SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Rescue teams from Bosnia’s neighbors and European Union countries on Sunday were joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides that devastated parts of the Balkan country. Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm overnight on Friday left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and wounding …
Pope Francis to appoint 21 new cardinals on Dec. 8
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday announced he will appoint 21 new cardinals of the global Catholic Church, in an unexpected push to influence the powerful group of churchmen that will one day choose his successor. The ceremony to install the new appointees, known as a consistory, will be held on December 8, the 87-year-old pope announced during his weekly noon-time prayer with pilgrims and …
Macron criticizes Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
paris — French President Emmanuel Macron called Saturday for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza, provoking a sharp response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also criticized Netanyahu’s decision to send troops into ground operations in Lebanon. “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” …
Hungarians protest state media ‘propaganda factory,’ demand unbiased press
budapest, hungary — Thousands of protesters gathered outside the headquarters of Hungary’s public media corporation Saturday to demonstrate against what they say is an entrenched propaganda network operated by the nationalist government at taxpayer expense. The protest was organized by Hungary’s most prominent opposition figure, Peter Magyar, and his upstart TISZA party, which has emerged in recent months as the most serious political challenge for Prime …
Several die trying to cross English Channel, says French minister
paris — Several people, including a child, died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to England, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Saturday. Attempts to cross the channel in small, overloaded boats are frequent despite strong currents in what is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. “Smugglers have the blood of these people on their hands and our government will step up …
Ukraine shoots down Russian bomber in Donetsk
kyiv, ukraine — Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of the Kostiantynivka Military Administration Serhiy Horbunov was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Photos showed charred remains of an aircraft after it landed on …
China: EU plan to press ahead with Chinese EV tariffs bad for ties
beijing — The European Commission’s decision to press ahead with tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles threatens to undermine decades of cooperation between China and the EU, and endangers climate-change goals, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. On Friday, the EU said it would push forward with hefty tariffs on China-made EVs, even after the bloc’s largest economy Germany rejected them. The dispute is its biggest trade …
NATO’s new leader pledges to boost Ukraine support, but challenges lie ahead
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, ((eds.: pronounced ROO-tuh)) who took up the role this week, visited Ukraine Thursday and pledged to prioritize the alliance’s support for Kyiv. But Rutte faces daunting challenges in his new job, as Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Belarus court sentences activists for attempted sabotage of Russian plane
moscow — A court in Minsk sentenced a dozen individuals to prison terms of between two and 25 years Friday for helping commit what Belarus has called an “act of terrorism” at a military airfield outside the capital last year. A group of Belarusian anti-government activists said in February 2023 that they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at …
Exiled media fight to keep Belarusian language alive
washington — While the Belarusian government continues a long-running clampdown on use of the Belarusian language, exiled news outlets are leading the fight to keep their language — and cultural identity — alive. Although Belarusian has been the country’s official language since Belarus declared independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991, there has been an ongoing process of Russification since President Alexander Lukashenko came to …
Nobel Prizes will be announced against backdrop of wars, famine and artificial intelligence
stavanger, norway — Wars, a refugee crisis, famine and artificial intelligence could all be recognized when Nobel Prize announcements begin next week under a shroud of violence. The prize week coincides with the October 7 anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which began a year of bloodshed and war across the Middle East. The literature and science prizes could be immune. But the peace prize, …
Handful of residents remains in Ukrainian village destroyed by Russia
Viktor Kalyberda, 63, lives in the village of Sulyhivka with no running water or electricity. The village, 170 kilometers from Kharkiv, was destroyed during the Russian invasion in 2022, not a single house was spared. All of the residents fled the village, yet Kaliberda chose to return and rebuild his life. Anna Kosstutschenko met with him in his home. Camera: Pavel Suhodolskiy …
Ukraine says Russia attacked its critical infrastructure with 19 drones
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian air force said on Friday that Russia attacked critical infrastructure in the country with 19 drones overnight. Air defenses shot down nine drones, with seven more likely impacted by electronic jamming, it said in a statement, without saying what happened to the other three. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said an apartment building was damaged in the capital but reported no casualties. …
Denmark jails 2 Swedish teens over blasts near Israeli Embassy
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Two Swedish teenagers were jailed Thursday in pretrial detention in connection with two predawn explosions in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen a day earlier. Prosecutors said investigators were establishing “whether the motive could be a terror attack.” No one was injured in the blasts on early Wednesday in a neighborhood with several foreign diplomatic missions, although the nearby Jewish school …
Georgian parliament speaker signs anti-LGBTQ+ law after president refuses to
Tbilisi, Georgia — The speaker of the Georgian parliament signed into a law Thursday a bill that severely curtails LGBTQ+ rights in the country and mirrors legislation adopted in neighboring Russia. Shalva Papuashvili, the parliament speaker, said on social media that the legislation does “not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies, but is based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European …
EU to vote on tariff hike for Chinese EVs as Germany fears retaliation
Vienna — The European Union is set to vote Friday on a massive tariff increase on Chinese electric vehicles that Germany fears could spark a trade war with Beijing. Reuters reported Wednesday that the measure already has enough votes to pass, with support from France, Greece, Italy and Poland, whose populations make up 39% of the EU. At least 65% of the EU’s population must vote …