Author: Lorne Cook
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Ukraine shows unity as West sees no sign of Russian pullback
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KYIV, Ukraine • Ukrainians defied pressure from Moscow with a national show of flag-waving unity Wednesday, while the West warned that it saw no sign of a promised pullback of Russian troops from Ukraine’s borders despite Kremlin declarations of a withdrawal. While a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday did not materialize, the United…
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U.S.: new intel shows Russia plotting false flag attack
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WASHINGTON • The U.S. accused the Kremlin on Thursday of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbor. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the scheme included production of a graphic propaganda video that would show staged explosions and use…
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No Ukraine breakthrough, but NATO and Russia eye more talks
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BRUSSELS • The United States and NATO rejected key Russian security demands for easing tensions over Ukraine but left open Wednesday the possibility of future talks with Moscow on arms control, missile deployments and ways to prevent military incidents between Russia and the West. The decisions came at a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, the…
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US charges 7 Russian intel officers as West condemns GRU
BRUSSELS — The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday charged seven Russian intelligence officers with hacking anti-doping agencies and other organizations hours after Western officials leveled new accusations against Moscow’s secretive GRU military spy agency. Hours before the U.S. indictment was announced, Western nations accused the GRU of new cybercrimes, with Dutch and British officials labeling…
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Belgium shooting rampage was terrorist act, prosecutors say
BRUSSELS — The man who killed four people in the Belgian city of Liege this week carried out an act of “terrorist murder” and likely intended to cause more carnage, prosecutors said Wednesday, as authorities tried to establish whether he acted alone. Benjamin Herman, an inmate on a two-day prison furlough, attacked two female police…
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German WWI U-boat found off Belgium with 23 bodies inside
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BRUSSELS — An intact German World War I submarine containing the bodies of 23 people has been found off the coast of Belgium, authorities said Tuesday. Western Flanders Governor Carl Decaluwe told The Associated Press that the find on the floor of the North Sea “is very unique.” “It’s quite amazing that we found something…
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EU plans talks as tainted egg scandal hits 17 countries
BRUSSELS — The European Union said Friday that it plans to hold an extraordinary meeting late next month over a growing tainted egg scandal as it revealed that products contaminated with an insecticide have now spread to 17 countries. Millions of eggs have been destroyed or pulled from supermarket shelves since July 20, when it…
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EU fines Google a record 2.4 billion euros in antitrust case
BRUSSELS — The European Union slapped a record 2.42 billion-euro ($2.72 billion) fine on internet giant Google on Tuesday for taking advantage of its dominance in online searches to direct customers to its own online shopping business. European regulators gave the company based in Mountain View, California, 90 days to stop or face more fines…
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Protests, new climate pledges after Trump’s Paris pullout
BRUSSELS — Environmental campaigners staged protests Friday against President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, while other nations pledged to double down on their efforts to curb global warming in response to the U.S. move. In Berlin, Greenpeace activists projected Trump’s silhouette onto the side of the…
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US prepares to ban laptops on flights from Europe
BRUSSELS — The U.S. is expected to broaden its ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from the European Union, a move that would create logistical chaos on the world’s busiest corridor of air travel. Alarmed at the proposal, which airline officials say is merely a matter of timing, European governments held urgent…