Ukrainian president says Beijing is supporting efforts by Moscow to warn leaders off attending Swiss meeting Volodomyr Zelenskiy has accused China of discouraging other countries from attending a peace summit in Switzerland later this month that is aimed at bringing peace to war-ravaged Ukraine. Speaking at Asia’s biggest security conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, the Ukrainian president sought to rally support among Asia-Pacific nations, urging them to attend the Swiss meeting ..read more

Andreas Homoki’s detailed staging focuses on compelling and clear storytelling, and, with Gianandrea Noseda bringing energy and directness to Wagner’s music, this is a fresh and intelligent new cycle Unlike all too many Ring cycles, Zürich Opera’s new staging will stay in the memory for lots of the right, not the wrong, reasons. This is a fresh and intelligent cycle that is full of interest and consistently musically distinguished. The Zürich Ring’s principal achievement is musical and theatrical coherence. Andreas Homoki’s production and Christian Schmidt’s neoclassical sets provide a unified ..read more

Health leaders say extensive negotiations still needed to agree set of measures on how the world should prevent and respond to future pandemics Explainer: What is the pandemic accord and why have negotiations been so difficult? Global health leaders have said an international treaty governing how the world should deal with future pandemics may not be agreed for another year or more. After two years of negotiations, countries failed to agree on the text of an international pandemic accord by a deadline of 24 May. And at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday delegates said extensive f ..read more

First non-binary person to win song contest calls for home country to allow third-gender entries on official documents Nemo Mettler’s operatic, drum’n’bass-propelled entry won Eurovision for Switzerland last weekend, making the singer the first person who identifies as non-binary to triumph at the song contest. Now the performer has their sights set on another milestone: convincing the Swiss authorities to allow non-binary designations on official documents ..read more

Why did Olly Alexander fall flat in the public vote? Why didn’t Abba show up? And how did the trophy get smashed? It was the most politically charged Eurovision song contest in memory – but it was won by a famously neutral nation. As the glittery dust settles from Saturday night in Malmö, here’s what we learned ..read more

Videos filmed across the northern hemisphere show skies illuminated by the aurora borealis. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US said the 'very rare event' was caused by a large sunspot cluster that has produced several moderate to strong solar flares since Wednesday morning. That meant the lights could be seen further south than usual Northern lights dazzle over UK, Europe and across the hemisphere ..read more

Students set up encampments at universities across continent as they call for ceasefire in Israel-Gaza war See all our Middle East crisis coverage Student protests demanding that universities sever ties with Israel over the Gaza war have spread across Europe, sparking clashes and arrests as new demonstrations broke out in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria. Students at various European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions because of Israel’s ..read more

From a man with a mullet letting off fireworks to a Slovenian witch, this year’s Eurovision has some of the wildest entries ever The bookies’ favourite, and you can see why. For one thing, it addresses a hot-button social issue – the lyrics deal with Nemo Mettler’s non-binary gender identity – that’s also very Eurovision-friendly. In 1998, Eurovision had a transgender winner, Dana International, 34 years before Kim Petras became the first transgender woman to top the UK and US chart with Unholy. More importantly, it’s that rare thing, an original-sounding Eurovision entry that’s charmingly pre ..read more

Glencore understood to be considering takeover offer while BHP could move again after initial rejection The global mining industry is braced for a multi-billion pound bidding war for Anglo American amid growing speculation that mining companies are preparing rival bids. The Australian miner BHP is understood to have sent senior executives to Anglo’s base in South Africa to meet key company stakeholders after an initial offer of £31bn was rebuffed by Anglo’s board last week ..read more

Suspects alleged to have posed as academics to access books and replace them with copies, says Europol Police have arrested nine Georgians suspected of running a sophisticated criminal operation stealing valuable antique books – including an original Alexander Pushkin manuscript – from national libraries across Europe. Shelves of 19th-century Russian-language literature had been ransacked over two years across several countries and replaced with fakes, Europol, the EU police agency, revealed on Thursday ..read more