Category: Євросоюз

Bulgaria has frozen assets, property and bank accounts belonging to businessman and media owner Ivo Prokopiev, who said the state was trying to silence the country’s independent media. The Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture is preparing to file a claim against Prokopiev and his businesses to seize assets and property worth 199 million levs ($119 million), which it believed were derived from a rogue privatization of a plant 17 years ago, said the commission’s chairman, Plamen Georgiev. Bulgaria, one of the European Union’s poorest countries — and, according to Transparency International, its most corrupt — set up the commission in the 2000s …

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NATO allies extended Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary-general of the Western military alliance until late 2020 on Tuesday, giving the former Norwegian prime minister a rare six-year mandate in the top job. Stoltenberg, who took up the post on Oct. 1 2014, will now step down two years later than planned on Sept. 30 2020, after strong support from Germany and the United States, NATO’s dominant power, which has welcomed his efforts to increase defense spending in Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May both congratulated Stoltenberg on Tuesday. If he completes his term as the …

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French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting an international summit Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, hoping to inject the pact with new energy after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from it. The accord reached two years ago set goals for slowing the rate of climate change by reducing the emissions that contribute to melting Arctic ice, increasing sea levels and changing weather patterns across the globe. While some critics have questioned whether the summit will accomplish more than drawing attention to France’s media-savvy president, celebrities, corporations, environmental groups and others are preparing …

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In their third meeting in a month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Ankara. The talks primarily focused on Syria, but Putin’s visit coincides with U.S.-Turkish relations, reeling from a crisis sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Regarding Jerusalem, I have observed that we share common opinions with Mr. Putin, and we’ve come to an agreement that we will sustain our decisiveness in this matter,” Erdogan said in a joint press statement with Putin, referring to the Russian president as his “dear friend.” “The resolution by the U.S. …

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Free-trade talks between the European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur still face hurdles over beef and ethanol, and an expected deal announcement this week might not happen, officials involved in negotiations said on Monday. Mercosur diplomats involved in the talks on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization minister’s meeting in Buenos Aires said EU officials had not presented improved offers on EU tariff-free imports of South American beef and ethanol as promised. “Basically, they want us to show our cards before they show theirs,” a senior diplomat from a Mercosur country told Reuters, asking not to be …

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Corsican nationalists said on Monday it was time for talks with Paris on greater autonomy for the French Mediterranean island, after they won nearly two-thirds of seats in local elections. Support for their cause in Sunday’s vote was boosted by dissatisfaction with France’s mainstream parties, a trend that has fueled secessionist ambitions in other parts of Europe. Nationalist leader Gilles Simeoni hailed the start of a new era after the two-party Pe a Corsica (For Corsica) alliance that he heads took over 56 percent of Sunday’s vote and 41 of 63 seats. Unlike in Catalonia, nationalists in Corsica have downplayed …

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The European Union’s top five economies are warning the United States that its massive tax overhaul could violate some of its international obligations and risks having “a major distortive impact” on trade. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, the finance ministers of Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain wrote they had “significant concerns” about three tax initiatives in particular. In the letter, seen by The Associated Press, the five wrote that “it is important that the U.S. government’s rights over domestic tax policy be exercised in a way that adheres with international obligations to which …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, making his second visit to Egypt in as many years, held talks Monday with his Egyptian counterpart on their countries’ rapidly expanding ties.   Egypt’s general-turned-president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has visited Russia three times since the ouster of his Islamist predecessor in 2013. After taking office, el-Sissi has bought billions of dollars’ worth of Russian weapons, including fighter jets and assault helicopters.   The two countries are also in the late stages of negotiations over the construction by a Russian company of Egypt’s first nuclear energy reactor.   Also, Russia last month approved a draft agreement with …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he has ordered his military to withdraw a “significant part” of Russia’s forces from Syria. He made the announcement during a surprise visit to Russia’s Hemeimeem airbase in Latakia province, where he also met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian forces joined the Syrian conflict in late 2015 in support of Assad’s military. Putin said Monday that Russian and Syrian forces had defeated the “most battle-ready group of international terrorists,” in an apparent reference to the Islamic State group. Syrian state media said Assad thanked Putin for Russia’s role in the fight against terrorism …

