Month: April 2022

EU to Meet on Energy, Preparing New Russia Sanctions

European Union energy ministers meet Monday in Brussels as Russia threatens to widen natural gas shutoffs to more countries. On Wednesday, Russia cut off natural gas supplies to EU member states Poland and Bulgaria, after warning so-called “unfriendly countries” would have to pay for gas in rubles.  The move is seen as a Russian effort to prop up its currency, as most of its EU energy contracts are paid for in dollars or euros.  European Union members responded coolly to Russia’s warning. “It comes as no surprise that the Kremlin uses fossil fuels to try to blackmail us,” said European …

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Ukraine Hosts UN Chief Guterres, Urges Russian Oil Embargo

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that in war, “the highest price is paid by civilians,” as he visited sites outside the Ukrainian capital ahead of talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The areas Guterres toured included Borodianka and Irpin, as well as Bucha, where the bodies of civilians were found after Russian forces withdrew from the area one month ago. Those discoveries prompted calls for investigations of possible war crimes, and Guterres on Thursday encouraged Russia to cooperate in probes by the International Criminal Court. “I fully support the ICC and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept, to …

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At UN, Calls for Accountability for Atrocities in Ukraine

Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister said Wednesday that the list of war crimes committed by Russian troops in her country grows daily and accountability is critical. “The city of Mariupol has turned into dust,” Emine Dzhaparova told an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council. “Thousands of civilians live in blockade without water, electricity, communications and basic things that all people need.” She said that new mass graves and buried bodies are found daily in Ukrainian cities and that Russian soldiers carry out crimes on civilians, including torture, rape and murder. “Russia must be [held] accountable for its crimes as a …

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Musk’s Twitter Ambitions Likely to Collide with Europe’s Tech Rules 

A hands-off approach to moderating content at Elon Musk’s Twitter could clash with ambitious new laws in Europe meant to protect users from disinformation, hate speech and other harmful material.  Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” pledged to buy Twitter for $44 billion this week, with European Union officials and digital campaigners quick to say that any focus on free speech to the detriment of online safety would not fly after the 27-nation bloc solidified its status as a global leader in the effort to rein in the power of tech giants. “If his approach will be …

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