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By Johannes LEDEL Sweden’s NATO membership bid, submitted in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, cleared its final hurdle as Hungary’s parliament voted to ratify it on Monday. Accession to the US-led alliance means stark changes for both Sweden’s defence and the geopolitical balance in the region. – Why did Sweden decide to join NATO? – At the end of the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, Sweden adopted an official policy […]
STOCKHOLM, Feb 26, 2024 (AFP) – Sweden on Monday cleared its final obstacle to joining NATO after Hungary’s parliament ratified the bid in what Sweden’s prime minister called a “historic day”, while other alliance members expressed relief at the move spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden would make the alliance “stronger and safer” while the United States, the main alliance power, as well as Britain and Germany welcomed Sweden’s […]
WARSAW, Feb 26, 2024 (AFP) – Allies of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said Monday that a deal to free him as part of a prisoner swap had nearly been reached when he died in prison. The 47-year-old Kremlin critic died on February 16 in an Arctic prison after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and his supporters. Russian President Vladimir Putin “was offered to exchange […]
By Francesco FONTEMAGGI, Stuart WILLIAMS PARIS, Feb 27, 2024 (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday new steps to boost Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, saying not even the sending of Western ground troops was ruled out to achieve Europe’s goal of defeating Moscow. Speaking after hosting a meeting of two dozen European leaders to discuss Ukraine, Macron painted a grim picture of a Russia whose positions he said were “hardening” […]
WARSAW, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused President Vladimir Putin of “satanism” on Saturday for not allowing the body to be returned to his family. Navalny’s mother Lyudmila has said authorities are threatening to bury him on the grounds of the Arctic prison colony where he died earlier this month if she did not agree to a “secret” funeral. “You tortured him alive, now […]
By Beiyi SEOW, Shaun TANDON WASHINGTON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia Friday, on over 500 targets, to mark the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine while vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putin’s “war machine.” The sanctions, described as the largest single tranche since the start of the war, also seek to impose a cost for the death last week in a Siberian prison of […]
VIENNA, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – Austrian authorities were on Saturday investigating the killings of five women in the capital Vienna within a single day, including three found brutally stabbed to death in a brothel. The bodies of three young women were found with fatal knife wounds in a brothel in Vienna’s underprivileged Brigittenau district on Friday night after a witness alerted police. A 27-year-old man still carrying a knife that was believed to be […]
By Emeline BURCKEL LONDON, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – Two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Moscow increasingly relies on a shadow fleet of ships to circumvent curbs on its oil exports. Experts say the so-called ghost fleet of tankers with opaque ownership or without proper insurance has allowed the Kremlin to keep exporting despite a Western-imposed embargo and oil price cap on its global sales. […]
VALENCIA, Spain, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of people observed five minutes of silence in the Mediterranean port city of Valencia on Saturday to honour the 10 victims of a huge fire that ripped through a residential high-rise two days earlier. As the clock struck midday, the large crowd gathered outside city hall fell silent, some wearing dark glasses to mask red eyes, while others wiped away tears as they recalled the victims of […]
PARIS, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – France’s Eiffel Tower that had been closed for five days by a strike will reopen Sunday after the monument’s management announced a deal had been struck with unions. The stoppage since Monday at one of the world’s best-known tourist sites was the second within two months in protest at what unions say was insufficient investment. The tower’s operator SETE said it had reached agreement with the unions on Saturday […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – 2024 will be a year of change for the world’s biggest tech companies as they bow to EU rules that come into force next month, shaking up how Europeans use vastly popular platforms from Google to Instagram. The European Union long ago set its sights on big tech, aiming to rein in globally dominant companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft. The landmark law known as the Digital Markets […]
France’s iconic Eiffel Tower was closed for a fourth day on Thursday as employees extended a strike over the monument’s management, unions said. The stoppage at one of the world’s best-known tourist sites is the second within two months in protest of what unions say is insufficient investment. The tower’s operator, SETE, has advised ticket holders to check its website before showing up, or to postpone their visit. E-ticket holders were asked to check their […]
