Month: January 2023

Wagner Group Convict Fighters Taking Heavy Losses in Ukraine

For the past few months, human rights activists have been sounding alarms about the Russian private military company Wagner Group using convicts to fight Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Now, the White House says casualties are “extraordinarily high” among the estimated 40,000 convicts fighting for the mercenary group on front lines in Ukraine. Igor Tsikhanenka has more. Patsy Widakuswara contributed. …

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Turkey’s Erdogan Stands Firm Against Sweden’s NATO Bid

Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership is in doubt with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voicing opposition after demonstrators burned a Quran in Stockholm. Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference Tuesday that he did not expect any progress on Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bid until after the Turkish elections later this year. Haavisto’s comments follow Ankara’s outrage over demonstrators Saturday in Stockholm burning the Muslim holy book, the Quran, close to the Turkish Embassy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday ruled out supporting Sweden’s bid. Erdogan said, the “Swedish government does not need to (talk) about the …

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СБУ повідомила про підозру телеведучій Панченко – підтримала окупацію Маріуполя

Служба безпеки України повідомила про підозру колишній ведучій телеканалів Медведчука, яка підтримала окупацію Маріуполя. Як повідомляє пресслужба відомства, правоохоронці зібрали вичерпну доказову базу на прокремлівську пропагандистку Діану Панченко, яка публічно виправдовує російську збройну агресію проти України. «Раніше вона працювала на підсанкційних телеканалах підозрюваного у державній зраді Віктора Медведчука, де поширювала антиукраїнські наративи Москви. Після початку повномасштабного вторгнення колишня телеведуча підтримала російських загарбників та згодом виїхала до тимчасово окупованого Донецька. Там вона продовжила поширювати ворожу пропаганду у вигляді маніпулятивних сюжетів на користь країни-агресора. Крім цього, фігурантка створила так званий «документальний фільм», в якому виправдовує воєнні злочини російських окупантів проти мирних жителів …

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Кабмін призначив наглядову раду «Нафтогазу»

Кабінет міністрів України призначив наглядову раду компанії «Нафтогаз України», повідомив прем’єр-міністр Денис Шмигаль. «Сьогодні уряд призначив наглядову раду НАК «Нафтогаз», обравши членами ради шістьох переможців відбору: чотирьох незалежних членів та двох представників держави», – сказав він на засіданні уряду. Водночас він не називав імен переможців відбору. Як повідомили джерела видання «Економічна правда», як незалежних членів призначено: Анфіннсена Тора Мартіна; Ван дер Хейдена Людо Альберта Г.; Маріно Ентоні Вільяма; Хукведа Річарда Марка. Членами наглядової ради від держави стали Наталія Бойко і Ростислав Шурма. …

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EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran, Mulls More Against Russia

European Union foreign ministers slapped a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, discussed a possible 10th sanctions package against Russia, and agreed to more than $540 million in new military spending for Ukraine. The new military funding for Ukraine brings to nearly $12 billion the total European Union and member state military spending for Kyiv since the country’s war began nearly a year ago. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said EU oil sanctions against Moscow are working. “Russia needs 70 percent in order to balance its budget — so it’s losing $40 per barrel,” Borrell said. “It is …

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Turkey’s President Says No Support for Sweden’s NATO Bid

Turkey’s president cast serious doubt on NATO’s expansion Monday after warning Sweden not to expect support for its bid for membership into the military alliance following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups.  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Rasmus Paludan’s Quran-burning protest on Saturday, saying it was an insult to everyone, especially to Muslims. He was particularly incensed at Swedish authorities for allowing the demonstration to take place outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm under “the protection” of security forces.  “It is clear that those who allowed such vileness to take place in front of our …

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Former FBI Official Charged in Two Separate Indictments

A retired senior official of the FBI has been arrested and indicted in New York and Washington on charges of violating U.S. sanctions by secretly working for a Russian oligarch and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from a former Albanian intelligence service employee while still employed by the bureau. Charles F. McGonigal, who was the chief of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York field office from 2016 to 2018, and Sergey Shestakov, a former Russian diplomat and translator, were arrested Saturday in New York on sanctions and money laundering violations. McGonigal and Shestakov are accused of investigating a rival …

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ВАКС повідомив про стягнення в дохід держави майна російського мільярдера

Водночас у Мін’юсті заявили, що ВАКС відмовив у задоволенні позову щодо стягнення в дохід держави 100% корпоративних прав ТОВ «Демурінський гірничо-збагачувальний комбінат» та інших компаній, «щодо яких… російський мільярдер Михайло Шелков здійснює контроль» …

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Russia, Estonia Expel Each Other’s Ambassadors  

Russia and neighboring Estonia, a member of the NATO military alliance, said Monday they are expelling each other’s ambassadors by February 7 in a new display of rancor over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Russia and Estonia disparaged each other as they announced that their diplomatic missions in Moscow and Tallinn would be downgraded and headed by charge d’affaires instead of ambassadors. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre and ordered him to leave the country in two weeks. Moscow said it was expelling Laidre in retaliation of Estonia’s “new unfriendly step to radically reduce the size of …

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Burkina Faso Ends French Military Accord, Says It Will Defend Itself

Burkina Faso has decided to end a military accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents on its territory because the government wants the country to defend itself, the government said Monday.   The West African country is facing an Islamist insurgency by groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State which have taken over large swathes of land and displaced millions of people in the wider Sahel region, just south of the Sahara.   The national television station reported on Saturday that the government had suspended a 2018 military accord with Paris on January 18, giving France one month to …

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Why Macron, French Unions at Odds Over Pensions 

The French government is presenting a bill on Monday that foresees broad changes to the pension system that will notably push back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. Unions aren’t happy, and more than 1 million people took to the streets last week to reject the measure. More strikes and protest action are planned Jan. 31, and probably beyond. What does President Emmanuel Macron’s government want to change and why, and what does it mean for workers, and why are so many people opposed? The pension system All French retirees receive a state pension. The system’s funding is …

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