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☆ Kosovo police enter northern village after shootout with gunmen killed four
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A Kosovo police officer stands guard on a road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Acquire Licensing RightsJOSEVIK, Kosovo, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Kosovar police units in armoured vehicles moved in to secure and search a village in north Kosovo on Monday, a day after four people were killed in a shootout there between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in the restive region. The gunmen stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has blamed Serbia for financing and sending armed men to Kosovo. Tensions have been running high since clashes in northern Kosovo in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo.

Persons: Ognen, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyvi, Ivana Sekularac, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Kosovar, Police, Reuters, Serbian, Kosovo, European Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Banjska, Zvecan, restive, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbia, EU

☆ Kosovo Police Enter Northern Village After Shootout With Gunmen Killed Four
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JOSEVIK, Kosovo (Reuters) - Kosovar police units in armoured vehicles moved in to secure and search a village in north Kosovo on Monday, a day after four people were killed in a shootout there between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in the restive region. The gunmen stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. The armed police units searched houses in the village on Monday, looking for any gunmen who had not fled, a police source told Reuters. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has blamed Serbia for financing and sending armed men to Kosovo. Tensions have been running high since clashes in northern Kosovo in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyvi, Ivana Sekularac, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, Kosovar, Police, Serbian, Kosovo, European Union, NATO Locations: JOSEVIK, Kosovo, restive, Banjska, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbia, EU

☆ One police officer killed, another hurt in Kosovo gunfire, PM Kurti says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRISTINA, Sept 24 (Reuters) - One Kosovo police officer was killed and another injured in a shooting in a village in the north of Kosovo early on Sunday, in the first such major violence in months, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement. "At this moment, gunfire with various caliber firearms against our police is still ongoing," Kurti said in a post on Facebook, describing the incident as terrorist action. Tensions have run high in Kosovo, the former Serbian province, after clashes in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians form more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, with Serbs being the majority only in its northern region where a Serb-majority municipalities association is planned. read moreReporting by Fatos Bytyci; writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Jamie Freed and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyci, Daria Sito, Jamie Freed, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Facebook, NATO, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian

CNN —Kosovo police said Sunday that they have killed three armed attackers and arrested another amid an ongoing shootout in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo. Kosovo is majority Albanian, but like other villages in the north, Banjska is predominantly Serbian. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but Serbia sees Kosovo as a breakaway state. Kosovo Police and a group of armed, masked men stand in front of the Banjska Monastery in North Kosovo. Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have escalated in recent months with violent protests erupting in May over controversial local elections.

Persons: “, ”, Veton Eljsani, Albin Kurti, Josep Borrell, ” “, Borrell Organizations: CNN, Kosovo police, Police, ”, Facebook, “ Kosovo Police, Kosovo Police, . Police, AP, Kosovo, Serbia’s Foreign, EU, KFOR, NATO Locations: Banjska, Kosovo, ” Kosovo, Serbian, Serbia, Belgrade, Pristina, “, North Kosovo, Banjska Monastery, EULEX

☆ One Police Officer Killed, Another Hurt in Kosovo Gunfire - PM Kurti
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - One Kosovo police officer was killed and another injured in a shooting in a village in the north of Kosovo early on Sunday, in the first such major violence in months, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement. "At this moment, gunfire with various caliber firearms against our police is still ongoing," Kurti said in a post on Facebook, describing the incident as terrorist action. Tensions have run high in Kosovo, the former Serbian province, after clashes in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians form more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, with Serbs being the majority only in its northern region where a Serb-majority municipalities association is planned. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Jamie Freed and Bernadette Baum)

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyci, Daria Sito, Jamie Freed, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Facebook, NATO Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian

☆ Germany's Baerbock joins chorus criticizing EU migration deal with Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Migrants rescued at sea walk after disembarking from a vessel, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. "Democracy, human rights and the rule of law must guide us in our cooperation - something that was not given suitable consideration, in the agreement with Tunisia," she wrote. "The MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Tunisia cannot become a template for further agreements," she added. 'SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Yara, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: Migrants, REUTERS, UNITED, EU, Commission, Reuters, European Commission, EC, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Germany, EU, Tunisia, Netherlands, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

