Moldovan Parliament backs bid to join EU, but divisions remain
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters Moldova’s Parliament this week endorsed an appeal to press on with a drive to join the European Union, but the opposition walked out of the vote and separatists in the Transdniestria region urged authorities to drop their claim to the enclave. President Maia Sandu, who says Russia is the biggest threat to […]
Moldova dismisses reported drone strike in breakaway enclave as provocation
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters Officials in Moldova’s pro-Russian, separatist Transdniestria enclave said a drone launched from Ukraine’s Odesa region blew up a helicopter on military territory on Sunday, local media said, but pro-European Moldova immediately dismissed the report. The official Moldovan body that deals with Transdniestria, and a Ukrainian official, portrayed the incident at Tiraspol, the […]
Moldovan negotiator rules out Moscow role in solving separatist issue
Chisinau Reuters Moldova’s top negotiator in resolving the three-decade-old dispute with its pro-Russian Transdniestria separatist enclave on Sunday ruled out any role for Russia in finding a solution as long as it was engaged in its war in Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian made his comments on national radio as Moldova’s pro-European government pressed […]
Moldova says latest talks with separatists “difficult”
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters A senior official of Moldova’s pro-European government said on Wednesday that his latest talks with the pro-Russian separatist Transdniestria region had been “quite difficult” as tension rises in the three-decade-old standoff. The region split from Moldova before the collapse of Soviet rule and fought a brief war against the newly independent state […]
Moldova’s President says Putin must be stopped
Chisinau, MoldovaReuters Russian President Vladimir Putin must be stopped in his war against Ukraine or all of Europe will pay a much higher price, Moldova’s pro-European president, Maia Sandu, said in an interview published on Wednesday. Sandu has long denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and singles out the Kremlin as the biggest threat facing her […]
In Moldova, the Christmas spirit is conflict and rivalry for parishioners
Chisinau, MoldovaReuters The head of Moldova’s largest Orthodox Church, subordinated to its Russian parent church, has complained that his ranks were coming under attack in the run-up to Christmas – marked on two separate days by rival churches in the former Soviet state. More than 90 per cent of residents of the country, which lies […]
COP28 leader urges nations to get out of “comfort zones”
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber urged countries on Friday to get out of their comfort zones and work together to reach agreement before the two-week summit ends. “Let’s please get this job done,” he said, opening a plenary session as the summit entered its toughest phase of negotiations. “I need you to […]
StrangeSights: Dog bites…president; a controversial ‘Bird of the Century’; and, biggest plane yet lands in Antarctica
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Moldova’s largest Orthodox church keeps link to Russia
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters Moldova’s largest Orthodox church reaffirmed its link to its Russian parent church on Thursday despite dissent from priests who have denounced the association with Moscow over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. More than 90 per cent of Moldovans adhere to Orthodox Christianity. But parishioners are divided between two churches – the Moldova […]
Ukraine hails “historic step” as EU takes Kyiv closer to membership
Brussels, Belgium/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised as a “historic step” a recommendation by the European Union executive on Wednesday to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it fights to repel Russia’s war. The recommendation by the European Commission is an important milestone on Kyiv’s […]