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Poland said Monday it would send its German-made tanks to Ukraine, regardless of any objections from Berlin. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Germany is under intense pressure from allies to send its Leopard 2 tanks to aid Kyiv’s forces — but is refusing to make a quick decision. …
Turkey’s president cast serious doubt on NATO’s expansion Monday after warning Sweden not to expect support for its bid for membership into the military alliance following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Rasmus Paludan’s Quran-burning protest on Saturday, saying it was an insult to everyone, …
Read more “Turkey’s President Says No Support for Sweden’s NATO Bid”
European Union foreign ministers slapped a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, discussed a possible 10th sanctions package against Russia, and agreed to more than $540 million in new military spending for Ukraine. The new military funding for Ukraine brings to nearly $12 billion the total European Union and member state military spending for Kyiv …
Read more “EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran, Mulls More Against Russia”
As bombs rain down across Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, some residents remain in its near-deserted cities and towns, patching up bombed-out buildings and holding on to hope that the war will come to an end. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar in the Donbas. Camera: Yan Boechat. …
A former senior FBI agent who once investigated Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has been arrested for receiving secret payments from the Russian billionaire in return for investigating a rival, the Justice Department announced Monday. Charles F. McGonigal, who headed counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York field office, and Sergey Shestakov, a former Soviet diplomat and …
Read more “Former FBI Agent Arrested on Russia Sanctions Violations”
The fallout of the war in Ukraine is hitting even France’s iconic baguette, which was recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. On Monday, French bakers took to the streets of Paris to protest soaring energy and other prices they say are imperiling their trade. Denis Durand begins his workdays at 3:30 a.m. to bake …
Read more “France’s Baguette Becomes Another Ukraine War Casualty”
Russia and neighboring Estonia, a member of the NATO military alliance, said Monday they are expelling each other’s ambassadors by February 7 in a new display of rancor over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Russia and Estonia disparaged each other as they announced that their diplomatic missions in Moscow and Tallinn would be downgraded and …
Burkina Faso has decided to end a military accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents on its territory because the government wants the country to defend itself, the government said Monday. The West African country is facing an Islamist insurgency by groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State which have taken over large …
Read more “Burkina Faso Ends French Military Accord, Says It Will Defend Itself”
South Africa has defended its warm relations and joint military drills with Russia as it hosts Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on his first visit since the invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov said he appreciated South Africa’s neutral stance since the war started one year ago and placed the blame for the continuing conflict squarely on the …
Read more “South Africa Hosts Russian Foreign Minister Despite Criticism “
The French government is presenting a bill on Monday that foresees broad changes to the pension system that will notably push back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. Unions aren’t happy, and more than 1 million people took to the streets last week to reject the measure. More strikes and protest action are …
Read more “Why Macron, French Unions at Odds Over Pensions “
Retired general and former NATO official Petr Pavel led billionaire ex-prime minister Andrej Babis by a nearly 18-point margin ahead of a Czech presidential election run-off vote, according to the final Ipsos agency poll published on Monday. Czech presidents do not wield much daily powers but they appoint prime ministers, central bank governors, and have …
Read more “Pavel Leads Ahead of Czech Vote; Opponent Plays on War Fears “
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak opened an investigation Monday into allegations that the chairman of the governing Conservative Party settled a multimillion-dollar unpaid tax bill while he was in charge of the country’s Treasury. It’s one of multiple stories about secret loans and unpaid taxes causing discomfort for Sunak, who has faced scrutiny of his …
Read more “Senior UK Conservatives Under Fire Over Tax, Finances”
Turkey’s president has announced May 14 as the date for the country’s next parliamentary and presidential elections. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who plans to seek reelection, made the announcement during a Saturday youth conference in northwestern Bursa province. A video of the event was released Sunday. “I thank God that we are destined to share …
French and German leaders held a summit in France Sunday as pressure mounts on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to approve a shipment of Leopard 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine. The chancellor did not say whether Germany would agree to provide Ukraine with a delivery of battle tanks, but the Reuters news agency cited him as …
Read more “Pressure Mounting on Germany to Deliver Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine”
Police on Sunday were searching a Ryanair RYA.I passenger plane that landed at Athens International Airport for any suspicious items after receiving an alert for a bomb threat, police officials said. The pilot of the Boeing 737 aircraft, with about 190 passengers and crew on board, had earlier alerted authorities over a possible explosive device …
Read more “Greek Police Search Ryanair Passenger Plane Over Bomb Threat “
France and Germany are seeking to overcome differences laid bare by Russia’s war in Ukraine while celebrating their decadeslong friendship with a day of ceremonies and talks Sunday on Europe’s security, energy and other challenges. Germany’s entire Cabinet is in Paris for joint meetings, and 300 lawmakers from both countries are coming together at the …
Read more “France, Germany Renew Alliance Strained Amid War in Ukraine “
Sweden’s prime minister has condemned as “deeply disrespectful” the weekend burning of a Quran in Stockholm, which has raised tensions with Turkey as the Nordic country courts Ankara over its NATO bid. Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book on Saturday in front of Turkey’s embassy in the …
The British Defense Ministry said Sunday that Russia “highly likely assesses that an enhanced conventional military threat will endure for many years beyond the current Ukraine war.” In the intelligence update posted on Twitter Sunday, the ministry said, Russia would “highly likely struggle to staff and equip the planned expansion.” Russia’s Defense Ministry announced last …
Read more “UK: Russia Will ‘Likely Struggle’ to Staff, Equip Planned Force Expansion”
India’s government said it has blocked videos and tweets sharing links to a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role during deadly 2002 sectarian riots, calling it “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage.” The British broadcaster’s program alleges that the Hindu nationalist Modi, premier of Gujarat state at the time, ordered police to turn a …
Read more “India Blocks ‘Hostile’ BBC Documentary on PM Modi”
“I’ve always been able to understand how people feel and to see their perspective,” said Luisa Piette, who lives in Cool, California. “I feel their pain, whether it’s people going through a difficult divorce or an acquaintance who couldn’t pay their rent. I’ve been there to lend an ear and to empathize with them.” Piette …
Inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian grain and other food exports have slowed to half their peak rate under a wartime agreement brokered by the United Nations, creating backlogs in vessels meant to carry supplies to developing nations where people are going hungry, United Nations and Ukrainian officials say. Some officials from the United States and …
Read more “Inspections of Ukrainian Grain Ships Halved Since October”
A former U.S. Navy SEAL who went AWOL in 2019 was killed this week in Ukraine, American officials said Friday. They said he was not fighting in an official capacity. Daniel W. Swift, who was a 1st class petty officer, was injured in Dnipro and died of his wounds, said one of the officials, who …
Read more “Ex-SEAL Dies in Ukraine; 6th Known American Killed in War”
Tons of waste dumped in poorly regulated riverside landfills or directly into the waterways that flow across three countries end up accumulating behind a trash barrier in the Drina River in eastern Bosnia during the wet weather of winter and early spring. This week, the barrier once again became the outer edge of a massive …
Read more “Sections of Balkan River Become Floating Garbage Dump”
RT France, the French arm of the Russian state broadcaster, will shut down after its French bank accounts were frozen over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the channel’s director said Saturday. “After five years of harassment, the authorities in power have achieved their goal: the closure of RT France,” Xenia Fedorova said in a Twitter …
Read more “Russia’s RT France to Close After Accounts Frozen”