BLOGONITY

Spain’s High Court in Madrid on Thursday found former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent following the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. The court fined the 47-year-old Rubiales $10,400, and he was ordered to stay at least 200 meters from Hermoso and refrain from communication with her for at least one year. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 2½ years. Rubiales was cleared of charges of coercion. Prosecutors alleged he and three other male Spanish federation members and former women’s team coach Jorge Vilda had pressured Hermoso into supporting Rubiales’ claim that the kiss had been consensual. They all were acquitted. The two-week trial was carried live on Spanish television and had been highly anticipated. Rubiales kissed Spanish women’s team member Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony in Sydney, Australia, after Spain beat England 1-0 in the Women’s World Cup final in August 2023. The incident sparked outrage within and outside Spain, marring the victory celebration, with many, including government ministers, players and coaches, demanding his resignation. International football’s governing body, FIFA, opened disciplinary proceedings against him. Rubiales, who had been football federation chief since 2018, initially dismissed the kiss as a “peck” but gave in to pressure and resigned in September 2023 after an investigation began. A recent reform of the Spanish penal code classified a nonconsensual kiss as sexual assault. Following the verdict, Spain’s equality minister, Ana Redondo, told the Reuters news service, the court’s decision proves their law is a good one. “It is a law that protects women against aggression,” Redondo said. “Consent, and this is the important thing, is the cornerstone of every relationship.” Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. …

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — Ivory Coast officially took control of the last remaining French military base in the country Thursday as most French forces departed from countries across West Africa. Some 80 French troops will stay in the country to advise and train the Ivorian military, Tene Birahima Ouattara, the Ivorian defense and state minister, said at a news conference with the French minister of the armed forces. “The world is changing and changing fast,” Ouattara said. “It’s clear that our defense relationship also had to evolve and be based more on future prospects in the face of the realities of threats and those of a world that has become complex in terms of security, and not on a defense relationship inspired by the past. “France is transforming its presence. France is not disappearing,” he said. Ivory Coast’s announcement follows that of other leaders across West Africa, where the French military is being asked to leave. Analysts have described the requests as part of a broader structural transformation in the region’s engagement with Paris amid growing local sentiments against France, especially in coup-hit countries. French troops who have long been on the ground have in recent years been kicked out of several West African countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Chad, considered France’s most stable and loyal partner in Africa. France has now been asked to leave more than 70% of African countries where it had a troop presence since ending its colonial rule. The French remain only in Djibouti, with 1,500 soldiers, and Gabon, with 350 troops. After expelling French troops, military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel who have been accused of abuses against civilians. However, the security situation has worsened in those countries, with increasing numbers of extremist attacks and civilian deaths from armed groups and government forces. The French government has been making efforts to revive its waning political and military influence on the continent by devising a new military strategy. …

BEIJING — China has been “doing its best” to push for negotiations with the European Union over its tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, a commerce ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, almost four months after the punitive import curbs took effect. The bloc voted to increase the tariffs to as much as 45.3% in October after the European Commission — which oversees EU trade policy — launched an anti-subsidy probe into whether Chinese firms benefited from preferential grants and financing as well as land, batteries and raw materials at below market prices. “China has been doing its best to push for negotiations with the EU,” He Yadong said. “It is hoped that the EU will take notice of the call from industry and promote bilateral investment cooperation through dialogue and consultation.” China launched its own probes last year into imports of EU brandy, dairy and pork products. He told reporters China’s anti-dumping probe into Europe’s pork products and anti-subsidy investigation into the 27-strong bloc’s dairy trade were still ongoing, when asked how the cases were progressing. “We will conduct the investigation in an open and transparent manner in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations and World Trade Organization rules,” he added. China’s commerce ministry in December decided to extend its anti-dumping investigation into EU brandy imports by three months to April 5. …

