Month: July 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled Monday that his country is not ready to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO, saying Stockholm had to work harder on the “homework” it needs to complete. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also renewed his condemnation of a Quran-burning protest that took place in Sweden last week, describing the action as a hate crime against Muslims. “We have made it clear that the determined fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia are our red line,” Erdogan said. “Everyone must accept that Turkey’s friendship cannot be won by supporting terrorism or by making space for terrorists.” …

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Germany’s government accused Poland on Monday of failing to stop the dumping of pollutants that contributed to the deaths of hundreds of tons of fish in the Oder River, which runs along the border between the two countries.  The mass fish die-off last summer caused friction between Warsaw and Berlin, which both blamed chemical discharges on the Polish stretch of the river for promoting the growth of deadly golden algae. The environmental group Greenpeace said wastewater from Poland’s coal mines was most likely responsible.  “We see increasing signs that salts continue to be discharged (into the Oder),” German Environment Ministry …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday it was imperative for the European Union to address the issue of its enlargement as soon as possible to include countries such as Ukraine and Moldova to guarantee they do not fall under the influence of Russia or China. Speaking in Madrid, von der Leyen said the bloc must look forward four years and imagine what the union should be like. “Can we imagine the European Union will be without Ukraine, without Moldova, without the Western Balkans? And those parts of Europe are under the influence of Russia or China? Impossible,” …

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Latest developments: U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Europe for a three-country trip to strengthen the international coalition against Russian aggression as the war in Ukraine continues into its second year. The focus of Biden’s five-day visit next week, will be the annual NATO summit, held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. Poland will send 500 police officers to strengthen security along its border with Belarus, the Polish interior minister said Sunday. “Due to the tense situation on the border with Belarus, I have decided to bolster our forces with 500 Polish police officers from riot control and …

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A 24-year-old French firefighter died Sunday night while trying to douse burning cars in an underground car garage north of Paris, as riots in France’s capital continued for a sixth night over the police killing of a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan parents.  Referring to the incident, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said: “My thoughts go out to the public servants mobilized day and night for a return to calm.”  Authorities said that police arrested over 150 people nationwide in the overnight rioting, many fewer than on previous days. Three members of the police were injured, also a sharply lower …

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A survey released Monday found that people in the United States and United Kingdom had the lowest level of confidence in their governments among leading industrial nations. Gallup said in 2022, 31% of adults in the United States had confidence in their government, while the figure stood at 33% for the United Kingdom. Germany was at the top of the list among the Group of Seven nations with 61% confidence. The positions of the United States and the United Kingdom were far different in 2022 than they were in 2006, Gallup said. In the same survey in 2006, the United …

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Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Wimbledon the night before the tournament’s start, citing a wrist injury, a year after he reached his first Grand Slam final at the All England Club.  His withdrawal was announced by Wimbledon Sunday night and Kyrgios wrote about it on social media.  He was seeded 30th in the men’s bracket and was scheduled to face David Goffin on Monday. Kyrgios will be replaced in the field by a player who lost during qualifying.  “I’m really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year. During my comeback, I experienced some pain in …

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It took a late breakaway by Victor Lafay for French team Cofidis to end its 15-year winless streak at the Tour de France.  Cofidis won the second stage Sunday after Lafay moved to the front and held off a late charge by the favorites to clinch the victory, with Adam Yates keeping the overall lead after the opening two stages in northern Spain.  Cofidis hadn’t won in the Tour since Sylvain Chavanel triumphed in the 19th stage of the 2008 edition.  “It’s a relief for Cofidis to finally get a stage win,” Lafay said. “I’ve been hearing about this for …

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A Ukrainian writer and war crimes investigator wounded in a Russian missile strike on a restaurant last week has died, the freedom of expression group PEN said on Sunday.   Victoria Amelina, 37, was wounded when a Russian missile destroyed the Ria Pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday, killing 12 people, including children, and wounding dozens.  “With our greatest pain, we inform you that Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina passed away on July 1st in Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro,” PEN Ukraine said in a statement on its Facebook page.    Amelina had been in the city with a delegation …

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