Month: January 2023

Anti-corruption efforts in seemingly “clean” advanced economies have stalled even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought to the fore that nation’s role in fostering kleptocracy in recent decades, Transparency International said in a report on Tuesday. While painting a grim picture of the global fight against corruption, the Berlin-based watchdog put the spotlight on …

Read more “Report: Advanced Economies Complicit in Transnational Corruption”

The U.S. accused Russia on Tuesday of violating the nuclear arms control START treaty, contending that Moscow was refusing to allow inspection activities inside Russia. The treaty, the last major pillar of post-Cold War nuclear arms control efforts, took effect in 2011 and was extended in 2021 for five more years. It sets a limit …

Read more “US Contends Russia Violating Nuclear Arms Treaty”

Striking workers disrupted French refinery deliveries, public transport and schools on Tuesday in a second day of nationwide protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to make people work longer before retirement.  Huge crowds marched through cities across France to denounce a reform that raises the retirement age by two years to 64 and poses a …

Read more “France Hit by New Wave of Strikes Against Macron’s Pension Reform”

Climate activists in South Africa are protesting a refueling stop by a Russian ship that they say is ignoring a ban on exploring oil and gas in Antarctica. Protest organizers Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion say the seismic tests the Akademik Alexander Karpinsky has been conducting in Antarctica for the past 25 years are harmful …

Read more “Protesters Say Russian Ship Bound for Antarctica Unwelcome at South African Port  “

Finnish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic unions will quit a global media federation on Tuesday in protest at “corruptive activity,” including allowing Russian state media journalists in Ukraine to stay as members, the Finnish union said. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which represents 600,000 journalists in 146 countries, denounced the accusations as “false, defamatory and …

Read more “Nordic Unions to Quit Global Journalists’ Body IFJ, Citing ‘Corruptive Activity’”

France and Australia have agreed to join forces to produce thousands of artillery shells to help Ukraine push Russian forces out of its country. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong are in Europe for talks with key allies. French and Australian officials say several thousand 155 millimeter artillery shells will …

Read more “Australia and France to Supply Artillery Shells to Ukraine  “

Tuesday brought a new round of strikes in France as citizens protest proposed pension reforms.  Worker strikes severely limited Paris metro and other rail services, while Air France canceled some of its short and medium flights.  Half of the primary school teachers planned to strike, their union said, while power supplies were down with workers …

Read more “New Round of Strikes as French Workers Protest Pension Reforms”

A decade ago this year, the head of the European Union’s executive branch stood, visibly shaken, before rows of coffins holding the corpses of migrants drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Some of them, small and bone-white, contained the bodies of infants and children.  “That image of hundreds of coffins will never get out …

Read more “10 Years After EU’s ‘Never Again’ Tragedy, Little’s Changed”

Czech President-elect Petr Pavel vowed Monday to boost his country’s ties with Taiwan after holding a phone call with the island’s president and foreign minister.  President Tsai Ing-wen congratulated Pavel on his win in Saturday’s presidential run-off over the populist billionaire Andrej Babis.  “I thanked her for her congratulations, and I assured her that Taiwan …

Read more “New Czech President Vows to Boost Ties with Taiwan”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday for talks with his counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, aimed at boosting “strong cooperation” in several areas between the two countries.     Lukashenko landed in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, for a two-day visit and was greeted by Mnangagwa and thousands of ruling party supporters.     The two countries are close …

Read more “Belarusian President Arrives in Zimbabwe”

Britain will announce a plan Tuesday to improve the environment, including a commitment to restore at least 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of wildlife habitat to protect the country’s rarest species, from hedgehogs to red squirrels.  The proposals comprise 70 new projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves, according to the Department for …

Read more “UK to Restore Swathes of Wildlife Habitat for Hedgehogs”

Azerbaijan said on Monday it was suspending work at its embassy in Iran, days after a gunman stormed the mission, killing one guard and wounding two others.  Iran has said the attack on Friday was motivated by personal reasons, but Baku labeled it an act of terrorism.  “The operation of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran has …

