MOSCOW – Russia says it is considering banning imports of cut flowers from The Netherlands, a move that would aggravate tensions between the two countries already at odds over the downing of flight MH17. National veterinary agency Rosselkhoznadzor said Monday it has urged the European Union’s organization for plant protection …
Read More »Israel says it foiled Gaza smuggling ring that helped Hamas rebuild after war
JERUSALEM – Israel says it has foiled a ring that smuggled iron, electronic equipment and other prohibited materials to Hamas to rebuild its infrastructure following last year’s war. Israel’s internal security agency says Hamas paid the Israeli companies at least $375,000 to store and deliver the goods, which entered through …
Read More »Romania begins transporting gas to Moldova, which seeks to be less dependent on Russia
BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania has begun transporting natural gas to Moldova, as the former Soviet republic moves toward the European Union and becomes less dependent on Russia. “It is the first time that gas goes from West to East,” said Moldova Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman during a visit to Bucharest. …
Read More »European Central Bank official denies lower euro was prime consideration behind stimulus
DAVOS, Switzerland – A top official at the European Central Bank says getting the euro down was not a prime consideration of the bank’s recently announced 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.2 trillion) stimulus. Benoit Coeure, an executive board member at the ECB, told a panel at the World Economic Forum in the …
Read More »8-year-old faces police questioning for saying he supported Charlie Hebdo attackers
PARIS – An 8-year-old boy from the south of France who claimed to support the men who attacked the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was detained and questioned by police for defending terrorism. Fabienne Lewandowski, deputy director for public security in the Alpes-Maritimes region, said Thursday that the boy declared “I …
Read More »Spain: 400 migrants repelled after charging Moroccan guards, storming Melilla border fence
MADRID – Spain says 400 African migrants tried to storm border fences separating its North African enclave Melilla from Morocco and has warned of a buildup in numbers across the frontier. The Interior Ministry said the migrants charged past Moroccan border forces Sunday by throwing rocks, but were repelled by …
Read More »Nigerian militants Boko Haram attack 2 Cameroon villages, killing 12 people
YAOUNDE, Cameroon – A Cameroon military official says Boko Haram militants have killed at least 12 people in attacks on two Cameroonian villages on the northern border with Nigeria. Col. Jacob Kodji told The Associated Press on Friday that the Islamic extremists entered the villages of Bia and Diana late …
Read More »Syrian activists say at least 11 killed in government airstrikes in capital suburbs
BEIRUT – Syrian activists say government airstrikes have killed at least 11 people in rebel-held areas in the capital’s suburbs. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes on Wednesday in Harasta, a suburb northwest of Damascus, killed at least nine people, including two women, and wounded others. …
Read More »Pro-European candidate ahead of pro-Russian in Moldovan capital, runoff to be held on June 28
CHISINAU, Moldova – Near-final results in Moldova’s local elections show Chisinau’s incumbent mayor, pro-European Dorin Chirtoaca, slightly ahead but without enough votes to win outright. The ballot on Sunday was seen as a test of whether Moldova would remain committed to European integration or choose to move closer to Russia. …
Read More »US ally summons Trump ambassador over 'unacceptable' antisemitism allegations
France has summoned American ambassador Charles Kushner to Paris, after the diplomat accused the country of not doing enough to combat antisemitism in a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron. France’s foreign ministry said in a statement issued Sunday that Kushner’s allegations “are unacceptable,” and announced it had summoned the …
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