Month: March 2023

The second biggest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, is just 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Under siege by Russian troops for more than six months, the city suffered major damage but never fell. Now Russians are amassing troops across the border once more. Ballistic missiles hit the city more often, and Kharkiv is reinforcing its …

Iran Wednesday ordered two German diplomats to leave the country in response to a similar move by Germany last week. The German expulsion of two Iranian diplomats came in protest of Iran’s sentencing German national Jamshid Sharmahd to death. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Wednesday that Germany was interfering in Iran’s “internal and …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed doubt Wednesday about how serious Russia and China are about achieving peace in Ukraine, citing a lack of substantive steps by either to back up statements showing support for a peace effort. Speaking during a visit to Uzbekistan, Blinken told reporters that if Russia were genuinely prepared to …

A head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train in northern Greece Tuesday left at least 32 people dead and 85 injured.  The two trains collided near the city of Tempe, about 380 kilometers north of the Greek capital of Athens.  The passenger train was headed north from Athens to the city of …

Kosovo and Serbia have agreed to back a proposed European Union plan for normalization of relations, but, in a sign of persisting differences about its implementation, stopped short of signing it. The plan — revealed for the first time publicly Monday evening in Brussels — includes steps to bring the parties closer and resolve some …

A passenger train and an oncoming freight train collided in a fiery wreck in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 26 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said.  Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flame after the collision near Tempe, some 380 kilometers north of Athens. Hospital officials in the …

With Russia’s war in Ukraine now in its second year, there is renewed attention on the eastern salt-mining city of Bakhmut, the focus of a sustained Russian offensive in recent months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in Bakhmut is becoming more and more “complicated.” Bakhmut is just one of many areas in Russia’s …

The United States and its allies are moving to treat Iran as a global threat, warning that its growing alliance with Russia — and cooperation in the war on Ukraine — mean Tehran’s destabilizing activities will pose a greater danger than ever before. “We are now at a point where Iranian threats are no longer …