From Italy and the World

Zelensky is seen during a press conference at the European Political Community Summit in Moldova on Thursday. Carl Court/PA Images/Getty Images/FILE Ukraine is ready to launch its much-anticipated counteroffensive in the war against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an exclusive video interview with The Wall Street Journal published…

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine is seen refusing to shake the hand of Anna Blinkova during the 2023 French Open in Paris. Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina refused to shake hands with her Russian opponent after winning a match Friday, saying she did so out of respect for…

CNN  —  Under the scorching summer sun at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, an almost invisible drone approaches in the distance. Difficult to spot, the remote-controlled aircraft is also nearly impossible to hear. “It’s very stealthy,” drone maker Valeriy Borovyk says. “We call this one Vidsyich (Ukrainian word for ‘repel’).”…

CNN  —  German police are preparing to mobilize in cities across the country on Saturday, with protests expected amid a mounting backlash after a court sent several left-wing militants to prison over attacks on neo-Nazis. Earlier this week, a court in Dresden convicted four activists, including a well-known student identified…

CNN  —  Ukraine has opened a new front in its battle to drive out the Russian invader – in Russia. But it is oddly coy about admitting that it has sent troops, fired artillery, and flown drones into its neighbor’s territory. The operations of Russian citizens, carrying Ukrainian military ID,…

London CNN  —  Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate has given his first interview with a major broadcaster since being released from police custody in Romania into house arrest in April. In a fiery sit-down with the BBC’s Lucy Williamson on Thursday, Tate was challenged on his ideology and the allegations…

Vyacheslav Gladkov speaks at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, on January 24. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AP A number of Russian governors reported attacks on their regions on Friday, as the war spills over from Ukraine’s borders into Russian territory. Two drones attacked fuel and energy facilities in Smolensk, western Russia early…

CNN  —  Here’s a look at the life of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Birth date: August 30, 1954 (some sources say August 31) Birth place: Kopys, Belarus Full name: Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko Father: name unavailable publicly Mother: Yekaterina Lukashenko, milkmaid Marriage: Galina (Zhelnerovich) Lukashenko (1975-present) Children: with Galina (Zhelnerovich) Lukashenko:…

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN  —  Three people, including a young girl, were killed in Kyiv on Thursday while desperately trying to take cover in a closed bomb shelter amid fresh Russian strikes, in an incident that sparked anger in the Ukrainian capital. Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko condemned the incident as…

CNN  —  NATO officials are in a race against time to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the alliance miss its own stated aim of admitting Sweden to the alliance by July 11.  Both Sweden and its neighbor Finland stated their intent to join NATO through its open-door policy in May last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Finland was…

There has been a significant drop in hostilities on the ground around the city of Bakhmut as Russian forces rotate in and out of the area, but shelling continues incessantly, Ukrainian officials say. Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian military, said Wednesday there had been only…

CNN  —  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said European Union states have “consistently neglected the needs of Afghans” in a report published on Wednesday, where it found that only 271 of the more than 270,000 Afghans identified as needing permanent protection were resettled in the bloc in 2022. Afghans represent…

CNN  —  Here is a look at the life of Radovan Karadzic, who was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity related to ethnic violence during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Birth date: June 19, 1945 Birth place: Petnjica, Montenegro Father: Vuk Karadzic Mother: Jovanka Karadzic Marriage:…

CNN  —  All 21 passengers on a charter boat that sank in Italy’s Lake Maggiore on Sunday, killing four people, were currently or formerly tied to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work, officials said. The 16-meter (52-foot) houseboat had been carrying 23 people at overcapacity when an apparent waterspout…

CNN  —  Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti told CNN on Tuesday that he would not surrender the country to what he described as a Serbian “fascist militia,” following violent protests in its north over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors in a disputed election. Dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured…

CNN  —  Russia saw the effects of its war on Ukraine dramatically reverberate back onto its own territory on Wednesday, after a “massive” shelling attack injured four people in Belgorod and preliminary information indicated a drone crashed and sparked a fire at an oil refinery further south. Eight apartment buildings,…

CNN  —  A former staffer who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow and spoken to Russian state media in a news conference that lasted several hours. Tara Reade drew headlines during the 2020 presidential race, when she accused then-candidate Biden of sexually harassing and assaulting her…