Dutch nightclub hostage drama ends peacefully with arrest of suspect (www.reuters.com)
“Several people, including employees, had been taken hostage at the Cafe Petticoat in the town of Ede early on Saturday morning. The motive was unclear....
Radio Free Asia closes Hong Kong bureau, citing security law concerns (www.nbcnews.com)
Russian journalist who covered Navalny trials jailed on extremism charges (www.theguardian.com)
US says Israeli banks don’t have to close accounts of sanctioned settlers (www.timesofisrael.com)
The sanctions have infuriated Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who characterized them as a draconian obstruction of Israeli sovereignty. In response, the far-right lawmaker threatened to take steps in his capacity as head of the treasury that would significantly impede the Palestinian economy, the Israeli official added,...
Russian Su-27 Hit By Friendly Fire Plunges Into The Black Sea In Flames (simpleflying.com)
World Court orders Israel to 'take all necessary and effective' action to ensure Gaza has access to humanitarian aid (www.abc.net.au)
Reminder: Tomorrow is Land Day...
India court bans Muslim religious schools in UP state ahead of election (www.trtworld.com)
‘Get on a plane’: Danish minister urged to meet Greenland coil scandal women (www.theguardian.com)
The Danish health minister should “get on a plane and visit” some of the thousands of women thought to be living with the consequences of being forcibly fitted with the contraceptive coil as children, Greenland’s gender equality minister has said....
Brussels passes bill to prevent purchase of products from Israeli West Bank settlements (www.brusselstimes.com)
The Brussels City Council unanimously passed a motion on Monday evening to block public procurement of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with the MR and N-VA parties abstaining....
A Loyal Israel Ally, Germany Shifts Tone as the Toll in Gaza Mounts (www.nytimes.com)
Days after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was one of the first Western leaders to arrive in Tel Aviv. Standing beside the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he declared that Germany had “only one place — and it is alongside Israel.”...
Ukraine war latest: Russian assault on Kharkiv can't be ruled out, chief commander says (kyivindependent.com)
Russia’s attempt to take the city of Kharkiv can’t be ruled out, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 29....
Chinese workers killed in suicide bomb blast as Pakistan grapples with attacks on Beijing’s interests (www.cnn.com)
Five Chinese workers and their local driver were killed in a suicide bomb blast in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, authorities said, the latest in a string of terror attacks that the South Asian country’s military and government say aims to disrupt Islamabad’s close ties with Beijing....
US calls Russia 'manure salesmen' over Moscow attack claims (www.dw.com)
Russian investigators implicated Ukrainian nationalists were tied to the attack on a concert hall near Moscow claimed by ISIS-K, but the US says it is “nonsense propaganda.”...
Heat Waves Are Moving Slower and Staying Longer, Study Finds | Climate change is making heat waves linger for longer stretches of time, exacerbating the effects of extreme temperatures. (www.nytimes.com)
The longer heat waves stick around in one place, the longer people are exposed to life-threatening temperatures. As workers slow down during extreme heat, so does economic productivity. Heat waves also dry out soil and vegetation, harming crops and raising the risk of wildfires....
Germany Is Seizing Jews’ Money Again: It’s fine, they’re pro-Palestine (novaramedia.com)
A pro-Palestine Jewish activist group has had its bank account frozen in Germany for the second time in seven years, after the bank requested a full list of its members’ details in what experts believe is a breach of German law. The group suspects the move was triggered by its involvement in a forthcoming pro-Palestine...
‘Staggering’ rise in women with reproductive health issues near DRC cobalt mines – study (www.theguardian.com)
Investigation reveals reports of miscarriages, infections and birth defects among women and girls in mining communities...
Russian network that 'paid European politicians' busted, authorities claim (www.bbc.com)
A Russian-backed “propaganda” network has been broken up for spreading anti-Ukraine stories and paying unnamed European politicians, according to authorities in several countries....
Russia criticised for using veto to end UN monitoring of North Korea sanctions (www.theguardian.com)
Russia has blocked the renewal of a UN panel monitoring sanctions against North Korea, weeks after the body said it was investigating reports of arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang....
Taliban edict to resume stoning women to death met with horror (www.theguardian.com)
The Taliban’s announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international community’s silence, human rights groups have said....
Saudi Arabia to be appointed chair of UN’s gender equality forum amid ongoing assault on women’s rights (www.amnesty.org)
No, this isn’t the onion....
Russian police detain journalist who filmed last video of Alexei Navalny alive (www.theguardian.com)
A journalist who filmed the last video of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny before he died, Antonina Favorskaya, has been detained by authorities....
Putin says he won't start a war with NATO. But Western bases hosting Ukraine F-16s would be targets (apnews.com)
China's economic slowdown makes Taiwan crisis more likely: report (asia.nikkei.com)
Sudan slips into famine as warring sides starve civilians (www.aljazeera.com)
One year after the start of the war in Sudan, children are dying of hunger and sick people are not buying medicine so that they can afford food as the population slips towards famine....
Thailand steps up border control of livestock after anthrax outbreak is reported in neighboring Laos (apnews.com)
Thailand’s government has ordered officials to closely monitor livestock along the border with Laos after more than 50 people were reported to have contracted anthrax in the neighboring country....
