Category: European Union

London — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told a mother who has been on hunger strike for 140 days that he will press the Egyptian government to release her son.  In a statement Sunday, Starmer confirmed that he met Laila Soueif and said he will do “all that I can” to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national who has spent more than five years in an Egyptian prison, accused of “spreading false news” on social media.  “We will continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government and press for his release,” Starmer said.  A representative of the family said the meeting took place Friday morning inside the prime minister’s offices at 10 Downing Street and that it was the first time the pair had met.  Soueif, 68, has been on a hunger strike since Sep. 29, the day her son was supposed to be released, consuming nothing but herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts. After more than four months, Soueif has lost around 25 kilograms (55 pounds).  She took her campaign directly to the Foreign Office in December, camping out in front of it every weekday to make sure officials notice her. When that yielded no results, she switched in mid-January to the gates of Starmer’s office — the famous black door of 10 Downing Street.  “The great majority of mothers are prepared to die for their children; it just takes different forms,” she said earlier this month. “Most mothers, if their children are in actual danger, you’re prepared to die.’’  One of Egypt’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, the 43-year-old Abd el-Fattah has spent most of the past 14 years behind bars since taking part in the 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.  His most recent crime was “liking” a Facebook post describing torture in Egyptian prisons. Abd el-Fattah has been in custody since September 2019 and was sentenced to five years in prison after a trial before an emergency security court.  But when his release date came up last September, Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he had spent in pre-trial detention and ordered him held until Jan. 3, 2027.  Thousands of critics of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi have been locked up under dire conditions after unjust trials, human rights groups say.    …

KYIV — Russian troops have sharply stepped up their attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Sunday, as a NATO official predicted Moscow would increase the pace and intensity of its assaults with talks to end the war approaching. The main attacks were concentrated near the imperiled logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Kyiv said, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to hold talks in the coming days in Saudi Arabia and U.S President Donald Trump pushing for peace. Kyiv’s military reported 261 combat engagements with Russia over a 24-hour period on Saturday, easily the largest number recorded this year and more than double the roughly 100 per day it reported in previous days. “Today was the hardest day of 2025 at the front,” the Ukrainian DeepState military blog wrote late on Saturday. Moscow’s troops advanced steadily in the east for much of the second half 2024, announcing the capture of village after village, though the intensity of the fighting dropped in January this year, according to Ukrainian military data. Russian forces have seized a swathe of territory to the south of Pokrovsk and are now pushing upwards to its southwest, threatening a main supply route into the outpost, the capture of which could open up more lines of attack for Russia. Despite being on the backfoot, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported a “good result” in the east on Thursday and a military spokesman said Kyiv’s forces had recaptured the village of Pishchane, about 5 km to Pokrovsk’s south. “It isn’t so much the result of something collapsing for the Russians or some kind of magical weapon being delivered to Ukraine, no. Certain organizational actions were taken to help Ukrainians act more effectively,” Viktor Trehubov, a military spokesman, told Reuters. Ukraine has been using drones for deep strikes on Russia in an effort to inflict pain and strengthen its overall position. Russia has continued to conduct regular drone and missile strikes, while making advances on the ground in the east. “I would expect a much stronger push. I would expect that we would see … a lot of Russian efforts to advance,” a NATO official who requested anonymity told Reuters. Though Ukrainian officials are careful to praise Trump, his push to engage directly with the Russians without first consulting with Kyiv and to leave out the Europeans entirely is a cause for alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Kyiv has said it was not … “Russian troops intensify attacks on Ukrainian forces in east, military says “ →

VIENNA — Austrian authorities said the man accused of stabbing six passersby in broad daylight, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others, was motivated by “Islamic terrorism.”  The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian man, was arrested after the attack in the southern city of Villach on Saturday.  Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Sunday he felt “anger about an Islamist attacker who indiscriminately stabbed innocent people here in this city.”  Karner told reporters in Villach that the attacker had ties to the Islamic State group and radicalized himself online within a very short time.  State governor Peter Kaiser thanked a 42-year-old man, also a Syrian working for a food delivery company, who drove toward the suspect and helped prevent the situation from getting worse. “This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality.”  This marks the second deadly jihadi attack in Austria in recent years. In November 2020, a man who had previously attempted to join the Islamic State group carried out a rampage in Vienna, armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosive vest, killing four people before being fatally shot by police.  Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen called the attack “horrific.”  “No words can undo the suffering, the horror, the fear. My thoughts are with the family of the deceased victim and the injured,” he posted on X.  The Free Syrian Community of Austria issued a statement on Facebook distancing itself from the attack and expressing its deepest condolences to the victims’ families. “We all had to flee Syria, our home country, because we were no longer safe there — no one left their country voluntarily. We are grateful to have found asylum and protection in Austria,” the association said.  “Finally, we would like to emphasize: Anyone who causes strife and disturbs the peace of society does not represent the Syrians who have sought and received protection here,” the statement concluded.  Carnival procession canceled as police gather evidence  Villach, a popular tourist destination near the borders of Italy and Slovenia, is known for its laid-back atmosphere, which blends Mediterranean and Alpine traditions. The city hosts annual carnival processions in March and an event on Saturday was canceled in the wake of the attack.  The Austrian Ministry of Interior activated a platform for witnesses to upload videos or photos related to the attack. Local authorities said a crisis response … “Austrian official says suspect in fatal stabbing attack had ‘Islamic terror motive’ “ →

