Armenia on Thursday accused arch-foe Azerbaijan of conducting a “policy of ethnic cleansing” and forcing ethnic Armenians to leave the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Since mid-December, a group of Azerbaijanis has been blocking the only road into Karabakh from Armenia to protest what they claim is illegal mining causing environmental …
Read More »Europe could dodge a recession. But the UK is in a mess
Business activity across the 20 countries that use the euro expanded in January for the first time in six months, according to data published Tuesday, providing fresh evidence that Europe’s economy could confound expectations and dodge a recession this year. An initial reading of the eurozone’s Purchasing Managers’ Index, which …
Read More »Zelenskiy flags shake-up after corruption allegations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that changes would be announced imminently in the government, the regions and in the security forces following allegations of corruption nearly a year into Russia’s invasion. Zelenskiy, elected by a landslide in 2019 on pledges to change the way government operated, did not …
Read More »Finland’s top diplomat hints at joining NATO without Sweden
Finland’s foreign minister said on Tuesday a time-out of a few weeks was needed in Finland and Sweden’s talks with Turkey on their application to join the NATO military alliance. Turkey’s president said on Monday that Sweden should not expect his country’s support after a protest near the Turkish embassy …
Read More »Another coup plot foiled in Germany
Five suspects from right-wing circles were charged with preparing to overthrow the government and abduct a minister German security services have charged five suspects with treason over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. The group, whose members are now all in custody, allegedly planned to cause a “civil war-like” …
Read More »Under pressure from Western allies, Germany says won’t bar Poland from sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Under mounting pressure from its Western allies, Germany, which had so far refused to send tanks to Ukraine, now says it would not stand in the way of Poland if it wanted to give Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the remark on Sunday after being asked …
Read More »FBI searches Biden’s home and finds more classified materials
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators have found additional classified material while conducting a search of US President Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, home, an issue that has lowered his approval ratings to near-record lows. The FBI search took place over nearly 13 hours on Friday. Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal attorney, …
Read More »Tensions high in Paris as protests over Macron’s pension reform rage on
Tensions run high in Paris as demonstrators once again rallied in protest against the planned pension reform announced by French President Emmanuel Macron Two days after more than one million people took to the streets, raising their voices against the government’s proposed pension reforms, clashes erupted in the capital between police …
Read More »Thousands protest against Spanish government in Madrid
Thousands of people protested in Madrid Saturday against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s leftist government in a rally held in a key election year that was backed by far-right party Vox. Participants waved red and yellow Spanish flags and called on Sanchez to resign. Some held up signs with a photo …
Read More »Stockholm greenlights Quran-burning event as Turkey calls off Swedish minister’s
Turkey has called off a visit by Sweden’s defense minister against the backdrop of a planned ‘Qur’an burning’ event in Stockholm by a right-wing extremist whose anti-Islam conduct sparked riots in the European country last year. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday, “At this point, Swedish Defense Minister …
Read More »Russian troops seized ‘advantageous’ positions in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia: Army
The Russian army said Saturday that its troops had launched an offensive in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting this week intensified after several months of an almost frozen front. In its daily report, Moscow’s forces said they led “offensive operations” in the region and claimed to have “taken more advantageous …
Read More »Ukraine regrets ‘indecision’ on tanks that ‘is killing more of our people’
Ukraine on Saturday denounced the “global indecision” of its allies on whether to provide heavy-duty modern tanks for its fight against Russia, saying “today’s indecision is killing more of our people.” “Every day of delay is the death of Ukrainians. Think faster,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted after the meeting …
Read More »Police fire tear gas as French workers strike nationwide
French workers have gone on strike and joined nationwide marches on a day of protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s very unpopular pensions reform plan. Train drivers, teachers, and refinery workers were among those who walked off their jobs in Paris and several other major cities on Thursday. “It’s salaries and …
Read More »German parliament recognizes Yazidi ‘genocide’ in Iraq
Germany’s lower house has recognized as “genocide” the 2014 massacre by the armed group ISIL (ISIS) against the Yazidi minority group in Iraq and Syria. The move by parliamentarians on Thursday condemned “indescribable atrocities” and “tyrannical injustice” carried out by ISIL fighters “with the intention of completely wiping out the …
Read More »Lavrov says Russia will ‘sober up’ NATO and EU
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow would do all it could to “sober up” the European Union and NATO, which he accused of setting out to weaken and defeat Russia. His comments came on the same day that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO that …
Read More »NATO chief calls for significant increase in weapons for Ukraine
Ukraine needs a “significant increase” in weapons at a pivotal moment in the war, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, saying such support was the only route to a negotiated peaceful solution with Russia. “President Putin has shown no sign of preparing for peace and therefore he must realize …
Read More »Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills 16, including Ukrainian interior minister
At least 30 others, including 12 children, are in the hospital following the incident in the city of Brovary on Wednesday, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration. Tymoshenko has revised down the number of people killed in the crash on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital — …
Read More »UK set to supply Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks, more artillery systems, PM says
The UK government is set to supply Ukraine with a fresh package of lethal military equipment, including heavy battle tanks, despite Russia’s warning against fanning the flames of war by sending military supplies to Kiev. In a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi …
Read More »Erdogan aide says time running out to ratify Sweden, Finland NATO bids
Turkey is running out of time to ratify NATO membership bids by Sweden and Finland before it holds elections expected in May, a Turkish presidential spokesman said on Saturday. President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said Turkish ratification of the countries’ bids depended on how quickly Stockholm fulfils counter-terrorism promises …
Read More »EU says prepared for long war in Ukraine, will work on more Russia sanctions
The European Union is prepared for a long war in Ukraine and will support Kyiv against Russia’s aggression as long as it takes, Sweden’s foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, whose country holds the EU’s presidency, said on Wednesday. “Despite Russia’s continued attempts to divide us, unity within the EU and across …
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