Tag: Region Europe

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The bodies of six foreign aid workers killed in a series of Israeli strikes were transported out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt on Wednesday ahead of their repatriation, Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV reported. The deadly strikes have renewed criticism of Israel’s conduct in the nearly six-monthlong war with Hamas, and highlighted the perilous conditions aid workers face in trying to deliver food to the besieged enclave, where experts say nearly a third of…

NEW YORK – An executive at a Swiss holding company did not get prison time for participating in a scheme to help US taxpayers hide more than US$60 million (S$81 million) in assets in a fraudulent arrangement known as the “Singapore Solution”. Daniel Walchli, 56, pleaded guilty in 2023 to a single count of conspiracy to defraud the United States for his role in setting up a structure for American clients of Privatbank Ihag to evade scrutiny by tax authorities….

LONDON: British PM Rishi Sunak faces a potential revolt from within his party ranks over new legislation that is set to criminalise homelessness. According to a ‘Times’ report on Monday, several Conservative Party MPs have warned that they will vote against the measures in the ‘Criminal Justice Bill’ in House of Commons. The proposals, which had been unveiled by former Indian-origin home secretary Suella Braverman, would mean rough sleepers in England and Wales could be fined as much as 2,500…

KAZAN: A Russian court on Monday extended until June 5 the pre-trial detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who faces 15 years in prison on charges of spreading “false information,” according to her employer. In court in the central city of Kazan on Monday, Kurmasheva smiled but complained about the poor conditions in which she was being held. “This cell is five square metres for two people. There is no hot water. Instead of a toilet there is a hole…

LONDON (AP) — Farmers drove dozens of tractors in a slow-motion convoy towards Britain’s Parliament on Monday to protest post- Brexit rules and trade deals that they say are endangering livelihoods and food security. Supporters of the campaign groups Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent drove from southeast England and through southern districts of the capital, bound for Parliament Square, where dozens of supporters waited to welcome them. Britain has so far not seen large-scale farmers’ protests…

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus reached the space outpost after Saturday’s blastoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan that followed an aborted launch attempt two days earlier. Thursday’s attempted launch was halted by an automatic safety system about 20 seconds before the scheduled liftoff. Roscosmos and NASA said the crew wasn’t in danger during the aborted launch. The head of the Russian space agency, Yuri Borisov,…

Leo Varadkar is to step down as Ireland’s prime minister in a shock decision, saying he was no longer the right person to lead his party into a general election due within a year. Varadkar, who has been Taoiseach since December 2022 and served previously in the role between 2017 and 2020, cited personal and political decisions but gave no details in a brief, at times emotional, announcement on Wednesday. “One part of leadership is knowing when to pass on…

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a decision hailed by an environmental group as a historic victory, an Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday that Dutch national airline KLM misled consumers in statements about sustainable aviation in a case that accused the carrier of “greenwashing.” Amsterdam District Court said in a statement that in some advertisements, that are no longer in use, KLM “makes environmental claims based on vague and general statements about environmental benefits, thereby misleading consumers.” The court said that…

The US Department of State announced the designation of former North Macedonia Special Chief Prosecutor, Katica Janeva; current mayor of Karpos, North Macedonia, Stevco Jakimovski; and former mayor of Kacanik, Kosovo, Xhabir Zharku, for their actions undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in their respective governments’ democratic institutions and public processes. Janeva was found to be involved in corrupt acts, including using her political influence and official power for personal benefit; Jakimovski was found to be involved in corrupt acts, including…

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives seeking to chart a part forward in their impeachment probe of President Joe Biden will on Wednesday question two former associates of his son Hunter. House Republicans say the president and members of his family improperly profited from policy decisions in which Biden, a Democrat, participated while vice president from 2009-17. The White House has said the investigation is baseless and politically motivated. “It is obviously time to move on, Mr. Speaker. This impeachment…

  Ukrainian drones were used to hit multiple targets in a sweeping attack on Russia that reportedly ignited fires at two major oil facilities and saw armed groups cross into Russian territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry said nine of its regions were attacked by Ukrainian drones, while Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Belgorod region early on March 12. The attacks, the ministry said, targeted several energy facilities, including LUKoil’s Norsi refinery, Russia’s fourth-largest, in the Nizhny Novgorod region about…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the country to fight off the Russian invasion. It seems that only a coward can fear nuclear conflict, in Macron’s view. Are all political ‘leaders’ losing their minds? Maybe. Or maybe it is only the insecure ones who need to put forth such grand (verbal) gestures of strength in the face of rapidly declining public approval. Macron appears desperate to create a ‘stong man’ image…

washington —  Civil liberties declined globally for the 18th consecutive year in 2023, with conflict and flawed elections the biggest factors, a new report has found. Political rights and civil liberties deteriorated for more than one-fifth of the population, the non-profit group Freedom House found. And only one-fifth of the 210 countries and territories the research group analyzed was found to be “free.” Released on Thursday, the Freedom in the World report assesses political rights and civil liberties, then ranks…

  STOCKHOLM – Two of Sweden’s largest property companies on Feb 27 announced multi-billion-crown write-downs in their 2023 results, dealing fresh blows to their beaten-down shares, even though both voiced hopes the worst is over for Europe’s property rout. Heimstaden’s preferential shares dropped more than 30 per cent after Fitch cut its credit rating deeper into so-called “junk” territory and the company said it would defer hybrid bond interest payments. SBB shares fell more than 4 per cent. For years,…

ROME — Italy’s parliament has approved the planned acquisition of two new FREMM frigates with updated electronics and 132 combat-version Leopard tanks as well as 140 other tank versions. The new buys, approved Feb. 21 by the parliament’s defense commission, are part of a uptick in Italian military spending partly spurred by the Ukraine conflict. Italy has previously ordered 10 FREMM frigates; the latest orders, dubbed FREMM EVO, will take the fleet to 12. Italy has already taken delivery of…

ROME — Italy’s Fincantieri and UAE group EDGE have agreed to create a Abu Dhabi-based joint venture to build and sell naval vessels to non-NATO countries, the firms said Tuesday. The JV, which will be 51% owned by EDGE but run by Fincantieri managers, will aim to take advantage of the UAE’s relations with other states and the export credit financing it offers. The venture “will be awarded prime rights to non-NATO orders, especially leveraging on the attractiveness of UAE…