PRESEVO, Serbia (AP) — At the tender age of 16, Ahmad Fawad has three fears: He fears the Taliban gunmen who killed his family members in Afghanistan. He fears that once-welcoming European countries are shutting the doors after the carnage in Paris. And he fears that the very extremists who attacked his family at home … Continue reading
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Most nations along Europe’s refugee corridor abruptly shut their borders Thursday to those not coming from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq, leaving thousands desperately seeking a better life in the continent stranded at Balkan border crossings. The overnight decision triggered the domino effect that both asylum-seekers and European … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Even before the Paris attacks, the mood in Central Europe was decidedly anti-migrant, with fences going up on borders, a Syrian beaten on a Polish street last week and the rhetoric sharp across the region. Now the bloodshed unleashed by Islamic extremists is deepening fears of Muslims and threatening to create … Continue reading
ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — World leaders vowed Monday to boost intelligence-sharing, cut off terrorist funding and strengthen border security in Europe, as they sought to show resolve and unity following the Islamic State’s deadly terror attacks in Paris. U.S. President Barack Obama said the militant group was “the face of evil” and urged other nations … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — Calling it a wake-up call for a sport in a “shameful” position, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said Russia will be banned from next year’s Olympics unless it convinces the world it has cleaned up its act on doping. The sport’s governing body provisionally suspended Russia’s track and field federation on Friday, four … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Details of a new Russian submarine-launched nuclear torpedo have been shown on state-controlled TV, a secret the Kremlin said should never have been aired. Some observers, however, saw it as a deliberate leak. The airing of the video on television channels under tight Kremlin control raised suspicions that it was done intentionally … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope Wednesday that diplomats will agree on a list of opposition groups that should be invited to U.N.-brokered peace talks on Syria. Moscow previously lamented there is no agreement in the U.S.-led coalition in Syria on who should be declared legitimate opposition to Syrian President Bashar … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — British and U.S. officials said Wednesday they have information suggesting the Russian jetliner that crashed in the Egyptian desert may have been brought down by a bomb, and Britain said it was suspending flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula indefinitely. Intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that the … Continue reading
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A heavy metal band’s pyrotechnical show sparked a deadly fire Friday at a Bucharest nightclub, killing 27 people and injuring scores of the club’s mostly youthful patrons, officials and witnesses said. Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea initially said an explosion occurred at Colectiv club, located in a basement in a building in … Continue reading
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — A Russian passenger airliner crashed Saturday in a remote mountainous part Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula 23 minutes after taking off from a popular Red Sea resort, killing all 224 people on board, including 25 children. The cause of the crash was not known, but two major European airlines announced they would … Continue reading
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — The Moldovan government lost a no-confidence vote Thursday and was dismissed by Parliament, plunging the impoverished East European country into uncertainty. Sixty-five lawmakers in the 101-seat legislature voted against the government of Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet, who was appointed July 30. Parliament now has three months to approve a new government … Continue reading
VIENNA (AP) — The United States, Russia and other regional and world powers were considering a new plan Friday to set up a ceasefire in Syria within the next four to six months, followed by the formation of a transition government featuring President Bashar Assad and opposition members, officials told The Associated Press. How long … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) — European and Balkan leaders agreed on measures early Monday to slow the movement of tens of thousands whose flight from war and poverty has overwhelmed border guards and reception centers and heightened tension among nations along the route to the European Union’s heartland. In a statement to paper over deep divisions about … Continue reading
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Four exit polls from Ukraine’s local elections released Monday indicated the governing coalition would retain its dominant position in the west and center of the country despite widespread disappointment with the government of President Petro Poroshenko. In the south and east, voters favored the Opposition Bloc, formed from the remnants of … Continue reading
BAJAKOVO, Croatia (AP) — Serbia and Croatia agreed Friday to ease the flow of migrants over the border between the countries after thousands of people, including children, were forced to spend the night out in the open in near-freezing temperatures along a muddy border passage. The interior ministers of Serbia and Croatia said they will … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s upcoming general elections are making history by having three women campaigning to lead the nation, with one almost certain to win. But the appearance of major social change in this conservative nation may be slightly deceptive. Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of the ruling Civic Platform is fighting to keep her … Continue reading
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A former Romanian president appeared on Wednesday before the nation’s top court, which is prosecuting him for crimes against humanity during a bloody anti-government protest 25 years ago in which six people died and hundreds of others were injured. Ion Iliescu, 85, went to the High Court of Cassation and Justice … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — President Bashar Assad has traveled to Moscow in his first known trip abroad since war broke out in Syria in 2011, meeting his strongest ally, Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two leaders stressed that military operations in Syria— in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition— must lead to … Continue reading
MILOVICE, Czech Republic (AP) — Such an animal has not been seen on Czech territory for hundreds of years. A Dutch breeding program has recreated massive bovines closely related to aurochs, once the heaviest European land mammal and the wild ancestor of today’s cattle that became extinct in the 17th century. It is believed they … Continue reading
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Fifteen policemen and one civilian were injured during a violent protest by the opposition Self-Determination Party (Vetevendosje!) after an opposition lawmaker was taken in for questioning, Kosovo police said Tuesday. Police spokesman Baki Kelani says opposition leader Albin Kurti was taken to a police station Monday evening to be questioned on … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes intensified Thursday between Syrian troops and insurgents in central and northwestern Syria, part of what a top general called a “wide-ranging” offensive aided by Russian airstrikes and apparently aimed at clearing positions near government strongholds on the coast. U.S. defense officials said as many as four of the 26 long-range … Continue reading
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Opposition lawmakers in Kosovo disrupted parliament’s session on Thursday, using tear gas and whistles to protest the government’s recent EU-sponsored deal with Serbia giving the country’s Serb-majority areas greater powers. The opposition wants the government to backtrack from the deal, saying it endangers Kosovo’s territorial integrity. The governing coalition says the … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Galina Timchenko recalls how proud she felt when the Russian news website she edited reached 3 million users per day. When she reported the figures to the website’s owner, he was horrified. “At that moment something snapped inside and I understood that this is the end, because there cannot be such an … Continue reading
ROME (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday the U.S.-led coalition has not agreed to cooperate with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State and no collaboration is possible as long as Moscow continues to strike other targets. He said the U.S. will conduct basic, technical talks with Russia about efforts to … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia launched airstrikes Wednesday in Syria, sharply escalating Moscow’s role in the conflict but also raising questions about whether its intent is fighting Islamic State militants or protecting longtime ally, President Bashar Assad. President Vladimir Putin called it a pre-emptive strike against the militants, and the Russian Defense Ministry said its warplanes … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 