WASHINGTON — The Islamic holiday of Ramadan is being observed this year as the Israel-Hamas war surges in Gaza, where the United Nations is warning of a growing humanitarian crisis. Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque, in Washington said there will be differences in how Muslims observe this year because of the conflict. …
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washington — On Facebook, Vadim Wolfson makes his political position clear. His profile picture shows him in a baseball cap emblazoned with the words “Puck Futin,” while his banner image features a Russian anti-war flag. In words and memes, Wolfson criticizes Russian President Vladimir Putin, top Russian officials and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But Wolfson …
Read more “US Indictment Details Russian Oligarch’s Sanctions-Busting Scheme “
Washington — Moscow has a range of military technologies that it could offer Pyongyang in exchange for munitions to sustain its war in Ukraine, with advanced missile technologies high on the list, analysts say. North Korea has been providing munitions to Russia since its leader, Kim Jong Un, visited Russia last September and met with President …
Read more “What’s on Pyongyang’s Weapons Shopping List in Moscow?”
PRAGUE — The Czech Parliament’s upper house, the Senate followed the lower house on Wednesday to approve changes in the gun law that tighten requirements for owning a weapon following the worst mass killing in the nation’s history. The legislation now must be signed by President Petr Pavel before becoming law, which is expected. On December …
Read more “Czech Parliament Toughens Gun Laws After Country’s Worst Mass Shooting”
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday issued sanctions targeting two companies and two vessels that the Treasury Department said had facilitated commodities shipments on behalf of a network of an Iranian-backed Houthi financial facilitator. The action targets two Hong Kong- and Marshall Islands-based ship owners and two vessels for their role in shipping commodities on …
The fall of Avdiivka last month, a stronghold Ukrainians have been defending for almost 10 years, is bringing the war closer to thousands of civilians in that part of the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine. Many are fleeing west, but some are choosing to stay behind and face the battles rather than become refugees. Yan …
Read more “As War Closes in on Eastern Ukraine, Civilians Make Tough Choices”
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Warsaw — Protesting farmers clashed with police outside the parliament building in Warsaw on Wednesday, with police using pepper spray and accusing some participants of violence against security forces. Thousands of farmers had gathered in the Polish capital, burning tires and throwing firecrackers as they demanded a halt to cheap imports and environmental regulations they say …
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Korolyov, Russia — A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison for criticizing the Ukraine offensive in social media posts. Roman Ivanov, 51, was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces and punished under Moscow’s strict military censorship laws. Moscow has used laws against “discrediting” the armed forces …
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Budapest — Hundreds of young Ukrainian circus performers have found a new home in Hungary, since fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country. The Budapest Capital Circus, which has been putting on shows in the Hungarian capital since 1889, has taken in hundreds of young people between 5 and 20 years old over the past two years, …
Read more “Ukraine’s Young Circus Refugees Find New Home in Hungary”
Brussels — The European Union moved a step closer Tuesday to banning products made from forced labor after negotiators reached an agreement on a law that supporters hope will help block imports from China involving the Uyghur Muslim minority. The bloc’s draft text does not specifically mention China, but focuses on all products made from forced …
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paris — The European Union’s executive arm announced a proposal Tuesday that aims to supercharge the bloc’s defense industry’s ability to respond to the war in Ukraine, Russian aggression, and fears of waning transatlantic commitment on the part of the United States. The EU’s 27 member states still need to sign off on the proposals. The …
Read more “Brussels Lays Out Plan to Build Up Europe’s Defense Industry”
LONDON — Germany said Tuesday that human error was to blame for Russia obtaining the recording of a phone call among senior German military officials discussing the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine, denying its government communication systems had been compromised. In the audio recording, published by the state-owned broadcaster Russia Today on Friday, four senior …
Read more “Germany Blames Human Error After Russia Hacks Call on Ukraine Missiles”
Germany said Tuesday that human error is to blame for Russia obtaining a telephone recording of senior German military officials discussing supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine. Berlin denied its systems had been hacked. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, Western allies fear what other intelligence Russia may have obtained. …
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Budapest, Hungary — Hungary’s president on Tuesday signed the law on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, a final technical step before the Nordic country becomes the alliance’s 32rd member. Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden’s bid on February 26, ending more than a year of delays that frustrated other alliance members in the face of Russia’s invasion of …
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GENEVA — Former Wimbledon and French Open champion Simona Halep had her four-year doping ban cut to nine months by the top court for global sport on Tuesday, making the former world number one eligible to return to competition immediately. Halep was initially banned for four years for two separate anti-doping rule violations. But the Lausanne-based …
Read more “Tennis Player Halep’s Doping Ban Cut From 4 Years to 9 Months”
BERLIN — Tesla’s European Gigafactory near Berlin halted production and was left without power after suspected arson set an electricity pylon ablaze in a field close to the site early on Tuesday morning. Police said the fire brigade was working to put out the fire in the area southeast of the German capital, adding that the …
Read more “Tesla’s German Plant Halts Production After Suspected Arson Nearby”
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For decades, the ethnically mixed, working-class Paris suburb of Saint-Denis has faced a raft of negative stereotypes. But it’s angling for a different image, when it welcomes part of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Many hope the Olympics construction projects now underway will go beyond an urban facelift and deliver lasting change. Lisa Bryant …
Read more “Paris Olympics Aim to Lift Up Capital’s Disenfranchised Suburbs”
Geneva — U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warns the potential spillover of dozens of conflicts around the world is threatening global peace and causing human rights violations to surge in all regions. Türk, who presented an update about the situation of human rights around the world at the U.N. Human Rights Council in …
Read more “Conflict Spillovers Causing Surge of Human Rights Violations, UN Rights Chief Warns”