LONDON — When Malcolm Weale saw the tiny, dirt-covered object he’d unearthed in an English field, he knew it was something special.  In his hand was a silver penny minted during the reign of Guthrum, a Viking commander who converted to Christianity and ruled eastern England in the ninth century as Athelstan II.  For Weale, finding the first silver coin minted by a Viking ruler in Britain was the pinnacle of decades of hunting with his metal detector in the fields and forests near his home in eastern England.  “I was shaking,” Weale said at the British Museum, where the coin was displayed Tuesday alongside other items unearthed by amateur history hunters in 2023 and 2024. “I knew that it was a life-changing, incredible, historical find.  “I’d watched the series ‘Vikings’ on Netflix, and about a week later I’ve got the Guthrum penny in my hand,” he said.  The thrill of finding fragments of history beneath our feet drives detectorists like 54-year-old Weale, who was introduced to the pastime at the age of 7 and “was hooked.”  His find was on show as the museum released its annual report on the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a government-funded project that records thousands of archaeological discoveries made by the public each year. The coin sat alongside a set of 3,000-year-old bronze metalworkers’ tools, a seventh-century gold and garnet necklace, and a gold signet ring with an intriguing link to Queen Elizabeth I.  They have been officially classed as “treasure” by a coroner, meaning they will be independently valued and offered to local museums.  Discoveries by detectorists, as well as beachcombers and mudlarkers — who search for items on riverbanks — shine new light into corners of British history. The necklace of glittering gold and garnet pendants found in Lincolnshire, central England, reveals the sophistication of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship, and is surprisingly global.  Archaeologist Helen Geake, who serves as a “finds liaison officer” for the antiquities program, said that it was likely made in England — “English craftsmen were by far the best in Europe” — with garnets from Sri Lanka.  Andy Akroyd, 49, also struck gold when he was out metal detecting near his home in Bedfordshire, central England.  “When I first saw it, I thought ‘Oh it’s a coin.’ Then I saw it’s a ring, I was thinking 1980s, cheap sovereign ring,” Akroyd said.  It turned out to be a 16th-century signet ring engraved … “With metal detectors, treasure hunters unearth pieces of British history” →

MOSCOW — A year after Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died behind bars, his supporters were set to hold memorial events on Sunday, with some risking reprisals by visiting his grave in Moscow. Remembrance events will take place as Russia’s opposition movement — driven into exile by unprecedented repression — has been plagued by infighting and badly weakened since the loss of its figurehead. Exiled in various countries, its leading members have tried to revive the fight against Vladimir Putin’s long reign, including in Russia where criticism of authorities is severely punished. Navalny — Putin’s main opponent — was declared an “extremist” by Russian authorities, a ruling that remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16, 2024. In Russia, anybody who mentions Navalny or his Anti-Corruption Foundation without stating that they have been declared “extremist” is subject to fines, or up to four years in prison for repeated offenses. Navalny’s former top aide Leonid Volkov wrote on Telegram that “Alexei’s supporters will hold memorial events all around the world.” “In some places there will be rallies or marches, in others showings of the documentary Navalny, in others, memorial services,” he added. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, is set to share memories of her husband at an event in Berlin, where many Russian opposition supporters have settled. “Wherever you are, in Russia or abroad, we hope very much that you will meet like-minded people on February 16,” Volkov wrote, giving opening hours of Moscow’s Borisovskoye cemetery where Navalny is buried. But Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channels warned supporters against going to the cemetery. ‘Big Brother’ warning “We give brief advice to those who plan to go there but are not yet sure — don’t go!” said a post shared by pro-Kremlin journalist Dmitry Smirnov and other channels. The message warns of “Big Brother and his ever-watchful eye,” with a photo of a security camera sign at the cemetery gates. Russia has not fully explained Navalny’s death, which came less than a month before a presidential election that extended Putin’s more than two-decade rule, saying that it had happened as he was walking in the prison yard. Until his death, the 47-year-old continued to call for Russians to oppose the Kremlin and denounced Moscow’s Ukraine offensive, even from behind bars. “I took the decision not to be afraid,” he wrote in his autobiography, published after his death in several … “Navalny supporters risk reprisals with memorial events a year after death” →

