Day: October 16, 2022

BERLIN -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called for reforms of the European Union to make it fit for the admission of new countries as well as more military autonomy of the 27-country bloc. Speaking at the Congress of the Party of European Socialists in Berlin, Scholz advocated for gradually abolishing the principle of unanimity for decisions in foreign policy, but also in other areas such as tax policy. “I know that we still have a lot of convincing to do there,” the chancellor said. “But I also say clearly: if a geopolitical Europe is our aspiration, then majority decisions are a gain and not a loss of sovereignty.” Currently, many EU decisions can only be made if all countries vote unanimously. Scholz also supports more military autonomy of the EU. He called for coordinat...

ROME -- The honeymoon is finished even before any marriage of political convenience in Italy could be formalized. The resounding victory by far-right leader Giorgia Meloni in the Sept. 25 general election isn't sitting well with 86-year-old Silvio Berlusconi, the former three-time conservative premier who, four decades her senior, fancies himself the elder statesman of Italy's political right. Meloni is expected to be asked next week by Italy's president to try to create a governing coalition with campaign allies Berlusconi and right-wing leader Matteo Salvini and become premier. Behind-the-scenes divvying up of ministries in what would be Italy's first far-right-led government since the end of World War II started after her Brothers of Italy party took 26% of the ballots cast, more than...

MEXICO CITY -- The remnants of Tropical Storm Karl dissipated Saturday along Mexico’s southern Gulf coast as heavy rains caused some rivers and streams to flood and at least one person dead. Karl had weakened into a tropical depression late Friday while moving toward the coast of Tabasco state, and its remnants broke up during the day Saturday, though rain still fell in the region. Officials in Chiapas state said intense rain in the northern part of the state resulted in the Pichucalco River overflowing, which forced the evacuation of more than a thousand people at a religious event. In addition, the officials said, about 120 people were evacuated when El Cristo stream flooded and a 65-year-old person who had to be rescued died shortly after at a health center. The U.S. National Hurric...

"The hell with it... Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free," he tweeted. Starlink has been vital for Ukraine's military and people to stay online. Ukraine says it helped to reboot key infrastructure after Russian attacks. Energy installations were among facilities targeted by more than 100 Russian missiles this week. Starlink consists of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit and ground terminals. Last month Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and world's richest man, asked the Pentagon to fund the Starlink programme instead of him, according to US media. And on Friday he tweeted: "SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but...

But on the internet, it's a very one-sided affair. "This is a meme nation," says Olena, a Kyiv entrepreneur who manages teams of social media volunteers. "If this was a war of memes, we would be winning." Olena is not her real name. Due to the sensitive nature of the work she and her teams carry out on behalf of Ukraine's defence ministry, she has asked to remain anonymous. Her teams work round-the-clock, reacting within hours to news from around the country, producing punchy videos, often set to music, for the ministry's audiences at home and abroad. Just as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky tailors speeches to foreign parliaments to take account of local history, culture and sensibility, so Olena's five-strong internationa...

During a firearms training session, two men opened fire on a group who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine, state-owned news agency Ria reported. The attackers were from a former Soviet republic, the Russian defence ministry said, but did not give further details. They were also shot dead during the incident in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders Ukraine. A further 15 people were wounded. "During a firearms training session with individuals who voluntarily expressed a desire to participate in the special military operation [against Ukraine], the terrorists opened fire with small arms on the personnel of the unit," Ria cited a defence ministry statement as saying. "As a result of the shooting, 11 people were fatally wound...