Gunmen Attack Moscow Concert Hall, Set It Ablaze; Toll Unknown

MOSCOW — Several gunmen burst into a big concert hall in Moscow on Friday and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and starting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.  Russian news …

Russia Hits Ukraine With Deadly Barrage; Zelensky Appeals for Aid

Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia launched a massive wave of deadly overnight attacks on Ukraine using more than 90 missiles and 60 Iranian-made drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, in one of the largest offensives recently. “There were more than 60 ‘Shaheds’ and almost 90 missiles of various types overnight,” he said. “The world sees the targets …

Experts See Central Asia Emboldened by Russia’s Struggles in Ukraine

washington — Two years ago, as Russia invaded Ukraine’s heartland, Central Asian countries feared they would be next to feel the impact of President Vladimir Putin’s revanchist obsession.   But as Russia has struggled on the battlefield and suffered massive losses against a determined Ukrainian foe, experts and current and former policymakers in Washington see a …

Moldovan Parliament Backs Bid to Join EU, But Divisions Remain

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — Moldova’s Parliament on Thursday endorsed an appeal to press on with a drive to join the European Union, but the opposition walked out of the vote and separatists in the Transnistria region urged authorities to drop their claim to the enclave. President Maia Sandu, who says Russia is the biggest threat to Moldova’s …

Nations Pledge to Boost Nuclear Power to Fight Climate Change

Paris — Representatives of 30 nations meeting in Brussels vowed to beef up nuclear energy Thursday as one solution to meet climate-fighting targets and guarantee reliable energy supplies. But the issue of nuclear power is divisive, and critics say it shouldn’t be part of the world’s approach to energy challenges. The summit was the first of …

Belgium Bishop Defrocked 14 Years After Admitting to Abusing Nephew

ROME — Pope Francis on Thursday defrocked a notorious Belgian bishop who admitted 14 years ago that he sexually abused his nephew but faced no Vatican punishment.  The case of Roger Vangheluwe, the emeritus bishop of Bruges, long ago became a symbol of the Catholic Church’s hypocrisy and dysfunction in dealing with cases of abuse. Not …

UN: Belarus Runs Campaign of Violence, Repression to Crush Dissent

GENEVA — A report by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights accuses the government of Belarus of running a campaign of violence and repression to crush political dissent and maintain its grip on power. “Considering the range of human rights violations committed against the population of real or perceived political opponents in …

Australia Signs Security Accord with Britain  

Sydney — Australia and the United Kingdom signed a new defense and security cooperation agreement Thursday that deepens the strategic relationship between the two nations, makes it easier for their defense forces to operate together in each other’s countries, and boosts a fledgling nuclear-powered submarine program with the United States. Australia has said the new security …

Irish Prime Minister Says He’s Quitting

LONDON — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country’s first gay and first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down for reasons that he said were both personal and political. Varadkar announced Wednesday he is quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland’s coalition government. …

IOC Says ‘Aggressive’ Russia Criticism a ‘New Low’

Lausanne, Switzerland — Moscow’s criticism of Olympic restrictions on Russian athletes was beyond unacceptable and had reached a “new low,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday.  “It goes beyond anything that is acceptable. To link the [IOC] president [Germany’s Thomas Bach], his nationality and the Holocaust in the context of this issue reaches a new …

Russia Donates Fertilizer, Grain to Zimbabwe

Harare, Zimbabwe — Russia donated 25,000 tons of grain and 23,000 tons of fertilizer to Zimbabwe to help combat the effects of El Nino-induced drought, which has dwindled crop yields in most parts of Southern Africa.  President Emmerson Mnangagwa accepted the donation Wednesday, saying it would help alleviate the drought Zimbabwe is coping with and the …

Berlin Summons Iran Ambassador Over 2022 Synagogue Plot

BERLIN — Germany on Wednesday said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador over an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in 2022 that Berlin believes was planned with the help of Tehran.  A German Iranian national was sentenced in December to two years and nine months in prison in the plot to attack a synagogue in …