CNN – Europe/Mideast/Africa

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s some background information about the Berlin Wall, which enclosed West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, in an attempt to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. It became a symbol of East/West relations during the Cold War. The Wall The Berlin Wall began as a border of barbed

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at the life of soccer player Lionel “Leo” Messi, who plays for Argentina’s national team and Paris Saint-Germain. Personal Birth date: June 24, 1987 Birth place: Rosario, Argentina Birth name: Lionel Andrés Messi Father: Jorge Messi, factory worker Mother: Celia Cuccittini de Messi Marriage: Antonela Roccuzzo

By Nadeen Ebrahim, Amir Tal and Mick Krever, CNN (CNN) — As Israel plunges deeper into crisis after the country’s parliament passed the first bill of a controversial judicial overhaul, thousands of Israeli army reservists – the backbone of the Israeli military – are threatening not to show up for work. And Israel’s leaders are

By Ingrid Formanek, Kareem El Damanhoury and Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — More than 10,000 people have been killed in the Sudanese region of West Darfur in the past two months, tribal leaders say, amid a deadly conflict between two warring factions that has triggered a mass exodus of refugees from the country and

By Ivana Kottasová, Amir Tal and Mick Krever, CNN (CNN) — Israel’s Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it would hear appeals against a controversial new law that curbs its power, setting up a showdown with the government over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plans to weaken the judiciary. The court said it would debate the

By Martin Goillandeau, Mick Krever, Radina Gigova and Caolán Magee, CNN (CNN) — A fire broke out on a ship off the Dutch coast with around 3,000 cars on board on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several others, the coastguard said. Rescue boats and helicopters were used to get the 23 crew members off

By Christian Edwards and Vasco Cotovio, CNN London (CNN) — The United Kingdom government has been heavily criticized by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for underestimating the growth of Russia’s Wagner private mercenary group, despite it posing a major threat to the country’s interests. In a damning report published Wednesday, the cross-party committee of lawmakers accused

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at the life of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series. Personal Birth date: July 31, 1965 Birth place: Gloucestershire, England Birth name: Joanne Rowling Father: Peter Rowling, aircraft factory manager Mother: Anne (Volant) Rowling, lab technician Marriages: Neil Murray (December 26, 2001-present); Jorge

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric. Personal Birth date: August 4, 1930 Birth place: Mashhad, Iran Birth name: Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani Father: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir, a religious scholar Mother: Name unavailable publicly Marriage: Information unavailable publicly Children: Muhammad Rida

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Personal Birth date: October 21, 1949 Birth place: Tel Aviv, Israel Birth name: Binyamin Netanyahu Father: Benzion Netanyahu, a historian Mother: Cela (Segal) Netanyahu Marriages: Sara Ben-Artzi (1991-present); Fleur Cates (1981-1988, divorced); Miriam Haran (divorced) Children: with Sara

By Niamh Kennedy, CNN (CNN) — A Brussels court on Tuesday found six out of ten suspects guilty of “terrorist murder” in the 2016 Brussels attacks, according to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. Mohamed Abrini, Oussama Atar, Osama Krayem, Salah Abdeslam, Ali El Haddad Asufi and Bilal El Makhoukhi were all found guilty of terrorist murder,

By Chris Lau, CNN (CNN) — The head of Russia’s space agency has extended an offer to Moscow’s partners in the BRICS group – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – to participate in the construction of a joint module for its planned orbital space station, state media reported Monday. Construction of the planned space

By CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh and Darya Tarasova. Video by Julie Zink and Muhammad Darwish (CNN) — One fighter was shot twice, sent from the hospital back to the front, where he drank melted snow to live. Forced to assault Ukrainian positions repeatedly, until a grenade blinded him. Saved from the trenches by a doctor

By Sebastian Shukla, Alex Marquardt and Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says that Ukraine will continue carrying out attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea and the Kerch Bridge that connects it to the Russian mainland, while also admitting that Ukraine’s plan for its sluggish counteroffensive is behind schedule. As Russia has

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the British Open. July 16-23, 2023 – Brian Harman wins the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, Wirral, England, for his first major title. July 14-17, 2022 – Cameron Smith wins the 150th Open Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland, for

By Josh Pennington, Simone McCarthy, Sophie Jeong and Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Ukrainian forces carried out the drone strikes in Moscow early on Monday, a Kyiv official has told CNN. The official from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, an arm of its Ministry of Defense, said the agency was responsible for the operation that Russia described

