Category: Євросоюз

KYIV — Russian air defenses shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones Sunday over Russia’s western regions, Moscow officials said, while 17 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in a ballistic missile attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said 110 drones were destroyed in the overnight barrage against seven Russian regions. Many targeted Russia’s border region of Kursk, where 43 drones were reportedly shot down. Social media footage appeared to show air defenses at work over the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, close to a factory producing explosives. Local Gov. Gleb Nikitin wrote on social …

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Berlin — A Libyan suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and links to the Islamic State group will appear before a judge on Sunday, German prosecutors said.    The suspect, identified only as Omar A., was arrested on Saturday evening at his home in Bernau, just outside the German capital, the federal prosecutors’ office said.    Omar A. was accused of planning a “high-profile attack with firearms” on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin, they said.    As part of his preparations, Omar A. was suspected of having “exchanges with a member of IS in a messenger …

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PARIS — As Notre Dame gears up to reopen its doors in December, Paris is on the verge of a remarkable eco-revival, bringing nature back to the forefront of the City of Light. Beyond restoring the cathedral’s iconic spire and medieval charm, the city announced plans Tuesday to revamp Notre Dame’s surroundings — to a tune of 50 million euros ($55 million) — into a serene, green oasis. The project echoes a broader, post-Olympics eco-facelift that’s reshaping Paris from its historic monuments to its bustling avenues. Among the key elements of this broader transformation are the revitalization of historic spaces like …

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CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans have started casting ballots in two key votes Sunday that could determine whether the European Union candidate country, which neighbors Ukraine, remains on a pro-Western path amid ongoing allegations that Russia has tried to undermine the electoral process. Incumbent President Maia Sandu is the favorite to secure another term in office in a presidential race in which 11 candidates are running. Voters will also choose “yes” or “no” in a referendum on whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution its path toward the 27-nation EU. Polls by WatchDog, a Chisinau-based think-tank show a clear majority of more …

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German police have arrested a Libyan suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group and of having planned an attack on the Israeli embassy, federal prosecutors told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.  “There is some suggestion he had planned an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin,” said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, adding that the suspect was also thought to be affiliated with the Islamic State group.  Bild daily reported that police commandoes had stormed a flat in Bernau, north of Berlin, in the evening and arrested the 28-year-old man.  The newspaper said German authorities had acted on a …

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Ukraine’s military deployed air-defense systems early Sunday to repel an aerial assault on Kyiv, according to the capital’s top elected official.  “Stay in shelters!” Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned on the Telegram messaging app, according to Reuters, which was unable to independently confirm the scope of the aerial assault.  Hours later, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin used the same messaging app to say Russian defense forces had destroyed at least one drone flying toward its capital city early on Sunday.  According to Reuters, preliminary information indicated no reports of damage or casualties where debris fell in the Ramensky district of the Moscow …

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istanbul — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets was an effort being driven by Britain and was in the early stages.  “It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there [Britain],” he said when asked about potential movement on the issue at a press conference in Istanbul with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.  The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus AIR.PA, BAE Systems BAES.L and Leonardo LDOF.MI.  Asked about the subject, a …

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kyiv, ukraine — A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues and gear aims to intimidate Ukrainian forces and marks a new chapter in the 2 1/2-year war with the introduction of another country into the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said.  The video, which was obtained by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Culture and Information Ministry, is said to show North Korean soldiers standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press could not verify the video independently.  …

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Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman and observed by nine other countries began in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Iran’s state TV said. The exercises, dubbed “IMEX 2024,” are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security,” the English-language Press TV said. Participants would practice tactics to ensure international maritime trade security, protect maritime routes, enhance humanitarian measures and exchange information on rescue and relief operations, it said. The exercises coincide with heightened tensions in the region as …

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Ukraine to receive an unconditional invitation to join NATO and for the deployment of a non-nuclear deterrent to Russian aggression as he went before Ukraine’s parliament Wednesday to outline his “victory plan” in the fight against Russia’s invasion.  “Together with our partners, we must change the circumstances so that the war ends. Regardless of what Putin wants,” Zelenskyy said.  “We must all change the circumstances so that Russia is forced to peace.”  Other parts of the part plan include post-war reconstruction pledges from Ukrainian allies as well as help in defending Ukraine’s natural mineral …

