Europe

Xi, Putin hail ‘new era’ of ties in united front against West

  The leaders of China and Russia hailed a “new era” in their relationship on Tuesday, putting on a united front in Moscow as Vladimir Putin accused the West of rejecting Beijing’s proposals to end the Ukraine conflict. The nations, eager to curb Western power, expressed concerns about NATO expansion in Asia and agreed to deepen a partnership which has grown closer since Putin launched an offensive in Ukraine. Putin said he was open to […]

Japan PM expresses ‘strong indignation’ visiting Ukraine’s Bucha

  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday expressed strong “indignation” during a visit to Bucha, a town near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv where Russian forces were accused of widespread atrocities. Russian troops were accused of massacring civilians in Bucha, which they occupied for several weeks in early 2022. Moscow denies the allegation. “As I step foot in Bucha today, and witness all the brutality that took place here, I have a strong sentiment of […]

Ukraine conflict to dominate Putin, Xi talks

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping were set to hold a second day of talks on Tuesday, as the internationally isolated Russian leader said he was open to discussing China’s proposals on the fighting in Ukraine. Xi’s three-day visit to Moscow is a major coup for Putin — and comes days after a war crimes tribunal in The Hague issued a warrant for the Russian president’s arrest over accusations of unlawfully deporting […]

War crimes court issues arrest warrant vs President Vladimir Putin

  The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Saturday 3/18/2023 by Danny KEMP The International Criminal Court on Friday announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. The Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges. Moscow dismissed the orders as “void.” Russia is not a party to the ICC so it […]

China’s Xi to go to Russia on first visit since Ukraine invasion

  Beijing, China | AFP | Friday 3/17/2023 by Jing Xuan TENG / Matthew WALSH Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Moscow next week, where he will hold talks with his strategic ally Vladimir Putin just over a year into Russia’s war in Ukraine. Xi will be in Russia from Monday to Wednesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry and the Kremlin said on Friday. China’s foreign ministry called Xi’s trip “a visit for […]

Ukrainian commandos prepare Bakhmut skirmish

by Emmanuel PEUCHOT Agence France-Presse CHASIV YAR, Ukraine (AFP) — Crouched in a small forest, the leader of a Ukrainian commando unit briefs his troops before their mission to counter Russia’s offensive to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The special forces aim to defend the nearby village of Grygorivka in the Donetsk region, about 10 kilometres (six miles) northwest of Bakhmut, which is coming under heavy Russian shelling. If Moscow’s soldiers and […]

Sweden rediscovers poverty as inflation soars

  Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | by Viken KANTARCI It’s not yet 6 am and dozens of homeless people are already queuing outside Stockholm’s central station for breakfast, their numbers bigger than ever, charities say. Hit by the highest inflation in more than 30 years and poised for recession, Sweden’s visible signs of poverty are mounting amid rising inequality. “So many people are coming here to breakfast,” said Kavian Ferdowsi who runs a charity helping […]

What makes Cyclone Freddy an exceptional storm

Paris, France | AFP | by Julien MIVIELLE Cyclone Freddy, which has twice smashed into the African coast after traversing the Indian Ocean, may be enshrined in the history books as the longest ever documented, meteorologists say. A factfile: – Deadly track – The storm began to brew in early February in the southeastern Indian Ocean off northern Australia, whose weather service gave it the designation of Freddy on February 6. Freddy then crossed the […]

Russia calls on US to halt ‘hostile’ flights after collision

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday called on Washington to stop “hostile” flights near his country’s border, after an American drone was intercepted by Russian fighters over the Black Sea. “We assume that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media and stop flights near Russian borders,” ambassador Anatoly Antonov wrote on Telegram. “We consider any action with the use of US weaponry as openly hostile.” […]

Kyiv condemns ‘kidnappings’ as Russians foster Ukrainian kids

by Anna MALPAS with Ihor TKACHOV in Kherson and AFP bureau staff in Novosibirsk Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — At their home in the middle of Siberia, Russian pastor Roman Vinogradov and his wife Yekaterina are the new foster parents of five children from Moscow-occupied eastern Ukraine. The Vinogradovs are experienced fosterers now raising 16 children, including four of their own, and say they just want to help those who are “very much in […]

Russian jet causes American drone to crash over Black Sea: US

by Daphne Benoit with W.G. Dunlop in Washington Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A Russian fighter jet on Tuesday dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea and then collided with it, causing the drone to crash, the US military said, slamming the maneuver as “reckless”. US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters and one clipped its propeller. “Several times before the collision, […]

‘No need to worry’: Odds drop newly-found asteroid will hit Earth

Paris, France | AFP | by Daniel Lawler The chances have plummeted that a newly-discovered asteroid with the potential to wipe out a city will hit Earth on Feb. 14, 2046, the European Space Agency said on Tuesday. The asteroid, which is named 2023 DW and is estimated to be around the size of a 50-metre Olympic swimming pool, was first spotted by a small Chilean observatory on February 26. It swiftly shot to the […]