CNN – Europe/Mideast/Africa

By Zahid Mahmood, CNN (CNN) — Finnish finance minister Riikka Purra has apologized after she made racist comments in 2008 that were recently discovered online. The leader of the far-right Finns Party said her old comments were “stupid” and that she was sorry for the harm they had caused. “I apologise for the stupid comments

By Barbie Latza Nadeau and Laura Paddison (CNN) — A blistering and deadly heat wave in Italy this week could break records, with temperatures predicted to soar past 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. The Italian Meteorological Society has named the heat wave Cerberus after the three-headed monster that features

By Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN (CNN) — The United States, France and the United Kingdom have condemned Russia’s move to block the proposed extension of a United Nations’ cross-border operation that delivers aid to millions of people in Syria from Turkey. The decision means that UN agencies and humanitarian partners are not authorized to continue using

By Mariya Knight, Olga Voitovych, Andrew Carey, Tim Lister and Josh Pennington, CNN (CNN) — A Russian submarine commander shot to death while jogging on Monday may have been targeted by an assailant tracking him on a popular running app, according to Russian media. Stanislav Rzhitsky was killed earlier this week in the southern Russian

By Hadas Gold, Amir Tal, Richard Allen Greene and Rob Picheta, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday in the biggest weekday protest in months against the government’s renewed moves to overhaul the country’s judicial system. They snarled traffic in Tel Aviv and caused chaos

By Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — A volcanic eruption south of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik is sending plumes of smoke across a region known for its sweeping lava fields, volcanoes and geothermal activity. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the “minor” eruption began Monday in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula but no ash has been emitted and so

By Radina Gigova and Svitlana Vlasova, CNN (CNN) — Amid the raging war and constant threat of Russian missiles, a successful heart transplant has been performed on a 6-year-old girl in Kyiv, authorities with the Heart Institute of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday. The three-hour operation, which took place on Sunday evening, gave

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at the life of the Duchess of Sussex, the former actress Meghan Markle. Personal Birth date: August 4, 1981 Birth place: Los Angeles, California Birth name: Rachel Meghan Markle Father: Thomas Markle, Hollywood lighting director Mother: Doria Ragland, social worker and yoga instructor Marriages: Prince Harry,

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Angela Merkel, former chancellor of Germany. Personal Birth date: July 17, 1954 Birth place: Hamburg, Germany Birth name: Angela Dorothea Kasner Father: Horst Kasner, a Lutheran minister Mother: Herlind Kasner, an English teacher Marriages: Joachim Sauer (1998-present); Ulrich Merkel (1977-1982, divorced) Education: University

By Celine Alkhaldi, Jomana Karadsheh and Adam Pourahmadi, CNN (CNN) — Dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, arrested last October for supporting the protest movement in Iran last year, has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison, his official Twitter page said Monday. “Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months

By Hande Atay Alam and Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Brussels should clear the path for Ankara’s accession to the European Union, before his country approves Sweden’s bid for NATO membership. Erdogan’s statement, which surprised diplomats, came on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania, where

By Catherine Nicholls and Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Monday he would step down as leader of the country’s ruling party and leave politics, after his government collapsed over immigration policy, Dutch national broadcaster and CNN affiliate NOS reported. The inveterate survivor of Dutch politics, nicknamed “Teflon Mark” because

By CNN’s Matthew Chance and Mick Krever. Video by Oscar Featherstone (CNN) — August 5, 2022 was a day like many others in Ukraine. First light revealed the devastation from a night of Russian bombing. Russian attacks on a residential neighborhood of Mykolaiv that morning brought “significant destruction,” the governor of the region said at

By Niamh Kennedy, CNN (CNN) — France has banned the sale, possession and transport of fireworks over the Bastille Day weekend next week amid fears of renewed riots. Protesters have been filmed launching fireworks during the wave of violent riots that gripped the country following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old teenager by a police

By Mariya Knight, Heather Chen and Andrew Carey, CNN (CNN) — Ukrainian commanders who were captured by Russia after leading the defense of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel plant last year have vowed to return to the battlefield following their return home Saturday evening. The men are among the highest profile fighters to have fallen

By Amir Tal and Ingrid Formanek, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Large crowds of protesters across Israel have come out in the 27th consecutive week of demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul plans. Organizers say protesters are out in force and estimate 365,000 people have come out in cities around the country, with 180,000 people in

