Tag: Region Europe

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has expanded its sanctions against Russia to include additional measures recently taken up by the European Union against Moscow over its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Swiss government said on Tuesday. Pointing to a package of measures adopted by the EU against Russia on June 24, the Swiss economy ministry said in a statement that it would impose sanctions within its jurisdiction on a further 69 individuals and 86 entities. These sanctions mainly target “businesspersons, propagandists,…

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced he will resign after a broad left-leaning coalition took the most seats in Sunday’s runoff parliamentary election. The New Popular Front fell short of a majority but surged ahead of the far-right National Rally, which placed third behind the centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron. Voter turnout was high. The outcome leaves France facing the stunning prospect of a hung parliament and threatens political paralysis in a pillar of the European Union and…

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. WASHINGTON, July 6. /TASS/. The US administration views Moscow’s cooperation with Beijing which Washington alleges has supported Russia’s defense industry as a long-term challenge for security in Europe. Speaking at a special press briefing in the run-up to NATO’s summit in Washington on July 9-11, a senior US official said that the summit communique would have “strong language” on China. “The draft communique…

Wikileaks founder, publisher, journalist and DiEM25 founding member, Julian Assange, will reportedly enter into a plea deal with the United States prosecutors and be sentenced with time served.

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The International Boxing Federation said it lifted sanctions against Russian athletes. “Restrictions against Russian boxers have been lifted, and they can be rated,” a representative of the organization told TASS. Russian boxers were earlier excluded from IBF ratings in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine. The IBF light-heavyweight champion is Russian national Artur Beterbiev.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday slapped new sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine, targeting Moscow’s shadow fleet of tankers moving liquefied natural gas through Europe as well as several companies. At a meeting in Luxembourg, where the sanctions were endorsed, EU foreign ministers also agreed on new financial support to help Ukraine defend itself. Some expressed concern about a rise in hybrid attacks by Russia – including allegations of election interference, cyber-attacks and sabotage. In…

WASHINGTON – The US Treasury on June 20 said no major trading partner appeared to have manipulated its currency in 2023, but it added Japan to a foreign exchange “monitoring list”, alongside Singapore, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Germany, which were on the previous list. The Treasury’s semi-annual currency report found that none of the countries examined met all three criteria triggering “enhanced analysis” of their foreign exchange practices during the four quarters through December 2023. Countries are automatically added…

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia-China trade options have narrowed since the U.S. imposed sanctions last week on the only Russian bank branch in China, but President Vladimir Putin’s Chinese visit last month has helped ensure the two countries have payment alternatives for now, three sources said. Since Putin’s visit, specially authorised banks have been set up in border regions which allow Russian firms to open non-resident accounts (NRA) with Chinese banks, a step that has become more important since VTB’s Shanghai branch…

USS Helena, a Los Angeles-class boat, arrived on Thursday for a “routine port visit,” the US Southern Command said in a statement.  “The vessel’s location and transit were previously planned,” SOUTHCOM added, noting that the Helena is “conducting its global maritime security and national defense mission.” AP described the submarine’s arrival as “a show of force” by Washington, in response to the presence of Russian ships so close to US shores. A four-vessel task force of the Russian Navy’s Northern…

The bloc’s top court also hit Hungary with a €1 million-a-day penalty until the asylum law is fully implemented by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to pay €200 million ($216 million) for failing to comply with EU asylum rules. In addition to the one-off penalty, the Luxembourg-based court also ruled that Budapest must pay €1 million per day until it fully implements the legislation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticized the ruling as “outrageous and unacceptable.” “It seems…

Donating fighter jets to Kiev will not involve members of the alliance in the conflict, Jens Stoltenberg has insisted Ukrainian strikes anywhere inside Russia using Western-donated F-16 aircraft would not be an escalation of the conflict and would not make NATO member states parties to it, according to the military bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He was asked on Thursday whether restrictions should be imposed on how Kiev can use the US-designed fighter jets. Several European nations intend to provide…

Washington is “extremely hypocritical” for arming Kiev while pushing for peace, Beijing’s foreign ministry has said. The US is using the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to impose sanctions while continuing to pump Kiev with weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Thursday. Lin made the remarks after the US State Department and Treasury Department announced a new round of curbs on Wednesday targeting 300 additional individuals and entities in Russia and other countries, including Türkiye, and the…

The Warsaw-based facility will detect “deceptive narratives” on the Ukraine conflict, the US State Department has said. The United States and Poland have launched an international group based in Warsaw to counter what they describe as Russian disinformation on the Ukraine conflict, the US State Department has announced. The Ukraine Communications Group (UCG) is designed to detect “deceptive narratives” from Russia targeting Kiev and “amplify Ukrainian voices,” the State Department said in a statement on Monday. James Rubin, the head…

The envoy made the statement during an address dedicated to Russia Day, which was celebrated on Wednesday. Earlier the same day, Washington announced more restrictions on Moscow over its military operation against Ukraine. “The US administration congratulated the Russian people with the announcement of yet another sanctions package,” Antonov said. Russia will not insist on being a US partner, but remains “open for honest and equal dialogue once the Americans come to their senses,” the diplomat stressed. “Nevertheless, we will…

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $700m to settle lawsuits in the United States that accused the pharmaceutical giant of deceiving customers about the safety of its talcum-based powder products. J&J’s payout resolves an investigation by more than 40 US states into the marketing of baby powder and other talc-based products that contained traces of cancer-causing asbestos. “Targeting communities with cosmetic products that contain dangerous substances is not just illegal, it is very cruel,” New York Attorney General Letitia…