Category: Євросоюз

Police in London opened fire outside the Ukrainian embassy on Saturday after a man rammed his vehicle into the ambassador’s empty parked car at least twice before being arrested, officials said. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened early on Saturday outside the embassy building in the affluent Holland Park area of west London, and it was not being treated as terrorism, police said in a statement. The embassy said in a statement that the ambassador’s empty official vehicle had been deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the building. “The police were called immediately, and …

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Malta’s prime minister announced on Twitter Saturday that four European Union countries have finally come forward to take in the 64 migrants who were rescued off the coast of Libya by a German vessel ten days ago. Joseph Muscat wrote that all 64 migrants onboard vessel Alan Kurdi will be disembarked and redistributed between Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg thanks to effective coordination by the EU Commission and Malta. He added that “None will remain in Malta, which cannot shoulder this burden alone.” Officials for the German humanitarian group Sea Eye said it responded to a call made to Alarm …

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With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirming his commitment to buy Russian missiles in the face of renewed warnings from NATO ally the United States about sanctions, Ankara and Washington remain on a collision course. Analysts warn that with a July date looming for Ankara to take delivery of the missiles, time is running out to avert a rupture in bilateral ties. “Turkey must choose — does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history?” said David Satterfield, the U.S. nominee to be the ambassador to Turkey, speaking at a confirmation hearing Thursday …

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As the Czech Republic moves to boost its arms spending under a proposed defense accord with Washington, its ambassador in Washington says his government hopes U.S. defense contractors will bid aggressively for his country’s business.    “Obviously, our American friends are [submitting] some tenders for what we intend to buy in the next year. I wish them success,” Hynek Kmoníček told VOA in an interview this week.    “Nobody says how the tender will end up, but we definitely have the intention to bring as many American military partners to our tenders as possible, because the more competitors you have, the better price you get at the …

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Spanish police on Friday arrested Hugo Carvajal, a former general and close ally of the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, on drug trafficking charges on an arrest warrant issued by the United States, a police spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman would not provide further details about the charges against Carvajal. In 2008, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Carvajal for “materially assisting the narcotics trafficking activities” of Colombia’s FARC rebel group. A court spokesman said Carvajal would appear before Spain’s High Court on Saturday. The court needs to decide within 24 hours of his arrest whether he will be jailed pending a decision …

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A Russian court fined Facebook on Friday for failing to tell authorities where it stores Russian user data, Russian news agency reported, a ruling that highlights wrangling between tech giants and Russia as it ramps up Internet controls. The court fined Facebook 3,000 roubles ($47) for not providing the information in line with legislation that requires social media companies to store user data on servers located in Russia. The only tools Moscow currently has to enforce its data rules are fines that often amount to very small sums or blocking the offending online services, an option fraught with technical difficulties. …

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Key figures in Britain’s opposition Labour Party said Friday the government should oppose the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on charges of conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a tweet that the U.S. is trying to have Assange extradited because he exposed “evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Diane Abbott, Labour’s spokeswoman for domestic affairs, said the government should block the extradition on human rights grounds. She said the U.S. case against Assange is about the “embarrassment of the things he’s revealed about the American military and …

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Pro- and anti-Brexit supporters have vowed to step up their campaigns after European Union leaders have given Britain a six-month extension to Brexit, averting the immediate danger of Britain crashing out of the bloc with no deal. However, it could mean Britain having to take part in EU elections scheduled in May, and there are still few signs that lawmakers will vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, further prolonging the political chaos. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

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Pope Francis has told leaders of South Sudan that peace is possible and urged the country’s leaders to seek what unites and overcome what divides. At the end of a two-day meeting in the Vatican, the pope shocked those present by kneeling and kissing the feet of South Sudan’s former warring leaders.  At the end of the two-day meeting in the Vatican, originally proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Pope Francis told South Sudanese leaders to recognize the enormous shared responsibility they hold for the present and future of their country.  Those attending the meeting included South Sudan’s …

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The United States has charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a computer hacking conspiracy linked to the release of hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents, just hours after British police dramatically arrested him at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he had been holed up for nearly seven years. VOA’s Jeff Custer reports from Washington. …

