Court to rule on former French PM Fillon’s fake job row

Former French prime minister Francois Fillon will learn Monday whether an appeals court has upheld his conviction for setting his wife up with lucrative fake jobs. Revelations about the probe torpedoed conservative Fillon’s 2017 presidential campaign, leaving the way clear for centrist Emmanuel Macron — re-elected to a second term last month. The 68-year-old was …

New US Sanctions Hit Russia Banks, TV Stations

The United States Department of the Treasury has announced new sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has named entities and people that it says are critical to Russia’s ability to wage war, including the board members of two of Russia’s most important banks, a Russian …

Germany’s Conservatives on Track to Win Election in Northern State

Germany’s conservative CDU won an election in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday, a boost to the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, which was ousted from the national government in federal elections last year. An exit poll by the political research group, Infratest dimap, put the Christian Democrats (CDU) at 43.5% of votes, …

Northern Ireland Parties Urged to Work Together After Sinn Fein Win

The U.K., U.S. and Irish governments have urged rival parties in Northern Ireland to come together to resurrect its power-sharing government after Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein scored a historic victory to become the biggest party in Northern Ireland’s Assembly. Sinn Fein, which seeks union with Ireland, won 27 seats in the 90-seat legislature, beating …

Dozens Feared Dead in Russian Shelling of Ukrainian School 

Dozens of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb leveled a school sheltering about 90 people in eastern Ukraine. The governor of the disputed Luhansk province where intense fighting has raged for weeks between Russian and Ukrainian forces said 30 people were rescued at the site in Bilohorivka but that the others in …

Ukraine President Attends Virtual Meeting with G7 Leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting virtually Sunday with the Group of 7 leaders, who head the world’s largest economies. The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and the United States are meeting with the Ukrainian leader to show their support for Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion that began in …

Patriotism, Unease Mix as Russia Marks Victory Day in WWII

Red Soviet flags and orange-and-black striped military ribbons are on display in Russian cities and towns. Neighborhoods are staging holiday concerts. Flowers are being laid by veterans’ groups at monuments to the Great Patriotic War, as World War II is known in the country. At first glance, preparations for Monday’s celebration of Victory Day, marking …

As Conflict and Climate Change Bite, Are High Food Prices Here to Stay?

Food prices around the world have soared to record levels this year as the Russia-Ukraine war slashes key exports of wheat and fertilizer from those countries, at the same time as droughts, floods and heat fueled by climate change claim more harvests. Wheat prices hit a 14-year peak in March, and maize prices reached the …

Is Ukraine Conducting a Sabotage Campaign Inside Russia?

A deadly fire at an aerospace research institute in Tver, northwest of Moscow. Another blaze at a munitions factory in Perm, more than 1,100 kilometers to the east. And fires in two separate oil depots in Bryansk, near Belarus. Coincidences, or a sign that Ukrainians or their supporters are mounting a campaign of sabotage inside …

Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 8

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 12:02 a.m.: Kyiv’s mayor says it’ll probably be safer for residents to return to the city after Monday, which is Russia’s Victory Day, The Washington Post reports. Victory Day marks the Soviet …

Russian Blockade of Ukrainian Sea Ports Sends Food Prices Soaring

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says global food prices stabilized last month at a very high level but were slightly lower than in March, which saw the highest ever jump in food prices. FAO officials see little prospect of a significant decrease in the price of food as long as the Russian-Ukrainian war …

Sinn Fein Set for Historic Win in Northern Ireland Election

Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein was widely expected to become the largest group in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time, giving it the right to the post of first minister in Belfast, as vote-counting in this week’s election resumed Saturday. A Sinn Fein win would be a milestone for a party long linked …

How Russia Tries to Counter Moldova Separatist Region’s Westward Drift

Russia’s desire to create a land corridor to Moldova’s separatist region of Transnistria is drawing attention to Moscow’s efforts to prevent the pro-Russian enclave from deepening ties to the West and undermining the decadeslong Russian grip over part of Moldova, some analysts say.    Russian General Rustam Minnekaev endorsed the idea of a land corridor …

Fighting in Ukraine Likely to Intensify This Weekend

Ukrainian officials have warned the country’s residents that the battles with Russian troops are likely to intensify this weekend, in the lead-up to Russia’s Victory Day celebrations Monday, commemorating the 77th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. The holiday is celebrated across Russia with military parades. Reuters reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin …

Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 7

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 12:02 a.m.: The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, says that “likely widespread civilian resistance” may disrupt Russian plans for a Victory Day event in Mariupol. Some information …

Belarus Sentences Activist’s Girlfriend to Six Years 

The Russian girlfriend of a Belarusian dissident, arrested with him a year ago when their plane was forced to land in Minsk, was on Friday sentenced to six years in prison, a rights group said.  Sofia Sapega, 24, was detained with Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich, 27, in May 2021 when their Ryanair flight from …

UN: Destabilizing Impact of Russia-Ukraine War Feared in Africa

U.N. officials warn that soaring prices of food, fuel, fertilizers, and other commodities due to the Russia-Ukraine war could have a profound destabilizing impact on the African continent.  Africa is still reeling from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has plunged some 50 million people into extreme poverty. The continent is also tackling …

Russian Court Orders Arrest in Absentia of Top Journalist Over ‘Fakes’

A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest in absentia of Alexander Nevzorov, a prominent Russian journalist accused of spreading false information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The court said Nevzorov, who has been put on Russia’s international wanted list, would be detained for two months if he ever returns …

UNICEF: Ukraine War Has Devastating Psychological Impact on Children

The U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, reports the war in Ukraine is having a devastating impact on children, with tens of thousands requiring psychological and social care. Millions of children in Ukraine have suffered from more than two months of relentless bombing and shelling, a lack of food, the inability to go to school, and the …

Jill Biden to Meet Ukrainian Refugees During Eastern Europe Visit

Delivering good cheer — and 5 gallons of ketchup — Jill Biden thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania as a check against Russian aggression for their service, as she began a four-day trip to Europe to see first-hand the refugee crisis caused by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. After flying overnight from Washington, the first lady …

Russian-Born Composer Gives Concerts to Raise Money for Ukraine’s Children

When the war in Ukraine started, composer and cello player Ian Maksin immediately spoke up, condemning Russia’s aggression. Today, Maksin, who is of Russian descent, is touring the U.S., performing in a series of concerts to raise money to help Ukrainian children. From Los Angeles, Angelina Bagdsaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera …

Europe’s Farmers Stir Up Biogas to Offset Russian Energy

In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europe’s fight to free itself from Russian gas. They’ll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce “biogas.” It’s among energy solutions being explored as the continent works to choke off funding for Russian gas amid the Kremlin’s war in …