World News

Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker backs jailed actor Alidoosti

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi on Tuesday urged the release of Taraneh Alidoosti, who has starred in four of his films, after the actor's arrest for supporting the three-month protest movement.. - 'Better life' - Iranian cinema figures were under pressure even before the start of the protest movement, with award-winning directors Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi still detained after their arrests earlier this year.

Ukraine's Zelensky visits frontline city of Bakhmut

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday visited the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, now the epicentre of fighting in Russia's nearly 10-month invasion of Ukraine.. The Ukrainian presidency meanwhile said that Russian attacks across Ukraine had left five people dead including three in the Donetsk region, where Bakhmut is located, and in the Kherson region.

Endless cycle of destruction and repair for Ukraine's energy workers

It has become a daily struggle for Ukrainian technicians: mending pipes damaged by Russian airstrikes in a desperate bid to keep the energy grid working in freezing temperatures, even as attacks continue.. A few metres from where Oleksandr worked, a yellow excavator dug a trench for pipes.

Putin says situation in annexed regions 'extremely difficult'

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday the situation in four territories of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed but does not control militarily was "extremely difficult".. "The situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is extremely difficult," Putin told the Russian security services on their professional holiday.

'Listen to me', says Israeli woman accusing top rabbi of rape

Through weekly protests outside Israel's parliament, Nehama Teena has demanded an investigation into a prominent rabbi she accuses of rape and sought to break the code of silence surrounding sexual assault in the Orthodox world.. For Carmit Feintuch, a female rabbi who leads an Orthodox community and has come to support Teena for recent weekly protests, the mindset within the religious community about how these cases should be handled is changing incrementally.

China's crematoriums 'packed' as Covid cases soar

Crematoriums across China are straining to deal with an influx of bodies as the country battles a wave of Covid cases that authorities have said is impossible to track.. The end to mandatory testing has made the toll of China's Covid surge difficult to track, with authorities last week admitting it is now "impossible" to tally how many have fallen sick.

Tokyo exhibit showcases Dior's passion for Japan

A hit exhibition showcasing Christian Dior's work opens in Tokyo this week with a focus on the French designer's fascination with Japan and the country's influence on his pieces.. The Tokyo show, which runs until May 28, includes archive pieces as well as works by more recent creative directors, and showcases several items inspired by Japan.

Greek woodcutters give energy crisis the chop

Huddled around a campfire sipping hot tea, a group of Greek lumberjacks take a badly needed break in an oak forest not far from the Albanian border.. "There is a higher demand for wood compared to last year because of the energy crisis, but we shouldn't abuse the forest," cautioned lumberjack Dimitris Basnas, 34.

Verdict due in German trial of ex-Nazi camp secretary

A German court is expected to deliver its verdict Tuesday in the case of a 97-year-old former Nazi camp secretary accused of complicity in the murder of more than 10,000 people.. Since then, courts have handed down several guilty verdicts on those grounds rather than for murders or atrocities directly linked to the individual accused. bur-clp-dlc/sr/jm/lb