World News

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Macron links Russia’s shadow fleet to war financing as France detains oil ship off Atlantic coast
The captain of a suspected “shadow fleet” oil tanker detained off the coast of France will go on trial in February, accused of failing to cooperate with authorities.
860
Eisenhower library director forced out after resisting Trump’s bid to gift sword to King Charles
The director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library has left his position after opposing the gift of a sword from the collection to King Charles during Donald Trump’s recent state visit, according to US media reports on Thursday.
885
Sentencing hearing for Sean ’Diddy’ Combs opens in packed Brooklyn courtroom
The sentencing hearing for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has officially begun in a packed federal courtroom in Brooklyn.
815
Seven years of EU political ad data vanish from Google’s Transparency tool
Google’s Ad Transparency tool no longer displays political online advertisements that have run on its platforms, past or present, from any countries in the European Union, making seven years of data from 27 different countries inaccessible.
898
Pride flag display leads to firing as FBI under Trump crackdown on “woke ideology”
FBI Director Kash Patel has fired a longtime bureau employee who displayed a Pride flag in his workspace during a past assignment, according to multiple people familiar with the termination.
785
Munich airport held hostage by mystery drones — 3,000 passengers stranded overnight
Munich Airport in Germany was forced to close for nearly seven hours overnight due to a series of drone sightings, becoming the latest European aviation hub to shut down over mysterious drone flights.
943
Cold War 2.0 in the skies — E-3 Sentry hunts Russian jets and drones near NATO borders
After slowly taxiing towards the runway at NATO’s Geilenkirchen airbase in Germany, the pilots go full throttle and the decades-old E-3 Sentry surveillance plane screams as it gains speed and lifts off on its way to Eastern Europe.
672
California refinery turns into giant fireball as Chevron struggles to contain chaos
A large fire broke out Thursday night at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, a city south of Los Angeles, officials said.
912
Caracas accuses Washington of threatening security after fighter jets spotted offshore
Venezuela on Thursday said it had detected five US fighter jets flying near its Caribbean coast.
948
Anti-government protests in Morocco enter fifth day after police kill two
Violent anti-government protests in Morocco entered their fifth day on Thursday, after seeing their first fatalities the night before when police shot two demonstrators.
708
Russian president dismisses NATO attack fears as “nonsense”
Vladimir Putin has vowed to quickly retaliate against Europe’s “escalating militarization,” while dismissing as “nonsense” western fears that Moscow plans to attack NATO.
857
Ryanair warns of up to 600 daily flight cancellations due to French ATC strikes
Ryanair could cancel up to 600 flights a day next week due to French air traffic control (ATC) strikes, the airline has claimed.
826
Elon Musk urges Netflix boycott over “woke” content and LGBTQ+ representation
Elon Musk, the multibillionaire and self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”, has recently focused his attention on encouraging people to cancel their Netflix subscriptions in protest of what he claims is the company’s “woke bias” and inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters.
970
Montenegro expands case against cocaine trafficking group tied to Kavač clan bosses
Montenegro’s Special State Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment against five additional suspects accused of belonging to an international cocaine smuggling group dismantled in Operation “General,” in July last year—one of the largest international crackdowns on cocaine trafficking at the time.
657
Bashar al-Assad hospitalized in Russia after alleged poisoning amid assassination plot claims
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was hospitalized after being poisoned in a suspected assassination attempt in Moscow, a human rights group has claimed.
772
Son of Palau senator arrested in Fiji drug operation amid China influence concerns
Among the 10 people arrested in Fiji last week in a major anti-drug operation was the son of a senior pro-China politician from Palau, who presides over his country’s Senate.
712
Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutors send Chernivtsi Customs officials to court over $7 million grey import scheme
Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutors have sent to court a large-scale criminal case against officials of the Chernivtsi Customs Office, accused of running a “grey import” scheme that cost the state nearly 290 million hryvnias (about $7 million).
872
Georgia’s local elections proceed without OSCE monitors as ruling party fills gap with loyal “observers”
Facing deep democratic backsliding, Georgia heads into local elections with opposition parties sidelined, watchdogs forced out by the different restrictive laws, international monitors invited too late, and oversight left largely to groups aligned with the ruling party.
939
Former Algerian minister sentenced to seven years for public fund fraud
An Algerian court sentenced former Labor Minister Tijani Hassan Haddam to seven years in prison for embezzling roughly $45 million during his time as director of the National Social Security Fund from 2015 to 2019, local media reported.
979
Burkina Faso’s withheld parliamentary report exposes real estate corruption
Burkina Faso’s parliament initiated an investigation into irregularities in the real estate sector in 2020, but the findings were never published.
660
“Filthy Fidesz”: Nearly 1,000 protestors mock Orbán’s luxurious estate
Nearly a thousand Hungarians organized a “safari tour” protest outside a luxurious estate associated with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s family, satirizing alleged corruption with zebra costumes and placards reading “Filthy Fidesz.”
684
Georgia orders 60+ media and civil groups to disclose donors under controversial grant law
More than 60 Georgian media and civil society organizations have been required to disclose donor and grant data under a new law, resulting in warnings that the government is utilizing regulations as a tool to intimidate and silence independent voices.
708
Israel intercepts international flotilla with Greta Thunberg, European lawmakers, and Nelson Mandela’s grandson on board
Greta Thunberg is among a group of Palestine activists facing deportation from Israel after a flotilla of vessels sailing towards was intercepted by the Israeli navy.
697
French Navy boards Russian-linked tanker suspected in Danish drone incident
French military personnel have boarded an oil tanker listed among Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels, suspected of being a launchpad for mysterious drone flights that led to the closure of airports in Denmark last week.
856
Mette Frederiksen warns of Russian hybrid war affecting all Europe
Europe is in its “most difficult and dangerous situation” since the end of the second world war, Denmark’s prime minister has said at an EU summit dedicated to advancing the continent’s battle readiness by the end of the decade.