FRANKFURT, May 8 (Reuters) – German police said on Friday several people, including one cash transport driver, had been taken hostage at a savings bank branch in the western town of Sinzig. “It is currently believed that there are several perpetrators and hostages inside the bank,” police said in a statement, adding that the situation was currently …
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — An Islamic State-affiliated group has attacked villages in Congo near the border with Uganda, killing at least 40 people, a local civil society group said on Friday. The attacks were carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces overnight from Wednesday through Thursday afternoon, according to Charité Banza, the leader of the …
By Guglielmo Mangiapane and Joshua McElwee POMPEI, Italy, May 8 (Reuters) – Pope Leo asked that God would inspire world leaders to calm global tensions and reduce hatred in an address on Friday to mark his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church, a day after he met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio …
By Lewis Jackson and Sam Li BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that an oil products tanker carrying Chinese crew was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, and expressed deep concern about vessels affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. There are Chinese nationals aboard the vessel, but …
Three hikers — two Singaporeans and a local — who were in an off-limits area died Friday in an eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano, officials said. Several others were missing. The eruption on Halmahera island sent an ash cloud about six into the air, but no towns or villages were close enough to face …
BRUSSELS, May 8 (Reuters) – European Union foreign ministers are expected to adopt new sanctions on Monday related to the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, two EU sources said on Friday. Ukraine says close to 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus. “There will be a meeting on the margins of …
NAIROBI, May 8 (Reuters) – Shorn of influence in its former colonies in West Africa, France will seek to deepen ties elsewhere on the continent next week at an Africa summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, its first in an English-speaking country. With a year left in his presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping …
SEOUL, May 8 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Oceans Ministry said on Friday that government investigators had started examining the cause of an explosion and fire aboard a Korean-operated vessel amid uncertainty over whether it had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. • The ship’s operator HMM said investigators dispatched from South Korea boarded the …
JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (Reuters) – South Africa’s constitutional court on Friday backed an opposition party’s case that seeks to revive impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal dubbed “Farmgate” by local media. The scandal almost brought down Ramaphosa when it erupted in 2022 after an independent panel found evidence he may have committed …
CHISINAU, May 8 (Reuters) – European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday there was no exact date yet for opening formal talks on Moldova’s accession to the bloc, although the EU wanted to move fast on the matter. “We haven’t set that date, but it’s clear that we need to move fast,” …