Zürcher Nachrichten

Canada police arrest protesters in bid to clear border bridge

Canadian police resumed operations Sunday to clear a key US border bridge occupied by trucker-led demonstrators angry over Covid-19 restrictions, as authorities began making arrests in their bid to quell a movement that has also paralyzed downtown Ottawa.

Ukraine crisis overshadows Blinken bridgebuilding trip to Asia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts declared their unity on confronting security threats in the Asia-Pacific Saturday, even as Washington was intensely occupied by the possibility of war in Eastern Europe.

Four missing Afghan women activists released

Four women activists in Afghanistan have been released by the country's "de facto authorities" after going missing weeks ago, the United Nations said Sunday.

Swiss vote to ban nearly all tobacco advertising

The Swiss voted on Sunday to tighten their notoriously lax tobacco laws by banning virtually all advertising of the hazardous products, partial results showed.

$80 billion in Aramco shares moved to Saudi sovereign fund

Saudi Arabia has moved four percent of Aramco shares worth $80 billion in the world's biggest oil exporter to the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, authorities said on Sunday.

Cyprus minister pins blame for migration 'emergency' on Turkey

The small Mediterranean island of Cyprus has an outsized problem with irregular migration, says the interior minister of the EU member state located closest to the Middle East.

Thai metal band rocks against royal insult law

Hundreds of headbanging metalheads rock out to the roaring guitars and thundering drums of Thai band Defying Decay, chanting along to their latest politically charged tune.

Novel crisis: Iran's books shrink as US sanctions bite

For literature lovers in sanction-hit Iran, a new novel has long provided a brief respite from a grinding economic crisis triggered by international pressure imposed over Tehran's contested nuclear programme.

Chile govt pledges new safety measures after trucker protest

Chilean truck drivers lifted road blockades they had imposed to protest the killing of a colleague, after the government pledged new safety measures on Saturday.

Cyclone, Barry Manilow fail to dislodge New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters

Cyclone Dovi caused power outages, mudslides and evacuations across New Zealand on Sunday, but neither the storm nor the music of Barry Manilow could dislodge anti-vaccine protesters camped outside parliament.

Popular incumbent Steinmeier eyes new term as German president

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is poised to be re-elected on Sunday for a second straight term, after gaining a reputation as a tireless defender of democratic values at a time when resurging far-right extremism and the coronavirus pandemic were putting them to the test.

Canadian protesters out in force again, key bridge still blocked

Canadian demonstrators led by truckers angry over Covid-19 restrictions defied police and kept occupying a key bridge Saturday, while thousands more rallied in the capital as a two-week-old protest showed no signs of abating.

Biden warns Putin Ukraine attack would bring 'severe costs'

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with US President Joe Biden warning that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Peru's president ditches iconic hat and seeks image rebrand

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has adopted a unique measure in a bid to lift his falling popularity and resolve a series of political crises: he has ditched his iconic white cowboy hat.

Sam Bankman-Fried, 29, heads crypto exchange worth billions

Sam Bankman-Fried donned a suit and tie this week, abandoning his preferred hoodie and dark T-shirt for a hearing before US Senators.

'Terrible timing': Brazil's Bolsonaro to visit Russia

Ignoring US concerns, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is due to arrive in Russia Tuesday for an official visit with highly awkward diplomatic timing, amid the tense standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

Chilean truck drivers block roads to protest death of colleague

Chilean truck drivers angry over the death of a colleague in a roadside fight with hitchhikers blocked highways Saturday to demand more workplace safety.

Nicaragua dissident jailed under Ortega dies in prison: family

Former guerrilla Hugo Torres Jimenez, one of 46 opposition figures jailed since last year by the Nicaraguan government of President Daniel Ortega, died on Saturday, his family said in a statement.

Biden warns Putin Ukraine attack will bring 'severe costs'

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with the White House insisting that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Biden warns Putin that Ukraine attack will bring 'swift and severe costs'

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with the White House insisting that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Biden, Putin discuss Ukraine as Kremlin slams 'provocations'

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday slammed Western claims of an imminent Moscow invasion of Ukraine as a "provocation" as he began new crisis talks with US President Joe Biden.

