WUF13 opens in Baku with focus on housing, resilience and global urban reform
The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) opened in Baku with ministers, UN officials and urban policy leaders. Participants call for ...
Ukraine’s newly appointed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced on Thursday that her government will initiate a comprehensive audit of public finances aimed at securing “real savings” and improving the efficiency of state spending.
In her first statement on X following her confirmation by parliament earlier in the day, Svyrydenko also emphasised the need to speed up large-scale privatisation efforts as part of broader economic reforms.
“Our government will launch a full audit of public finances to ensure transparency and real savings,” she wrote, underscoring fiscal discipline as a key objective.
Svyrydenko, who previously served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, takes the helm during a critical phase of Ukraine’s wartime recovery and restructuring. She replaces Denys Shmyhal, who is expected to take over as Defence Minister.
Outlining her immediate priorities, Svyrydenko said her administration would focus on ensuring stable and sufficient supplies for the Ukrainian military, while also working to expand domestic arms production to reduce reliance on imports.
Her appointment comes as Ukraine continues to face significant economic and security challenges amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. With foreign aid expected to decline in the coming year, the government is under pressure to streamline expenditures and find alternative sources of revenue.
Observers say Svyrydenko’s leadership will be crucial in balancing urgent defence needs with long-term structural reforms needed to stabilise Ukraine’s economy and maintain international support.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the U.S. military blockade of Iran’s southern ports could trigger a new global financial crisis as the Tehran-Washington standoff around the strategic Strait of Hormuz persists.
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say faced its largest aerial assault in more than a year.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
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