RIO DE JANERIO – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country is ready, on and off the pitch, for the football World Cup which starts on Thursday. In a TV address, she said “the pessimists” had been defeated by the determination of the Brazilian people. She rejected criticism of overspending, saying that the tournament would…
MOSCOW – Leaders of the G7 industrial nations meeting in Brussels say they are prepared to impose further sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. A joint statement condemned Moscow for its “continuing violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty. The G7 summit is the first since Russia was expelled from the group following its annexation of…
DAMASCUS – Syria is holding a presidential election in government-held areas, amid heightened security. The poll takes place three years into a civil war in which tens of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced. President Bashar al-Assad is widely expected to win a third seven-year term in office. However, critics…
MADRID – King Juan Carlos of Spain has announced his intention to abdicate, after nearly 40 years on the throne. “A new generation must be at the forefront… younger people with new energies,” the 76-year-old king said in a televised address. His son, Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne. For much of…
PARIS – There has been a significant rise in the numbers of migrants reaching Europe in recent months, the BBC has learned. The number of people attempting the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Italy has risen sharply, says Frontex, the EU border agency. From January to April, 42,000 migrants were detected on these…
KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian government has released the raw data used to determine that the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean. The data was first released to relatives of passengers, who have been asking for greater transparency, before copies were also provided to media. The document released on Tuesday…
BEIJING – Liu Han, a Chinese tycoon believed to have links to China’s former security chief Zhou Yongkang, has been sentenced to death. A Hubei court has found Liu Han and his brother Liu Wei guilty of “organising and leading mafia-style crime and murder”, reports Xinhua. The two men were among a group of 36…
HARARE – Attackers in China’s restive Xinjiang region have crashed two cars into shoppers at a market, killing 31 people, Chinese media reports say. They also threw explosives during the attack in the regional capital Urumqi. More than 90 people were injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. The Ministry of Public Security called it…
HARARE – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed multi-billion dollar, 30-year gas deal with China. The deal between Russia’s Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has been 10 years in the making. No official price has been given but it estimated to be worth over $400bn. Russia has been keen to find an alternative…
MOSCOW – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops near Ukraine’s border to withdraw, the Kremlin says. Units in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions should return to their permanent bases, a statement said. Russia has made similar statements in the past, only for Nato to report no change. Correspondents say the removal of some…
