Europe

Scholz urges Putin to withdraw troops for ‘diplomatic’ end to war

  Berlin, Germany (AFP) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday pressed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to seek a diplomatic solution to end his war in Ukraine, including troop withdrawals, Berlin said following a call between the two. “The chancellor urged the Russian president to come as quickly as possible to a diplomatic solution including the withdrawal of Russian troops,” according to the German leader’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. During the one-hour call, Scholz “condemned in particular […]

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Pres. Xi signalled to EU chief China may adopt more openness in Covid response

  Bruxelles, Belgium (AFP) China’s President Xi Jinping suggested in talks with EU chief Charles Michel that the spread of the less lethal Omicron strain of Covid-19 may allow Beijing to ease lockdown rules, European officials said Friday. Michel met the Chinese leader in Beijing on Thursday. According to an account of the meeting from a senior European official, Xi told Michel that Chinese “people were frustrated” after three years of the coronavirus epidemic. Anger […]

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Kremlin rejects Biden terms for Ukraine talks

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The Kremlin on Friday rejected US President Joe Biden’s terms for Ukraine talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow’s offensive will continue. “What did President Biden say in fact? He said that negotiations are possible only after Putin leaves Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding Moscow was “certainly” not ready to accept those conditions. “The special military operation is continuing,” Peskov said, using the Kremlin term for the […]

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EU cap on Russian oil price on hold as Poland urges lower price

  Bruxelles, Belgium (AFP) by Daniel ARONSSOHN The West’s plan to starve Russia of resources to fight its war in Ukraine by imposing a price cap on its oil exports hit a diplomatic logjam in Brussels on Friday. Poland does not think the $60 a barrel ceiling is low enough and has refused to back the plan, preventing the European Union from adopting the measure. On Thursday evening several European diplomats said the other 26 […]

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Up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since Russian invasion: Zelensky aide

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — As many as 13,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia’s invasion in February, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. “We have official estimates from the General Staff… And they range from 10,000 … to 13,000 dead,” Mykhailo Podolyak told Ukraine’s Channel 24 on Thursday. Zelensky would make the official data public “when the right moment comes”, he added. In June, as Russian forces battled to take full […]

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Zelensky says over 1,300 prisoners of war handed to Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine AFP – More than 1,300 prisoners have been returned to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the pro-Western country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. Zelensky was speaking following a new exchange of prisoners with Russian and pro-Russian forces. “After today’s exchange, there are already 1,319 heroes who returned home,” Zelensky said on Instagram, posting a photo showing a few dozen men holding Ukrainian flags. “We will not stop until we get all our people back,” […]

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Prince William, Kate, in US for visit overshadowed by new race row

  Boston, United States (AFP) by Cecilia SANCHEZ with Phil HAZLEWOOD and Jitendra JOSHI in London Prince William and wife Kate began their first visit to America in eight years Wednesday under the cloud of a fresh racism row after his godmother quit the royal household for repeatedly asking a Black British woman where she was “really” from. The Prince and Princess of Wales met Boston mayor Michelle Wu and governor-elect Maura Healey at the […]

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New York, Singapore top ‘world’s costliest city’ survey

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – New York and Singapore are jointly the world’s most expensive cities after inflation soared this year, an annual survey showed Thursday. The pair displaced last year’s number one Tel Aviv, which fell to third place this time round in the Worldwide Cost of Living index from London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The survey revealed “the soaring cost of living in the world’s biggest cities as the war in Ukraine and continuing […]

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Jaguar reveals new Formula E car set to shape road models

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Jaguar Land Rover on Wednesday unveiled its “most advanced and efficient” electric racing car to compete in next season’s Formula E championship, which the firm said will support its broader “all-electric” transition. The new third generation car — dubbed the I-TYPE 6 — is “lighter, more powerful and faster” than its predecessors, boasting a top speed of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), Jaguar said. Britain’s biggest carmaker, owned by India’s […]

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William and Kate head to the US for first time in eight years

  London, United Kingdom (AFP) by Brigitte DUSSEAU Prince William and his wife Kate head to the United States this week for their first visit in eight years, and the popular couple’s inaugural trip as prince and princess of Wales. The three-day visit to the northeastern city of Boston culminates on Friday evening with a star-studded ceremony for William’s Earthshot Prize initiative to tackle climate change. The awards ceremony — described by royal insiders as […]

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Italy declares state of emergency after deadly island landslide

  Casamicciola Terme, Italy | AFP) by Martina UCCI, Sonia LOGRE Italy declared a state of emergency on the southern island of Ischia on Sunday after a landslide killed at least seven people and left several others missing. A wave of mud and debris crashed through the small town of Casamicciola Terme on Saturday morning, engulfing at least one house and sweeping cars down to the sea, local media and emergency services said. “The toll […]

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Nurses join other striking UK staff in two December walkouts

by Joe JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Nurses across most of Britain will next month hold the first strikes in their union’s 106-year history, joining a host of other UK workers taking industrial action over pay. Staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — but not Scotland — will walk out on December 15 and 20, after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said the government had turned down an offer […]

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