BRUSSELS — The European Commission said Thursday it had approved 920 million-euro of German state aid, or $960 million, to Infineon Technologies for the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Dresden. The measure will allow Infineon to complete the MEGAFAB-DD project, which will be able to produce a wide range of different types of computer chips, the Commission said. Chipmakers across the globe are pouring billions of dollars into new plants, as they take advantage of generous subsidies from the United States and the EU to keep the West ahead of China in developing cutting-edge semiconductor technology. The European Commission has earmarked 15 billion euros for public and private semiconductor projects by 2030. “This new manufacturing plant will bring flexible production capacity to the EU and thereby strengthen Europe’s security of supply, resilience and technological autonomy in semiconductor technologies, in line with the objectives set out in the European Chips Act,” the Commission said in a statement. The Commission said the plant — which is slated to reach full capacity in 2031 — will be a front-end facility, covering wafer processing, testing and separation, adding that its chips will be used in industrial, automotive and consumer applications. The aid will take the form of a direct grant of up to 920 million euros to Infineon to support its overall investment, amounting to 3.5 billion euros. Infineon, Germany’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, which was spun off from Siemens 25 years ago, has said the plant will be the largest single investment in its history. Infineon has agreed with the EU to ensure the project will bring wider positive effects to the EU semiconductor value chain and invest in the research and development of the next generation of chips in Europe, the Commission said. It will also contribute to crisis preparedness by committing to implement priority-rated orders in the case of a supply shortage, in line with the European Chips Act.  …

Tens of thousands of people remained without power Thursday in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa as a result of several days of Russian aerial attacks. Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that crews were working to restore electricity service, and had brought 40,000 customers back online, with another 49,000 still without power. Russian attacks continued Thursday in multiple parts of Ukraine, including in the central region of Cherkasy where Governor Ihor Taburets said air defenses shot down 14 Russian drones. Taburets said on Telegram there was damage to a business and a power line, but no casualties. Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim reported the military shot down a drone over his region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it destroyed four Ukrainian drones overnight, including three over Russia-occupied Crimea and one over Bryansk. Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram there were no reports of damage or casualties.  …

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has praised the recent U.S.-Russia talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. “This is a good initiative; it is also beneficial for Kazakhstan,” he said. “We will try to support it as much as possible.” Tokayev’s comments are the first official response from Central Asia to the talks, which sparked serious international debate. Central Asia has been officially neutral in the Ukrainian war and has been largely silent on the three-year-old conflict.  Click here for the full story in the Uzbek.  …

Thousands of residents in Ukraine’s city of Odesa were without electricity or heating after Russia launched a massive drone attack for the second night in a row.  In his address to the nation on Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said repair work was underway after 80,000 people lost power and the same number lost heating.   Governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said drone strikes damaged an administration building and triggered a fire at a restaurant and a storage facility. One person was injured.  During the Tuesday attack, four people were injured, including a child. Officials said 500 apartment buildings, 13 schools, a kindergarten, and several hospitals lost heating.  In Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kupiansk, one person was killed Wednesday by a Russian guided bomb, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Two others were injured in an attack on a village south of the city.  Guided bombs also hit an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the head of the city’s military administration posted on Telegram. Three people, including 13-year-old twins, were injured.  One man was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s border region of Belgorod, the regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Wednesday.    Some information for this story was provided by Reuters  …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments this week claiming Ukraine was responsible for starting the three-year conflict with Russia and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” drew criticism from congressional Democrats and pushback from some members of the Republican Party. “Clearly, Vladimir Putin is responsible for this war,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters. “His decision has resulted in the murder, rape, torture and kidnapping of untold numbers of Ukrainians. He owns responsibility for this war. I don’t know how more plainly it can be stated.” Republican Senator John Kennedy told reporters he believes Russia started the war. “I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart,” he added. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune declined to criticize Trump when speaking to reporters Wednesday. “The president speaks for himself,” Thune said. “What I want to see is a peaceful result, a peaceful outcome. And I think right now, there’s a negotiation going on, and let’s see where that ultimately leads.” Republican Senator Josh Hawley said Trump has blamed Russia “as well, and threatened to sanction Russia if they didn’t come to the negotiating table.” The conflict between Trump and Zelenskyy comes as U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Zelenskyy. Ukraine was not included in peace talks that began this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between the United States and Russia. Trump brushed off Ukraine’s complaints at not being included in negotiations, saying Tuesday, “You never should have started it.” Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, claiming eastern parts of the country needed to be liberated. U.S. officials say nearly half a million Ukrainian civilians have died in the war and at least 124,000 Ukrainian soldiers. After Trump’s comment, seeming to blame the Ukrainian leader for starting the war, Zelenskyy responded on social media that Trump lives in a “disinformation space” influenced by Russia. Trump responded to Zelenskyy on Truth Social on Wednesday: “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle. A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.” Hawley … “Trump’s comments on Ukraine draw mixed reaction from US lawmakers” →