☆ Germany's Baerbock Joins Chorus Criticizing EU Migration Deal With Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Gabriela BaczynskaUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined a growing chorus of critics of the European Union's new migration deal with Tunisia, saying human rights and procedural faults ruled it out as a blueprint for the future. Her letter to the EU executive European Commission highlights the EU's inner conflict between those pursuing ever-tougher policies to stop illegal immigration and others who emphasize humanitarian considerations and labor market gaps. But in her letter dated Aug. 2, Baerbock expressed "incomprehension" at what she said were insufficient consultations with other countries in the 27-nation bloc. 'SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Howard Goller Organizations: Gabriela Baczynska UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, EU, Commission, European Commission, EC, Human Rights Locations: Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands, EU, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

“People are looking to their leaders for a way out of this mess,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said ahead of the annual gathering of presidents and premiers, ministers and monarchs at the General Assembly. “Yet in the face of all this and more,” Guterres said, “geopolitical divisions are undermining our capacity to respond.”This year’s week-long session, the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel, has 145 leaders scheduled to speak. The G77, the major U.N. group of developing countries that now has 134 members including China, lobbied hard to make this year’s global gathering focus on the 17 U.N. goals adopted by world leaders in 2015. At a two-day summit to kick-start action to achieve the goals, Guterres pointed to grim findings in a U.N. report in July. At the summit, leaders were then supposed to make pledges to meet the SDGs.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, ” Guterres, Joe Biden, Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, Guterres, “, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Josep Borrell, ” Borrell Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, —, General, . Security Council, Nepal’s, EU, Arab League Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Brussels

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan launches operation against Armenian forces in disputed region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Tim Lister Gianluca Mezzofiore Christian Edwards Anna Chernova Nick Paton Walsh | Tim Lister | Gianluca Mezzofiore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said Tuesday it had begun an “anti-terrorist” campaign in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Armenian media and local authorities reported heavy bombardment of the regional capital of Stepanakert. At least five people were killed, including a child, and 80 people were injured, amid artillery, missile and drone strikes by the Azerbaijan military, according to Armenian state news. But Armenia’s foreign ministry rejected claims that the Armenian army was in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s defense ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, to deny Azerbaijan’s claims that Armenian forces had opened fire on Azeri combat outposts. People run as gunfire and explosions are heard in Stepanakert, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.

Persons: CNN —, ”, “, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh –, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, ” Pashinyan’s, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan Army, Armenian Security Council, Foreign Ministry, Union’s, Foreign Affairs, French Foreign Ministry, UN Security, Russian Foreign Ministry, UN Security Council Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russian, Moscow, Republic of Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia

☆ Kosovo's Kurti accuses EU envoy of siding with Serbia during talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"On September 14 there was a clear positioning of the mediator against Kosovo...They have gone a long way in attacking the future of Kosovo," Kurti told a press briefing in Pristina. Kurti and Vucic met last Thursday for more talks in Brussels but they went nowhere, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. It was mean to settle a conflict dating to the 1998-99 uprising by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority against repressive Serbian rule and lead to normalised relations between Belgrade and its former province, which declared independence in 2008. "We will either implement the whole deal entirely or we will not implement only what Serbia wants. Kurti has said such an association as approved by previous governments would divide Kosovo along ethnic lines.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Ognen, Kurti, Miroslav Lajcak, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Josep Borrell, Fatos, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kosovo's, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Serbian, Kosovo, EU, NATO, Albanian, Thomson Locations: Ohrid, North Macedonia, Rights PRISTINA, Kosovo, European, Serbia, Brussels, Pristina, Kurti, Kosovo's, Belgrade