ROME — An Italian nun is taking over a top management job in the Vatican: Sister Raffaella Petrini was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that is home to the Catholic Church.  Petrini, 56, had previously been the secretary general of the Vatican administration, which among other things is responsible for the city state’s infrastructure and the Vatican Museums, a major source of revenue for the Holy See. She moves into the top job on March 1, following the retirement of Cardinal Fernando Vergez Alzaga, who turns 80 that day.  Pope Francis had previously announced Petrini’s promotion, part of his effort to place women in decision-making roles in the Vatican to serve as models for the rest of the church. The Vatican officially published the appointment Saturday while the pope was hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection.  Last month, Francis named the first woman to head a major Holy See office, appointing another Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders.  While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before have women been named to the top jobs of the Holy See Curia or Vatican City State administration.  Catholic women have long complained of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men. Francis has upheld the ban on female priests and tamped down hopes that women could be ordained as deacons.  But there has been a marked increase in the percentage of women working in the Vatican during his papacy, including in leadership positions, from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today, according to statistics reported by Vatican News. In the Curia alone, the percentage of women is 26%.  Critics complain that making women managers of the church doesn’t compensate for the continued ban on ordaining them as ministers.  In addition to her job running the Vatican City State administration, Petrini also serves as one of three women who are members of the Vatican office that vets bishop nominations. When they were named in 2022 it marked the first time women had had a formal role in the Vatican process of selecting bishops.  A member of the Meriden, Connecticut-based Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist religious order, Petrini otherwise keeps a relatively low public profile.  But during a … “Nun takes top Vatican job running city state administration” →

MUNICH/WASHINGTON — U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a U.S. lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners.   U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who they would meet from Russia.   Rubio spoke by phone on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and agreed on regular contacts to prepare for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.    The phone call was held at the initiative of the U.S. side, it added.    “The two sides expressed their mutual willingness to interact on pressing international issues, including the settlement around Ukraine, the situation around Palestine and in general in the Middle East and other regional directions,” the ministry said in a statement.  On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, McCaul said the aim of the talks was to arrange a meeting that included Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin “to finally bring peace and end this conflict.”   A source with knowledge of the plans confirmed the talks in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.   Zelenskyy said on Saturday Ukraine would never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv’s involvement. Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to come together with the United States and Europe to devise a joint strategy before any Trump-Putin meeting.  Trump, who took office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war. He made separate phone calls to Putin and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, leaving Washington’s European allies alarmed that they will be cut out of any peace process.   Those fears were largely confirmed on Saturday when Trump’s Ukraine envoy said Europe won’t have a seat at the table, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security … “US, Russia officials to meet in Saudi Arabia to start talks on Ukraine” →

MUNICH — Europe won’t have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks, Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy said on Saturday, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.  Trump shocked European allies this week by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them or Kyiv beforehand and declaring an immediate start to peace talks.  Trump administration officials have also made clear in recent days that they expect European allies in NATO to take primary responsibility for the region as the United States now has other priorities, such as border security and countering China.  The U.S. moves have stoked fears that Europeans may be cut out of a peace deal that would also impact their own security, particularly if it is seen as too favorable to Russia.  U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg told a global security conference in Munich that the U.S. would act as an intermediary in the talks, with Ukraine and Russia as the two protagonists.  Asked about the prospects of the Europeans being at the table, Kellogg said: “I’m (from) a school of realism. I think that’s not gonna happen.”  Kellogg said that talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine could focus on territorial concessions from Russia and targeting Putin’s oil revenues.  “Russia is really a petrostate,” he said, adding that Western powers needed to do more regarding effectively enforcing sanctions on Russia.  At a later event at the conference, Kellogg sought to reassure Europeans by declaring this did not mean “their interests are not considered, used or developed.”  But European leaders said they would not accept being shut out of the talks.  “There’s no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future or European security structure, without Europeans,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told reporters in Munich.  “But this means that Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more.”  Stubb said the questionnaire the U.S. sent to Europeans “will force Europeans to think.”  A European diplomat said the U.S. document included six questions with one specifically for European Union member states.  “The Americans are approaching European capitals and asking how many soldiers they are ready to deploy,” one diplomat said.  France is discussing with its allies the possibility of holding an informal meeting among European leaders on Ukraine … “Europe will not be part of Ukraine peace talks, US envoy says” →

