World News

Hungary’s nationalist government said Wednesday it would block the next tranche of European Union military support for Ukraine and any new sanctions against Russia unless Kyiv removes Hungary’s largest bank OTP from its list of war sponsors.

New Zealand police said Wednesday that arson likely caused a fire that killed at least six people in a multistory hostel for vulnerable residents and others in the nation’s capital.

China is prepared to “resolutely smash any form of Taiwan independence,” its military said Tuesday, as the U.S. reportedly prepares to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons and other military assistance to the self-governing island democracy.

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has been targeted by massive Russian air strikes that authorities described as “exceptional in density.” The strikes were part of broader attacks, killing several civilians “over the past 24 hours,” officials said.

A deadly cyclone hit the coastlines of Bangladesh and Myanmar, impacting millions of people, including those living in the world’s largest refugee camp.

After nearly a decade of military rule, Thailand’s opposition secured a stunning election victory Sunday after trouncing parties allied with the army.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has privately suggested hitting targets inside Russia despite publicly saying his country’s only military objective is to reclaim territory taken by Moscow, according to U.S. intelligence documents.

Turkey’s presidential election is going to a runoff after long-time incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to beat the opposition outright. He defeated his chief rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu but without the 50 percent vote threshold needed to avoid a second round within two weeks.

The polls closed Sunday in elections in which the opposition may unseat the country’s autocratic President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But it remained unclear whether an opposition victory would improve the plight of minority Christians in the country and others targeted by authorities.

Ukraine says it has recaptured ground in Bakhmut, in a rare advance after months of grinding Russian gains in the eastern city. But Moscow has denied the claims while the death toll is mounting in one of the longest and bloodiest since Russia’s invasion began more than 14 long months ago.

Christians expressed anxiety Friday as Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was released on bail Friday, a day after the Supreme Court ruled his detention on corruption charges was illegal.

The U.S. city of New York and the Dutch capital of Amsterdam were united Friday in dealing with the aftermaths of violence in their railway stations.

Germany was shaken Thursday by deadly shootings at a massive Mercedes-Benz car factory while police officers and firefighters were injured, some seriously, in a separate explosion in the western German town of Ratingen.

Russia has threatened an “adequate military response” after Britain pledged Thursday to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles to use in its battle against invading Russian forces.

Voters in Thailand prepared to go to the polls on Sunday in an election that could set the Asian nation on a path toward ending eight years of military rule, but uncertainty remains for Christian refugees.

The opposition may unseat the country’s autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in upcoming elections, but it remained unclear whether that would improve the plight of minority Christians, Worthy News established Friday.

Jordan carried out airstrikes on southern Syria on Monday, targeting an Iran-linked drugs factory and killing well-known drug smuggler Merhi al-Ramthan and his family, The Medialine reports. The strikes came as Syria was reinstated in the Arab League earlier this month.

At least 422 people are now confirmed dead, and 5,000 are missing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following an overwhelming combination of devastating floods and a severe landslide, the Watchers reports.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned of “worsening religious freedom conditions around the world,” including for Christians and other groups.

A young journalist working for French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) who “loved his craft” has been killed in Ukraine in a Russian rocket strike near the battle-torn eastern city of Bakhmut, journalists said.