'Unite and fight': Ukrainians march in face of Russia threat

Waving flags and singing the national anthem, thousands of Ukrainians braved the winter cold to march across Kyiv on Saturday to show unity in the face of a feared Russian invasion.

Police positioned to clear key border bridge of protesters in Canada: AFP journalist

Police in Canada were positioning Saturday to clear a key bridge on the US border, snarled for days by truckers protesting against vaccination rules, an AFP journalist observed.

Biden to press Putin as fears of Ukraine war spiral

US President Joe Biden prepared to sound out Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday and Ukraine urged its citizens not to panic after Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin "any day".

Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan's horse-loving autocrat

Turkmenistan's autocrat Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has signalled his intention to step down as president, went from personal dentist of the country's eccentric former leader to head of state, before recreating much of his predecessor's personality cult.

Biden to sound out Putin as US warns of Ukraine war 'any day'

US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron prepared to sound out Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday and Ukraine urged its citizens not to panic after Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin "any day".

Three Nicaraguan opposition figures guilty of 'undermining national integrity'

Three key opposition figures in Nicaragua including a former deputy foreign minister have been found guilty of "undermining national integrity," a rights group said Friday, in a continuing crackdown on opponents of President Daniel Ortega.

Canada truckers defy order to clear key bridge as protests swell

Truckers snarling a key bridge between Canada and the United States over vaccination rules defied a judge's order to leave Friday night, with snowballing protests piling pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Its navy lost, Ukraine girds for Russian warship drills

Ukrainian captain Oleksandr Surkov looks askance at his patrol boat's machine guns and laments how futile they would be fending off an attack from Russian warships now steaming across the Black Sea.

US to reopen Solomon Islands embassy to counter Chinese influence

The United States will re-establish an embassy in the Solomon Islands, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday, in an effort to counter China's influence in the politically troubled Pacific island.

Myanmar junta says to free over 800 prisoners

Myanmar's junta on Saturday announced an amnesty for more than 800 prisoners to mark the country's Union Day, as it held a parade and show of force in the capital.

Biden and Putin to speak as US warns Russia could attack Ukraine 'any day'

US President Joe Biden will speak to Vladimir Putin on Saturday after the United States warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin in days.

US to reopen Solomon Islands embassy after 29 years

The United States plans to re-establish an embassy in the Solomon Islands, a senior State Department official said Saturday, as Washington seeks to beef up its presence in a region where China is rapidly expanding its influence.

Carrie Johnson: Tory activist faces unwelcome limelight

Carrie Johnson, the wife of Britain's prime minister, is an experienced political operative in her own right who has been thrust from the shadows as allegations of sleaze and scandal envelop Downing Street.

Mexico on track for one of deadliest years for media

Mexico is on course for one of its deadliest years yet for the press, with five journalists murdered already in 2022, prompting calls for authorities to end a culture of impunity.

Showdown looms as Canada truckers ordered to clear key bridge

Truckers snarling a key bridge between Canada and the United States in protest at Covid rules were ordered by a judge to leave Friday night, setting up a potential showdown two weeks into the snowballing protest movement.

US warns Russia could attack Ukraine 'any day'

The United States dramatically raised the alarm Friday over Ukraine, warning that a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could begin in days and telling US citizens to leave within 48 hours.

Venezuela says eight civilians killed by armed groups

Eight civilians were killed by armed groups in recent days in Venezuela's restive southwest region that borders Colombia, the country's defense minister said Friday.

US says Russia could attack Ukraine 'any day' in escalation of alarm

The United States dramatically raised the alarm Friday over Ukraine, warning that a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could start in days and telling US citizens to leave within 48 hours.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Politics (English)

Featured

Wealthy nations offer $250 bn on climate but pressed for more

COP29 draft deal proposes rich nations give $250 bn in climate finance

Last news