Month: September 2018

The United States is threatening automatic sanctions to deter Russia and any other current or future adversary from interfering in the country’s elections. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Wednesday, signing an executive order that mandates a range of economic sanctions and other penalties against any person, group or country assessed to have meddled with the upcoming midterm elections November 6. The order comes eight weeks before voters go to the polls and covers attacks on America’s election infrastructure, such as voting machines and voter databases, cyber attacks against candidates or political organizations, and disinformation campaigns. It also comes …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he wanted to sign a formal peace treaty with Japan ending hostilities from World War II by the end of the year without conditions. Seventy-three years after the war concluded, the two countries remain technically at war because of a territorial dispute over four Pacific islands. “Let us sign the peace treaty … and later we will continue to talk about all of our disagreements as friends on the basis of a peace treaty,” Putin said at an economic conference in Vladivostok. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared open to a treaty, saying …

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British, French and German fighter jets simulated flight interceptions over Western Europe on Wednesday as part of NATO drills to deter Russian planes from entering allied airspace and to showcase European efforts to integrate their air defenses.  Fighter pilots carrying air-to-air missiles from 10 NATO nations took turns to simulate the interception of a Belgian air force transport plane en route to Spain, performing visual inspections of the aircraft’s status by hovering off the wings at speeds of 900 km/hour (560 mph). Some 60 NATO jets, mainly from European allies, are on alert to defend alliance airspace, as NATO deals …

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The last time Britain accused two Russians of an assassination, one of them ended up in the Russian parliament. The case of Andrei Lugovoi, a key suspect in the 2006 killing of ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, shows how the two alleged Russian military intelligence operatives accused by Britain of poisoning ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal could have lucrative careers in Russia if they go public. President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the men – who British authorities said used the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – appeared to be innocent. He suggested they tell their story “to some media outlet.” Hours …

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Nataša Kandić, the formidable Serbian human rights campaigner and Nobel Peace prize nominee, shrugs. “Nobody likes the truth,” she says. For almost three decades Kandić has been a thorn in the side of those who butchered, raped and tortured during the Balkans wars of the 1990s. She documented abuses and massacres. She protested what was unfolding, cajoling and informing a shocked world, insisting it pay attention to the return of genocide to Europe, and to do something about it. The evidence she gathered was used in the preparation of many indictments issued by the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the …

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European Union legislators took the unprecedented step Wednesday to begin process of imposing sanctions on Hungary for presenting a “systematic threat” to the bloc’s Democratic values. The European Parliament voted 448-197 to launch an Article Seven process, which could result in the suspension of Hungary’s EU voting rights. The vote dealt a serious blow to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, further isolating him from powerful allies in the midst of his ambitious effort to push Europe toward Hungary’s version of an “illiberal democracy.” Orban managed during his eight years in office to deflect his critics, who contend Hungary’s electoral system is …

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The European Union must flex its muscles as a world power, EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday, as he spoke critically of U.S. President Donald Trump’s retreat from international engagement. In his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Juncker, who is entering his final year as president of the European Commission, urged EU states to bridge angry divisions over budgets, immigration and other issues in order to capitalize on a chance to shape the world. “Whenever Europe speaks as one, we can impose our position on others,” Juncker said, arguing that a …

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Pope Francis is summoning senior Catholic bishops from around the world to a February summit to discuss the church’s burgeoning clergy sex abuse scandal involving attacks on minors and years of cover-ups of allegations against parish priests. The Vatican said Wednesday the heads of the national Catholic bishops’ conferences would meet with Francis from February 21 to 24. The meeting of more than 100 church leaders is believed to be the first of its kind and a recognition that top church officials view the sex abuse scandal as global in scope. The church is now facing abuse scandals in the …

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Russia’s defense minister says Moscow and Beijing intend to regularly conduct joint war games similar to the massive ones being held this week. Sergei Shoigu and his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe, on Wednesday visited the Tsugol firing range in eastern Siberia where nearly 300,000 Russian troops and about 3,200 Chinese troops are participating in joint exercises. The weeklong Vostok (East) 2018 maneuvers launched Tuesday span vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East, the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans. They involve 1,000 Russian aircraft and 36,000 tanks. China sent 900 combat vehicles and 30 aircraft to join the drills …

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European Union governments are failing to comply with air quality limits that are already weaker than the World Health Organization’s recommendations, the bloc’s auditors said Tuesday. The findings by the EU watchdog come as Brussels is taking half a dozen member states to court over their failure to enforce the bloc’s air quality laws. Respiratory illness caused by pollution result in 400,000 premature deaths a year, costing governments heavily in health care expenses, the European Court of Auditors found. “There are still considerable impacts on public health,” said Janusz Wojciechowski, one of the report’s authors. As many as 23 out of the bloc’s 28 nations are failing to comply …

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At the height of the crisis over Catalonia’s secession drive last year, thousands of companies moved their legal headquarters out of the region, the Madrid stock market and government bonds took a hit, and the Spanish state came under strong pressure. Nearly a year later, the organizers of an illegal referendum on independence for Catalonia are in jail or in self-imposed exile, Spain has a new prime minister, and the economy has stabilized. But the situation remains tense and could flare up any time. Danger for economy Despite the crisis, Catalonia remains one of Spain’s main economic powerhouses and still accounts for around a fifth of national gross …

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Italy and Austria issued sharp retorts to the new U.N. human rights chief Tuesday over her plans to send in teams to investigate the treatment of migrants, with Italy saying the move is “inappropriate, unfounded and unjust.” A foreign ministry statement recalled all the praise Italy has received over the years for rescuing migrants, providing assistance projects in migrants’ home countries and cracking down on Libyan-based smuggling networks that have greatly reduced the number of arrivals. The ministry said it hoped the data “will help the newly installed high commissioner” understand Italy’s commitment and its track record. Former Chilean President …

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