A Ukraine court has sentenced two Russian soldiers to over 11 years in prison for the shelling of civilian buildings. Meanwhile, Ukraine says Russia controls "around half" of Sievierodonetsk. DW has the latest.

The German chapter of Amnesty International has handed its Human Rights Prize for 2022 to the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO). Despite threats from the Ethiopian government, the organization persists in its work.

A 66-year-old British man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to smuggle ancient artifacts out of Iraq. A German arrested alongside him was acquitted.

For more than nine months, Afghan girls over the age of 11 have been prohibited from going to high school. The Taliban have not reneged on the ban they imposed on taking power last August, despite their initial promise to do so. In the western city of Herat, FRANCE 24's reporters followed one teacher who hopes that her former students will be able to continue their education. They also met a teacher who is defying the ban by giving clandestine lessons. Meanwhile, some fathers are trying to convince the authorities to reopen girls' schools for their daughters.

The trial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and French footballing legend Michel Platini over alleged corrupt payments continued in Switzerland on Thursday.

Almost 10 months ago, Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban. The hardline Islamists' return to power led to a mass exodus of the Afghan population, with the US taking in some 78,000 refugees. California received the largest number, followed by Texas, where some 10,500 Afghans are already calling the Lone Star State home. Texans are proud to welcome them, as our correspondents report.

The first flight to take asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Rwanda can go ahead next week, the High Court in London ruled after a judge dismissed attempts to win an injunction to stop the deportation to the East African nation.

A controversial plan by the British government to fly asylum-seekers from the UK to Rwanda is set to go ahead after a court rejected a last-minute appeal.

A member of the Jewish community launched the suit against the medieval "Jewish pig" sculpture in Germany's Wittenberg. Previous judges had ruled against him, citing the Holocaust memorial and context plaque beside it.

Colombians will choose between construction magnate Rodolfo Hernandez and former guerilla Gustavo Petro in the upcoming presidential election on June 19. But Hernandez had so far refused to debate Petro.

Two court rulings in Turkey regarding a femicide case, as well as the legality of the country's exit from a key accord against gender-based violence, are being closely watched by women's rights groups.

Germany is looking to lower gas demand to ward off long-term shortages as Russia throttles the gas flow. Gas prices for consumers could rise even more as a consequence.