Putin compared Russia’s war in Ukraine with World War II and lambasted Germany for helping to arm Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin invoked a famous World War II victory over the Nazis to rally his nation while predicting a Russian triumph in the war in Ukraine. On the 80th anniversary of the Soviet WWII victory … Read more
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in Strasbourg, France, on January 18. (Philipp von Ditfurth/picture-alliance/dpa/AP) A joint European Union-Ukraine summit to be held in Kyiv on Friday is “a very strong signal” of support, a senior EU official said in a briefing ahead of the meeting. Speaking to reporters in Brussels this … Read more
Kramatorsk, Ukraine CNN — A new barrage of missiles ripped through the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, sending flames and thick plumes into the air as screaming civilians rushed to find shelter. A CNN crew had just arrived on the scene and heard the first incoming strike on Kramatorsk. CNN saw the second … Read more
London CNN — Europe’s two largest central banks have hiked interest rates strongly on Thursday, opting for a bigger hike than the US Federal Reserve as inflation in the region remains near historically high levels. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England raised their rates an additional half point. Benchmark interest rates … Read more
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in Strasbourg, France, on January 18. (Philipp von Ditfurth/picture-alliance/dpa/AP) A joint European Union-Ukraine summit to be held in Kyiv on Friday is “a very strong signal” of support, a senior EU official said in a briefing ahead of the meeting. Speaking to reporters in Brussels this … Read more
CNN — Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxer turned social media influencer, and his brother Tristan have lost their appeal and will remain in detention in Romania on allegations of human trafficking and rape, CNN affiliate Antena 3 reported Wednesday. . The brothers will remain in Bucharest police custody until February 27, Antena 3 reported. … Read more
Canadian Tammy Cecco was not a fan of cruising. “The idea of being on a boat with thousands of other people and not being able to get off,” she said, “was something I wanted to avoid.” That didn’t change when Cecco, a travel magazine publisher, boarded a surprise cruise booked by her husband to renew … Read more
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian court on Wednesday upheld a second 30-day detention for divisive influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate, who is suspected of organized crime and human trafficking, an official said. Tate lost his appeal against a judge’s Jan. 20 decision to extend his arrest a second time by 30 days, … Read more
CNN — Russia is preparing for a “maximum escalation” of the war in Ukraine, potentially as early as the next few weeks, according to a senior Ukrainian national security official. “These will be defining months in the war,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told Sky News in an interview broadcast … Read more
Near Bakhmut, Ukraine CNN — Southwest of the town of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers Andriy and Borisych live in a candle-lit bunker dug into the frozen earth. For several weeks, they have been facing hundreds of fighters belonging to the Russian private military contractor Wagner throwing themselves against the Ukrainian defenses. Disguised in a balaclava, Andriy … Read more