Venice becomes first city in the world to charge day trippers a tourist fee to enter (www.cbsnews.com)
Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire | The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)
Enjoy
Macron warns Europe ‘can die’ in alarmist speech on protectionism, geopolitical threats (www.politico.eu)
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe faces possible demise if it does not take bold action to tackle U.S. and Chinese protectionism, amid serious geopolitical threats from authoritarian regimes....
Palestinians deserve this war
Facts
European Parliament condemns Putin's election as illegitimate (kyivindependent.com)
The European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s March presidential election as illegitimate, Ukrinform reported on April 25....
The Latest | Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden (apnews.com)
Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people....
Exclusive: U.S. pier attacked during construction work off Gaza coast - I24NEWS (www.i24news.tv)
‘Every day I cry’: 50 women talk about life as a domestic worker under the Gulf’s kafala system (www.theguardian.com)
Condemned as dangerous and abusive, the kafala labour system not only disregards migrant workers’ rights but depends on exploitation. But 10 years after Qatar was advised by the UN to abolish kafala (“sponsorship”) entirely and replace it with a regulated labour network, the system is thriving across Lebanon, Jordan and...
Ariel Henry resigns as prime minister of Haiti, paving the way for a new government to take power (apnews.com)
‘Privileged access’: pro-plastic lobbyists at UN pollution talks increase by a third (www.theguardian.com)
Fossil fuel and petrochemical campaigners at Ottawa summit outnumber scientists, EU and Indigenous delegates...
Ukraine war: Kyiv uses longer-range US missiles for first time (www.bbc.com)
Ukraine has begun using longer-range ballistic missiles against Russia that were secretly provided by the US, American officials have confirmed....
Russia would lose a war with NATO, Poland warns (www.politico.eu)
“It is not we, the West, who should fear a clash with Putin, but the other way around,” Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said....
Congo questions Apple over knowledge of conflict minerals in its supply chain (abcnews.go.com)
Israel thought to be preparing to send troops into Rafah (www.theguardian.com)
Israel appears to be readying to send troops into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the only corner of the strip that has not seen fierce ground fighting and where more than half of the Palestinian territory’s population of 2.3 million has sought shelter....
France's air traffic control strikes ground flights across Europe (www.reuters.com)
India dismisses US human rights report as 'deeply biased' (www.reuters.com)
Turncoat warlord at centre of Myanmar drama (www.bangkokpost.com)
Childbirths in Korea hit another low in February (www.koreatimes.co.kr)
The number of babies born in Korea fell below the 20,000 level for the first time for any February this year, data showed Wednesday, amid deepening woes about the country’s demographics amid rapid aging and the ultra-low birthrate....
Hamas official says group would lay down its arms if an independent Palestinian state is established (apnews.com)
A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders.
‘Waiting for Trump’: Viktor Orbán hopes US election will change his political fortunes (www.theguardian.com)
Hungary’s PM and EU’s most isolated leader says he is pursuing ‘friendship with everybody’ – particularly the former US president...
World’s billionaires should pay minimum 2% wealth tax, say G20 ministers (www.theguardian.com)
Brazil, Germany, Spain and South Africa sign motion for fairer tax system to deliver £250bn a year extra to fight poverty and climate crisis...
‘Are we joking?’: Venice residents protest as city starts charging visitors to enter (www.theguardian.com)
Day-trippers will have to pay €5 to visit Italian city under scheme designed to protect it from excess tourism...
Espionage in the EU: Is the bloc ready to ward off spies? (www.dw.com)
After a spate of foreign influence scandals at the European Parliament and in national capitals, EU officials are scrambling to get a handle on suspected Russian and Chinese espionage ahead of the June elections....
U.S. Refuses to Back U.N. Calls for Probe into Mass Graves at Gaza Hospitals (www.democracynow.org)
On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel refused to support the U.N. call for a probe into the mass graves in Gaza. Patel was questioned by journalist Said...
