Since the war in Ukraine began, Germany’s controversial links to Russia have been in the spotlight. DW's Conflict Zone host Tim Sebastian talks about these ties with Ralf Stegner, a member of the German Parliament for the Social Democrats.

After more than two years of denying the virus had gained a foothold, Pyongyang is now struggling to handle thousands of suspected cases with limited medical capabilities.

In a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD party, voters backed the conservatives, CDU, in an election Germany's most populous state. The Greens meanwhile more than doubled the number of votes they received.

Relief supplies for Ukraine are collected in the German city of Dresden and taken to northern Romania, where they are picked up by volunteers from Chernivtsi in Ukraine. It is a special aid route.

North Korea on Sunday reported a total of 42 deaths from "fever" after admitting its first-ever COVID-19 cases days before. Lockdown policies have been implemented across the country, according to state-run media.

New data shows China's economy cooled sharply in April, as many cities including Shanghai suffered Covid-19 lockdowns. Industrial output dropped nearly 3 percent compared to a year before, while retail sales slumped 11 percent. Meanwhile, global wheat prices jump after India announces a ban on exporting the grain due to damage from a heatwave. Finally, we see how tourists are returning to Barcelona. The development is good news for local businesses but could revive tensions over mass tourism.

Japan's GDP fell at an annualised rate of 1 percent in the first three months of this year as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus hampered consumer spending. Rising commodity prices also weighed on businesses in the world's third-largest economy. Plus, as unemployment remains stable in France at 7.3 percent, a steelworks factory in the northern city of Dunkirk is offering a cash bonus to employees to encourage them to recruit family members.

North Korea reported more than 200,000 new illnesses on Thursday, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 1.98 million. Pyongyang has also not responded to offers of help from the WHO and other countries.

The influx of cash aims to support the financing of Ukraine's government, as Russia's war has decimated tax revenue. The grant is part of over €18 billion pledged by G7 finance ministers during their summit in Germany.

A patient in the German state of Bavaria has been infected with monkeypox, according to the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich. First cases were also detected in France and Belgium.

With energy prices soaring, Germany's parliament has approved the €9 per month ticket plan for public transport over the next three months. But the plan has its detractors.

Germany's parliament decided how it will engage militarily with the West African country, which witnessed another coup last year.