Away from the front, Ukraine’s war has become a numbers game: who can acquire, make and resupply more tanks, bullets, and, most of all, artillery shells. All in all, Kyiv needs some 1.5 million artillery shells annually, according to the CEO of one of Europe’s largest arms manufacturers, Rheinmetall. By July, the US had supplied more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, the Pentagon said. But in February 2023, Europe-wide production of artillery ammunition had a maximum capacity of 300,000 shells annually, Estonian defense officials estimated. The best-case scenario of an increase to making 2.1 million shells annually is still years away from being realized.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Armin Papperger, Papperger, William LaPlante, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Nammo, LaPlante, Tuuli Duneton, Morten Brandtzæg, “, ” Brandtzæg, you’re, Jérôme, Creuillot, it’s, Jonathan Caverley, hasn’t, Ignacio Marin, Caverley, Josep Borrell Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Rheinmetall, Pentagon, European, NATO, Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Estonian, US Naval War College, EU Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonian, United Kingdom, Europe, Brussels, “, Kyiv, ”, Norway, France

BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo held a long-awaited face-to-face meeting on Thursday in talks aimed aimed at improving their strained relations as calls mount for a change in the Western diplomatic approach toward them amid concern that their tensions could spiral out of control. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are in Brussels for talks under the so-called Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process, supervised by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Serbia and its former province of Kosovo have been at odds for decades. Their 1998-99 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognize the move.

Persons: Aleksandar Vučić, Albin Kurti, Josep Borrell, Kurti, Borrell, Angelo Michele Ristuccia, “, ”, aren't, Vladimir Putin, Kosovo — Organizations: Serbian, Kosovo, European Union, NATO, KFOR, United Locations: BRUSSELS, Serbia, Kosovo, Brussels, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo Albanians, Serbian, United States, Russia, Ukraine, West, Moscow, Balkans, Yugoslavia

VIENNA (AP) — Britain, France and Germany announced Thursday they will keep their sanctions on Iran related to the Mideast country's atomic program and development of ballistic missiles. The measures were to expire in October under a timetable spelled out in the now defunct nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The measures ban Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and bar anyone from buying, selling or transferring drones and missiles to and from Iran. Iran has violated the sanctions by developing and testing ballistic missiles and sending drones to Russia for its war on Ukraine. Political Cartoons View All 1160 ImagesThe 2015 nuclear deal meant to ensure that Iran could not develop atomic weapons.

Persons: Donald Trump, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Matthew Miller, Washington, ”, Rafael Mariano Grossi, ” Henry Rome, Matthew Lee Organizations: United Nations, . State Department, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Associated Press, U.S, Washington Institute for Near East Locations: VIENNA, Britain, France, Germany, Iran, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, Tehran “, United States, China, South, Washington

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS/LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany said on Thursday they would retain ballistic missile and nuclear proliferation-related sanctions on Iran that were set to expire in October under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a step that could provoke Iranian retaliation. The JCPoA agreed with Iran in 2015 envisaged a "Transition Day" eight years later, when remaining ballistic missile and nuclear-related sanctions on Iran would be lifted. But Britain, France and Germany will now transfer UN sanctions on Iran that are due to be lifted next month into domestic law, while Britain and the EU will retain existing sanctions, Britain's Foreign office said in a statement. The crux of the JCPoA pact, which Iran made with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S., limited Tehran’s nuclear programme making it harder for it to get fissile material for a bomb in return for relief from economic sanctions. We stand ready to reverse our decision, should Iran fully implement its JCPoA commitments," the E3 said, referring to a mechanism that would immediately restore all UN sanctions against Iran.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Josep Borrell, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Sachin Ravikumar, Parisa, David Holmes, Timothy Gardner Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, REUTERS, Reuters, EU, Iran, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Iran, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Tehran, United States, China, U.S, Dubai

☆ Putin is scared that an arms deal with Kim Jong Un will make him even more of a global pariah, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin fears an arms deal with Kim Jong Un could threaten his sanction-evasion schemes, war experts say. Russia has gotten better at evading sanctions with new trade routes and loopholes, experts say. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The meeting between the two leaders came amid "increased international scrutiny of Russian sanctions evasion," the ISW said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe EU and the US recently expanded bans on dual-use and high-tech goods and technology to third countries that could ship the goods to Russia.