WASHINGTON — James Carafano, senior counselor to the president and national security expert at The Heritage Foundation, responsible for its defense and foreign policy team, spoke with VOA’s Ukraine Service about the Trump administration’s goals and considerations in the negotiation process to achieve peace in Ukraine. He explained that while not a vital interest, a free and independent Ukraine that can defend itself is in America’s best interests, and he outlined how to achieve this goal. Voice of America: How do you and The Heritage Foundation see ending the war in Ukraine, and what is the strategy behind it?   James Carafano, The Heritage Foundation: It is in America’s best interest that there be a free and independent Ukraine that can defend itself. And the reason for that is the United States. The United States is a global power with global interests and global responsibilities. A peaceful Europe, whole, free and at peace, that is a vital American interest. The transit Atlantic community is important to us. And the number one threat, physical threat to that is the destabilizing actions of Russia. And the most concerning and destabilizing action is the security of the Eastern front of NATO and Ukraine, that is free and independent, that can defend itself is an obstacle to the Russians, whether it’s in NATO or not. Now, to be honest, it’s not a vital interest in the United States. For the practical matter is, the United Europe can defend itself and the United States can defend Europe if Ukraine’s occupied by Russia. Now having said that, are we way better off? I mean, way, way better off with the Russians on the other side of Ukraine? And the answer is “absolutely.” At this point, what is in America’s interest is that the war stops and that there is a ceasefire that is both from a strategic perspective to preserve Ukraine, and that we have to be realistic about Ukraine’s capacity to recover territory that’s been occupied. But also from a humanitarian perspective, and I think this is very deeply reflected in our president. More Ukrainians dying is never going to reconquer all of Ukrainian territory. A war of attrition is never going to create a stronger Ukraine. I think everybody is focused on what the deal looks like. I think the deals are relevant. Stopping the war is the objective. The real question is, what do … “Carafano: ‘A free, independent Ukraine is in America’s best interest’” →

MOSCOW — A Moscow court has ordered a U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in pre-trial detention for 30 days, the Moscow courts press service said Saturday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine.  The U.S. citizen, whom Saturday’s statement named as Kalob Wayne Byers, was detained after airport customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage.  Russian police said the 28-year-old American had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country, the Interfax agency reported, citing Russia’s Federal Customs Service. The agency said the American was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after flying in from Istanbul on February 7.  Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said the U.S. citizen faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.  There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department.  The Washington-Moscow prisoner exchange this month saw Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia in exchange for American Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania who was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school.  Fogel had been serving a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. President Joe Biden’s administration designated Fogel as wrongfully detained in December.  President Donald Trump on Wednesday upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine, saying he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call.  …

MUNICH — G7 foreign ministers agreed Saturday to continuing working together to get a strong peace deal for Ukraine with robust security guarantees and linked future sanctions on Russia to good-faith negotiations by Moscow. “Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring an enduring end to the war against Ukraine that provides Ukraine with long-term security and stability as a sovereign, independent country,” the statement, which includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said after a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The G7, which also includes France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, Britain and the EU, underscored its commitment to help achieve a durable peace and “the need to develop robust security guarantees to ensure the war will not begin again.” Possible informal Ukraine summit Meanwhile, France is discussing with its allies the possibility of holding an informal meeting among European leaders on Ukraine, although nothing has been decided at this stage, a French presidency official said Saturday. Speaking on a panel at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a summit of European leaders in Paris. “President [Donald] Trump has a method of operating, which the Russians call ‘reconnaissance through battle.’ You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position, legitimate tactics. And we need to respond,” Sikorski said. “And I’m very glad that President Macron has called our leaders to Paris tomorrow, and I expect them to relate to this in a very serious fashion.” The French presidency official said that if there were to be any such summit, it would not be held Sunday. “I am glad that the Prime Minister @donaldtusk will go on Monday at the invitation of the President @EmmanuelMacron to a meeting of European leaders. We need to show our strength and unity,” Sikorski later said on X, referring to Polish leader Donald Tusk. It was not clear whether the invite would be sent only to European Union member states or more broadly and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be invited. …

ROME — Pope Francis slept well during a quiet first night in the hospital after being admitted with a respiratory tract infection and was up eating and reading Saturday, the Vatican said. Francis, 88, ate breakfast Saturday morning and read the newspapers while continuing his drug therapy, spokesperson Matteo Bruni said. The Argentine pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. It was his fourth hospitalization since his 2013 election and raised questions about his increasingly precarious health. Preliminary tests showed he had a respiratory tract infection and a slight fever. The Vatican canceled his audiences through Monday at least. Francis, who is prone to respiratory infections in winter, was diagnosed with bronchitis Feb. 6 but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite. He had presided at an outdoor Mass last weekend and attended his general audience Wednesday. But he has been handing off his speeches for an aide to read aloud, saying he was having trouble breathing. Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man and has battled other health problems. He had 33 centimeters of his large intestine removed in 2021 because of a narrowing of the colon. He had further abdominal surgery in 2023 to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia. He uses a wheelchair, walker or cane when moving around his apartment and recently fell twice, hurting his arm and chin. Francis is being treated at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where popes have a private suite on the 10th floor. He revealed that during a 2023 hospitalization, he was diagnosed with “an acute and strong pneumonia, in the lower part of the lungs.” Sometimes bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, a deeper and far more serious infection of the lungs’ air sacs. …

