The Israeli government and Hamas-led militants released 175 prisoners and three hostages, respectively, on Saturday, marking the fourth exchange since last month’s cease-fire deal came into force, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The swap involved the liberation of three Israeli civilians from Gaza in return for three busloads of Palestinians being […]
Read MoreGiorgia Meloni’s Albania migration plan blasted after third failure
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was berated by the political opposition on Saturday after her plan to process up to 3,000 asylum-seekers a month in Albania was rejected by Italian judges for a third time. A coast guard ship was returning the 43 African and South Asian migrants from the detention center in the Albanian […]
Read MorePentagon plans to start migrant flights to Guantanamo this weekend
The Pentagon expects to send two flights of migrants to Guantanamo Bay this weekend, the first step in President Donald Trump’s plans to use the the base for detaining people swept up in his crackdown on illegal immigration. The final details are still getting worked out, according to two defense officials, but the planes likely […]
Read MoreTrump says Putin talks could see ‘significant’ result for Ukraine
The United States has already had “very serious” talks with Moscow about ending its war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said late Friday, adding that discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin could yield “significant” action soon. “We will be speaking, and I think will perhaps do something that’ll be significant,” Trump told reporters at […]
Read MoreBelgium gets new government with Flemish separatist Bart De Wever as PM
Five parties agreed to form a new Belgian coalition government late Friday, concluding months of negotiations and paving the way for Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever to serve as the country’s next prime minister. “After seven long months, we finally have a government for the country,” said Conner Rousseau, the president of Vooruit, one of the […]
Read MoreGerman authorities ‘well prepared’ for social media election interference
Germany’s Federal Network Agency is “well prepared” to respond to online interference in the country’s Feb. 23 parliamentary election, the agency’s president Klaus Müller said following a stress test with social media platforms on Friday. “Today we realistically simulated possible infringements, tested the platforms’ reporting procedures and mechanisms and practised action and the relevant exchange of […]
Read MoreCommission staff evacuated after bomb threat on Rue de la Loi
BRUSSELS — EU civil servants were briefly evacuated from their offices on Rue de la Loi Friday after a suspected bomb threat, but it amounted to nothing. Police and sniffer dogs checked out a gray Volvo car with a Dutch number plate that was abandoned outside the Maelbeek metro station. While the Belgian authorities conducted their […]
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Russian strikes on Ukraine leave at least 14 dead
At least 14 people were killed and 37 wounded in Russian missile and drone attacks against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. Moscow’s military struck the middle of a town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces have been advancing, killing at least 11 people, including five children, and leaving a further 30 […]
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3 Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in the UK
Three U.K.-based Bulgarians were found guilty of being part of a Russian spy ring directed by Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek. Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova and Tihomir Ivanchev were convicted of espionage charges in what concluded a three-month trial at the Old Bailey court for being junior members of the six-member group. They operated between August […]
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Italy must compensate stranded migrants, high court rules
Italy must pay compensation to migrants who were not allowed to disembark from the Diciotti ship in August 2018, the country’s highest court ruled on Friday. The 177 migrants who were held aboard the ship for 10 days were deprived of their personal freedom, Italy’s Court of Cassation ruled on Friday, and are therefore entitled […]
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