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SHENGJIN, Albania — A ship carrying the first group of migrants to be processed in Albania under a deal with Italy arrived in the port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning, setting in motion Rome’s controversial plan to process thousands of asylum seekers abroad.    Italy has built two reception centers in Albania, in the first scheme by a European Union nation to divert migrants to a non-E.U. country. The plan aims to deter irregular arrivals to Italy, but has been criticized by rights groups who say it restricts migrants’ right to asylum.    The Libra, an Italian navy ship, docked at Shengjin, Reuters …

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LONDON — Some of the most prominent artificial intelligence models are falling short of European regulations in key areas such as cybersecurity resilience and discriminatory output, according to data seen by Reuters. The EU had long debated new AI regulations before OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in late 2022. The record-breaking popularity and ensuing public debate over the supposed existential risks of such models spurred lawmakers to draw up specific rules around “general-purpose” AIs. Now a new tool designed by Swiss startup LatticeFlow and partners, and supported by European Union officials, has tested generative AI models developed by big tech …

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Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it shot down 51 drones that Russia used to target the country in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions, the Ukrainian air force said. Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said air raid alerts lasted for two hours in the Ukrainian capital, but that air defenses destroyed all of the drones that targeted the area. There were no reports of damage or casualties, Popko said on Telegram. Russia also fired two missiles as part of its …

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LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai, the highest-level trip to China since the Labour government came to power. Analysts say they will be watching the trip for signs of a possible reset in U.K.-China relations, which have been fraught in recent years.  Reuters reported last week that Lammy is expected to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing and representatives of British companies in Shanghai. According to sources familiar with the matter, the trip will last two days. The U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told VOA that the secretary’s travel plans have not …

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The republic of Georgia – which was part of the Soviet Union until independence in 1991 – is preparing for a crucial election on October 26th, which is widely seen as a choice between a future aligned with the West or Russia. Western powers accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of a backsliding of democracy. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the capital, Tbilisi, the party’s leaders are seeking ahead of the election to capitalize on Georgian voters’ fears of war. (Camera: Henry Ridgwell) …

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JABLANICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Several thousand mourners in southern Bosnia converged Tuesday around 19 caskets covered in traditional Islamic green cloth, part of a funeral service held for those killed during the destructive floods and landslides that hit the country in early October. Torrential rains and winds slammed four municipalities in central and southern Bosnia early on Oct. 4, catching people by surprise. Entire areas were cut off as flash floods swept away roads and bridges, and at least 26 people were reported dead. Authorities are still looking for one missing person. The 19 victims were from Donja Jablanica, a village outside …

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WASHINGTON — Russia, China and Iran are increasingly relying on criminal networks to lead cyberespionage and hacking operations against adversaries such as the United States, according to a report on digital threats published Tuesday by Microsoft. The growing collaboration between authoritarian governments and criminal hackers has alarmed national security officials and cybersecurity experts. They say it represents the increasingly blurred lines between actions directed by Beijing or the Kremlin aimed at undermining rivals and the illicit activities of groups typically more interested in financial gain. In one example, Microsoft’s analysts found that a criminal hacking group with links to Iran infiltrated …

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Warsaw, — Detected irregular crossings into the European Union fell 42% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday. Frontex released its latest statistics shortly before a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Brussels later this week, where immigration is among topics high on the agenda. The number of detected crossings into the EU “fell by 42 percent to 166,000 in the first nine months of this year,” Frontex said. It said the biggest falls were along the routes through the Western Balkans and Central Mediterranean. Nearly 17,000 …

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BRUSSELS — EU energy ministers met in Luxembourg on Tuesday to discuss the bloc’s rising Russian liquified natural gas imports, Ukraine’s energy shortages ahead of winter and how to balance energy prices across member states, officials said. The EU agreed on a 14th package of sanctions in June including a ban on transshipments of Russian gas as of March 2025 but stopped short of an outright ban. Since then, Belgium and the Netherlands have seen a sharp increase in imports. In a letter on Monday, France and nine other countries asked the European Commission to propose stricter reporting obligations on Russian …

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran condemned new EU and British sanctions on Tehran and denied providing ballistic missiles to Russia, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said in a post on X on Tuesday. The European Union agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on seven people and seven organizations, including airline Iran Air, for their links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia. The listings also include Saha Airlines and Mahan Air and Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari. At the same time, Britain added nine new designations under its Iran sanctions regime. Last month, the United …

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