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Within weeks of a mass shooting that killed 50 people at two Christchurch mosques, New Zealand has introduced legislation that would ban the type of guns used in the attacks. In first of three votes needed to enact the law, lawmakers almost unanimously voted to ban semiautomatic rifles and shotguns. Even though the measure has yet to be passed, Prime Minister Lucinda Ardern has already used her executive power to prevent sales of the banned weapons to keep people from stockpiling. In light of such quick measures, here is a look at the effect other mass shootings have had on …

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Since taking office in 2012, International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has spent a lot of time on the road, pursuing potential cases in countries as disparate as Mali, Colombia and the conflict-torn Central African Republic. The one place she may not be visiting anytime soon is the United States. After warning of overreach months before, Washington acted last week in response to the ICC prosecutor’s initial examination into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan involving U.S. personnel. “The ICC is attacking America’s rule of law,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he announced visa restrictions on those connected to …

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British officials say the United States submited a formal extradition request for Julian Assange, who was arrested in London by British police after officers were invited into the embassy of Ecuador to detain the WikiLeaks founder. Britain’s Home Secretary, Sajid Javid tweeted shorty after the arrest, “Nearly seven years after entering the Ecuadorian embassy, I can confirm Julian Assange is now in police custody and rightly facing justice in the UK.” He added, “No one is above the law.” Assange, who took refuge in the embassy in 2012 while on bail in Britain over sexual assault allegations against him in …

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Coal-powered plants, mobile networks, major bridges, roads and railways: Chinese investments have been booming throughout Central and Eastern Europe’s cash-strapped developing countries, even as European Union officials scramble to counter Beijing’s mounting economic and political influence on the continent. EU member Croatia is hosting a summit Thursday between China and 16 regional countries – the 8th so far – that focuses on expanding business and other links between China and the region, which Beijing sees as a gateway into Europe. The gathering in Dubrovnik of the so-called 16+1 initiative consists of Central and Eastern European countries that have endorsed China’s …

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European Union leaders gave Theresa May a new Brexit deadline of Oct. 31, four months longer than the prime minister asked for, in a move the EU summit chair said would let Britain resolve its domestic deadlock on the issue.  “EU27/UK have agreed a flexible extension until 31 October,” European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted after eight hours of talks that went into the early hours of Thursday.   “This means (an) additional six months for the UK to find the best possible solution,” Tusk added on the eve of what would otherwise have been the day Britain crashed out of the bloc with no deal to smooth the departure for …

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Just two days away from a potentially calamitous no-deal Brexit, European Union leaders were moving closer to granting the United Kingdom a new delay — possibly of up to a year — to its departure from the bloc. British Prime Minister Theresa May headed Wednesday into an emergency EU summit, pleading for a second extension until June 30, but indicated she could accept a longer extension as many EU leaders have called for. “What is important is that any extension enables us to leave at the point at which we ratify the withdrawal agreement,” May said as she arrived in …

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WikiLeaks has accused the Ecuadorian government of spying on founder Julian Assange. The group’s editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson, told a news conference Wednesday that Assange’s meetings with lawyers and a doctor had been secretly filmed by Ecuadorian authorities.   Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 and has been living there ever since. Sweden has dropped an investigation into rape allegations against Assange, but he refuses to come out for fear of facing U.S. charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents. He faces arrest in Britain for jumping bail.   Ecuadorian officials say they will comment …

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The top U.S. diplomat for cybersecurity policy has praised Germany’s draft security standards for next generation mobile networks, which he said could effectively shut out China’s Huawei. Rob Strayer said Wednesday the standards published last month were a “positive step.” They call for mobile providers to use “trustworthy” telecom equipment suppliers that comply with national security regulations covering secrecy of communications and data protection. The U.S. has been lobbying European allies to ban Huawei from new 5G networks over concerns China’s communist leaders could force the company to use its equipment for cyberespionage. While no European countries have issued blanket …

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A Russian-controlled development bank steeped in Cold War history, and whose president has family ties to the Russian intelligence services, is relocating to Budapest with the blessing of the government of Viktor Orban. Jamie Dettmer reports Western security services and Hungarian opposition politicians are alarmed. …

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The International Monetary Fund is recommending countries undertake a series of reforms, including tackling corruption, in order to promote not only higher economic growth, but also growth that is more inclusive of various parts of the population. In a report released Wednesday, the IMF cites the challenges economies face from shifting demographics, the rapid changes in technology and an increasing amount of integration among economies around the world.   It says many countries with advanced or emerging economies are having to contend with stresses of aging populations on health care and public pension systems, while in many developing nations the …

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