Belarus’ embattled president Alexander Lukashenko has landed in Russia for face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin. The meeting is the first between the two leaders since protests broke out in the Eastern European country over the controversial re-election of Mr Lukashenko for a sixth term last month. Mr Putin has publicly supported the 66-year-old – dubbed
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Two independent laboratories have confirmed German findings that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with novichok. Special labs in Sweden and France found the Soviet nerve agent was used to poison the Russian opposition leader, a spokesperson for the German government said. Mr Navalny, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, is being treated at a Berlin hospital
Israel has become the first country in the world to announce a second national coronavirus lockdown. Responding to a soaring infection and death rate, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the decision in a late night TV news conference. The lockdown will last for three weeks and will come into effect at 2pm on Friday –
France confirmed 10,561 new coronavirus cases on Saturday – the highest daily number since the pandemic began. This is the first time that COVID-19 infections have topped 10,000 in a single day. A previous record of 9,843 new infections was reported on Thursday. France has been grappling with a resurgence in coronavirus cases, and on
Police in Germany have seized about 250 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from a suspected far-right sympathiser. Officers in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony said the weapons were found in the Seevetal area, just south of Hamburg, during a search on Friday evening. In a short police statement on Saturday, investigators said
Police in Paris have arrested more than 150 people during the first yellow vest protest since the start of France’s coronavirus outbreak. The “Gilets Jaunes” are taking part in their first “national day of action” since the protest movement was put on hold because of COVID-19. Their last gathering took place on 14 March –
Record rainfall across parts of Africa is stretching the resources of government officials and aid workers already struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks, regional conflicts, and other health-related emergencies. In Sudan, a three-month state of emergency has been declared after weeks of heavy rain caused the White and Blue Nile rivers to burst their banks. Tens of
An expert on Amazon rainforest tribes has died after being shot near the heart with an arrow by an uncontacted indigenous group. Rieli Franciscato, 56, “pulled the arrow from his chest” before succumbing to his injuries after he was struck, witnesses said. The incident happened on Wednesday as the government worker tried to introduce himself
The sister of one of 40 men missing at sea near Japan has begged authorities to resume their search, saying she believes her brother is alive eight days after his cargo ship capsized in a typhoon. William Mainprize, a 27-year-old Australian, was a senior stockman on board the football field-sized ship along with 42 others
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is reportedly able to speak again as he continues to make progress in his recovery from his novichok poisoning. The fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin is being treated at a Berlin hospital after falling ill last month during an internal flight in Russia. His police protection has also been
The US military has formally announced that 2,200 of its troops will be withdrawing from Iraq this month. The move had been widely expected. The US has around 5,200 troops in the country that were deployed to fight the Islamic State militant group. Image: An Iraqi soldiers stands guard in front of US military air
Myanmar soldiers have admitted to their involvement in the massacre of the Rohingyas for the first time. In video testimony recorded by rebel militia, two members of the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, spoke about carrying out orders to exterminate Rohingya men, women, and children before burying the bodies in mass graves. It is the first time
One of Belarus’s most prominent opposition leaders, Maria Kolesnikova, has been detained by state security at the border between Belarus and Ukraine almost 24 hours after she was abducted from the centre of Minsk by masked men. According to news agency Interfax Ukraine, Ms Kolesnikova ripped up her passport to prevent herself from being forcibly
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been taken out of an induced coma after his suspected poisoning with the nerve agent novichok. Mr Navalny is now said to be responding to speech at the hospital he is being treated at in Berlin. Doctors add that despite the improvement in Mr Navalny’s condition, the “long-term consequences
Saudi Arabia has given 20-year sentences to five people charged with the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, according to Al Arabiya news channel. A further three people have also been charged at Riyadh Criminal Court, receiving sentences ranging between seven and 10 years. The trial was criticised by rights groups and an independent UN investigator, who
India has surpassed Brazil to become the second-worst affected country in the world by the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 90,802 new cases have been registered overnight, taking the total number of cases to 4,204,613. It has taken just 13 days for India to go from three to four million cases, while it took Brazil