By Jack Guy and Al Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Spain appears destined for painful political negotiations after Sunday’s elections, when no single party won enough parliamentary seats to form a government. Prospects for coalition-building now remain uncertain. With over 99% of the vote counted, the center-right Partido Popular (PP) is set to come in first,

By Ehsan Popalzai and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN (CNN) — At least 31 people have been killed in devastating flash floods that hit parts of Afghanistan over the weekend, authorities said Sunday. In a press conference from Kabul, Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesman for Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, added that 74 people are injured and at least

By Richard Allen Greene, Amir Tal, Hadas Gold and Ivana Kottasová, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli lawmakers are set to vote on the first part of the government’s sweeping plan to weaken the power of the country’s courts on Monday, despite six months of street protests, parliamentary maneuvering, compromise talks and increasingly urgent warnings from

By Al Goodman and Jack Guy, CNN Madrid (CNN) — Spaniards are voting in Sunday’s snap general election that could see a far-right party enter government for the first time in decades. Most polls predict the center-right opposition Popular Party will win but fall short of an absolute majority in Parliament, meaning they would likely

By Uliana Pavlova and Eve Brennan, CNN (CNN) — Four people died and dozens were injured after a hot water pipe burst in a shopping center in Moscow, Russian state news agency TASS reported. The water pipe burst with “boiling water” in the Vremena Goda shopping center in Russia’s capital. “The death toll from a

By Kostan Nechyporenko and Andrew Carey, CNN Kyiv (CNN) — Ukrainian forces hit an ammunition dump in Crimea, forcing an evacuation of the area and canceling train services, authorities in the annexed province say. It marks the latest in a series of recent strikes on Russian supplies and critical infrastructure in the occupied peninsula, which

By Hadas Gold, Abeer Salman and Richard Allen Greene, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Thousands of marchers arrived in Jerusalem Saturday, the culmination of a five-day walk from Tel Aviv to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the powers of Israel’s courts. The demonstrators arrived the day before Israeli lawmakers begin debating

By Duarte Mendonca, Chris Liakos, Elinda Labropoulou and Amy Cassidy, CNN (CNN) — A large wildfire tearing through the Greek island of Rhodes forced thousands of tourists to flee their hotels in what Greek officials said was the largest evacuation effort in the country’s history. Fires are also burning on the islands of Corfu and

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s some background information about the London Underground, also known as “The Tube,” the oldest subway or metro transit system in the world. Facts There are currently 272 stations open and 249 miles (402 km) of active lines. There are a number of old stations and tunnels that are now

By Mick Krever, Nathan Hodge, Olga Voitovych, Uliana Pavlova and Josh Pennington, CNN (CNN) — A prominent Russian pro-war blogger who has criticized President Vladimir Putin and his military’s mishaps in Ukraine was arrested on Friday, in a move that suggested the Kremlin’s patience with dissent has grown thinner in the wake of the Wagner

By Mick Krever, Sharon Braithwaite and Christian Edwards, CNN London (CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired his ambassador to the United Kingdom on Friday. The ambassador, Vadym Prystaiko, had criticized Zelensky over his reaction to recent remarks by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who had suggested Ukraine had not expressed sufficient “gratitude” for Western

By Jack Guy, CNN (CNN) — Spain’s far-right Vox party looks set to continue its meteoric rise in Sunday’s general election, and it aims to use its growing influence to roll back decades of progress in women’s rights by blocking abortion access, repealing legislation on gender-based violence and shutting down the ministry of equality. The

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s some background information about Great Britain’s Houses of Parliament, located on the Thames River in London. Facts The meeting place of Great Britain’s bicameral legislature – composed of the House of Commons and the House of Lords – is also known as Westminster Palace. Visitors are subject to airport

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN (CNN) — At least 110 people have been injured after tennis ball-sized hail rained down on a region of northern Italy overnight Wednesday. In a surprise storm, hailstones of up to 10 cm in diameter pelted the streets of Veneto, according to regional president Luca Zaia. Emergency services responded to

By Olga Voitovych and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN (CNN) — Belarusian forces will hold joint military exercises with Wagner fighters near its border with NATO-member Poland, Belarus’ Defence Ministry said. Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus following a short-lived mutiny by the private military group last month. On Wednesday, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was apparently seen in

By Fred Pleitgen and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN (CNN) — Dozens of German police officers are using helicopters, drones and infrared cameras to track down what is believed to be a lioness spotted on the outskirts of Berlin. Police are working with a team of experts, including a veterinarian and hunters, as part of a search

