Month: October 2024

Tbilisi — Tens of thousands of Georgians staged on Sunday a pro-Europe rally, days before parliamentary elections seen as a crucial test for the country’s democracy and its bid for EU membership.    Saturday’s vote will pit an unprecedented alliance of pro-Western opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards …

Read more “Tens of thousands rally in Georgia for EU ahead of pivotal vote “

WARSAW, Poland — The prominent American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum urged continued support for Ukraine as she accepted a prestigious German prize Sunday, arguing that pacifism in the face of aggression is often nothing more than appeasement. Applebaum made her appeal to an audience in Frankfurt, where she was awarded the Peace Prize of the …

Read more “US writer Anne Applebaum calls for arms for Ukraine, accepts German peace prize “

Berlin — A Libyan suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and links to the Islamic State group will appear before a judge on Sunday, German prosecutors said.    The suspect, identified only as Omar A., was arrested on Saturday evening at his home in Bernau, just outside the German capital, the …

Read more “Libyan held in Germany over suspected Israel embassy plot “

KYIV — Russian air defenses shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones Sunday over Russia’s western regions, Moscow officials said, while 17 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in a ballistic missile attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said 110 drones were destroyed in the overnight barrage against seven Russian regions. Many targeted …

Read more “Kyiv launches more than 100 drones over Russia as a missile strike on Ukraine injures 17 “

Madrid — Thousands of people packed a Madrid square on Sunday to protest against Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government and demand an early election, at a rally backed by right-wing parties.   Waving red and yellow Spanish flags, protesters massed in the Plaza de Castilla, a large square in the heart of Madrid’s financial district …

Read more “Thousands join right-wing rally against Spanish government “

PARIS — As Notre Dame gears up to reopen its doors in December, Paris is on the verge of a remarkable eco-revival, bringing nature back to the forefront of the City of Light. Beyond restoring the cathedral’s iconic spire and medieval charm, the city announced plans Tuesday to revamp Notre Dame’s surroundings — to a tune …

Read more “$55M plan to give Notre Dame a green facelift is part of Paris eco plan”

CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans have started casting ballots in two key votes Sunday that could determine whether the European Union candidate country, which neighbors Ukraine, remains on a pro-Western path amid ongoing allegations that Russia has tried to undermine the electoral process. Incumbent President Maia Sandu is the favorite to secure another term in office in …

Read more “Moldovans cast votes as Russian interference claims spike”

German police have arrested a Libyan suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group and of having planned an attack on the Israeli embassy, federal prosecutors told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.  “There is some suggestion he had planned an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin,” said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, adding that …

Read more “German police arrest Libyan suspected of planning attack on Israeli embassy”

PARIS — Women and men demonstrated together Saturday in Paris and other French cities in support of Gisèle Pélicot and against sexual violence highlighted by the harrowing trial of her ex-husband and dozens of other men accused of rapes while she was drugged and unconscious. The demonstrations outside Paris’ criminal court, in the southeastern city of …

Read more “Demonstrators in France praise Gisèle Pélicot’s courage in harrowing rape trial”

Britain’s six-time Olympic track cycling champion Chris Hoy has revealed he has “two to four years” to live after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which metastasized to his bones. The announcement comes after the 48-year-old Scot said in February he was feeling “optimistic and positive” as he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified …

Read more “6-time Olympic cycling champion Hoy reveals he has terminal cancer”

kyiv, ukraine — A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues and gear aims to intimidate Ukrainian forces and marks a new chapter in the 2 1/2-year war with the introduction of another country into the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said.  The video, which was obtained by Ukraine’s …

Read more “Video published by Ukraine purports to show North Korean soldiers in Russia”

Ukraine’s military deployed air-defense systems late Saturday to repel an aerial assault on Kyiv, according to the capital’s top elected official.    “Stay in shelters!” Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned on the Telegram messaging app, according to Reuters.     Reuters was unable to independently confirm the scope of the aerial assault.  Saturday’s attack follows a visit to …

Read more “Ukraine repels Russian aerial attack on Kyiv”

istanbul — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets was an effort being driven by Britain and was in the early stages.  “It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there [Britain],” he said when asked about potential movement …

Read more “Germany says Britain taking lead on possible Eurofighters for Turkey”

ROME — Human rights groups and some analysts call Italy’s opening this week of migrant processing centers in Albania controversial and illegal. The Italian government is now appealing a court ruling against its flagship project to move migrant facilities offshore. Italy’s right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, hailed her country’s deal — signed in November 2023 but …

Read more “Court halts Italy’s contested migrant centers in Albania”

Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman and observed by nine other countries began in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Iran’s state TV said. The exercises, dubbed “IMEX 2024,” are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, …

Read more “Iran hosts joint naval drills with Russia, Oman in Indian Ocean”

NAPLES, ITALY — G7 defense ministers started talks on Saturday against a backdrop of escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting. Italy, holding the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven countries, organized the body’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense, staged in Naples, the southern …

Read more “G7 defense summit convenes as conflicts rage”

KYIV, UKRAINE — The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday. France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, …

Read more “North Korean troops in Ukraine would be escalation, France warns”

MELBOURNE, Australia — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has rekindled debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain. The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to …

Read more “King’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy”

Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. Russia’s Defense Ministry, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian service members were undergoing medical checks in Belarus, …

Read more “Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE”

US President Joe Biden met with European counterparts on Friday, in a brief trip to Germany where leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and the widening conflict in the Middle East. White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Berlin. …

paris — France’s prime minister said Friday that firefighters and other rescuers have been involved in about 2,300 operations, some of them lifesaving, in what appears to be the biggest flooding in 40 years in central France. Michel Barnier visited French authorities’ crisis center in Paris and said there hadn’t been such violent rain in many …

Read more “Days of torrential rain bring major flooding to central France”

Emails threatening terror attacks led to the evacuation of hundreds of businesses, media outlets and foreign embassies in Ukraine this week. Ukrainian national police searched dozens of properties targeted by the threat, including the Kyiv office of VOA sister network Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to reports. Police said the searches did not find evidence …

Read more “Ukraine media outlets, businesses targeted with false bomb threats”