World

China clearly doesn’t want to be drawn any deeper than it has to into the diplomatic and rhetorical war over Ukraine, which may partly explain its move to aid the US and EU in tightening the sanctions on Russia.

The papers focus on the disappearance of a submersible observing the wreckage of the Titanic. We also learn why it's called a submersible and not a submarine. Also: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets Emmanuel Macron in Paris and an AI chatbot called AI Jesus is popular with users of Twitch. Finally, we find out why romance novelists are ditching the tall, dark handsome hero in favour of sweet "cinnamon roll" men.

Rescuers heard banging noises thought to have originated from the Titan submersible missing in the North Atlantic while on a voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic.

According to the European Union's narcotics monitor, the EU drug market is growing more diverse and health risks are increasing. Increased trafficking has also led to increased drug-related violence.

Talking Europe interviews the head of the Council of Europe, the continent's human rights watchdog. A former Croatian minister of foreign and European affairs, Marija Pejcinovic Buric was elected to lead the Council of Europe in 2019. The organisation started out with just 10 nations in 1949, and now numbers 46, including the European Union member states and other countries that are outside the EU.

Pyongyang "bitterly criticized" those responsible for last month's failed rocket launch. But officials said progress was being made on ballistic missile technology and the country's nuclear program.

The United Nations said Russia denied its request for humanitarian access to the flood-affected areas of Ukraine that it occupies. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reported incremental gains near the front line.

Hundreds of Pakistanis are believed to have been on the vessel that sank off the coast of Greece earlier this week, but just 12 have been accounted for.

Romanian officials have forwarded charges against divisive online influencer Andrew Tate for trial. He is accused of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang.

The Finnish parliament has elected the conservative politician as the head of the government. Promising a shift to the right, the new prime minister has pledged deep spending cuts and a "paradigm shift" on immigration.

President Zelenskyy has rejected calls for peace talks with Russia while meeting with a delegation of African leaders. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin said nuclear warheads are now in Belarus. DW has the latest.

The EU has come under flak for not loudly speaking up for LGBTQ rights in Southeast Asian countries where those rights are most at risk. But is the criticism justified?