KRAGUJEVAC, SERBIA — Serbia’s striking students and supporters of populist President Aleksandar Vucic were holding parallel rallies Saturday as both marked the country’s Statehood Day with notably contrasting messages. The student-led protest is the latest in a nationwide anti-graft movement that reflects mounting calls for fundamental political changes in the Balkan state, triggered after a concrete canopy on a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed on Nov. 1, killing 15 people. The rally in the central industrial city of Kragujevac drew tens of thousands of people demanding justice over the accident and respect for the rule of law. The movement has been seeking to root out rampant endemic corruption. Students chose Kragujevac for Saturday’s rally because of its history. In 1835, Serbia was still part of the Ottoman Empire, and people in Kragujevac announced a new constitution that sought to limit the powers of the then-rulers. The date is now celebrated as Statehood Day. People from all over the country streamed into Kragujevac for Saturday’s gathering. “I am here to support this student rebellion, which has grown into a civil rebellion, and to fight for the rule of law and justice in this society, so that Serbia becomes a country where life is dignified,” said a woman from Belgrade who identified herself only by the name Teodora. The students arrived Friday to cheers from the residents. Ahead of the protest, they organized marches in various parts of the country, encouraging people to converge in Kragujevac. Some walked; others ran or cycled. Along their journey, people greeted them with food and refreshments and offered accommodation, many crying and expressing hope for change. The president’s rally Meanwhile, in Sremska Mitrovica, a small town northwest of Belgrade, Vucic is expected to recycle a traditional nationalist theme, warning that the West wants to unseat him by force and that this could lead to the breakup of the country. Serbian authorities were set to bus in thousands of supporters from throughout the country as well as neighboring Bosnia. Some opposition activists have said they will try to prevent their arrival. Vucic said on Instagram that his supporters wish to “defend and save Serbia from those who want to destroy it.” The anti-graft movement is Vucic’s biggest challenge in recent years. The president — who has ruled Serbia with a firm grip on power for more than a decade — and his right-wing … “Serbia’s striking students, president hold parallel rallies” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attention-grabbing overseas debut may have irritated some key Republicans and alienated allies in Europe, where his statements on Ukraine and NATO went down like a lead balloon. But his forceful comments gained him a nod from one key listener: U.S. President Donald Trump. And Hegseth — who on Saturday wraps up a weeklong trip to Belgium, Germany and Poland — delivered a message at the heart of Trump’s “America First” agenda. Speaking at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth said that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was unrealistic, and that the Trump administration does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Trump broadly backed Hegseth’s remarks on Thursday on NATO membership, saying, “I think probably that’s true,” because, he said, Putin would not allow Ukraine to join the military alliance. “I thought his comments were good yesterday, and they’re probably good today,” Trump said. Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the Pentagon’s main oversight committee in the Senate, had championed Hegseth’s nomination throughout a bruising confirmation review in which Democrats united against the nominee and three Republicans joined them, as questions were raised about Hegseth’s qualifications, temperament and views about women in combat. Asked whether he spent a lot of political capital getting Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News personality, confirmed, Wicker said: “I surely did, yes.” Republican Congressman Mike Turner said issues like the future of NATO membership for Ukraine should not be taken off the table. “We don’t need members of the Cabinet, President Trump’s Cabinet, to be defining those in the public,” Turner said Friday on CNN. Republican Congressman Don Bacon responded to Hegseth’s comments by saying that there should be moral clarity on who started the war. “There are consequences of rewarding the invader even if its leader foolishly led over 700,000 of its citizens to slaughter,” Bacon said on social media platform X. Uncle Sam or Uncle Sucker? Trump has played down any tensions. On Friday, he said he had not seen Wicker’s comments but would reach out to him and Hegseth. “Roger’s a very good friend of mine, and Pete is obviously, he’s been doing a great job,” Trump said. Hegseth, in what some analysts saw as walking back his remarks, clarified on Thursday that Trump was the one who … “US defense secretary’s Europe debut irks allies, wins Trump’s nod” →

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of a unified European military force, saying the continent must be self-reliant amid a persistent threat from Russia and uncertainty about U.S. support — a situation he described as “this new reality.” “We must build the Armed Forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe,” Zelenskyy said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15. Amid concerns in Kyiv and Brussels that they could be sidelined in efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a deal favoring Moscow, he repeated that Ukraine and Europe must be involved in any negotiations. “Ukraine will never accept deals behind our backs without our involvement,” Zelenskyy said. “The same rule should apply to all of Europe. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine — no decisions about Europe without Europe.” “We must act as Europe, not as some separate people,” Zelenskyy said. Speaking almost three years after Russia launched the full-scale invasion, he said he would “not take NATO membership for Ukraine off the table” and said Kyiv would not agree to any ceasefire without real security guarantees. “If not NATO membership, then conditions to build another NATO in Ukraine,” he said. He questioned the U.S. commitment to Europe, saying: “Does America need Europe? As a market, yes, as an ally — I don’t know.” Zelenskyy’s address came a day after meeting with top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who stressed the need for a “durable, lasting peace” in Ukraine in his speech to the conference on Feb. 14. Zelenskyy told Vance that Ukraine wants “security guarantees” from Washington before any negotiations with Russia on ending almost three years of war. The United States has sent mixed signals on its strategy, sparking worry in Kyiv that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves Putin emboldened. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO defense ministers earlier this week that it’s “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to return to their pre-2014 positions and said NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict. Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured territory and says it must receive NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent Moscow from attacking again. Speaking in Warsaw on Feb. 14, he again warned that America’s European … “Zelenskyy calls for creation of ‘Armed Forces of Europe’” →

