Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hosts a news conference at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh on Feb 6, 2023. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP) LONDON – Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she would resign as Scotland's first minister after eight years in the job. Sturgeon told a news conference in Edinburgh that she would remain leader of Scotland's devolved government until a successor is found. She …
Italy’s Berlusconi faces verdict in Bunga Bunga bribe case
Forza Italia party leader Silvio Berlusconi delivers his address ahead of a confidence vote at the Senate for the government, in Rome, Oct 26, 2022. (PHOTO / AP) MILAN – An Italian court will on Wednesday deliver its verdict on whether former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi paid witnesses to lie in an underage prostitution case that has cast a long shadow over his political career. …
Moldovan PM announces resignation
In this photo taken on May 9, 2022, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita attends a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General following their talks in Chisinau. (PHOTO / AFP) BUCHAREST – Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced her resignation on Friday, according to Moldpres, the national news agency. "The time has come to announce my resignation from this position," Gavrilita told a briefing at the …
UK’s Sunak may announce mini cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday
A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking during the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons, in London, on Feb 1, 2023. Sunak may announce a mini reshuffle of his Cabinet on Feb 7, 2023, a source familiar with the discussions said on Feb 6, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) LONDON – British Prime …
France, Germany test water on US green subsidies
In this file photo dated to Feb 7, 2022, German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck gestures as he speaks during a joint news conference with French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire (not seen in photo) at the Bercy Ministry in Paris, France. Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will head to Washington next week to press …
Russia says nuclear arms treaty with US may end after 2026
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov arrives to attend security talks on soaring tensions over Ukraine, at the US permanent Mission, in Geneva, on Jan 10, 2022. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP) Russia's deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on Monday that it was "quite possible" the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States would end after 2026. "This is …
UK PM Sunak sacks party chairman Zahawi over tax affairs
In this photo dated Jan 24, 2023, former Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi leaves the Conservative Party head office in Westminster, central London. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Zahawi on Jan 29, 2023 after an investigation revealed he had committed a serious breach by not being open about a tax probe. (PHOTO / AP) LONDON – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Conservative Party …
Sweden’s NATO process paused, says foreign minister
In this file photo taken on Jan 27, 2023, Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom holds a joint press conference with Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs in Riga. (PHOTO / AFP) STOCKHOLM – Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Saturday that the country's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) process has paused, local media reported. "The events of the last few weeks have temporarily …
Finland: Timeout needed in talks with Türkiye over NATO bid
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto talks to the press during an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Jan 23, 2023. (JOHN THYS / AFP) HELSINKI- Finland's foreign minister said on Tuesday a timeout of a few weeks is needed in the talks between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye on the two Nordic nations' plans to join the NATO military alliance. Türkiye's president said on Monday …
Russia’s Lavrov visits ally South Africa amid Western rivalry
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov (left) is welcomed by South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor (right) ahead of their meeting at the OR Tambo Building in Pretoria on Jan 23, 2023. (PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) PRETORIA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in South Africa on Monday for talks with one of its most important allies on …
Sunak fined by police for failing to wear seat belt
In this file photo dated Dec 9, 2022, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts during his visit to Royal Air Force RAF Coningsby, near Lincoln, eastern England. (JOE GIDDENS / POOL / AFP) LONDON – British police fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday for failing to wear a seat belt while he filmed a social media clip in the back seat of a moving …
Ukraine appoints acting interior minister after helicopter crash
Former head of Ukraine's National Police and current acting interior minister of Ukraine Igor Klymenko holds a press conference in Kiev on Aug 3, 2021. (GENYA SAVILOV / AFP) KIEV – The Ukrainian government on Wednesday appointed Igor Klymenko, chief of the National Police, as the acting interior minister, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.The appointment was made following the death of Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky …
Ukraine interior minister among 16 dead in helicopter crash
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 18, 2022. (EFREM LUKATSKY / AP) KIEV — A helicopter crashed near Kiev on Wednesday morning, killing at least 16 people, including Ukraine's Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky. The crash in Brovary, a town in the suburbs of Kiev, also killed Monastyrsky's deputy, Yevhen Yenin, while injuring 30 others, …
18 killed in helicopter crash near Kyiv, including Ukrainian minister
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 18, 2022. (EFREM LUKATSKY / AP) KYIV – Ukraine's Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky was killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday morning, official sources said. His deputy, Yevhen Yenin, was also among the 18 people killed in the crash near a kindergarten in Brovary, a town in the …
Boris Pistorius named new defence minister of Germany
Then Germany Lower Saxony Interior Minister and current Germany defense minister Boris Pistorius attends a news conference in Hanover, Germany Nov 18, 2015. (AXEL SCHMIDT / REUTERS) BERLIN – Germany's government named Boris Pistorius as defense minister on Tuesday at a time of mounting pressure on Berlin from Western allies to allow Ukraine to use German-made tanks in its conflict with Russia. Following several missteps, …
Germany new defense head faces pressure to send Ukraine tanks
Then Germany Lower Saxony Interior Minister and current Germany defense minister Boris Pistorius attends a news conference in Hanover, Germany Nov 18, 2015. (Axel Schmidt / REUTERS) BERLIN – Germany's government named Boris Pistorius as defense minister on Tuesday at a time of mounting pressure on Berlin from Western allies to allow Ukraine to use German-made tanks in the war with Russia. Following several missteps, …
Colombia president backs defense minister accused by Guatemala
Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez attends a military ceremony to promote new Generals and Admirals of the Police and Military Forces at the Jose Maria Cordova Military School in Bogota, on Dec 17, 2022. (DANIEL MUNOZ / AFP) MEXICO CITY – Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would not accept any "order for the arrest" of his defense minister after a Guatemalan prosecutor accused …
German Defense Minister Lambrecht announces resignation
This file photo taken on Sept 16, 2022 shows German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht during a press conference on the sidelines of a conference of the German Armed Forces Bundeswehr in Berlin. (JENS SCHLUETER / AFP) BERLIN – German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for her dismissal, she said in a statement on Monday, the culmination of growing skepticism about her …
Bolivian foreign minister slams US meddling in internal affairs
Rogelio Mayta, Foreign Minister of Bolivia, speaks during a plenary session of the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2022. (PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP) LA PAZ – Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta has denounced a tweet written by a US government official on the situation in the Santa Cruz department, saying the remarks constitute an interference in the internal …
Portugal approves new vetting system after hiring scandals
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, standing in the center, answers a member of parliament during debate at the parliament in Lisbon on Jan 11, 2023. (ARMANDO FRANCA / AP) LISBON – Portugal's government said on Thursday future officials would from now on have to answer a questionnaire before they are appointed to prove they are fit for office after a string of hiring scandals rocked …