moscow — A court in Moscow ordered house arrest Monday for a general in custody on fraud charges, in a ruling that represents an about-face from just weeks ago, when the same court refused to release the general from jail. Major General Ivan Popov was ordered to be placed under house arrest until at least October 11 by the 235th Garrison Military Court. Popov, who had …
Russian missile destroys school in Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital
The deadly July 8 Russian missile attack that damaged Ukraine’s largest children hospital also destroyed its school for seriously ill patients trying to keep up with their studies. The School of Superheroes, launched at Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, is now offered at other children’s hospitals in Ukraine. Anna Kosstutschenko has more from Kyiv. (Camera and Produced by: Pavel Suhodolskiy) …
Hungary’s Orban briefed EU leaders on his meetings with Putin and Xi, ally says
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sent a letter to the heads of other European Union countries briefing them on a recent set of foreign visits he made that angered other leaders in the bloc, Orban’s political director said Monday. Orban this month visited Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, and the United States on a world tour he’s touted as a “peace mission” aimed …
UN alarmed as childhood immunization levels stall
Geneva — Global childhood vaccination levels have stalled, leaving millions more children un- or under-vaccinated than before the pandemic, the U.N. said Monday, warning of dangerous coverage gaps enabling outbreaks of diseases like measles. In 2023, 84% of children, or 108 million, received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP), with the third dose serving as a key marker for global immunization …
A decade afterMH17 crash, victim’s father waits for Russia to say sorry
HILVERSUM, Netherlands — Quinn Schansman dreamed of becoming the youngest-ever CEO of an American company. A decade ago, he’d just finished the first year of an international business degree in Amsterdam as a step toward that lofty goal. But the 18-year-old dual Dutch American citizen’s future — whatever it may have held — was cruelly cut short when he was one of the 298 people killed …
American volunteer’s urge to help Ukraine rooted in family’s struggle
Rima Ziuraitis, an American of Lithuanian descent, has been teaching basic first aid to military personnel and civilians in Ukraine for over a year. Ziuraitis, who first arrived in Ukraine as a volunteer in the fall of 2022, has decided to stay in the country and become a medical instructor. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. …
Treason, espionage cases rise in Russia since start of Ukraine war
TALLINN, Estonia — When Maksim Kolker’s phone rang at 6 a.m., and the voice on the other end said his father had been arrested, he thought it was a scam to extort money. A day earlier, he had taken his father, prominent Russian physicist Dmitry Kolker, to the hospital in his native Novosibirsk, when his advanced pancreatic cancer had suddenly worsened. The phone kept ringing and …
China, Russia start joint naval drills
BEIJING — China and Russia’s naval forces kicked off a joint exercise Sunday at a military port in southern China, official news agency Xinhua reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine. The Chinese defense ministry said in a statement that forces from both sides recently patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean and that the operation had nothing …
Carlos Alcaraz tops Novak Djokovic in a second consecutive Wimbledon final for a fourth Slam title
London — Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the Wimbledon men’s final Sunday to collect his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21. It was a rematch of last year’s championship match on the grass of the All England Club, which Alcaraz won in five sets. This one — played in front of a Centre Court crowd that included Kate, the Princess …
France celebrates national day as political crisis rumbles on
Paris — France celebrated military victories of the past at its annual Bastille Day parade Sunday, while its present political future appeared far from clear. President Emmanuel Macron inspected French and allied units which took part in France’s World War II liberation 80 years ago. And Paris welcomed the Olympic flame to the city, less than two weeks before it hosts the Summer Games. But behind …
Israel’s Holocaust memorial opens a facility to store artifacts, photos and more
JERUSALEM — Israel’s national Holocaust museum opened a new conservation facility in Jerusalem on Monday that will preserve, restore and store its more than 45,000 artifacts and works of art in a vast new building, including five floors of underground storage. Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, serves as both a museum and a research institution. It welcomes nearly a million visitors each year, leads …
Syria-Turkey rapprochement: Here’s what it might mean for the region
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad have recently signaled that they are interested in restoring diplomatic ties that have been ruptured for more than a decade. Erdogan has said that he hopes to arrange a meeting with Assad soon for the first time since the countries broke off relations in 2011 as mass anti-government protests and a brutal crackdown by …
Competition between NATO, China intensifies following Washington summit
irvine, california — NATO and China’s efforts to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific and Europe are viewed by some analysts as part of the growing competition between major powers, especially between the United States and China. “[The latest development] is a standard major power competition,” said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore. These efforts are aimed …
Missing Polish coal miner found alive more than two days after quake
WARSAW, Poland — A miner who was reported missing after an earthquake shook Poland’s Rydultowy coal mine has been found alive more than two days after the accident that killed one of his colleagues and injured another 17, local officials said Saturday. The miner has been airlifted to a hospital and the rescue operation has been closed, said Witold Gałązka of the coal mining group that …
Canada bolsters Arctic defense in face of Russian, Chinese aggression
Toronto, Canada — Canada says it is going shopping for 12 conventionally powered submarines capable of operating under the Arctic ice to enhance maritime security in a region that is fast gaining strategic significance in the face of climate change. The purchase is expected to help ease mounting pressure on Ottawa — one of the lowest-spending NATO members — to meet the alliance’s commitment to spend …
Russian oil depot burns as Russia, Ukraine exchange drone attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — An oil depot caught fire in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region Saturday following a Ukrainian drone attack in the early hours, local officials said, in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region. Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow down the Kremlin’s war machine. Moscow’s …
Moscow condemns Australia ‘paranoia’ for espionage arrests of Russia-born couple
SYDNEY — Russia has accused Australia of inciting “anti-Russian paranoia” for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported Saturday. The married couple, who hold Australian citizenship, were arrested on charges of working to access material related to Australia’s national security, though no significant compromise had been identified, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday. The woman, 40, an information systems technician …
Moscow condemns Australia ‘paranoia’ for espionage arrests of Russia-born couple
SYDNEY — Russia has accused Australia of inciting “anti-Russian paranoia” for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported Saturday. The married couple, who hold Australian citizenship, were arrested on charges of working to access material related to Australia’s national security, though no significant compromise had been identified, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday. The woman, 40, an information systems technician …
North Korea denounces NATO summit declaration
seoul, south korea — North Korea has denounced a declaration at a recent NATO summit that condemned Pyongyang’s weapons exports to Russia, calling the document “illegal,” state media said Saturday. In a joint declaration this week, NATO leaders condemned North Korea for “fueling Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” by “providing direct military support” to Moscow. NATO leaders also voiced “profound concern” over China’s industrial support …
North Korea denounces NATO summit declaration
seoul, south korea — North Korea has denounced a declaration at a recent NATO summit that condemned Pyongyang’s weapons exports to Russia, calling the document “illegal,” state media said Saturday. In a joint declaration this week, NATO leaders condemned North Korea for “fueling Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” by “providing direct military support” to Moscow. NATO leaders also voiced “profound concern” over China’s industrial support …
West preparing for arms race with Russia and its backers
Washington — While much of the focus at the NATO summit in Washington has been on providing additional support for Ukraine, some Western officials are equally intent on confronting another challenge unleashed by Russia’s invasion: a nascent arms race with global implications. The officials argue it is no longer enough to try to ensure Ukraine has the weapons and systems it needs to keep pace with …