World

Former EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini Accused in EU Procurement Fraud Probe BRUSSELS — Federica Mogherini, the EU's former high representative for foreign and security policy, has been formally accused of procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and violating professional secrecy, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said Friday. EPPO said three people were the subject of the accusations. They were detained during raids linked to an investigation into suspected fraud connected to EU-funded…

BRUSSELS — NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels on Tuesday amid growing unease over a draft peace plan to end the war in Ukraine and concern that U.S.-led diplomacy with Moscow could sideline the alliance. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters that only U.S. President Donald Trump, he believed, might be able to break the current deadlock over the conflict — a remark reflecting frustration among some allies about the slow pace and informal channels of negotiations. “The peace talks are ongoing, that’s good, but…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday launched a forceful attack on Somali immigrants, saying they should be unwelcome in the United States and accusing Somali Americans of contributing "nothing" amid a sprawling fraud investigation in Minnesota tied to phantom social services. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Mr. Trump described Somalia as a failed state and said Somali immigrants "just run around killing each other" and that "their country's no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don't want them in our…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday as Kyiv faces a deepening political crisis and renewed frontline pressure, the Elysee Palace said. The visit, announced by the French presidency, comes days after Zelensky reorganised his office and dismissed his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, following an anti-corruption raid that has shaken public confidence at a critical moment in the war with Russia. Macron and Zelensky are expected to discuss "the conditions of a just…

EU court orders Poland to recognise same‑sex marriages registered in other member states The European Union’s top court this week ordered Poland to recognise a same‑sex marriage that was registered in Germany, a ruling that could oblige other EU countries where same‑sex marriage is not legal to give effect to marriages performed elsewhere in the bloc. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered a broadly worded judgment saying "a member state" must recognise same‑sex marriages lawfully registered in another…

JAKARTA — The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by a rare tropical storm in the Malacca Strait climbed past 600 on Monday as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia struggled to reach tens of thousands of displaced people and account for the missing. Officials reported 435 deaths in Indonesia, 170 in Thailand and three in Malaysia. Separately, Cyclone Ditwah in the Bay of Bengal killed 153 people in Sri Lanka, with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide, authorities there said. Rescue…

LUANDA, Angola — European leaders descended on Luanda this week for the EU-African Union summit with a clear, urgent goal: secure access to Africa’s critical minerals and shore up fragile supply chains as global geopolitical tensions rise. "Africa and Europe are partners of choice, bound by common interests and priorities and shared values," EU Council President António Costa wrote on social media as the summit began. "In a turbulent world, our commitment to build a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future — and to…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon on Thursday in his long-running corruption trial, saying criminal proceedings were hampering his ability to govern and that a pardon would be in Israel’s national interest. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has denied charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and said in a video released by his Likud party that he still expects a full acquittal. “My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country…

South Korean‑born New Zealander sentenced to life after children’s bodies found in suitcases A South Korean‑born New Zealand woman, Hakyung Lee, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the 2018 murders of her two young children, whose bodies were discovered packed in suitcases in an abandoned storage locker more than three years later, New Zealand media reported. Lee, who is in her 40s, was convicted in September after admitting she killed the children, then aged 8 and 6. During the trial she entered a plea of not…

Trump backs off Ukraine peace deadline as US envoy heads to Moscow amid reports of coaching Russians WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday withdrew a firm Thanksgiving deadline for Ukraine to accept a U.S.-backed peace framework and defended the administration’s negotiators after reports the lead envoy advised Russian officials how to press the proposal. Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Florida, Trump said U.S. negotiators were making progress with both sides and that Moscow had agreed to “some…