Europe

Poland will build a fence along its border with Belarus and double the number of troops there, the defense minister said on Monday, to halt a flow of migrants the European Union says is being driven by Minsk in retaliation for EU sanctions. Poland and fellow EU states Lithuania and …

Spain will temporarily host up to 4,000 Afghans, who had worked for the United States, at two military bases used by the U.S. military in southern Spain, a government source told Reuters. According to an agreement signed on Monday between Madrid and Washington, the Afghans will be able to stay …

Russia and Turkey are in the final stages of negotiating a new contract to supply Ankara with additional S-400 air defense units, Russia’s state-run arms exporter has announced. A new deal with Turkey on the delivery of the advanced medium-to-long-range air defense missile system is set to be signed soon, …

The Russian Foreign Ministry has ruled out any imminent plan to disconnect his country from the SWIFT interbank payment system, warning that such as move would affect all parties. “There is no visible danger of us getting disconnected from SWIFT. I think that the hypothetical disconnection is not a market …

A strike on German passenger rail has started, creating headaches for thousands of travelers and commuters, after the train drivers’ union rejected a new offer to keep services going. According to Press TV, in a statement on Sunday, rail operator Deutsche Bahn offered to negotiate a coronavirus-related bonus for drivers …

The government of Cyprus said on Monday it would revoke the passports of Turkish Cypriot officials in the breakaway state in the northern part of the island. A number of Turkish Cypriot officials, including incumbent leader Ersin Tatar, are known to hold or held passports of the Republic of Cyprus, …

With Italy and Venice, reopening for tourists following a sustained COVID-19 shutdown, authorities have resorted to arming guards across the city in a bid to control overcrowding and combat the spread of coronavirus. Lines for public transport have continued to increase in the city as COVID-19 restrictions limit passenger capacity …

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday signed a decree imposing sanctions on Andriy Derkach, the Ukrainian lawmaker accused by the United States of being a Russian agent and interfering in U.S. elections, the presidential office said. The sanctions include an asset freeze, a ban on capital withdrawals, the revocation of …

 A homemade grenade blast at a house in the Russian capital, Moscow, has killed three people.  A 44-year-old man and two teenagers were killed in the blast, the Moscow city prosecutor’s office said on Saturday. According to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor’s Office, the 14-year-old boy died instantly. At the same time, …

Social Democratic leader said he was stepping aside to give his successor the best possible chance in next year’s poll. Sweden’s beleaguered Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has said he would step down in November to allow a successor time to prepare for the country’s September 2022 general election. …

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in France for the sixth consecutive weekend to protest against the government’s mandatory measures against COVID-19. According to reports, protesters on Saturday denounced the “health pass” system announced by President Emmanuel Macron, demanding “liberty.” Believing that the “health pass” unfairly …

Ukraine sees the soon-to-be-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe as “a dangerous geopolitical weapon”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. “We view this project exclusively through the prism of security and consider it a dangerous geopolitical weapon of the Kremlin,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference …

“It’s mathematically impossible” for the US and its allies to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by August 31, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Saturday. Borrell, speaking to AFP from Spain in a telephone interview, added that “we have complained” to the Americans that …

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he hoped German Chancellor Angela Merkel would bring Kiev news of Russian “guarantees” of gas transit fees for his country. Merkel will travel to Kiev on Sunday, two days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Among the issues discussed by the two …

Greece has erected a 25-mile (40 KM) fence and installed a new surveillance system on its border with Turkey as fears mount a surge in Afghan refugees trying to reach Europe. Greece has faced recurring refugee crises since 2015 when more than a million mainly Syrian refugees swarmed through its …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decried the policy of imposing “outside values” on Afghanistan, which has fallen to the Taliban amid a messy US-led withdrawal from the South Asian country. Speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Kremlin on Friday, Putin slammed the “irresponsible …

Only one woman survived after an inflatable dinghy from Africa sank on its way to the Spanish archipelago. More than 50 people are feared dead after a boat capsized in the Atlantic Ocean about 220 kilometres (135 miles) off Spain’s Canary Islands. Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said a 30-year-old woman …

German chancellor also expected to discuss Taliban resurgence during a meeting with the Russian president. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has flown to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, her final official trip to Russia as she prepares to step down next month after nearly 16 years. Afghanistan is anticipated …

A German civilian was shot on his was to Kabul airport but is not in a life-threatening condition and will soon be flown out of Afghanistan, a German government spokeswoman said on Friday. “A German civilian suffered a gunshot wound on his way to Kabul airport. He is receiving medical …

More than 900 Polish troops are involved in the operation, which comes after EU members accused Minsk of opening the gates. Poland has deployed hundreds of troops to support its border guards at the frontier with Belarus as a surge of refugees and migrants sought to enter the country. Defence …