Persons: Putin, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Josep Borrell Organizations: Service, Institute for, North, North Korean, New York Times, EU's, Foreign Affairs, Security, Atlantic Council, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, North Korea, Vladivostok, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Family of Swede detained in Iran calls for international support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The family of a Swedish EU employee detained in Iran have urged the international community to help secure his release after over 500 days of incarceration for alleged spying, his family said on Sunday. "The family, friends, and supporters of Johan are calling for urgent international attention to secure his immediate release and safe return to Europe," the family wrote on a weabite dedicated to his release, on his 33rd birthday. They said that starting in February 2023 Floderus was restricted to making short phone calls once a month. For years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges. He was sentenced to life in prison last year, prompting Iran to recall its envoy to Sweden in protest.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Johan Floderus, Johan, Floderus, Marie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Iran, Islamic Republic, Europe, Tehran, Stockholm, Sweden

☆ African leaders work on response to Gabon military coup ousting President Bongo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the current chair of West African bloc ECOWAS, said on Wednesday he was working closely with other African leaders to contain what he called a "contagion of autocracy" spreading across Africa. Senior officers in Gabon announced their coup before dawn on Wednesday, shortly after an election body declared that Bongo had comfortably won a third term after Saturday's vote. The coups also showed the limited leverage of African powers once the military takes over. Military leaders elsewhere have also resisted international pressure, such as in Mali. The African Union, former colonial power France, the United States, Canada and Britain have all expressed concern about the coup.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Bola Tinubu, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Omar, Josep Borrell Organizations: Economic, Central African States, West, ECOWAS, Military, African Union Locations: Gabon, West, Central Africa, Nigerian, Africa, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Libreville, France, United States, Canada, Britain, European

☆ Situation in Gabon, West Africa a big issue for Europe - EU's Borrell
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell delivers a speech during a ceremony opening EU's Partnership Mission in Chisinau, Moldova, May 31, 2023. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said Borrell, speaking at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Toledo. "This is a big issue for Europe," he added. The signs of a coup in Gabon come just weeks after members of the presidential guard in Niger seized power and established a junta. Reporting by Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten; Writing by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Vladislav Culiomza, Ali Bongo, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Sudip Kar, Conor Humphries Organizations: European Union for Foreign Affairs, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Gabonese, Central African, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Rights TOLEDO, Spain, Gabon, Toledo, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, it's, Europe

☆ Reaction to Gabon army officers announcing coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are reactions to what appeared to be the eighth military coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON OLIVIER VERAN"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections." EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY JOSEP BORRELL"If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MARIA ZAKHAROVA"Moscow has received with concern reports of a sharp deterioration in the internal situation in the friendly African country. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES"The Secretary-General is following the evolving situation in Gabon very closely.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Moussa Faki Mahamat, BOLA TINUBU'S, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GENERAL PATRICIA SCOTLAND, OLIVIER VERAN, WANG WENBIN, Bongo, JOSEP BORRELL, MARIA ZAKHAROVA, JOHN KIRBY, It's, GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, Central African, AU, H.E, WEST, BLOC ECOWAS, GENERAL, Commonwealth Secretariat, MINISTRY, EU HIGH, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, Gabonese Republic, Republic, NIGERIA, African Union, CHINA, China, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Moscow

REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou Acquire Licensing RightsTOLEDO, Spain, Aug 31 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers meet in Spain on Thursday to discuss their response to last month's coup in Niger - including possible sanctions - as they also consider news of military officers declaring they have seized power in Gabon. Borrell said the EU was "moving forward" with work on a legal framework for sanctions against the junta in Niger and the foreign ministers would discuss it further on Thursday. Both the EU and ECOWAS have already imposed punitive economic and political measures on Niger but the framework would allow the EU to target specific individuals and organisations. Borrell said on Wednesday after an EU defence ministers' meeting that the EU would seek to mirror any measures taken by ECOWAS. Diplomats said another subject of discussion was how the EU should respond if ECOWAS asks for financial help for a military intervention to restore Niger's ousted government.