Ukraine would have a “very, very difficult” time surviving without U.S. military support to fend off Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a interview broadcast the night before he is scheduled to address the Munich Security Conference. “Probably it will be very, very, very difficult. And of course, you know in all the difficult situations, you have a chance,” he told NBC News. “But we will have low chance — low chance to survive without support of the United States.” Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine has increased its war production but not enough to make up for what it would lose if it did not have U.S. backing. Zelenskyy on Feb. 14 took part in a day of meetings and news briefings at the Munich Security Conference as efforts to seek a resolution to the war ramp up. The Ukrainian president is scheduled to deliver a speech on diplomacy and prospects for Ukraine’s future at the conference on Feb. 15. He will take the spotlight after meeting with top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who stressed the need for a “durable, lasting peace” in Ukraine in his speech to the conference on Feb. 14. Zelenskyy told Vance that Ukraine wants “security guarantees” from Washington before any negotiations with Russia on ending almost three years of war. Zelenskyy said in the interview that he doesn’t want to think about Ukraine not being a strategic partner of the United States because it would damage Ukrainian morale, but added, “We have to think about it.” The United States has sent mixed signals on its strategy, sparking worry in Kyiv that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves Putin emboldened. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO defense ministers earlier this week that it’s “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to return to their pre-2014 positions and said NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict. Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured territory and says it must receive NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent Moscow from attacking again. Speaking in Warsaw on Feb. 14, he again warned that America’s European NATO partners would have to do far more for their own defense and to secure a future Ukraine peace. Hegseth also argued that you “don’t have to trust” President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Russia. Two days earlier … “Ukraine would have ‘low chance to survive’ without US support, Zelenskyy says” →

LONDON — At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: Sniff the essence of an ancient corpse.  But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science found that well-preserved Egyptian mummies actually smell pretty good.  “In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage. “We were surprised at the pleasantness of them.”  “Woody,” “spicy” and “sweet” were the leading descriptions from what sounded more like a wine tasting than a mummy-sniffing exercise. Floral notes were also detected, which could be from pine and juniper resins used in embalming.  The study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Chemical Society used both chemical analysis and a panel of human sniffers to evaluate the odors from nine mummies as old as 5,000 years that had been either in storage or on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.  The researchers wanted to systematically study the smell of mummies because it has long been a subject of fascination for the public and researchers alike, said Bembibre, one of the report’s authors. Archaeologists, historians, conservators and even fiction writers have devoted pages of their work to the subject — for good reason.  Scent was an important consideration in the mummification process that used oils, waxes and balms to preserve the body and its spirit for the afterlife. The practice was largely reserved for pharaohs and nobility, and pleasant smells were associated with purity and deities, while bad odors were signs of corruption and decay.  Without sampling the mummies themselves, which would be invasive, researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia were able to measure whether aromas were coming from the archaeological item, pesticides or other products used to conserve the remains, or from deterioration due to mold, bacteria or microorganisms.  “We were quite worried that we might find notes or hints of decaying bodies, which wasn’t the case,” said Matija Strlic, a chemistry professor at the University of Ljubljana. “We were specifically worried that there might be indications of microbial degradation, but that was not the case, which means that the environment in this museum is actually quite good in terms of preservation.”  Using technical instruments to measure and quantify air molecules emitted from sarcophagi to determine the state of preservation without touching the mummies “tells us potentially what social class a mummy … “Research finds ancient Egyptian mummies smell nice” →

