CNN – Europe/Mideast/Africa

By Jack Guy, CNN A Spanish TV actress has sparked controversy after using a surrogate to fulfill what she says was the final wish of her dead son: to have a child. Ana Obregón announced the birth in a cover story for Hola! magazine published earlier in April, detailing how she used sperm samples from

By Richard Allen Greene, Hadas Gold, Mostafa Salem, Tamara Qiblawi and Mia Alberti, CNN Separate attacks in the West Bank and Tel Aviv killed three people on Friday after Israel struck Palestinian militant targets in southern Lebanon and Gaza, concluding three days of rising tensions in the region following police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque

By Allegra Goodwin, CNN Representatives of several Western countries walked out of a United Nations meeting in protest on Wednesday as Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova was speaking, accusing her of spreading “disinformation” about the war in Ukraine. Lvova-Belova appeared virtually at the informal meeting of the UN Security Council in New York,

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, Valentina Di Donato, Alex Hardie and Rob Picheta, CNN Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister and leader of the Forza Italia party, has been diagnosed with leukemia, it was confirmed on Thursday. The San Raffaele Hospital in Milan said in a statement that the 86-year-old politician’s cancer is not acute,

By Tim Lister and Josh Pennington, CNN The killing of Russian military journalist Vladlen Tatarsky has set off angry demands among politicians and commentators in Russia for the return of the death penalty, and for a merciless crackdown on dissent through greater use of terrorism and treason charges. Tatarsky was killed when an improvised device

By Rob Picheta and Radina Gigova, CNN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Poland for his first formal visit to one of Kyiv’s closest allies since Russia’s invasion started in February 2022. Zelensky was awarded Poland’s highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle, during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw. The

By Abeer Salman, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jennifer Hauser, CNN Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites, for the second time on Wednesday, hours after they first raided the compound and arrested hundreds of Palestinians despite condemnations from the Arab and Muslim world. The clashes, which took place as al-Aqsa

By Tim Lister and Tara John, CNN Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was able to meet with his lawyers, the paper said in a statement Tuesday, adding that the journalist who has been detained in Russia since last week was in good health. “Evan’s lawyers were able to meet with him in prison today.

By Nadine Schmidt, CNN A Syrian who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015 has won a mayoral election in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg. Ryyan Alshebl, who left his hometown of As Suwayda in Syria eight years ago, ran as an independent in the municipality of Ostelsheim. He won 55.41% of the

By Tara John, CNN Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia. The Nordic nation’s accession was sealed during a formal ceremony at the

By Helen Regan, Tim Lister and Radina Gigova, CNN Russian authorities have formally charged Daria Trepova with terrorism offenses over the killing of Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Trepova, 26, was charged under the criminal code pertaining to a “terrorist act committed by an organized group that resulted in the deliberate infliction of death on

By Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Turkey’s persecuted pro-Kurdish party has emerged as a kingmaker in the country’s upcoming election, playing a decisive role that may just tip the balance enough to unseat two-decade ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a key setback to the Turkish president and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the

By Rob Picheta, Anna Chernova, Radina Gigova and Mariya Knight, CNN Russian authorities have detained a 26-year-old anti-war protester, claiming she was involved in the blast that killed well-known military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday. The country’s interior ministry added Daria Trepova to a wanted list following the explosion,

By Katharina Krebs, Anna Chernova and Tim Lister, CNN Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday, was one of Russia’s most outspoken and ultranationalist military bloggers, known for his ardent pro-war commentary and occasional criticism of Moscow’s battlefield failures. Born in the town of Makiivka in

By Reuters Finland’s left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat on Sunday in the Nordic country’s parliamentary election as the opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory in a tightly fought contest. The pro-business NCP was expected to win 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with

By Sahar Akbarzai, CNN Two women in Iran were arrested after a man threw yogurt on them for not wearing the hijab at a store in the northeastern city of Shandiz, according to a video and report published by the Mizan News Agency, the state-run media for Iran’s judiciary. Video of Thursday’s incident shows a

By Sophie Tanno, CNN As Finland prepares to go to the polls on Sunday, the country’s left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin is fighting for her political life. Marin broke the mold to become the world’s youngest sitting prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34. She leads the country’s Social Democrats party, heading Finland’s

By Hande Atay Alam Three British men have been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to the non-profit Presidium Network. The UK non-profit which “provides support to communities in crisis” tweeted Saturday that they have been working with the families of two of the detained men “in support of finding a resolution and release

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Italians who use English and other foreign words in official communications could face fines of up to €100,000 ($108,705) under new legislation introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party. Fabio Rampelli, a member of the lower chamber of deputies, introduced the legislation, which is supported by the

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN A group called Ultima Generazione or Last Generation have poured what they described as a charcoal-based black liquid into the water of the Barcaccia fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps in central Rome. The group posted a video on Twitter, showing three men and a woman inside the

