Poland’s biggest nature reserve fights largest fire in years
Wildfires have been ravaging the marshes of the Biebrza National Park in northeastern Poland, home to moose, beavers and unique wetland birds, since Sunday, as the country faces the severest drought in decades.
Few ventilators, little cash: Sudan braces for coronavirus test
With just a few hundred ventilators and international aid slow to materialise, Sudan’s fledgling government knows it has an uphill battle against a coronavirus pandemic that has brought far richer countries to a standstill.
South Africa considers flexible restrictions after lockdown
South Africa is considering introducing flexible restrictions on economic activity after it phases out a nationwide lockdown, according to a draft government presentation seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Iran says U.S. should focus on saving military from coronavirus
The United States should focus on saving its military from the coronavirus, an Iranian armed forces spokesman said on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he had instructed the U.S. Navy to destroy any Iranian gunboats that harass American ships…
Russian communists defy lockdown with Red Square parade for Lenin’s 150th
Dozens of Russian communists defied Moscow’s coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday by marching across Red Square to lay flowers outside Vladimir Lenin’s tomb to mark 150 years since the birth of the Bolshevik leader.
‘Something’s going wrong’: UK virus response under fire
The British government came under sustained pressure over its coronavirus response on Wednesday when members of parliament got their first major opportunity in a month to hold it to account.
‘We’re not hiding anything,’ says coronavirus-free Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan, one of the few nations in the world that has reported no cases of the new coronavirus, insisted on Wednesday its official data was true and it was not hiding anything.
First Syria torture trial opens in Germany on Thursday
The first trial of suspected members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security services for crimes against humanity, including torture and sexual assault, starts in Germany on Thursday.
French motorcyclist whose crash fuelled riots urges calm amid more unrest
A motorcyclist whose crash into a police car has been a catalyst for rioting near Paris appealed for calm as a fourth night of unrest hit the city’s working-class suburbs.
In dress of giant inflatable roses, Chinese artist marks Earth Day
Wearing a dress she made of eight giant plastic inflatable roses over a wire structure and a headpiece crowned by a globe, Chinese performance artist Kong Ning is using fashion to draw attention to environmental protection on Earth Day.