The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Friday that a drone attack damaged an outer wall of the protective dome containing the remains of the damaged Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine, starting a fire. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident is considered the worst in history. Ukraine blames Russia for the attack on the site located about 130 kilometers north of Kyiv, which Moscow denies. In a statement on the IAEA website, the agency’s team based at the site reported hearing an explosion at 1:50 a.m. local time. They said smoke and fire were visible from the team’s on-site dormitory. Ukrainian officials informed the team a drone struck the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure built to prevent a radioactive release from Chernobyl’s damaged reactor and protect it from external hazards. The team reported that firefighters and vehicles arrived at the scene within minutes to begin extinguishing the blaze, which, they said, could be seen intermittently for several hours afterward. The team said it observed a breach in the outer layer of the containment structure caused when the drone exploded on impact. Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory officials Friday confirmed the outer covering of the protective dome sustained damage, and investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the damage to the interior. The IAEA said radiation levels inside and outside the NSC building remain normal and no casualties were reported. But agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said the incident was “deeply concerning,” and said it “underlines the persistent risks to nuclear safety during the military conflict.” An explosion and fire in April 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant destroyed the reactor building and released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. A U.N. report said 31 people died immediately from the explosion, and while the exact number of people who died from subsequent radiation exposure is in dispute, the U.N. reports nearly 8.4 million people in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine were exposed to radiation due to the widespread radioactive fallout. Speaking to reporters Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Russian involvement saying Russia does not conduct strikes on nuclear infrastructure. He called Ukraine’s claim’s “a provocation.” Fighting around nuclear power plants, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, located near the battle zones in southeastern Ukraine, has repeatedly raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe during three years of war. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and … “IAEA confirms drone attack damaged outer wall of Chernobyl dome” →

ZAGREB, CROATIA — Thirteen people suspected of illegally importing and disposing of hazardous waste have been arrested in Croatia, the European Union’s law enforcement agency said Friday.  The main suspects, two Croatian nationals, are considered high-value targets by Europol, said an agency statement. They are believed to have orchestrated the illegal hazardous waste imports from Italy, Slovenia and Germany to Croatia.  Rather than being properly treated, the waste was simply dumped and buried, Europol said. The statement added that at least 35,000 metric tons (38,580 U.S. tons) of waste were illegally disposed of resulting in a profit of at least $4.2 million.  The waste was declared as recyclable plastic waste but was “legally considered dangerous waste,” Europol said. Croatian authorities believe the criminal network also illegally buried and dumped medical waste from Croatian companies, it said.  Croatian anti-corruption authorities said in a statement of their own Friday that they have launched an investigation into 10 people and four legal entities suspected of criminal conspiracy, crimes against the environment, tax evasion and money laundering. They said they will seek to keep seven people detained, the state-run HRT television said.  The Croatian office tasked with fighting organized crime and corruption said illegal waste disposal has inflicted damage on the environment, including changes in the land configuration that affected plant and tree growth, release of toxic particles in the soil and air, and potential negative effect on people’s health.  Croatia has suffered “considerable ecological damage” and still unspecified material damage, the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime said in a statement.  Europol said the suspects abused the infrastructures of legal businesses. They would first offer lower prices for disposal and then falsify documentation to transport their cargo to Croatia, allegedly for recycling.  Waste trafficking enables criminal networks to obtain huge profits while often causing irreparable damage to the environment, the agency said. …

The tragic deaths of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov in a plane crash late last month in Washington have shone a spotlight on the role of Russian- or Soviet-born coaches in the world of competitive figure skating. Their influence has shaped a generation of American skaters, raising the question: Why have these coaches been so successful in the U.S.? Maxim Adams has the story. Video editor: Serge Sokolov, Anna Rice   …

Vice President JD Vance warned European allies attending the security conference in Munich, Germany, against “the threat from within,” arguing that European governments are exercising extreme censorship and have failed to adequately get a handle on “out-of-control migration.”   “The threat that I worry the most about vis a vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” he said Friday. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”  Vance denounced Romania, a NATO ally, for its recent cancellation of presidential election results over evidence of Russian disinformation. “If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with,” he said. “I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective.”  He also appeared to voice support for right-wing parties that have been banned from joining governments in Europe, saying, “Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls.”  Vance said of all the pressing challenges facing Europe and the U.S. “there is nothing more pressing than migration.”   He blamed the “series of conscious decisions made by politicians all over the continent and others across the world,” and he highlighted the Thursday attack in Munich where an Afghan national drove a car into a crowd, injuring at least 30 people.  The remarks came as a surprise to the audience of leaders and top officials who were expecting Vance to focus on Ukraine and Russia. The vice president only made a passing remark on the issue.   The Trump administration is “very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine,” Vance said. “And we also believe that it’s important in the coming years for Europe to step up in a big way to provide for its own defense.”   Following Vance’s speech, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius rejected Vance’s characterization of European policies.   “If I understand him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regions … that is not acceptable.”  Vance’s remarks are “an effort to flip the script,” on Europe’s concerns about American democracy, said Kristine Berzina, managing director of GMF Geostrategy North.  “There was shockingly no mention … “At Munich Conference, US VP Vance warns European allies of ‘threat from within’” →

ROME — Pope Francis was taken to hospital on Friday morning for tests and to continue treatment of his ongoing bronchitis, the Vatican said. “This morning, at the end of his audiences, Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still ongoing, in a hospital environment,” it said in a statement. Francis, 88, has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a “strong cold,” which the Vatican later described as bronchitis. The pope has been keeping up his daily schedule of appointments despite his illness, taking meetings at the Vatican residence where he lives. Before going to hospital on Friday, the pope had an official meeting with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Francis suffered two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January. Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city, has a special suite for treating popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.  …