President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated a claim that the United States has spent $350 billion on Ukraine’s war — a figure that far eclipses the amount recorded by the Department of Defense and the interagency oversight group that tracks U.S. appropriations to Ukraine. Since Russia’s illegal invasion in February 2022, the U.S. Congress has appropriated about $183 billion for Ukraine, according to the interagency oversight group that is charged with presenting reports to Congress. Of that, the Pentagon confirmed to VOA that the U.S. has sent $65.9 billion in military aid to Ukraine, and an additional $3.9 billion that Congress has authorized in military aid to Kyiv remains unspent. About $58 billion of the $183 billion in total aid for Ukraine was spent in the U.S., going directly toward boosting the U.S. defense industry, either by replacing old U.S. weapons given to Kyiv with new American-made weapons, by procuring new U.S.-made weapons for Kyiv or by making direct industrial investments. VOA asked the White House to clarify Trump’s comments, specifically seeking any documentation for the mathematical discrepancy. The White House replied by referring VOA back to the president’s comments. In a post Wednesday on his social media site Truth Social, Trump said, “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle.” Zelenskyy on Wednesday told Ukrainian reporters the total cost of the war since February 2022 was about $320 billion. “One hundred and twenty billion of that comes from us, the people of Ukraine, the taxpayers, and $200 billion from the United States and the European Union,” Zelensky said. “This is the cost of weapons. This is the weapons package — $320 billion.” Trump, who has mentioned the $350 billion figure several times, also said in his Wednesday social media post: “The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back.” The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a Germany-based nonprofit that tracks military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine, says European nations —specifically the EU, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland — have allocated about $140 billion in total in aid for Ukraine, … “US figures do not support Trump claims on Ukraine spending” →

VOA Russian talked to experts after the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on how to end the Ukraine war. They warned that this is only the beginning of negotiations that may last for some time and take several turns.  Exiled independent Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin compared the first meeting to “not even a warm-up of two boxers, but just a weigh-in ahead of the future bout.”  Ukrainian expert Volodymyr Fesenko noted that it should come as no surprise that Washington deems negotiations with Moscow more important at this stage than negotiations with Kyiv, as Russia is a nuclear power and will need to be persuaded to consider any compromises.  Click here for the full story in Russian.  …

Many Ukrainians are dealing with the reality of starting over after losing their homes in the war with Russia. One project helps them find new homes and jobs while assisting in the development of small villages. Lesia Bakalets reports from the Kyiv region. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets. …

President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia visited Kyiv Wednesday, a day after U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic moves come as Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart lash out at each other over the war’s origins and plans to end it. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

GENEVA — The World Trade Organization said on Wednesday that discussions on trade tensions were “constructive,” after China accused the United States of imposing “tariff shocks” that could upend the global trading system. China condemned tariffs launched or threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump at a WTO meeting on Tuesday. Washington dismissed China’s comments as hypocritical. Trump has announced sweeping 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to respond with retaliatory tariffs and to file a WTO dispute against Washington in what could be an early test of Trump’s stance towards the institution. The majority of the six countries that participated in the talks on trade turbulence, put on the agenda by China, raised concern about mounting tensions, but also called for restraint, said WTO spokesperson Ismaila Dieng in a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday. The United States, Nicaragua, Namibia, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Russia took part in the discussions, which were part of broader talks on trade. The large majority “stressed the importance of upholding WTO principles and values and called for action to preserve the stability and effectiveness of the global trading system,” Dieng added. Two trade sources at the meeting told Reuters that some countries expressed deep concern about the ramifications of tariffs, while others criticized China for alleged market distortions. It is the first time that mounting trade frictions were formally addressed on the agenda of the watchdog’s top decision-making body, the General Council. ‘Tariff shocks’ “These ‘tariff shocks’ heighten economic uncertainty, disrupt global trade, and risk domestic inflation, market distortion, or even global recession,” China’s ambassador to the WTO, Li Chenggang, said at a closed-door meeting of the global trade body on Tuesday, according to a statement sent to Reuters. “Worse, the U.S. unilateralism threatens to upend the rules-based multilateral trading system.” U.S. envoy David Bisbee called China’s economy a “predatory non-market economic system” in response and accused it of violating and evading WTO rules. Negotiating tactic Some delegates said they saw China’s intervention as an attempt to show itself supporting WTO rules — a posture that can help China win allies in ongoing global trade negotiations. Disputes between the two top economies at the WTO long pre-date Trump’s arrival. Beijing has accused Washington of breaking rules while Washington says Beijing does not deserve its “developing country” status at the WTO. The Trump administration has announced plans to withdraw or disengage from other … “WTO holds ‘constructive’ talks after China condemns Trump tariffs” →

