlook. Following a strong session in Europe and Asia, Wall Street finished the week strongly, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq up nearly 4% and the S&P 500 breaking back above 4,000 points. But even with … Read more

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed elected UAE president after brother’s death

Sheikh Mohamed

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s long-time de facto ruler, was elected president on Saturday, official media reported, a day after former leader Sheikh Khalifa died. According to WAM news agency, the 61-year-old was unanimously elected by the Federal Supreme Council, becoming the ruler of the oil-rich country founded by his father in … Read more

Finland seeks to reassure Russia about NATO bid

Finland sought to allay Moscow’s concerns about its NATO bid on Saturday, as fighting raged in Ukraine’s east, slowing a hoped-for Russian advance. Meanwhile, wives and parents of Ukrainian fighters trapped in the bowels of a besieged steel plant in the country’s south made a desperate plea to China for assistance in securing their release. … Read more

Relatives of Ukraine’s trapped Azovstal soldiers ask China for help

China

Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers imprisoned in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant urged China’s President Xi Jinping to “save” the encircled troops, saying he was the last world leader to whom Moscow would listen, On Saturday In another desperate appeal to help the soldiers holed up in the underground tunnels of the massive factory that has been … Read more

Russia inflation hits 20 year high in April

Annual inflation in Russia reached a two-decade high of 17.8 percent in April, fueled by Western sanctions over Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, according to the statistics agency on Friday. Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, Russia has faced a barrage of international sanctions, including embargoes on key exports, which … Read more

Ukraine could win war by year-end: Kyiv intel chief

Ukraine

The war in Ukraine could reach a “breaking point” by August and end in defeat for Russia before the end of the year, according to Kyiv’s head of military intelligence, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, 36, told the news network that he is “optimistic” about the conflict’s current trajectory. “The breaking point will be in the … Read more

Protests rock Nigerian city after blasphemy killing

Nigerian

Hundreds of people protested Saturday in Nigeria’s northwestern city of Sokoto over the arrest of two students in connection with the murder of a Christian student accused of blasphemy, Residents said. The continent’s most populous country is roughly divided between Muslims and Christians, but religious tensions and deadly clashes are common, especially in the north. … Read more

Somalia imposes election curfew in capital

Somalia

Somali police declared a curfew in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, citing security concerns as they prohibited all public activity except emergency services until Sunday’s long-delayed presidential election. Dozens of candidates are competing for the top job in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, which is fighting an Islamist insurgency and the threat of famine, … Read more

Kim says outbreak causing ‘great upheaval’ in North Korea

North Korea

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, says a Covid outbreak is causing “great upheaval” in the country, which announced 21 new “fever” deaths on Saturday. Two days after confirming the first Covid-19 cases, the government announced that more than 500,000 people had become ill across the country. Despite activating its “maximum emergency quarantine system” to … Read more

German hospital reunites Ukrainian patients and medics

Four Ukrainian flags are flapping in the cold northern wind, Outside the university hospital (UKSH) in Luebeck, Germany’s Baltic coast. Ukrainian nurses and doctors have been treating patients from their home country at this ultra-modern facility since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Oleksandra Shaniotailo, 31, from Chernivtsi, near Ukraine’s border with Romania, was hired as … Read more

After outcry, Israel police to probe actions at journalist’s funeral

Israel

On Saturday, Israel’s police chief ordered an investigation into the actions of officers at the funeral of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who charged the procession and beat pallbearers, sparking international outrage. Thousands of mourners gathered in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday to pay their respects to the 51-year-old Al Jazeera reporter. The Palestinian-American was killed … Read more