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France has ordered banned the sale and ordered a recall of several baby formula milk and baby food products made by French dairy giant Lactalis after the discovery of salmonella bacteria, consumer protection agency DGCCRF said in a statement. The recall includes products for export, including to China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Colombia and Peru. Some were also destined for regional markets, including Africa and Asia. The agency said that Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy company, had not managed contamination risk and has been ordered to conduct a product recall and halt …

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French President Emmanuel Macron urged visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a move toward peace with the Palestinians in the wake of U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has sparked a wave of protests in the Arab and Muslim world. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports fresh protests took place in Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan and elsewhere on Sunday. …

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he believes most or all European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital, following a move to do so by U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking in Brussels alongside European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, Netanyahu said Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem “put facts squarely on the table” and that “peace is based on reality.” WATCH: Macron on Trump Jerusalem decision “Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. No one can deny. It doesn’t obviate peace, it makes peace possible because recognizing reality is the substance of peace, it’s the foundation …

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Thousands in Ukraine rallied Sunday in protest of the arrest of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili, calling for his release and the impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko. Ukrainian officials have accused Saakashvili, whom they arrested Friday, of abetting an alleged “criminal group” led by former President Viktor Yanukovych — who was pushed from power in 2014 and fled to Russia — and have suggested that his protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine. A day after he declared a hunger strike, his supporters took to the streets of Kyiv to demand his release. “The authorities have crossed a red …

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Spain’s maritime rescue service says it has saved 104 migrants trying to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea to Europe from North Africa. The service says its rescue craft Guardamar Concepcion Arenal intercepted two boats carrying 53 and 22 migrants each overnight and early Sunday in the Strait of Gibraltar. The same rescue vessel also took on board another 25 migrants that a Civil Guard patrol craft had picked up at sea.   Another rescue craft, the Salvamar Denebola, later spotted a tiny rubber boat carrying four more migrants that it took to shore.   Tens of thousands …

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Winners of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize warned that the world was “one impulsive tantrum” away from destruction, urging nuclear nations to adopt a U.N. treaty banning atomic weapons. “Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?” Beatrice Fihn, who accepted the award on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), asked in her speech following the group’s acceptance of the award. Fihn warned that in particular, warlike threats exchanged between North Korea and the United States amid nuclear tests by Pyongyang were forcing the world to live “under …

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British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson raised the case of a detained dual national on Sunday when he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a two-day trip to Tehran. The British Foreign Office says Johnson raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting against Iran’s government, during a “worthwhile visit” to the country. The Foreign Office said both Johnson and Rouhani “spoke forthrightly” during their nearly hour-long meeting and “agreed on the need to make progress in all areas,” without elaborating. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband says she faces trial on new charges Sunday that …

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A new wave of protests against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital erupted Sunday in parts of the Muslim and Arab world. Lebanese security forces outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut fired water cannons and tear gas to beat back Lebanese and Palestinian protesters who hurled projectiles at the embassy and burned Trump in effigy, along with U.S. and Israeli flags. In Indonesia, home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, thousands of protesters mounted a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Jakarta, while other protests occurred in Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, …

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The head of the Arab League has called on the nations of the world to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will recognize the city as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy there. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit made the call Saturday at the beginning of an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the Arab League. He added that the U.S. decision “amounts to the legalization of occupation.”   He also said it raised a question mark about the United States’ role as a peace …

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A senior Russian general who was accused in a recent investigation of being a coordinator of separatist forces in eastern Ukraine and of possibly playing a role in the downing of a civilian airliner in July 2014 has said he plans to sue the authors of the report for defamation. Retired General Nikolai Tkachyov told Novaya Gazeta on Saturday that he will sue the Bellingcat investigative collective and the independent website The Insider over their report, in which they used digital voice analysis to identify Tkachyov as a man codenamed Delfin (dolphin) who appears on intercepted communications with separatist fighters. …

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Ukrainian opposition politician and former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has declared a hunger strike, his lawyer told journalists on Saturday. Attorney Ruslan Chornolutskiy released a letter from Saakashvili calling on supporters to protest in Kyiv on Sunday and to call for the impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko. Also Saturday, a spokesman for the Prosecutor-General’s Office said prosecutors would ask a court to place Saakashvili under house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial. Ukrainian officials have accused Saakashvili of abetting an alleged “criminal group” led by former President Viktor Yanukoych — who was pushed from power in 2014 and fled to …

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