Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic States and Scandinavia if Finland or Sweden decide to join NATO. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and president from 2008 to 2012, wrote on Telegram that if the countries joined, this would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO members. “Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders,” he said. […]
by Sam KINGSLEY Agence France Presse HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland’s prime minister said Wednesday the Nordic nation would decide whether to apply for NATO membership “within weeks”, despite the risk of infuriating Moscow. Helsinki’s parliament will next week open a debate about joining the Western alliance after the Ukraine war sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in Finland and neighbouring Sweden over long-held policies […]
Left in care homes and now threatened by war, thousands of already vulnerable Ukrainian refugees are at risk of being trafficked as they are uprooted by fighting across the country. Some have come under Russian fire in their care homes. Others fled amid the sound of explosions and gunfire. Many remain unaccounted for, lost in the chaos of Ukraine’s sprawling and often disorganised social service system. “There was a big problem of forced labour in […]
ODESSA, Ukraine (AFP) — A Russian warship in the Black Sea was “seriously damaged” by an ammunition explosion, Russian state media said Thursday. “As a result of a fire, ammunition detonated on the Moskva missile cruiser. The ship was seriously damaged,” the Russian defense ministry was quoted as saying, adding that the cause of the fire was being determined and that the crew had been evacuated. Earlier, the governor of Odessa said that Ukrainian forces […]
by Frankie Taggart with Joe Stenson in Bucha © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden announced an $800 million military aid package for Ukraine on Wednesday as international prosecutors declared the war-torn Western ally a “crime scene” amid fears of a massive revamped Russian assault. The announcement came with the Russian military threatening to strike Ukraine’s command centers in the capital Kyiv if Ukrainian troops continue to attack Russian […]
by Stuart Williams © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Wednesday said she would back closer ties between NATO and Russia and pull Paris out of the alliance’s military command, if she defeats Emmanuel Macron for the presidency. Le Pen faces Macron on April 24 in a run-off vote after she came second in the April 10 first round, with the latest polls showing the president holding on […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday he was “irritated” by Kyiv’s rejection of a proposed visit by Germany’s president, a snub that has ruffled diplomatic feathers at a time when the war-hit nation is seeking more weapons from Berlin. The Ukrainian presidency has instead said it wants to welcome Scholz to Kyiv, but the chancellor indicated he had no plans to visit anytime soon. Asked by RBB public radio when he would […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s defence ministry said Wednesday more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered in Mariupol, a strategic port city in eastern Ukraine that has been besieged by Moscow’s troops for over a month. “In the city of Mariupol… 1,026 Ukrainian servicemen of the 36th marine brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said that the soldiers surrendered near the “Mariupol Metallurgical […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain is trying to verify reports that Russia has used chemical weapons in an attack on the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, London’s top diplomat said on Monday. Western officials have previously expressed concerns that Russia, finding its February 24 invasion of its neighbor grinding into a protracted conflict, could resort to more extreme measures, including chemical weapons. “Reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack […]
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine could almost halve world trade growth this year and drag down global GDP growth too, the World Trade Organization projected Monday. The WTO said that the Russian invasion had not only created a humanitarian crisis of “immense proportions” but had also dealt a “severe blow” to the global economy. It also said that in the longer term, the conflict could […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the main opponents of the Kremlin and its offensive in Ukraine still living in Russia, was arrested Monday near his home, his lawyer said. “I learned of his arrest less than 10 minutes ago, I will join him,” lawyer Vadim Prokhorov told the Interfax news agency. The reasons for the arrest were not immediately known and there was no immediate comment from the authorities, but Kara-Murza […]
by Marina LAPENKOVA Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Like many members of Russia’s affluent middle class, advertising producer Rita Guerman had long opposed Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin. But punishing Western sanctions following Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine in late February has changed her opinion of the Russian leader. “I have opened my eyes,” said the 42-year-old, praising the Russian president for defending the country “against NATO”. The West has pummelled Russia […]
