Russia-Ukraine war President Joe Biden has said Sweden and Finland have the “full, total, complete backing” of the US in their historic decision to apply for Nato membership. Both countries submitted their applications this week to be part of the defence alliance, a drastic shift in European geopolitics. The move by the two Nordic […]
Russia-Ukraine war McDonald’s has found a local buyer for its Russian business, after the war in Ukraine pushed it to quit the country. Alexander Govor, who currently operates 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Siberia, will take on the firm’s restaurants and staff, operating them under a new brand, the fast food giant said. It did not […]
By Raffi Berg BBC News The future of Israel’s government has been plunged into uncertainty after a member quit, leaving it as a minority in parliament for the first time. The Arab member of the coalition resigned, saying she could not tolerate its leaders’ “right-wing stances” towards her section of society. The unexpected move means […]
By Simon Fraser BBC News The Taliban have ordered female Afghan TV presenters and other women on screen to cover their faces while on air. Media outlets were told of the decree on Wednesday, a religious police spokesman told BBC Pashto. The ruling comes two weeks after all women were ordered to wear a face veil […]
The president of Costa Rica says his country is “at war”, as cyber-criminals cause major disruption to IT systems of numerous government ministries. Rodrigo Chaves said hackers infiltrated 27 government institutions, including municipalities and state-run utilities. The Conti ransomware cartel, which is thought to be run from Russia, has upped its ransom demand to $20m […]
By Yolande Knell BBC Middle East correspondent A group of MPs and peers has written to the UK government pressing for urgent help for a British-Egyptian activist imprisoned in Egypt. Alaa Abdel Fattah, 40, is said to have been on hunger strike since 2 April. A letter to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says he has […]
Indian tycoon Ratan Tata is being praised on social media for travelling in one of the world’s cheapest cars. The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, Mr Tata is known for his simplicity. When he travelled in the Nano, which his firm launched in 2009 but ceased production 10 years later, he revived the frenzy […]
Former President Donald Trump has urged celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to declare victory in Tuesday’s too-close-to-call Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary, even as votes show his lead narrowing. With over 95% of votes counted, Dr Oz leads with 31.2% of the vote, compared to 31.1% for challenger Dave McCormick. State law says a recount must be […]
India’s top court has sentenced cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu to one year in prison in a decades-old road rage case. The Supreme Court ruled that Sidhu “intentionally caused hurt” to Gurnam Singh, who was 65, resulting in his death in the incident in 1988. The former MP was acquitted of the more serious charge of […]
By Megan Fisher BBC News A huge drugs tunnel has been found running from Tijuana in Mexico to a warehouse in San Diego in the US. With a length of 1,744ft (531m), the passage had a rail track, electricity and a ventilation system. US authorities had been carrying out surveillance at a property previously used […]
