Paris, Kyiv, Baltic states dismayed after China envoy questions Ukraine sovereignty

PARIS (Reuters) -France, Ukraine and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expressed dismay after China’s ambassador in Paris questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet countries like Ukraine. Asked about his position on whether Crimea is part of Ukraine or not, Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French television on…

Read More

Israelis protest planned judicial overhaul ahead of 75th independence day

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Israelis joined protests on Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to tighten controls on the Supreme Court, ahead of Israel’s independence day marking 75 years since establishment of the Jewish state. The plans were paused last month in the face of a wave of strikes and…

Read More

Activists gather for Earth Day, urge action to avoid ‘dystopian’ future

(Reuters) -Climate change campaigners gathered in New York’s Times Square on Earth Day to urge action on global warming and cuts in plastics use while volunteers worldwide planted trees and cleared trash to mark the 54th annual celebration of the environment. Earth Day this year, officially on Saturday, follows weeks of extreme weather with temperatures…

Read More

Meghan hits out at UK media over King Charles letters

LONDON (Reuters) – Meghan, the wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, criticised the British media on Saturday over reports that letters exchanged with King Charles played a part behind her decision not to attend his coronation, her latest confrontation with the press. The Daily Telegraph reported Meghan had written to the now king to express her…

Read More

Elephant in Pakistan zoo dies, reviving concern over animal treatment

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -Noor Jehan, an elephant in Pakistan’s Karachi Zoo whose illness revived criticisms of the nation’s zoos, died on Saturday despite frantic efforts to treat her, officials said. The critically ill 17-year-old elephant had fallen into a pond this month and been unable to get up without help. “After fighting for 9 days,…

Read More

Republican hopefuls woo evangelicals in Iowa, vow to restrict abortion

By Nathan Layne CLIVE, Iowa (Reuters) -Donald Trump and other Republican presidential hopefuls called for restricting abortion at an event for evangelicals in Iowa on Saturday, courting the key conservative voting bloc in the state set to hold the party’s first nominating contest in early 2024. At the first major campaign event for the evangelical…

Read More

Under Lisbon’s streets, ancient Roman galleries tell story of the past

LISBON (Reuters) – Twice a year, a hatch in a busy Lisbon street opens to reveal steps leading to one of the Portuguese capital’s most ancient sites: a 2,000-year-old Roman structure that still holds the buildings above it together. Dating back to the first century AD, the “cryptoportico” subterranean maze of tunnels and passageways was…

Read More