As Moldova’s pro-EU president Maia Sandu celebrated victory in the early hours of Monday morning, in an election campaign she claimed involved “unprecedented” interference by Moscow, pro-Kremlin voices in Russia turned to the next page in their playbook: casting doubt on the result. Sandu narrowly won a second presidential term in Sunday’s runoff vote, beating former prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglu. According ...

The family of imprisoned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi have accused the Iranian regime of trying to bring about her “slow death” by depriving her of a vital surgery needed to confirm her cancer diagnosis. It comes after her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said on Sunday that doctors had recently detected a “bone lesion in her right leg suspected of being ...

Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the US and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials. In July, device explosions at DHL logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, UK, ...

An American-Iranian journalist who once worked for a US-funded broadcaster is believed to have been detained in Iran, according to his former employer and multiple press freedom groups. Reza Valizadeh was arrested in Tehran in September, a source close to his family told his former employer Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Iran ...

China’s air force is set to officially debut its new stealth fighter jet, the J-35A, giving observers the first look at a highly anticipated asset that adds to the country’s fast growing military capabilities. The fighter, an image of which was released during an air force press conference Tuesday, will appear at an air show in the southern city of ...

A French court on Friday convicted six teenagers in connection with the 2020 beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty, whose murder shocked the country. The teacher had shown his pupils caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression, angering some Muslim parents. Most Muslims avoid depictions of prophets, considering them to be blasphemous. Among those on ...

High in the mist-shrouded Himalayas, a winding mountain road opens to a clearing in the pine forested valley, revealing rows of uniform Tibetan-style houses, each topped with a Chinese flag. Construction is booming in this remote place. Piles of logs and other building materials line the road. On a nearby hillside, cranes tower over rising housing blocks. “They are building ...

People who are unmarried may be around 80% more likely to be experiencing depression than those who are married, new research suggests. The study found the risk of depression for unmarried people could be higher in men and those who had more education. Scientists suggest the findings may help with the identification of people who are at higher risk of ...

Two more cases of a new strain of mpox have been detected in the UK, officials say. Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said a single case of the mpox virus variant Clade 1b had been confirmed in London. The agency has now announced a further two cases – in household contacts of the first case. The two ...

TGI Fridays, an American casual dining chain, said on Saturday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after grappling with prolonged financial challenges and a collapsed deal with UK-based Hostmore. In a filing with the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Northern District of Texas, the company listed both assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to ...