ZURICH, SWITZERLAND — Swiss police said Saturday they had solved a kidnapping involving two dogs and a demand for ransom of 1 million Swiss francs (about $1.135 million). Zurich police said that two Bolonka dogs were stolen from the home of a 59-year-old man in Schlieren near Zurich last week, while the dog owner was away. …
Read more “Swiss police rescue 2 dogs stolen for more than $1 million ransom”
BELGRADE, SERBIA — Female students Saturday marked International Women’s Day in Serbia by leading the daily street protests against corruption and sending a message decrying widespread violence against women in the Balkan country. University students in Serbia are behind almost-daily rallies that started after a concrete canopy crashed down in November at a railway station in …
Read more “Female students lead protests against corruption in Serbia”
ROME — Pope Francis entered his fourth week in the hospital with double pneumonia, increasingly handing off his day-to-day duties to cardinals as questions swirl about the near- and long-term future of his papacy. On Saturday, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, took Francis’ place to celebrate Mass for a group. On Sunday, another …
Read more “In his own words: Pope’s views on resigning changed over time”
ISTANBUL — Thousands of women demonstrated in the streets of Turkish cities Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, protesting inequality and violence against women. On the Asian side of Istanbul, a rally in Kadikoy saw members of dozens of women’s groups listen to speeches, dance and sing in the spring sunshine. The colorful protest was overseen …
Read more “Protests in Turkey demand protection from domestic violence”
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was appointing Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In February, weeks after taking office, Trump fired the center’s president, replaced the board of trustees and named himself chairman …
Read more “Trump appoints 2 from Fox News to Kennedy Center board”
KYIV, UKRAINE — At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s eastern city of Dobropillia overnight, Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Saturday. Another three civilians were killed in a drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the ministry added. The ministry said …
Read more “Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 11, Kyiv says”
SRINAGAR, INDIA — Viral social media posts threw cat lovers in Indian-controlled Kashmir into a tizzy. Panic spread and local veterinarians saw a surge in pet owners coming in with their cats — all because of posts that went viral on social media. It began with a warning in January from veterinarians in the disputed Himalayan …
Read more “Social media storm throws cat owners in Kashmir into tizzy”
LONDON — “One and one, please, love,” a regular said, leaning on the counter at a pie and mash shop in London’s East End. In seconds, one piping-hot beef pie appeared with a single scoop of mashed potatoes at the G Kelly shop, topped off with parsley sauce known as liquor. Londoners have been eating this …
Read more “UK pie and mash fans seek protected status for Cockney classic”
ATHENS, GREECE — Clashes broke out in Greece’s two largest cities Friday, as protesters hurled gasoline bombs and flares outside Parliament during a censure motion debate against the government over its handling of a deadly rail disaster two years ago. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at the violent protesters and used water cannons when …
Read more “Protesters hurl bombs near Greek Parliament amid rail disaster motion debate”
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO — Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s and died of heart disease and other factors likely days after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of a rare virus spread by mice, according to autopsy results released Friday in New Mexico. Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 64, and one of their …
Read more “Autopsies show Gene Hackman died of heart disease; wife died of hantavirus”
Just as discoveries of fossil fuel reserves helped to shape the 20th century, the race for critical minerals is shaping the 21st. These minerals are seen as strategically crucial for modern economies, including those used in construction, energy and manufacturing — particularly for semiconductors and other technology applications. Where mineral resources are located and extracted …
Read more “Greenland and Afghanistan: Frontiers in race for critical minerals”
Romania’s presidential election is in turmoil after the first round was annulled because of alleged Russian interference. A new election is set for May, and the stakes for democracy remain high. Eastern European Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze reports from Romania. Camera: Daniil Batushchak. …
JOHANNESBURG — A new play about anti-apartheid icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela seeks to highlight the struggles of Black women in South Africa who had to wait years for their husbands’ return from exile, prison or faraway work during decades of white minority rule. The play about the late former wife of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black …
Read more “Play about Winnie Mandela explores Black women’s apartheid struggles”
ROME — Pope Francis hit the three-week mark Friday in his hospitalization for double pneumonia, in stable condition and resuming his therapies after giving the world a tangible indication of just how frail and sick he is. The Vatican said the 88-year-old pope had a good night’s rest and woke up Friday morning just after 8 …
Read more “Pope hits 3-week mark in hospital after showing his frailty in recording”
JERUSALEM — In the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, about 90,000 Palestinians prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City under tight security by Israeli forces. Thousands made their way from the West Bank into Jerusalem after Israel allowed men over 55 and women over 50 to enter from …
Read more “90,000 Palestinians attend first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem”
Russia’s latest aerial barrage against targets in Ukraine is not dampening expectations by U.S. President Donald Trump that he can broker a deal to end the fighting between Moscow and Kyiv. Ukrainian officials Friday accused Russia of launching more than 200 overnight missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across a broad swath of …
Read more “Trump confident Putin wants peace despite ‘bombing the hell out of Ukraine’”
European defense firms look set to profit from EU investment in rearming as the bloc reacts to the United States’ pivot away from Europe’s security under President Donald Trump. But as Henry Ridgwell reports, the $860 billion ReArm Europe Plan faces opposition from members Hungary and Slovakia. …
LONDON — European defense firms appear set to profit from a massive EU investment in armaments, as the bloc reacts to a U.S. pivot away from Europe’s security under President Donald Trump. The $860 billion “ReArm Europe Plan” faces opposition, however, from Hungary, which argues the effort to continue arming Ukraine in its war against Russian …
Read more “$860 billion rearmament plan fuels European defense stocks”
Every Sunday, the voices of a Ukrainian musical ensemble fill a home in a quiet suburb of Washington. For this group, music is much more than just art: It’s an expression of solidarity. Maxim Adams has the story. Camera: Artyom Kokhan …
PARIS — The discovery of a World War II bomb has disrupted morning traffic to and from Paris’ busy Gare du Nord train station, French national railway company TER said on Friday. “An unexploded bomb from the Second World War was discovered near the tracks,” TER said on social media platform X. The disruption is affecting …
pentagon — On a windy Thursday outside Washington at the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed his British counterpart to discuss how best to quickly end Russia’s war in Ukraine. “European leadership of NATO, led by the U.K., led by others, is, we believe, the future of defense on the continent,” Hegseth said. British Defense …
Read more “US defense secretary: Europe-led NATO is ‘future of defense on continent’ “
PARIS — An Ariane 6 rocket roared skyward with a French military reconnaissance satellite aboard Thursday in the first commercial flight for the European heavy-lift launcher. The rocket took off smoothly from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, quickly disappearing into thick clouds. Video images beamed back from the rocket showed the Earth’s beautiful colors …
Read more “Ariane 6 rocket roars skyward carrying French military satellite”
WASHINGTON — A top Trump administration official said Thursday he would travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with Ukrainian representatives for talks about a ceasefire to pause Russia’s invasion. “We’re now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh, or even potentially Jeddah,” said Steve Witkoff, who serves as U.S. President Donald Trump’s …
Read more “US envoy to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukrainians”
European Union leaders vowed to ramp up funding for Ukraine and their own defense at a summit in Brussels on Thursday as they take steps to rearm in ways they haven’t since the end of the Cold War. The summit, also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was the first for all 27 EU members …
Read more “EU leaders vow to ramp up funding to defend their countries, Ukraine”