Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday it was terminating a cross-border agreement between Moscow and Helsinki. The abrupt move followed Finnish accusations that Russia has been fueling a migrant crisis on their mutual border. Moscow’s foreign ministry statement said it had “terminated” a 2012 agreement between Russia and Finland on “the promotion of cross-border cooperation,” … Read more
Democratic Unionist leader Jeffrey Donaldson says he’s determined to get Northern Ireland’s cross-community government restored — and won’t be deterred by die-hards from his own side of the divide. In the most impassioned speech of his DUP leadership, Donaldson told the House of Commons on Wednesday he’d just received threats from loyalist hard-liners. He said … Read more
HELSINKI — After seven years in the political wilderness, Alexander Stubb is closing in on a remarkable comeback and new top job: president of Finland. Ahead of a first round of voting this Sunday, Stubb has a 3-percentage-point lead in opinion polls over his nearest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the leftist Green League, who is in turn 6 points ahead of seven other candidates. In a likely runoff, surveys give Stubb of the … Read more
TEL AVIV — As he tries to cling to power, Benjamin Netanyahu is being buffeted by contradictory demands over the direction of the war in Gaza. His war cabinet is increasingly urging a cease-fire deal to be struck with Hamas — to secure the return of Israeli hostages — while lawmakers in his own Likud … Read more
An Israeli attack on the Syrian capital of Damascus on Saturday destroyed a residential building where Iran-aligned paramilitary leaders were meeting. Precision-targeted Israeli missiles destroyed a multi-story building in the western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh, Reuters reported. The structure was occupied by Iranian advisers assisting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s administration, according to the report. The … Read more
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov on Saturday said his country may fumble the January 1, 2025, target date to join the EU’s currency zone. The country’s target date to adopt the euro was “not sacred,” Denkov said during an appearance on the Bulgarian radio station Darik Radio. “What is sacred is not the date but … Read more
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed on Friday to set up a common Baltic defense zone on their borders with Russia and Belarus amid growing security concerns. The defense ministers of the three Baltic countries met on Friday in Riga to approve the construction of “anti-mobility defensive installations” on their eastern frontiers. They also agreed to … Read more
China won’t be playing a mediation role between Russia and Ukraine anytime soon, Australian ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd said, as Beijing’s priority remains keeping a stable alliance with Moscow. “If [Chinese President] Xi Jinping looks at the world, he looks at Russia, he sees a neighboring state, a massive common border with whom … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Western warplanes and guided missiles roared through the skies over Yemen in the early hours of Friday in a dramatic response to the worsening crisis engulfing the region, where the U.S. and its allies are facing a direct confrontation with Iranian-backed militants. The strikes … Read more
BEIJING — China has lifted its ban on imports of Belgian pig products, five years after an outbreak of African swine flu slashed the sector’s access to the crucial Asian market. The news was announced on Friday morning by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and General Administration of Customs, which said in a joint statement that … Read more