LONDON — Russia’s tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border three years ago this month, triggering the worst conflict on European soil since World War II. Ukraine has resisted the full-scale invasion largely thanks to the support of the United States and Europe.  But on the frozen front lines, the war grinds on — and Russia’s forces are slowly edging forward.   “Every day, it pushes back the Ukrainian front line somewhere by a kilometer or so. My judgment is that it could continue to do that over the rest of this year,” said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.  “We must remember this is a terrible war. My judgment is that over a million people have been killed or seriously wounded. Now the balance of casualties is probably in Ukraine’s favor. A figure of 700,000 or 800,000 Russian casualties seems credible to me. President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy says Ukraine has only suffered 48,000 killed. That seems implausibly low to me,” Barry told Agence France-Presse.  Europe excluded  As the war enters its fourth year, Europe and Ukraine fear they are being excluded from deciding their own fate. Behind the scenes, the geopolitical forces that are shaping the conflict appear to be changing fast.   Russia and the United States began peace talks this week in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine and Europe were not invited.   “There will be some very significant alarm in European capitals about what might be discussed with regards to the security of their continent, their whole region,” said David Blagden, associate professor of international security at the University of Exeter.  “One sort of potentially really bad outcome for European capitals is to discover that the Americans have basically put them on the hook for attempting to do some sort of peacekeeping mission in Ukraine or whatever without their say-so,” he told Reuters.   Peacekeepers  Britain and France have already said they may be willing to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, a requirement of an estimated 100,000 troops.   There are deep concerns over the potential risks of sending peacekeeping troops, according to Armida van Rij, head of the Europe program at London’s Chatham House.  “The U.S. seemed to have taken away NATO’s Article 5 protection [on collective self-defense] for any troops that would be put in Ukraine. That means that they would not be protected, so that deterrent effect is gone. We know … “Europe frozen out of peace talks as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters fourth year” →

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in the hospital Wednesday and reported he was “alert and responsive” and full of good humor, despite his diagnosis of pneumonia and a complicated bronchial infection that has sidelined the 88-year-old pontiff for six days.   Meloni said she wanted to bring get-well wishes to the pope on behalf of the government and the entire nation. “We joked around as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humor,” she said in a statement issued by her office.   Meloni’s visit marked the first confirmed outside visitor known to have called on the pope, beyond his secretaries and medical team, since his admission Friday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where popes have their own suite on the 10th floor.   The Vatican has said Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was up, eating and had gotten out of bed after a tranquil night, a day after tests confirmed he had pneumonia in both lungs on top of asthmatic bronchitis.   The visit by Meloni appeared aimed at sending a reassuring message, especially to Italians who haven’t seen even a photograph of Francis since Friday.   The Italian premier, who came to power in 2022 with a message touting her Christian credentials, has referred in glowing terms to Pope Benedict XVI, who was a reference point for European conservatives like herself. She also has teamed up constructively with Francis on a campaign to reverse Italy’s low birth rate, though they don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on her government’s crackdown on migrants. Her visit came as prayers were pouring in for Francis’ recovery.   On Wednesday, Francis’ vicar for Rome urged all the faithful to devote an hour of silent prayer for the pope before evening vespers services, some visitors to Gemelli lit a candle in his honor and pilgrims who had planned to attend his weekly general audience came to St. Peter’s Square anyway to offer a prayer after it was cancelled. “I think many people are disappointed but I think more importantly we really have to pray for his health,” said Sister Charlene, a nun from Singapore who was in the piazza.   Francis also received another get-well wish from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, whom Francis has recently targeted in criticizing the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations of migrants. “Let’s all say a prayer for Pope Francis, who appears to have some serious … “Italian Premier Meloni visits Pope Francis in hospital, says he’s ‘alert and responsive’” →