Month: October 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Colleagues of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya are sharply criticizing the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago. Politkovskaya, who won international acclaim for her reporting on the human rights abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya was shot dead in the elevator of her

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA says it will create a top-level working group on China as part of a broad U.S. government effort focused on countering Beijing’s influence. Known as a mission center, the group will have weekly director-level meetings intended to drive the agency’s strategy toward China. President Joe

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi is paying tribute to outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her “calm, determined” leadership even during difficult years for Europe and the common currency. Merkel herself has called this her farewell trip to Italy as chancellor, and her unusually long 45-minute papal audience and glowing tribute from Draghi

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the organization withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials in response to a rise in “malign activities” by Moscow. The eight officials are to be deprived of access to NATO’s Brussels headquarters from the end of the month. NATO says they were secretly working as intelligence officers.

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Afghanistan’s pavilion has finally arrived at the first world’s fair in the Middle East, a week after Dubai’s Expo opened without it. After the Taliban’s lightning takeover of Afghanistan, the country’s presence at the fair was uncertain. The previous government had organized a pavilion,

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Russia has the potential to boost natural gas supplies to Europe as surging gas prices put pressure on consumers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says existing gas transit routes allow for bolstering supplies before the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany begins operating. Europe’s

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish official says a Kuwaiti passenger plane has made an emergency landing at Trabzon airport in northern Turkey following a bomb threat reported to the airline’s headquarters. Trabzon’s governor said the Jazeera Airways flight from Kuwait with 51 passengers and six crew members on board landed safely in Trabzon on

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press A group intent on expanding Republican power across state-level offices is rolling out a national effort to diversify and broaden the GOP, with an advisory council headed up by a number of possible future presidential hopefuls. The Republican State Leadership Committee on Thursday is launching its “Right Leaders Network.” The

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister says talks between regional archrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have made significant inroads. He also said Iran is ready to build two power plants in Lebanon as well as help in reconstructing Beirut’s port that was destroyed by a massive blast last year. The

By BABA AHMED Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s army has said that gunmen ambushed army troops in the West African country’s central region, killing at least nine soldiers and wounding 11 others. The statement said that three army vehicles were destroyed after hitting explosive devices in the Mopti region between Koro and Bandiagara