By Hamdi Alkhshali, Celine Alkhaldi and Aqeel Najim, CNN (CNN) — Iraqi security forces dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who stormed the main gates of the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, in response to police in Stockholm sanctioning another planned burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Videos posted on social media

By Olga Voitovych, Mick Krever and Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — A series of explosions roared through a Russian ammunition storage facility in occupied Crimea on Wednesday, forcing thousands of residents of nearby areas to flee and prompting leaders there to redirect traffic away from a local highway. Footage showed smoke and flames rolling

By Vasco Cotovio, Katharina Krebs, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Paul P. Murphy and Allegra Goodwin, CNN (CNN) — A video emerged on Wednesday that appears to show Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin greeting his fighters in Belarus, in what would be his first public appearance since he led an armed rebellion in Russia last month. “Welcome guys! I

By Nick Paton Walsh and Katharina Krebs, CNN Prague (CNN) — The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service used a rare speech Wednesday to issue a plea to disaffected Russians to spy for the UK. Speaking in Prague, Richard Moore appealed to Russians “wrestling with their conscience” to take a stand against Russian President Vladimir

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN (CNN) — The optics of a major oil-producing country organizing the world’s most important climate conference, and appointing an oil company CEO to lead it, are not lost on anyone – including, it seems, the hosts: the United Arab Emirates. The country has embarked on a major PR campaign to boost

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the Wimbledon tennis championships. July 3-16, 2023 – Wimbledon takes place in London. June 27-July 10, 2022 – Wimbledon takes place in London. 2023 Results Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 in the men’s final, to win his first Wimbledon title.

By Lauren Kent, CNN (CNN) — The Crimean Bridge, which links the annexed peninsula to mainland Russia, was hit by two strikes early Monday in an attack a Ukrainian security official told CNN Kyiv was responsible for. The crossing is a vital artery for supplying Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, allowing people and goods to

By Mitchell McCluskey, CNN (CNN) — Spanish environmental activists spray-painted a superyacht moored in Ibiza on Sunday. Activists from the environmental group Futuro Vegetal posted a video showing them standing in front of the superyacht named Kaos, holding a banner that says: “You Consume Others Suffer.” The activists then sprayed the vessel with red and

By Rob Picheta, Mick Krever and Anna Chernova, CNN (CNN) — Russia said Monday it was suspending its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain, once again raising fears over global food supplies and scuppering a rare diplomatic breakthrough to emerge from Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The agreement, brokered by

By Sebastian Shukla and Clare Sebastian, CNN (CNN) — Grasping a bouquet of roses, black headscarf tied tight and wearing a polka-dot dress, a middle-aged woman arrives in a nondescript, pink-walled hall in the Russian region of Chuvashia. In shaky video complete with somber balalaika music, teenagers in white trainers, dignitaries in dark suits and

By Josh Pennington, Alex Stambaugh, Brad Lendon and Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — A Ukrainian security official has claimed Kyiv’s responsibility for an attack on the bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland – a vital supply line for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and a personal project for President Vladimir Putin.

By Artemis Moshtaghian, Hande Atay Alam and Kathleen Magramo, CNN (CNN) — Iran’s morality police will resume patrols to make women comply with strict Islamic dress codes, state media reported Sunday, 10 months after the death of a young woman in their custody triggered nationwide protests. Saeid Montazeralmahdi, spokesman for Iran’s enforcement body, Faraja, said

By Uliana Pavlova and Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — A crucial deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine is set to expire Monday unless Russia agrees to an extension. The last ship to travel under the Black Sea deal left the port of Odesa early on Sunday, Reuters reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin told

By Uliana Pavlova and Joshua Berlinger, CNN (CNN) — Russia has a stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine “if they are used against us,” President Vladimir Putin said. Putin’s comments come just days after Ukraine received a delivery of American-made cluster munitions, though a top Ukrainian military official told CNN

By Hadas Gold and Michael Schwartz, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — An Israeli man was seriously wounded and his two daughters were hurt in a shooting in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli emergency services said Sunday. The shooting took place in the Israeli-occupied southern West Bank, which is normally calmer than

By Andrew Carey and Yulia Kesaieva, CNN Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — Despite an underwhelming first month of Ukraine’s much-anticipated summer push to liberate territory from Russian forces, Kyiv says its Western backers are not pressuring the country for quick results. Since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began in June, the fighting has proved tougher than some anticipated,

By Niamh Kennedy London (CNN) — Over 100 people were trapped for several hours in Greenway, the former home of famed British mystery writer Agatha Christie, in the English countryside on Friday. In a series of events which could have been lifted straight out of the pages of one of Christie’s mystery novels, the group

