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Elections in Europe, Iran show authoritarian march may have slowed, not halted
london — At first glance, elections in France and Britain were a triumph for leftists and reformers over authoritarians and the right. Even Iran — where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state — elected Masoud Pezeshkian, a lawmaker long associated with the reformist movement. In France, a leftist coalition beat the far right into third place in legislative …
Turkey’s Erdogan aims to patch relations with NATO allies at summit
After recent years of mistrust, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends NATO’s summit in Washington on Tuesday, hoping to reset relations with Western allies. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
France’s Macron keeps prime minister in place for ‘stability of the country’ after chaotic election
Paris — French President Emmanuel Macron refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him on Monday to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo. French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government. The results from Sunday’s vote …
UK can improve ‘botched’ Brexit deal, says Starmer
Belfast — Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised on Monday to secure an improved agreement with the European Union on post-Brexit trading rules and revamp the “botched deal” signed by former premier Boris Johnson. Speaking in Belfast after talks with the leaders of Northern Ireland, where post-Brexit trade rules have dominated politics for years, Starmer said his new government would first need to implement changes …
Spains recovers lost ‘language’ of ringing church bells by hand
JOANETES, Spain — Xavier Pallàs plants his feet on the belfry floor, grips the rope, and with one tug fills the lush Spanish valley below with the reverberating peal of a church bell. Clang-clong! Clang-clong! Clang-CLONG! The swinging bronze bell resonates with each strike of the clapper, filling the small stone tower with an undulating hum. Once Pallàs finishes his peals, the metallic melody fades to …
Chinese Premier Li congratulates new British PM Starmer
Beijing — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday congratulated new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his election, state media reported, the first senior leader in Beijing to do so publicly. China is “willing to work with the new U.K. government to consolidate mutual political trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation,” Li told Starmer, according to state news agency Xinhua. Their call came after days of …
Ukrainian drone triggers warehouse explosions in Russia as war of attrition grinds on
Kyiv — A village in western Russia’s border region was evacuated Sunday following a series of explosions after debris from a downed Ukrainian drone set fire to a nearby warehouse, local officials said. Social media footage appeared to show rising clouds of black smoke in the Voronezh region while loud explosions could be heard in succession. Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said that falling wreckage triggered the “detonation …
Pope deplores state of democracy, warns against ‘populists’
Vatican City — Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast on Sunday ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia — the longest of his papacy. “Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Francis said during a speech at the city’s convention center to close a national Catholic event. Without naming …
Bardella, 28, could become youngest French prime minister
NICE, France — At just 28 years old, Jordan Bardella has helped make the far-right National Rally the strongest political force in France. And now he could become the country’s youngest prime minister. After voters propelled Marine Le Pen’s National Rally to a strong lead in the first round of snap legislative elections on June 30, Bardella turned to rallying supporters to hand their party an …
French voters head to polls Sunday
PARIS — French voters face a decisive choice Sunday in the runoff of snap parliamentary elections that could produce the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation — or no majority emerging at all. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, nationalist party National Rally stands a chance of winning a legislative majority for the first time, but the outcome remains uncertain because of a …
Kylian Mbappé is enduring a tough Euro 2024
HAMBURG, Germany — He has a broken nose that requires him to wear a vision-limiting face mask. He is managing fitness issues stemming from the end of the club season. He has scored only one goal — from the penalty spot. The European Championship is hardly going as planned for Kylian Mbappé, and he knows it. “These are the vagaries of the footballer,” the France captain …
New UK PM says Rwanda deportation plan is ‘dead and buried’
LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that he is scrapping a controversial Conservative policy to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda as he vowed to deliver on voters’ mandate for change, though he warned it will not happen quickly. “The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started,” Starmer said in his first news conference. “It’s never acted as a deterrent. Almost the opposite.” …
Starmer begins Britain ‘rebuild’ after landslide election win
LONDON — Newly elected British prime minister Keir Starmer on Saturday began his first full day in charge with a meeting of his Cabinet after his Labour party’s landslide election win ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Starmer held his first Cabinet meeting at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT), with Britain’s first woman finance minister Rachel Reeves and new foreign minister David Lammy in attendance. The Labour …
Russian drone attack on Ukraine hits energy facility in Sumy region
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched an overnight drone attack across Ukraine on Saturday, hitting an energy facility in the Sumy region in the northeast of the country, officials said. Ukrainian mobile drone hunter groups and air defense units shot down 24 of the 27 Russian drones fired on 12 regions, the air force said. National grid operator Ukrenergo said the energy facility in the Sumy region …
Anti-doping agency sharpens its tools for Paris Olympics
Lausanne, Switzerland — In the battle against drug use at the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency plans to deploy a more streamlined, high-tech approach to identify and target potential cheats. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Benjamin Cohen, director general of the ITA, said potential tools at its disposal included biological and performance passports as well as a mountain of other data. Upgraded software, possibly …
Court: Social media influencer can leave Romania as he awaits trial
BUCHAREST, Romania — A court in Romania’s capital ruled Friday that social media influencer Andrew Tate can leave Romania but must remain within the European Union as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision to allow Tate, 37, to leave the country was hailed by his spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, as a …
How will Britain’s global role change with new government?
Britain has a new government. Keir Starmer’s center-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in Thursday’s election with a 412-seat majority in Parliament. How might Britain’s role in the world change under Prime Minister Starmer? Henry Ridgwell has more from London. …
How will Britain’s global role change under Prime Minister Keir Starmer?
london — Britain has a new government after Keir Starmer’s center-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in Thursday’s election, winning 412 seats and a huge 172-seat majority in parliament. How might Britain and its role on the international stage change under Prime Minister Starmer National renewal Addressing the nation Friday from outside 10 Downing Street, the 61-year-old former lawyer promised to lead a “government of …