Month: September 2024

France’s new PM warns of ‘very serious’ financial situation

Paris — France’s budgetary situation is “very serious,” Prime Minister Michel Barnier told AFP on Wednesday, saying more information was needed to gauge the “precise reality” of French public finances.   France was placed on a formal procedure for violating European Union budgetary rules before Barnier was picked as head of government this month by President Emmanuel Macron.   And the Bank of France warned this week that a projected return to EU deficit rules by 2027 was “not realistic.”   France’s public-sector deficit is projected to reach around 5.6 percent of GDP this year and go over six percent in 2025, which compares …

READ MORE

Deadly Portugal wildfires force new evacuations

Lisbon — Deadly wildfires raging in Portugal have forced more people to evacuate their homes as crews battled dozens of blazes on Wednesday in the nation’s north. Stifling heat and strong winds have fanned a spate of forest fires across the north and centre of the country that have killed seven people dead since the weekend. Civil protection authorities listed 42 active fires on its website on Wednesday and said they had mobilized around 3,900 firefighters and over 1,000 vehicles. In the Gondomar municipality, just outside Porto, authorities carried out more evacuations on Tuesday night. Firefighters battling blazes in Arouca in the …

READ MORE

Germany’s expanded border controls reflect concerns over migration ahead of elections

Germany has expanded border controls on more of its land crossings following two recent knife attacks allegedly committed by migrants. The measure comes as the country sees far-right politicians make substantial gains in regional elections. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina on voter sentiment ahead of key elections on Sept. 22 in northeastern Germany’s Brandenburg state. …

READ MORE

US lawmakers welcome Russian activist freed in August prisoner swap

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers welcomed Vladimir Kara-Murza to Capitol Hill Tuesday, celebrating the release of the Russian activist from a Kremlin prison last month.  Kara-Murza was part of the biggest prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the end of the Cold War.    Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said Tuesday that Kara-Murza “was at the forefront of the human rights struggle and an inspiration for so many people around the world.”    In a letter written upon Kara-Murza’s release, Cardin said, “Your return home is both a personal victory and a testament to the unwavering strength of …

READ MORE

US Air Force general: Russia military larger, better than before Ukraine invasion

PENTAGON — Russia’s military is bigger and stronger than it was prior to invading Ukraine in February 2022, the commander of United States Air Forces in Europe and Africa cautioned Tuesday. “Russia is getting larger, and they’re getting better than they were before. … They are actually larger than they were when [the invasion] kicked off,” Air Force General James Hecker told reporters at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference. The improvements come despite heavy casualties inflicted by Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has estimated that since 2022, more than 350,000 Russian troops …

READ MORE

Partial lunar eclipse will be visible during September’s supermoon

new york — Get ready for a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon, all rolled into one.  The spectacle will be visible in clear skies across North America and South America Tuesday night and in Africa and Europe Wednesday morning.  A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon, casting a shadow that darkens a sliver of the moon and appears to take a bite out of it.  Since the moon will inch closer to Earth than usual, it’ll appear a bit larger in the sky. The supermoon is one of three remaining this year.  “A little …

READ MORE

Facebook owner Meta bans Russia state media outlets over ‘foreign interference’ 

London — Meta said it’s banning Russia state media organization from its social media platforms, alleging that the outlets used deceptive tactics to amplify Moscow’s propaganda. The announcement drew a rebuke from the Kremlin on Tuesday.  The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said late Monday that it will roll out the ban over the next few days in an escalation of its efforts to counter Russia’s covert influence operations.  “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets: Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference …

READ MORE

French man admits to drugging wife so he and dozens of men could rape her

AVIGNON, France — A 71-year-old French man acknowledged in court on Tuesday that over nearly a decade, he was drugging his wife at the time and inviting dozens of men to rape her, as well as raping her himself. He pleaded with her and their three children for forgiveness. “Today I maintain that, along with the other men here, I am a rapist,” Dominique Pelicot told the court. “They knew everything. They can’t say otherwise.” Pelicot’s testimony is the most important moment so far in a trial that has shocked and gripped France and raised awareness about sexual violence. Many also …

READ MORE