By Amir Tal, Hadas Gold and Richard Allen Greene, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left hospital Sunday after being admitted the previous day for dehydration amid a heat wave in the country. Amit Segev, the cardiology unit director at the Sheba Medical Center – where Netanyahu was treated – said the

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Rome (CNN) — The case of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who went missing in Rome 40 years ago, has taken another twist as her brother dismissed what he described as a “shameful” attempt by the Vatican and Rome prosecutors to cast blame on the family

By Matt Foster, CNN London (CNN) — Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has asked for privacy to begin “rebuilding his life” after he was found not guilty on a charge of rape and a separate charge of attempted rape. The 28-year-old former French international walked free from Chester Crown Court in northwest England on

By Sharon Braithwaite, Henrik Pettersson and Richard Allen Greene, CNN (CNN) — Swedish authorities have approved a protest involving the burning of Torahs and Bibles outside the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden’s national radio broadcaster reported on Friday. A person who has applied to hold a public gathering on Saturday to burn the holy books

By Nathan Hodge, CNN (CNN) — Now you see Wagner, now you don’t. Weeks after an armed uprising by the Russian mercenary group Wagner revealed cracks in Russia’s system of one-man rule, the Kremlin has been on a PR offensive. The message is simple: Russian President Vladimir Putin is firmly in control, now please move

By Sharon Braithwaite (CNN) — The United Nations said it was “very concerned” about the widespread use of violence by police against protesters in Kenya, after clashes against tax hikes reportedly turned deadly. Protests broke out across the country on Wednesday, including the capital Nairobi, where Opiyo Wandayi, who leads the opposition in Kenya’s parliament

By Sharon Braithwaite and Josh Pennington, CNN (CNN) — Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani condemned the brawl that erupted Thursday in Kosovo’s parliament between opposition and ruling party MPs, CNN’s affiliate N1 reported. In a live video broadcast of the Kosovan parliament, Prime Minister Albin Kurti was interrupted by opposition MPs and had water thrown at

By Anna Chernova and Uliana Pavlova, CNN (CNN) — The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, has voted in favor of a new law banning nearly all medical help for transgender people including gender reassignment surgery, in a raft of new anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia. The bill, which had its third and final

By Sebastian Shukla, Alex Marquardt and Dasha Tarasova-Markin, CNN Dnipro, Ukraine (CNN) — The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. “We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but it can radically change

By Oliver Briscoe, CNN (CNN) — A police investigation has been launched after a chopped finger was sent to the official residence of the French president, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The package delivered to the Elysee palace contained “a piece of a finger, a fingertip it seems,” the prosecutor’s office told CNN on

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. In response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the United States and other countries launched military operations known as Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Facts The Allied coalition was made up of 39 countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia,

By Sharon Braithwaite, CNN (CNN) — A court ruling that found a school janitor not guilty of groping a student because the act only lasted less than 10 seconds has sparked outrage in Italy. In their decision, the judges of the fifth criminal section of the Court of Rome said they acquitted the accused, a

By Catherine Nicholls and Amy Cassidy, CNN (CNN) — Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey told a court in London Thursday in his ongoing sexual assault trial that he touched the complainant – who is one of four men who made allegations against the actor – in a “romantic and intimate” way. “He was funny and charming

By Sharon Braithwaite and Lindsay Isaac, CNN (CNN) — The head of a United Nations agency has called for an investigation into the killing of at least 87 people who were discovered in a mass grave in Sudan’s West Darfur region. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has demanded a “prompt, thorough

By Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — At last year’s NATO summit in Madrid, the alliance formally invited Sweden and Finland to join its ranks. At this year’s summit in Vilnius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was hoping the alliance would extend his country the same favor. That was not to be. In its final communique, issued

By Tim Lister, Uliana Pavlova and Anna Chernova, CNN (CNN) — A senior Russian general in command of forces in occupied southern Ukraine says he was suddenly dismissed from his post after accusing Moscow’s Defense Ministry leadership of betraying his troops by not providing sufficient support. Gen. Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th

By Caolán Magee, CNN (CNN) — The European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of legally binding targets to protect and restore nature in the European Union, despite strong opposition from some policymakers. The flagship EU nature law will also require countries to introduce measures to restore nature on a fifth of their land and

By Ingrid Formanek and Lindsay Isaac, CNN (CNN) — More than 3.1 million people have been forced to flee their homes amid an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in war torn Sudan. Human rights groups are warning of widespread ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and rampant sexual violence against women and girls as the warring factions