By Mitchell McCluskey, Niamh Kennedy and Chris Liakos, CNN (CNN) — The BBC has suspended “a male member of staff” following allegations of sexual misconduct. UK tabloid The Sun first reported Friday that a woman had accused an unnamed male BBC presenter of paying her teen child for sexually explicit photographs. “This is a complex

By AJ Davis and Chris Liakos, CNN (CNN) — At least 22 police officers were injured Saturday in unrest in the western German town of Giessen during an Eritrean cultural festival, according to local police. Police in the German state of Hessen said there were “massive attacks” against their officers early Saturday morning, with demonstrators

By Niamh Kennedy, CNN (CNN) — A Pride festival was canceled in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday by organizers who say authorities failed to prevent violent disruptions from Russian-affiliated far-right groups. According to Georgian public broadcaster First Channel, police clashed with anti-LGBTQ protesters in Lisi Wonderland, an events venue outside Tbilisi where the

By Mohammed Tawfeeq and Irene Nasser, CNN (CNN) — Iran on Saturday executed two men it accused of carrying out a deadly attack on a shrine in Shiraz in October 2022, according to state-run news agency IRNA. Iran’s Supreme Court had rejected an appeal filed for the two men, Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Sayed Naeem

By Christian Edwards, Mick Krever, Hira Humayun and Chris Lau, CNN (CNN) — The Dutch government has collapsed after failing to reach an agreement on curbing immigration. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday that his government would tender its resignation to the Dutch king, triggering new elections to be held in the fall. Rutte, who

By Hira Humayun, Radina Gigova, Mariya Knight, Tara John and Gul Tuysuz, CNN (CNN) — Ukraine deserves to have NATO membership, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia said it was closely watching. Zelensky spent this week visiting NATO countries, courting support ahead of a NATO summit

By Kareem Khadder and Ingrid Formanek, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — A Jerusalem court acquitted an Israeli border police officer of “involuntary reckless manslaughter” in the fatal shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq, an unarmed Palestinian man. The unnamed police officer was charged in the fatal shooting of al-Hallaq that took place on May 30, 2020 in Jerusalem’s

By Lianne Kolirin and Stephanie Busari, CNN (CNN) — Three managers at a cheese factory in Kenya have been arrested after they allegedly made female staff strip off so they could check who was on their period. The incident took place after the unnamed individuals apparently discovered a used sanitary towel in a bin that

By Nimi Princewill, CNN Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) — At the once-bustling Utako Motor Park — an interstate motor hub connecting Nigeria’s capital Abuja to its 36 states – transporter Jume Hanwa took a rare daytime nap in the trunk of his empty vehicle. It was Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday typically celebrated with travel and

By Salma Abdelaziz, Muhammad Darwish and Kareem Khadder, CNN Jenin, West Bank (CNN) — At the gates of Jenin’s government hospital on Wednesday, dozens of armed Palestinian militants and their families gathered to collect their dead, just hours after hundreds of Israeli soldiers withdrew from the city’s sprawling refugee camp. A foul stench filled the

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the terror attacks in Norway on July 22, 2011. Eight people died in a bombing in Oslo and another 69 people died on nearby Utoya island. This was the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II. The Perpetrator Anders Behring Breivik Pronounced: AHn-ders BRAY-vick Norwegian

By Zahid Mahmood and Hira Humayun, CNN (CNN) — At least 17 people have died from nitrate gas inhalation following a gas leak at an informal settlement camp in South Africa, according to state media. A disaster management agency official earlier said on Wednesday night that at least 24 people had died at the Angelo

By Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — Buried with an elephant’s tusk, an ivory comb, a crystal dagger, an ostrich eggshell and a flint dagger inlaid with amber, the skeleton discovered in a tomb near Seville, Spain, in 2008 was clearly once someone important. Based on analysis of the pelvis bone, a specialist initially identified the

By Nadine Schmidt and Lianne Kolirin, CNN (CNN) — Remnants of Munich’s main synagogue, which was demolished by the Nazis in June 1938, have resurfaced – much to the amazement of the city’s Jewish community. Construction workers in the southern German city made the discovery while working on the renovation of a weir on the

By Alex Hardie, Max Foster and Rob Picheta, CNN (CNN) — A child has been killed after a car crashed into an elementary school in southwest London, injuring six other children and two adults, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Police also said that the driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 40s,

