From Italy and the World

CNN  —  A former US Marine, Cooper “Harris” Andrews, 26, was killed on the outskirts of Bakhmut late last week, according to his mother and colleagues in Ukraine. Andrews, from Cleveland, Ohio, was hit by a mortar, his mother, Willow Andrews said, likely on April 19 on the so-called “Road…

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine CNN  —  Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive appears imminent – and the way each side is preparing speaks volumes about their readiness. Kyiv’s front lines are abuzz with vehicle movement and artillery strikes, with regular explosions hitting vital Russian targets in occupied areas. Its defense minister has said preparations are…

Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive appears imminent — and the way each side is preparing speaks volumes about their readiness. Kyiv’s frontlines are abuzz with vehicle movement and artillery strikes, with regular explosions hitting vital Russian targets in occupied areas. Its defense minister has said preparations are “coming to an end” and President…

Paris CNN  —  After months of protests and widespread strikes that saw transport grind to a halt and garbage mount in the streets of Paris, hugely unpopular changes to France’s pension system have been signed into law. France’s Constitutional Council, which plays a similar role to the US Supreme Court,…

CNN  —  The Vatican is part of a peace mission to end the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis said Sunday. “The mission is in the course now, but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” Francis told reporters. The pontiff made the remarks as…

CNN  —  If you’re looking for a job, love animals and don’t take yourself too seriously, an opportunity at the Blackpool Zoo might pique your interest. The animal sanctuary in Lancashire, England, is seeking seagull deterrents to help with the “nuisance” of the birds stealing food from visitors and animals.…

Russia has had nearly six months to prepare the ground for Ukraine’s anticipated counteroffensive this spring, building an elaborate array of defenses in occupied territory near the front lines. Breaking through will present a huge challenge for Kyiv’s troops, with obstacles extending hundreds of miles across the meandering southern front…

CNN  —  The artist behind a sculpture of a walrus that was controversially euthanized over public safety concerns says she hopes her creation becomes a “three-dimensional history lesson” after it was unveiled in Norway’s capital Oslo. The life-sized bronze statue shows Freya the walrus curled up on her side close…

CNN  —  Russia says it will retaliate after Polish authorities seized the Russian Embassy school in Warsaw, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Polish police and staff from the Warsaw city hall entered the campus Saturday morning, asking employees to leave the premises, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti…

CNN  —  Two civilians have died in a village in Russia’s Bryansk region following Ukrainian shelling, according to a local governor. Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk, said in a message on his Telegram channel early Sunday that a strike had “killed two civilians, unfortunately.” One residential building had been…

CNN  —  Ukraine says its preparations for a spring counter-offensive are almost complete. When it’s launched, probably in the south, it will mark a pivotal moment in the conflict. But the Russians have had nearly six months to prepare the ground – and build an elaborate array of defenses. Breaking…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he appealed to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, this week for help returning Ukrainian children who were deported by Russia. Zelensky shared new details about the diplomatic call, which was held Wednesday, during a joint press conference with the presidents of Slovakia and the Czech…

CNN  —  A fuel tank is on fire in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, the Russian-backed governor of the city Mikhail Razvozhaev said on Telegram early Saturday. Razvozhaev said the fire has spread to around 1,000 square meters and that initial reports indicate it was caused by a drone.…

CNN  —  Russian pilots are trying to “dogfight” US jets over Syria, according to a spokesman for US Central Command, part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior. The attempts have happened in several of the most recent instances of aggressive behavior from Russian pilots, Col. Joe Buccino said.…

CNN  —  Russia unleashed what is believed to have been the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians in months on Friday, killing at least 22 people in an early-morning missile strike on an apartment block in the city of Uman. The attack, which drew international condemnation, came around 4 a.m. local…

Denis Pushilin attends a meeting in Amvrosiivka, Donetsk region, on November 6, 2022. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters) Water supply in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region is dangerously low, according to Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic. Many households get just two hours of water supply every three…

Berlin CNN  —  A German landlord has won the right to sunbathe naked in the courtyard of his Frankfurt building, in spite of complaints from his tenants. The landlord, who has not been named, resorted to taking legal action after a human resources company that rented premises in the building…