Persons: Ibro Amadou, Mahamadou, Dmytro Kuleba, Hassoumi Massoudou, Niger's, Omar Touray, Josep Borrell, Borrell, David Latona, Andrew Gray, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nigerien, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Ukrainian Foreign, ECOWAS, Wednesday, West, EU, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Rights TOLEDO, Spain, Gabon, West, Central, Toledo, Ukraine, West Africa's, EU

☆ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The officers said on television channel Gabon 24 that they represented all Gabonese security and defence forces. They said the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Bongo, 64, succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009 and was re-elected in a disputed election in 2016.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Elisabeth Borne, insurgencies, Josep Borrell, Albert Ondo Ossa, Omar, Eramet, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nellie Peyton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Central African, OPEC, French, Military, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gabonese, Centre, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, LIBREVILLE, Libreville, France, West, Central Africa, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad . Niger

☆ EU officials say sanctions against Russia have had 'hard tangible effects,' and that the country's future is bleak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sanctions on Russia have had a withering effect on Moscow's economy, the European Union said. That's one of the main reasons why Russia's economic future looks "bleak," according to one official. Despite Putin's show of defiance, scholars say Russia is in a far worse state than the Kremlin has let on. The European Union imposed 11 rounds of sanctions against Russia starting shortly after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Russia's energy revenue tumbled 45% over the first quarter of this year after the EU oil ban took effect.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Borrell Organizations: European Union, Kremlin, Service, Union, Russia, EU, European Commission, Organization, Economic Co Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe

☆ Armenia-Azerbaijan: 'Reasonable' to believe genocide being committed, former ICC chief prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said there is “reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed against Armenians” in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been battling over the region for decades. On Monday, UN experts urged Azerbaijan to lift a blockade on the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. An Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entry of the Lachin corridor, the Armenian-populated breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia, on July 30. “It is essential to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals during this critical time,” they added.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Ocampo, KAren Minasyan, Vahe, Josep Borrell, “, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Karabak Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, UN Security, Deputy, European Union, EU Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Netherlands, UNHCR, Azerbaijani

☆ EU warns that Russia aims to create new dependencies with cheap grain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. After Russia quit last month it began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River and global grain prices spiked. "This is a cynical policy of deliberately using food as a weapon to create new dependencies by exacerbating economic vulnerabilities and global food insecurity," he added. He said the EU would "continue to support the tireless efforts" of the United Nations and Turkey to revive the Black Sea grain deal. Borrell shared the July 31 letter with his EU counterparts on Wednesday, saying it aimed "to counter Russian disinformation around global food security and the impact of EU sanctions."

Persons: Yoruk, Josep Borrell, Russia, Borrell, Vladimir Putin, Antonio Guterres, Antony Blinken, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, European, Reuters, United, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, EU, European Commission, United Nations, Security, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, EU, Moscow, Ukraine, United Nations, Russian, Africa, New York

☆ Even Pope Francis is calling on Russia to rejoin the Black Sea grain initiative as wheat prices spike
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis called on Russia to restore the Black Sea grain deal Sunday. “I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, so that the Black Sea initiative may be resumed and grain may be transported safely,” Francis said. "I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, so that the Black Sea initiative may be resumed and grain may be transported safely," Francis said during his weekly Angelus message, delivered to Roman Catholics worldwide. Benchmark wheat prices had their biggest one-day jump in over a decade the week Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, a United Nations-brokered agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export grains and oilseeds through a safe shipping corridor for the past year. As well as Pope Francis, top policymakers from the UN and European Union have warned that Russia's latest economic assault on the West will make it much more expensive for poorer countries to import grain.

Persons: Pope Francis, Moscow, ” Francis, Francis, Angelus, Pope, António Guterres, Josep Borrell Organizations: UN, Russian Federation, Service, United Nations, Chicago Board of Trade, Kremlin, European Union Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow

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