By Matthew Chance, Katharina Krebs and Mick Krever, CNN Minsk, Belarus (CNN) — Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is not in Belarus and it is unclear if his fighters will move to the country, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told CNN Thursday, raising new questions about the purported deal that ended Wagner’s armed rebellion last month. Prigozhin

By Sarah El Sirgany, Ben Wedeman and Kostyantin Gak, CNN Eastern Ukraine (CNN) — For three days, shells and mortars were “flying and whistling overhead, exploding around us,” Anton, a Russian soldier positioned south of Bakhmut, tells CNN. “We were jumping like rabbits under mortar rounds and bombs.” When it got quieter, he and fellow

By Erin Burnett, Yon Pomrenze, Mick Krever and Victoria Butenko, CNN (CNN) — Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been “slowed down” by entrenched Russian defenses, President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an exclusive interview broadcast on Wednesday, adding that he wished that Western weapons deliveries had allowed it to begin “much earlier.” Speaking with CNN’s Erin Burnett

By Nimi Princewill, CNN (CNN) — South African police say four officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s protection team, face multiple charges, including assault, after they were seen on video stomping on two unarmed men on the side of a highway in Johannesburg last week. The viral footage,  which has left many South Africans outraged, showed

By Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Russian troops have placed “objects resembling explosives” on roofs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address Tuesday that instantly sparked concerns around the world. “Perhaps to simulate an attack on the plant. Perhaps they have some other scenario,” Zelensky speculated.

By Hafsa Khalil, CNN London (CNN) — Scotland has concluded a day of festivities celebrating British monarch King Charles III’s recent coronation. The highlight of Wednesday’s proceedings in the capital, Edinburgh, was a service of national thanksgiving during which the King was presented with the Scottish crown jewels. Known as the “Honours of Scotland,” these

By Hadas Gold, Salma Abdelaziz, Mostafa Salem, Ibrahim Dahman and Abeer Salman, CNN (CNN) — Thousands of Palestinians marched through the streets of Jenin on Wednesday for the funeral of the 12 people killed in Israel’s largest military operation in the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years. The two-day incursion into the sprawling

By Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — After a police officer in France shot dead unarmed 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk during a traffic stop in Paris last week, two fundraisers were set up. One, to support the teen’s mother. The other, for the family of the police officer who shot him. By early Wednesday morning, the fundraiser

By Anna Chernova, Darya Tarasova and Lauren Kent, CNN (CNN) — Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist who uncovered the horrific crackdown on gay men in Chechnya, has been beaten up alongside a lawyer while visiting the southern Russian republic. Milashina and attorney Alexander Nemov were attacked while they were on the way to attend

By Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) — Climate activists have targeted 10 golf courses around Spain, plugging up holes to protest the amount of water used to maintain these courses as the country is gripped by a severe drought. Members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) Spain, along with activists from other climate groups, accessed golf courses in

By Hadas Gold, Mostafa Salem and Ibrahim Dahman, CNN (CNN) — Eight people were injured after a car driver rammed into pedestrians near a Tel Aviv shopping center and then got out of the vehicle to stab civilians, Israeli officials said Tuesday. The attack came as Israeli forces continued military operations in the occupied West

By Abeer Salman, Hadas Gold and Helen Regan, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli forces continued military operations in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for a second night, a day after incursions killed at least 10 people between the ages of 16 and 23, and injured about 100 others. Thousands fled their homes in

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN (CNN) — The minefields in southern Ukraine are so dense, the troops trying to liberate the area can only advance “tree by tree,” one soldier involved in Kyiv’s counteroffensive in the south told CNN. In all his years of service, he said, he’s never seen this many mines. The soldier, who

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Personal Birth date: July 17, 1939 Birth place: Mashhad, Iran Birth name: Seyyed Ali Khamenei Father: Ayatollah Sayyid Jawad Husaini Khamenei Mother: Name unavailable publicly Marriage: Married in 1964 Children: Mostafa, Mojtaba, Massoud, Maysam, Hoda and Boshra Education:

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN Lety, Czech Republic (CNN) — Čeněk Růžička looked euphoric as he swung the pickaxe against the wall. He had spent decades campaigning for the pig farm to be torn down. It was finally happening. The piggery, a giant industrial operation, stood on the remnants of the Nazi-era Roma concentration camp where

By Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman, Eyad Kourdi, Hadas Gold, AnneClaire Stapleton, Alex Stambaugh and Helen Regan, CNN (CNN) — Israeli forces launched what a military source said is its largest military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in more than 20 years, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 100 others,