By Abeer Salman, CNN A Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli police early on Saturday at the entrance to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, frequently a flashpoint in tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinian and Israeli sources disputed the circumstances that led to the killing of 26-year-old Muhammad Al-Osaibi at the

By Nic Robertson, CNN A tiny Jerusalem gas station was an unlikely setting for a cautionary tale about Israel’s political evolution. The station is just a short stroll from the seat of the Israeli government, where full-throated passions played out on the streets on March 27 as pro- and anti-government protesters waved flags and shouted

By Ivana Kottasová, Lindsay Isaac and Anna Chernova, CNN Russia could place powerful strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus, on top of the tactical nuclear warheads Moscow is already planning to deploy there, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a national address on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Moscow would complete the

By Josh Pennington, Tim Lister and Ivana Kottasová, CNN A convicted murderer who was allowed to leave prison in Russia to join the Wagner private military company and fight in Ukraine was arrested within days of returning home on suspicion of killing an elderly woman. Ivan Rossomakhin was already a repeat-offender when he was sentenced

By Nimi Princewill and Niamh Kennedy, CNN Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was denied parole on Friday, according to local authorities who said he has yet to complete his minimum sentence. According to South African law, inmates can be considered for parole after serving half of their sentence if they meet conditions, like

By David McKenzie, Ghazi Balkiz and Maria Avdeeva, CNN Lesya Belinska is proud of her son. She stands next to Roman Belinsky at her home and hugs him with one arm. Belinsky waves her away, embarrassed. Belinsky’s face is badly disfigured from a serious combat injury. The 42-year-old was discharged from duty recently, but still

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Max Foster, CNN King Charles III on Thursday became the first British monarch to address the Bundestag, the German parliament, paying tribute to the deep historical bonds and longstanding ties between the two nations. The British sovereign is in Germany on the inaugural state visit of his reign with the Queen

By Laura Paddison, CNN Lake Montbel is a shimmering, turquoise lake, stretching across 1,400 acres of southwest France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees — a haven for wildlife, a vital source of irrigation for farmers and water for local rivers, and a tourist paradise. But after the driest winter in more than six decades,

By Saskya Vandoorne and Melissa Bell, CNN Olesya Krivtsova thinks it’s because she was neither the first, nor the last, to criticize the war in Ukraine that she scared Russian authorities as much as she did. Her social media posts were neither particularly strident nor unusual, she told CNN, reflecting those of so many other

By Delia Gallagher and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN Pope Francis will be hospitalized for “a few days” for the treatment of a respiratory infection, the Vatican said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the health of the 86-year-old pontiff. “In recent days Pope Francis complained of some respiratory difficulties and this afternoon he went to Policlinico A.

By Nimi Princewill, CNN Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that “substantial elements” of a draconian anti-LGBTQ bill being considered by its parliament “have been modified” after an intervention by his government. Akufo-Addo made the disclosure Monday at a joint press conference with US Vice-President Kamala Harris, who’s on a tour of the West African

By Rob Picheta, Kevin Liptak and Hadas Gold, CNN Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated a rare public dispute with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, rejecting “pressure” from the White House after Biden criticized his controversial efforts to weaken the Israeli judiciary. The back and forth thrust into public view a simmering diplomatic

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Max Foster, CNN King Charles III arrived in Germany with the Queen Consort on Wednesday for his first overseas state visit as monarch, after the first part of the trip to France was postponed. Landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Wednesday afternoon local time for the start of their three-day visit,

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN A group of older Swiss women are taking their government to Europe’s top human rights court, claiming its failure to act on the climate crisis is violating their human rights. The case, which begins in Strasbourg on Wednesday, is the first climate lawsuit to be heard by the European Court of

By Anna Chernova and Tim Lister, CNN A Russian man whose teenage daughter drew an anti-war picture at school has been sentenced to two years in prison by a court for his own online posts critical of the invasion of Ukraine. Alexey Moskalyov had been charged with “discrediting the Russian military” and was under house

By Pauline Lockwood, Hannah Ritchie, Pierre Bairin, Oliver Briscoe and Sana Noor Haq, CNN Protesters on the tracks at a Paris rail station. Smoke bombs let off at Biarritz airport. Anger at French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms showed no sign of letting up on Tuesday as the nation saw its 10th day of nationwide

By Celine Alkhaldi, CNN Lebanon’s government has walked back a controversial decision to delay winter clock changes by a month, after last week’s announcement by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati sparked exasperation and confusion in a country already gripped by economic crisis. Mikati’s plan to postpone Daylight Saving until April 20 (following the Muslim holy

By Amir Tal, Ivana Kottasová, Lianne Kolirin, Hadas Gold, Helen Regan and Richard Allen Greene, CNN Israel’s political crisis escalated into uncharted territory Monday as the country’s largest trade union announced a “historic” strike shutting down transportation, universities, restaurants and retailers in protest against Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul. Israel’s Histadrut trade union

By Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson, Olha Konovalova and Tom Booth, CNN The first time Oleksandr Havriluk returned to his farm after it had been stormed and occupied by Russian troops, tears rolled down his face when he saw what they had left behind. His farm buildings were almost completely destroyed, millions of dollars worth of

By Hadas Gold, Amir Tal, Helen Regan, Lauren Izso and Elliott Gotkine, CNN Massive crowds filled the streets of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv late Sunday night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister over his opposition to a planned judicial overhaul. Waving Israeli flags and chanting “democratia,” protestors could be seen

By Josh Pennington Russia’s private military group Wagner has taken “full control” of the AZOM metallurgical plant in the north of the city of Bakhmut, according to video posted by Russian state media and verified by CNN. “Wagner has full control of the territory of AZOM, the Artemivsk [Bakhmut] non-ferrous metal processing plant,” a correspondent

By Delia Gallagher, CNN Pope Francis has updated a 2019 church law governing clerical sexual abuse and extended it to include accountability for Catholic lay leaders of Vatican-approved religious organizations. Lay leaders are people other than clergy members who are on the professional rosters of the church. The norms were first defined by Francis in

By Tim Lister, CNN While the fury of conflict echoes across the eastern Donbas region, a very different war is being waged in Crimea: one of night-time explosions, sabotage and disinformation. Reclaiming Crimea may seem like an unlikely quest for Ukraine but it is putting considerable effort into making Russia’s occupation as uncomfortable as possible.

By Mia Alberti and Sophie Tanno, CNN Already facing one of the world’s worst economic crises, the Lebanese people have a fresh challenge after waking up in two different timezones. Lebanon‘s government has postponed winter clock changes, with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announcing Daylight Saving will be introduced from midnight on April 20 rather

By Valentina Di Donato and Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN A record of more than 2,000 migrants arrived on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa in the past day, an Italian official said on Saturday. Some 1,778 people arrived on Friday, with another 267 people landing on seven small boats overnight Saturday, the official said. Previous years

By Sophie Tanno and Nadine Schmidt, CNN An extremist and until recently almost unheard-of network in Germany is back in the spotlight after police carried out nationwide raids against it. The Reichsbürger movement — made up of small groups and individuals spread across the country — peddles a number of bizarre views and rejects the

By Amir Tal, CNN Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted illegally by announcing Thursday that he would involve himself directly in his government’s moves to change the country’s judicial system, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told him in an open letter Friday. “Last night you publicly announced that you intend to violate the ruling of the

By Hadas Gold and Amir Tal, CNN Benjamin Netanyahu resisted calls to drop his controversial overhaul of Israel’s judiciary in a fiery televised address Thursday, hours after his government passed a law that was condemned by critics as an effort to protect his position. Israeli opposition politicians earlier condemned the new law, which would limit

By Helen Regan, Olga Voitovich and Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Russia unleashed a wave of deadly attacks on towns and cities across Ukraine on Wednesday as Chinese leader Xi Jinping departed from Moscow following talks with President Vladimir Putin. Xi left Russia’s capital pledging to deepen ties with Putin but the meetings failed to achieve a

By Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Britain’s Prince William made a rare, unannounced trip to Poland on Wednesday, meeting British and Polish troops stationed near the Ukrainian-Polish border and praising their “cooperation in support of the people of Ukraine and their freedom.” The Prince of Wales first visited the 3rd Brigade Territorial Defense Force

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Sir John Major, former prime minister of the United Kingdom. Personal Birth date: March 29, 1943 Birth place: Carshalton, Surrey Birth name: John Major Father: Abraham Thomas Ball, stage name – Tom Major, performer Mother: Gwen (Coates) Major, dancer Marriage: Norma (Johnson) Major (1970-present) Children:

By Nadeen Ebrahim and Mostafa Salem, CNN A surprise agreement by regional archenemies Saudi Arabia and Iran this month has raised hopes that the Saudi war in Yemen may come to an end, after more than seven years of hostilities that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed or injured and the country left in

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN A large ship sitting in a dry dock was dislodged from its holding and partially tipped over in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Wednesday, leaving 33 people injured, emergency services said. A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service told CNN that 21 patients were transported to local hospitals and a further

By Simone McCarthy Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have made a sweeping affirmation of their alignment across a host of issues — and shared mistrust of the United States — in a lengthy statement following talks between the two leaders in Moscow this week. Their meeting, which took place under the

By Jessie Gretener, Darya Tarasova and Jack Guy, CNN Russia is “deliberately trying to disinform,” said the UK Ministry of Defense on Tuesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned London against providing Ukraine with ammunition that contains depleted uranium. On Monday, the UK confirmed that it will send ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, a