MILAN (AP) — Edoardo Ronzoni inspects a construction site near Milan that closed in March as material costs soared. He can’t complete a half-built roundabout at an intersection known for fender-blows because asphalt, cast-iron pipes and concrete are too expensive, prices exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.. Public works projects in Italy are stalling just … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — Flanked by the leaders of Finland and Sweden, President Joe Biden strongly supported their requests to join NATO Thursday as Russia’s war in the heart of Europe challenges the continent’s security. The US president rejected Turkey’s opposition, insisting that the two countries “meet all NATO requirements and then some.” Biden walked to … Read more
Washington D.C.- Dozens of US lawmakers have signed a letter demanding that the FBI investigate the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Congressman Andre Carson said, hours after Israel’s military said it will not launch a criminal investigation into the incident. Abu Akleh, a US citizen, was shot dead by Israeli forces in … Read more
Beirut, Lebanon – As Lebanon’s election frenzy cools, the country has awakened to a new chapter in its dizzying political history. Following Sunday’s election result, there have been changes to the balance of power in the country’s 128-seat parliament and its fragile sectarian power-sharing system. Legislators who for many decades were constant variables in Lebanon’s … Read more
As Europeans bask in the warmth of spring, governments are in a race against winter. Europe is trying to reduce the use of Russian natural gas due to the war in Ukrainebut still find enough fuel to keep the lights on and the houses warm before it gets cold again. That has sent officials and … Read more
kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds more Ukrainian fighters who held out inside the bombed-out Mariupol steel plant have surrendered, raising the total to more than 1,700, Russia said Thursday, amid international fears over the fate of prisoners in Moscow hands. The Red Cross worked to register the soldiers as prisoners of war in a step … Read more
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The battle that made Mariupol a global symbol of defiance and suffering it came to an end when Russia said nearly 1,000 last-minute Ukrainian fighters who held out inside a pulverized steel plant had surrendered. Meanwhile, the first captured Russian soldier to be tried by Ukraine on war crimes charges pleaded … Read more
Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed prime minister by Libya’s eastern-based parliament in February, will set up his government in Sirte from Wednesday, he said, after his attempts to seize the capital Tripoli sparked clashes. Libya has had two governments since March. Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh’s UN-recognized Tripoli-based administration has refused to cede power to … Read more
The country’s new parliament remains largely divided between pro-Iranian and pro-Saudi blocs. Hezbollah still commands the largest single parliamentary bloc, and the new political composition indicates that the country is headed, once again, for a costly stalemate. However, within those seemingly immutable divisions, important political changes have taken place. Reformists from outside Lebanon’s traditional political … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking an increasingly tough line against Finnish and Swedish NATO applications. Despite much less strident statements from some of his top advisers, US officials are trying to determine how serious the often fickle leader is and what it takes to push him back. Amid mixed signals … Read more