By Allegra Goodwin and Ingrid Formanek, CNN (CNN) — At least 13 children have died in recent weeks during a suspected measles outbreak at internal displacement camps in Sudan’s White Nile state, amid conflict between the country’s two warring factions, according to an international medical NGO Sunday. “The situation is critical. Suspected measles and malnutrition

By Abeer Salman, Alex Stambaugh and Heather Chen, CNN (CNN) — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that Israeli warplanes had targeted a Syrian air defense battery from which they claimed an anti-aircraft rocket was launched towards Israel. The Israeli fighter jets also attacked other targets in the area, the IDF statement said. The

Story by Reuters (CNN) — Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Saturday apologized for the Netherlands’ historic involvement in slavery and the effects that it still has today. The king was speaking at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the legal abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, including its former colonies in the Caribbean. “On this

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN Nanterre, France (CNN) — What does it mean to be French? It’s been more than 1,500 years since the first French kingdom was founded; more than 480 years since French became the state’s official language; more than 200 years since the French Revolution; and more than 60 years since the establishment

By Mariya Knight and Chris Lau, CNN Atlanta/Hong Kong (CNN) — Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited Wagner Group mercenaries to his country to train its military. Lukashenko alluded to the invitation in a speech Friday dedicated to Belarus’ Independence Day, according to state news agency Belta. “Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here,” Lukashenko

By Radina Gigova, Ivana Kottasová and Mariya Knight, CNN (CNN) — Two people were killed at Moldova’s main international airport on Friday when a “foreign citizen” who was not allowed to enter the country opened fire, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. “Tragic day for Moldova after the incident at Chisinau International Airport, resulting in

By Sana Noor Haq, Joshua Berlinger, Tara John, Barry Neild and Xiaofei Xu, CNN (CNN) — France has been rocked by a wave of protests after a 17-year-old youth was shot by police near Paris on Tuesday, sparking a ban on demonstrations in some cities, travel warnings and reigniting a debate on over-policing in marginalized

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN Nanterre, France (CNN) — The mother of a 17-year-old killed by French police said she blames only the officer who shot her son for his death, a tragedy that has sparked three consecutive nights of destructive unrest and revived a heated debate about discrimination and policing in low-income, multi-ethnic communities. The

By Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow (CNN) — Documents shared exclusively with CNN suggest that a top Russian military commander, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, was a secret VIP member of Wagner, the private military company that staged a brief rebellion exposing disunity among senior Russian military officials. The documents, obtained by the Russian investigative Dossier Center, showed

By Mostafa Salem, CNN (CNN) — Demonstrators breached the perimeter of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad Thursday, a day after a protester burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden. The protests in the Iraqi capital were ordered by the powerful Iraqi Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, who also called for the expulsion of the Swedish

By Alex Stambaugh and Hadas Gold, CNN Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the most controversial aspect of his government’s proposed judicial reform, a provision allowing the national legislature, the Knesset, to overturn Supreme Court rulings, has been dropped and will not be returning. Pressed on whether the provision to allow a

By Joshua Berlinger, Xiaofei Xu, Joseph Ataman and Niamh Kennedy, CNN Paris (CNN) — More than 400 people were arrested across France on Thursday as a wave of protests swept the country for a third night following the fatal police shooting of a teenage boy that was captured on video. France’s elite police force, the

By Larry Madowo and Bethlehem Feleke, CNN Kampala, Uganda (CNN) — In between leading Sunday services at All Saints’ Cathedral in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, Rev. Canon John Awodi declares vehemently that “homosexuality is a sin that must be repented of,” adding that it is against the “order of God.” “Homosexuality is not natural, it

By Rob Picheta, CNN (CNN) — Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to seize two top Russian military officials when he launched a short-lived mutiny on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Western officials. Prigozhin’s plot involved the capture of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top army general Valery Gerasimov when the pair

By Abbas Al Lawati and Mohammed Abdelbary, CNN Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) — A flurry of diplomatic activity between Iran and Western nations has taken place in recent weeks, raising hopes of a de-escalation in tensions as the Middle East nation continues to antagonize the West with its support for Russia and continued advancement of

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN (CNN) — It was dinner time and the restaurant – a popular pizza joint in the center of Kramatorsk – was crammed with people. Just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Russian missile ripped through, killing at least 11 people. For millions across the country, the strike was yet another reminder of