Read more “Azerbaijan Embassy in Iran Suspends Work After Deadly Attack”

In a little over two years, the team at Tut.by have seen their news outlet go from being one of the most read in Belarus to being labeled an “extremist” organization whose staff are equated with criminals. Currently five of the media outlet’s journalists are standing trial in a case that many analysts see as …

Read more “With Media on Trial or in Exile, Belarusian Journalists Strive to Keep Reporting”

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey warned Americans on Monday of possible attacks against churches, synagogues and diplomatic missions in Istanbul, marking its second such notice in four days, following Quran-burning incidents in Europe. In an updated security alert, the U.S. Embassy said “possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists” could take place in areas frequented by …

Read more “US Issues Another Warning of Possible Terrorist Attacks in Turkey”

The death of a Turkish migrant after he traveled to a Greek island has prompted demands for Ankara to take up the case with Athens, amid accusations of torture and the illegal “push-back” of migrant boats. Barış Büyüksu Despite graduating from university, 30-year-old Barış Büyüksu was struggling to find a well-paid job. At the end …

Read more “Turkish Migrant Death in Greece Prompts Accusations of Torture”

The death of a Turkish migrant after he traveled to a Greek island late last year has prompted demands for Turkey’s foreign ministry to take up the case. As Henry Ridgwell reports, a Turkish lawmaker has accused the Greek government of committing murder — but Greece denies any knowledge. Camera: Memet Aksakal …

Ukraine official said Russian presence at Games would constitute giving the country ‘a platform to promote genocide’ …

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday his country would consider evaluating Finland’s NATO membership bid separately from Sweden’s. Until now, Turkey threatened to veto both countries’ bids after the burning of a Quran in Stockholm sparked outrage in Ankara. The Turkish foreign minister told reporters in Ankara that Turkey is ready to assess Finland …

Read more “Turkey Now Willing to Back Finland’s NATO Membership but Ruling Out Sweden “

In a new BBC documentary, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Britain with a missile strike. Johnson says the conversation took place during a phone call in the run up to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February of last year. Johnson recalled the Russian leader saying, “It would only …

Read more “Boris Johnson Says Putin Threatened Missile Strike in Call “

When night falls in Tatiana Trofimenko’s village in southern Ukraine, she pours sunflower oil that aid groups gave her into a jar and seals it with a wick-fitted lid. A flick of a match, and the make-do candle is lit. “This is our electricity,” Trofimenko, 68, says. It has been over 11 weeks since Ukrainian …

Read more “Russians Gone From Ukraine Village, Fear and Hardship Remain”

Friends and volunteers gathered Sunday at Kyiv’s St. Sophia’s Cathedral to say goodbye to Andrew Bagshaw, a New Zealand scientist who was killed in Ukraine with another volunteer while they were trying to evacuate people from a front-line town. Bagshaw, 48, a dual New Zealand-British citizen, and British volunteer Christopher Parry, 28, went missing this …

Read more “Friends Mourn Foreign Volunteers Killed Helping Civilians in Ukraine”

Azerbaijan will evacuate embassy staff and family members from Iran on Sunday, the foreign ministry said, two days after a gunman shot dead a security guard and wounded two other people in an attack Baku branded as an “act of terrorism.” Police in Tehran have said they arrested a suspect and Iranian authorities condemned Friday’s …

Read more “Azerbaijan to Evacuate Embassy in Iran After Fatal Shooting”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signaled on Sunday that Ankara may agree to Finland joining NATO ahead of Sweden, amid growing tensions with Stockholm. “We may deliver Finland a different message (on their NATO application) and Sweden would be shocked when they see our message. But Finland should not make the same mistake Sweden did,” Erdogan …

Read more “Turkey’s Erdogan Signals Finland’s NATO Bid May Be Considered Over Sweden”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Sunday that Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine, as Kyiv steps up calls for more advanced weapons from the West to help repel Russia’s invasion. Scholz only just agreed on Wednesday to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other European countries to send theirs, after …

Read more “Germany Won’t Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine, Says Scholz”