KYIV, UKRAINE — A Russian drone attack caused significant damage to the radiation shelter of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday. Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst civil nuclear catastrophe when one of its four reactors exploded in 1986. That reactor is now enveloped by a protective shelter, known as a sarcophagus, to contain the lingering radiation. The Russian drone struck the shelter of the destroyed power unit at the plant, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, he said. “As of now, radiation levels have not increased and are being constantly monitored,” Zelenskyy said, adding that an initial assessment had found significant damage. “The only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants, and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today’s Russia,” he said.  …

German voters head to the polls this month for an election that will determine who the country’s new chancellor will be. The Feb. 23 poll is a snap election, following the collapse of center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government last year. The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, founded in 2013, appears to be gathering strength and support across the country and has emerged as a factor in the election. The party’s popularity has been fueled by dissatisfaction with the large numbers of immigrants in the country. While AfD has evolved to focus its attention on other issues, including the immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia, immigration remains its central theme. Alice Weidel, AfD’s first candidate for chancellor, is a staunch supporter of so-called “remigration,” a term used to describe the mass deportation of immigrants. Political analysts say Weidel has little chance of becoming chancellor, but as AfD’s popularity has risen, it has forced politicians to rethink their conversations and debates about immigration. AfD won its first parliamentary seats in 2017, with 12.6% of the votes.  In 2021, the party had only 10.3% of the votes.  It has supporters across the country and its politicians have been elected to 14 of Germany’s 16 state legislatures. Its emergence as a political force occurs at the same time that other far-right parties are rising in Europe, including Austria’s Freedom Party and the National Rally in France. Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.  …

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron urged Syria’s interim government to cooperate with a U.S.-led coalition fighting against extremist groups in that region as he hosted a conference Thursday on the Mideast country’s future. Macron’s comments come amid uncertainty over the United States’ commitment to the region. Thursday’s conference in Paris among European and Arab nations was the third on Syria since the repressive government of Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December and was attended by Syria’s interim foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani. “Syria must very clearly continue to fight against all the terrorist organizations that are spreading chaos,” Macron said. “If Syria decides to offer cooperation” with the international coalition, France would support the move, he added. The Paris conference of foreign ministers and other officials from participating countries was meant to coordinate efforts to support a peaceful transition, as the new government in Damascus underlines its desire to improve relations with the West.   Integration of Kurdish-led forces Macron also called on the Syrian interim government to “fully integrate” the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian transition, calling them “precious allies.” “I think your responsibility today is to integrate them and also to allow these forces to join in,” he said. On Thursday, Syrian organizers of a conference in Damascus to chart the country’s political future said those talks will include all segments of Syrian society except for the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast and Assad loyalists. Most of the country’s former insurgent factions have agreed to dissolve and join the new Syrian army and security services, but the Kurdish-led SDF so far has refused to do the same. SDF forces have been clashing with Turkish-backed groups in northern Syria, and the Kurds are concerned about losing political and cultural gains they have made since carving out their own enclave in the northeast during the country’s civil war. Discussions are ongoing between the SDF and the government in Damascus. Billions in aid needed More aid is crucial to achieve a peaceful reconstruction during the post-Assad transition. The country needs to rebuild housing, electricity, water and transportation infrastructure after nearly 14 years of war. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion, while some experts now say the number could reach at least $400 billion. With few productive sectors and government employees making wages equivalent to about $20 per month, Syria has … “France’s Macron urges Syria’s interim government to join US-led coalition fighting extremists” →

Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national convicted of cybercrime and released by U.S. authorities as part of a prisoner swap, arrived in Moscow on Thursday and thanked President Vladimir Putin and others for arranging the exchange, state news agency RIA said. Vinnik, who pleaded guilty in May 2024 to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, told RIA in a dispatch issued after midnight that he was at home with his family. He said he had flown on a U.S. plane that stopped in Poland and not in Turkey as his lawyer had said. Quoted by RIA, Vinnik thanked Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian diplomats and special services, his lawyers “and especially my family.” He added: “What can I say? And I can also thank [U.S. President Donald] Trump. On the whole, without him, things would probably have been difficult.” Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, told the Tass news agency that Vinnik’s return home was “yet another victory for Russian diplomacy and all services and agencies associated with his liberation.” Unlike previous instances of Russians returning home after a prisoner swap, there was little fanfare around Vinnik’s arrival. Vinnik operated a cryptocurrency exchange, BTC-e, through which he was suspected of funneling $4 billion in proceeds from ransomware attacks, identity theft, drug rings and other criminal activity. He was freed by the United States from prison in return for Moscow’s release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who returned home on Tuesday. …