US, 17 other countries urge Hamas to release hostages, end Gaza crisis
Washington DC, US Reuters The United States and 17 other countries on Thursday issued an appeal for Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza, but Hamas vowed not to relent to international pressure. “We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in […]
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 […]
Ukraine says it identified 511 war crime suspects, convicted 81
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine has identified 511 people suspected of war crimes since Russia’s February, 2022, invasion and has already handed down 81 convictions, its prosecutor general said in Kyiv on Thursday. Andriy Kostin was speaking at a war crimes conference alongside the chief prosecutors of Poland, Lithuania, Romania and the President of the EU […]
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 […]
Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria sign deal to clear floating Black Sea mines
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria signed an agreement this week on a joint plan to clear mines floating in the Black Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, following months of talks between the NATO allies. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, his Romanian counterpart Angel Tilvar and Bulgaria’s Deputy Defence Minister Atanas […]
European police arrest more than 100 mafia suspects in drug crackdown
Rome, Italy/Brussels, BelgiumReuters Police across Europe arrested more than 100 people on Wednesday in a massive crackdown that targeted the Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia, with suspects accused of drugs and weapons trafficking with counterparts in Latin America. “Today’s raids are one of the largest operations carried out so far in the fight against Italian organised crime,” said […]
In pictures: Easter around the world
AP From Orthodox Palm Sunday celebrations in Romania to Easter Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Christians celebrated Easter over the weekend. Here are some more images from across the globe… Romanian Orthodox priests and believers stand outside the Patriarchal Cathedral after an Orthodox Palm Sunday pilgrimage in Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday, […]
Christmas gifts come by boat to isolated Romanian Danube Delta villages
CA Rosetti, Romania Reuters For the elderly living in remote villages in the Danube Delta, one of the world’s largest wetlands, winter is a time of isolation. This year, they are also struggling to cope with a shortage of firewood and rising food prices. So, days before Christmas, Romanian coast guard officers braced against icy […]
Christmas comes early and bittersweet for Eastern Europe’s Ukrainian refugees
Prague, Czech Republic/Warsaw, Poland Reuters Many of the millions of Ukrainian refugees in central and eastern Europe plan to mark Christmas early this year in solidarity with their hosts, learning carols in new languages to generate holiday cheer despite fears for relatives back home. Ukrainians generally celebrate Christmas on 7th January in common with Russians, […]
East Europeans prepare for possible new Ukrainian refugee wave as winter nears
Prague, Czech Republic/Budapest, Hungary/Warsaw, Poland Reuters Eastern European countries are preparing to reopen reception centres and are restocking food supplies in anticipation of a possible fresh surge in Ukrainian refugees as winter looms and Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid and heating plants. Some 6.9 million people are believed displaced internally within Ukraine, often living in […]