by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden leaves Wednesday for Europe on a mission to bolster Western unity, ramp up unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and attempt to upset the post-Cold War balance of power. The conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin is redefining Biden’s 14-month old presidency as he pivots from domestic woes to leading the transatlantic alliance in the most serious […]
International
EU opens arms to fleeing Ukrainian researchers
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The EU is extending an online welcome to Ukrainian scientists and researchers fleeing the war in their country, on Tuesday opening a website pointing them towards jobs and accommodation. The ERA4Ukraine portal aims to be a “one-stop shop for information and support services” for them, a statement said. It builds on an existing online research network used by EU countries and others linked to the bloc’s Horizon Europe funding research. It […]
‘Here there is nothing’: Yemen’s Aden scarred by grinding war
by Shatha Yaish Agence France-Presse ADEN, Yemen (AFP) – Bullet-riddled homes, buildings turned to rubble and countless pictures of “martyrs”: seven years into Yemen’s civil war, the interim capital Aden bears the scars of a conflict that shows no signs of abating. While Aden is now relatively stable, economically the ancient port city has been left on its knees. Water and electricity are intermittent, serving a population that officials say has tripled to more than […]
Russia sentences Kremlin critic Navalny to nine years in jail
POKROV, Russia (AFP) — A Russian court on Tuesday found jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny guilty of additional charges and extended his sentence to nine years in a higher security prison as Moscow seeks to wipe out remaining pockets of dissent. The sentencing came on the 27th day of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in pro-Western Ukraine, with thousands killed and some 10 million displaced. Following the verdict, President Vladimir Putin’s most […]
Russia would only use nuclear weapons faced with ‘existential threat’: Kremlin
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday. “We have a concept of domestic security, and it’s public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.” Peskov’s comment came as […]
Fortress Kyiv holds breath ahead of feared Russian assault
by Hervé BAR Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – Filled with mountains of sandbags and weapons at the ready, Kyiv is waiting. On day 27 of Russia’s invasion, the advance of troops northwest and east of the Ukrainian capital seems to have stalled and residents are taking advantage of a curfew to catch their breath and prepare. With businesses ordered closed and residents told to stay home, Kyiv is a ghost town, with air sirens […]
NATO invites Zelensky to address summit via videolink
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to address a special NATO summit Thursday discussing the Russian invasion of his country, an official said. “President Zelensky is invited to address the NATO summit via video link,” the NATO official said Tuesday. “This will be an opportunity for allied leaders to hear directly from President Zelensky about the dire situation facing the people of Ukraine because of Russia’s aggression,” the official added. […]
6.7-magnitude quake rattles Taiwan: USGS
by Amber WANG TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan early Wednesday, rattling buildings and rousing people from their sleep but with no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes, as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. Taiwan does not issue tsunami warnings unless a quake registers at more than magnitude 7.0. The US Geological Survey downgraded this […]
Protests in Jamaica as William and Kate visit
KINGSTON, Jamacia (AFP) – Demonstrators gathered Tuesday in Kingston, Jamaica to protest the official visit of Prince William and Kate to the former British colony and demand the monarchy apologise for its role in the slave trade. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in the capital for a three-day stop on the island, part of a larger trip by the royals to the Caribbean in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the coronation of […]
US announces deal with UK to end steel, aluminum tariffs
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday announced an agreement with Britain to end tariffs on steel and aluminum imports imposed by former president Donald Trump in 2018 on national security grounds. “By allowing for a flow of duty-free steel and aluminum from the UK, we further ease the gap between supply and demand for these products in the United States,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “And by removing […]
Four dead in Israel stabbing, car-ramming, assailant shot
by Daniella Cheslow BEERSHEBA, Israel (AFP) — A man wielding a knife stabbed several people and ran over another in southern Israel on Tuesday, killing four, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent years. The assailant, who Israeli media have identified as a Bedouin man who previously tried to join the Islamic State group, was shot dead by armed locals following the attack in the southern city of Beersheba, police said. […]
Several European countries lifted Covid measures too ‘brutally’: WHO
Several European countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Britain, lifted their Covid curbs too “brutally” and are now seeing a rise in cases likely due to the more transmissible BA2 variant, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told a press conference in Moldova that he was “optimistic but vigilant” about the pandemic’s development in Europe. Covid is on the rise in 18 out of 53 countries in the WHO European […]





