Month: October 2017

The United States is condemning, in the strongest terms, the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Galizia who was investigating alleged government corruption. “It was a cowardly attack that took the life of a talented and brave … reporter who dedicated her career to fighting the rule of law and shining a light on corruption,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday. She said the FBI has responded quickly to the prime minister’s call for U.S. help in the investigation. A Dutch forensic team is also in Malta to help. Monday’s blast blew up Galizia’s car just moments after she left …

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In a rare public speech Tuesday, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency said the terror threat in the country is worse now that it has ever been during his 34-year career. “It’s clear that we’re contending with an intense UK terrorist threat from Islamist extremists,” MI5 chief Andrew Parker said. “That threat is multi-dimensional, evolving rapidly and operating at a scale and pace we’ve not seen before. But so too is our response.” Parker said the MI5, also known as he Security Service, has noted a “dramatic upshift” in the threat this year, with a total of 36 people …

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge say their third child will be due in April. The royal couple had already revealed that they were having a child, but didn’t previously say which month the child is due. The brief statement released Tuesday by their Kensington Palace office offered no further details. The former Kate Middleton had announced she was pregnant after missing a royal engagement in September. As with her other two pregnancies, she is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, or acute morning sickness. She has since appeared in other events, including one Monday in which she danced with a person …

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Spain’s top court ruled Catalonia’s independence referendum illegal Tuesday, saying that the regional law backing it violated Spain’s constitution. The Catalan government had passed the “self-determination referendum law” on September 6. Spain’s high court said the law must be suspended temporarily as it assessed the Spanish government’s opposition to it, but Catalonia went ahead with the referendum on October 1. According to court regulations, the suspension was to last five months while judges come up with a ruling, but the pro-independence coalition ruling Catalonia claimed that the universal right to self-determination outweighs Spain’s laws. But Catalonia’s government spokesperson, Jordi Turull, …

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U.S. President Donald Trump meets Tuesday at the White House with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for talks that are expected to focus on military cooperation, energy security and economic investment. A White House statement issued earlier this month said the two leaders will seek to “enhance our partnership and demonstrate our shared commitment to enduring democratic values that are so important to securing peace and prosperity around the world.” Trump’s talks with the key ally come as U.S. relations with Turkey have become increasingly strained, contributing to more instability in the region. The two leaders are expected to take …

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The European Union’s foreign policy chief describes U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision not to re-certify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal as an “internal U.S. process.” European countries, along with the other signatories, Russia and China, said Tehran is keeping its end of the deal. But President Trump claims Iran has repeatedly violated the letter and spirit of the agreement, which suspends sanctions in return for limits on the country’s atomic program. WATCH: Europe Mulls Policy Response as Trump Repeats Threat to End Iran Deal   The EU commissioner for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, said Monday that the Iran …

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Two Serbian students have appeared before a court over the street protests last April against the election triumph of President Aleksandar Vucic. Pavle Terzic and Gavrilo Vucetic gave statements Tuesday at the misdemeanor court after police accused them of organizing a protest without notifying authorities. They have denied the charges. Dozens of people, including opposition politicians, have gathered outside the court in support of the students while alleging government intimidation. Vucic swept the vote in April winning the presidency in the first round of balloting. A former nationalist, Vucic has been accused of stifling democratic freedoms despite his pledge to …

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At least three people have been killed as Tropical Storm Ophelia battered Ireland on Monday. One of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the northeastern Atlantic hit every corner of Ireland with wind speeds of 190 kilometers per hour recorded at the southernmost tip of the country. Ophelia knocked down trees and power lines, leaving more than 330,000 homes without power. About 200 flights from Ireland’s two main airports in Dublin and Shannon were canceled. The airports are expected to reopen Tuesday as cleanup begins. “There are still dangers out there, but the cleanup has started in some areas …

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Turkey has offered assistance to the Iraqi government in its effort to take control of the city of Kirkuk from Kurdish peshmerga forces. The offer was made in a statement by the Turkish foreign ministry: “We once again emphasize the importance we attach to the protection of Iraq’s political unity and territorial integrity.” Ankara strongly backs Baghdad in its opposition to an independence referendum passed last month by Iraqi Kurds. Turkey fears similar secessionist demands from its own large restive Kurdish minority. “Ankara’s thinking is that if Kirkuk is taken back from Iraqi Kurds, then their dreams of independence are …

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The European Union has imposed new sanctions on North Korea aimed at punishing the country for its nuclear and ballistic weapons program. EU foreign ministers agreed Monday to a total ban on EU investment in the communist country, a measure that goes beyond the latest U.N. sanctions. They also banned the sale of oil and refined petroleum products to North Korea, in a largely symbolic move aimed at encouraging countries that have more significant levels of trade with North Korea to follow suit. The ministers also cut the amount of money that people can send to North Korea from $17,700 …

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Turkey is expanding its latest military intervention in Syria rapidly, sending more special forces and commandos into Idlib as part of a high-risk effort agreed to with Moscow and Tehran to establish a de-escalation zone in the northwest Syrian province that is mainly controlled by an al-Qaida offshoot. The intervention is the biggest incursion by the Turks in Syria since last year, when Turkish forces partnered with Free Syrian Army (FSA) militias, once aided by the U.S. but now dependent on Ankara, to clear Islamic State militants, as well as Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), from a stretch along the …

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At least 34 people have died after wildfires ravaged Portugal and Spain’s Galicia region, rescuers said on Monday. In Portugal, at least 31 people died in fires that blazed through forests in the northern and central parts of the country, causing residents to flee towns and villages, and injuring more than 50 people. Local media reports said several people are still missing, including a one-month old baby. Three people have been reported dead in Spain; two victims were found in a burned-out car on the side of the road. In Portugal, the government declared a state of emergency for regions …

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