UKRAINE

The request for the jets comes just days after Germany committed to supplying Leopard 2 tanks.

Iran’s Defense Ministry says one of its factories was attacked by drones in the central city of Isfahan

Ukraine expects to receive 24 modern fighter jets from partner nations, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in a comment to Spanish daily newspaper El País on Jan. 28.

It’s good that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is finally giving Ukraine tanks. Now let’s admit what it took to get there.

German Leopard 2 tanks and US M1 Abrams tanks will spearhead attacks on Russia - but is it enough?

Gen. Michael Minihan cited presidential elections in both Taiwan and the United States in 2024 as part of his rationale.

Wagner Group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin argued that he would rather use prisoners than send fresh recruits, whom he called "dandelion boys," to the front lines of Ukraine.

Mstyslav Chernov's documentary "20 Days in Mariupol," a first-person account of the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, won the audience prize for world cinema documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Juries for the various sections at the festival announced the winners at an awards ceremony Friday in Park City, Utah. “I want to thank everyone who believed in us: AP, Frontline and Sundance and all the audiences who did not turn away,” Chernov said. In total, 12 films premiered in the world cinema documentary section, including films about climate change, Syria, growing up during apartheid and the International Chopin Piano Competition. Other prize winners in the category included “Fantastic Machine,” for creative vision, “Against the Tide” for verité filmmaker, and “Some Sauna Sisterhood” for directing.

The agreement between the US and Germany is a critical step toward helping Ukraine regain lost ground.

The foreign ministers of France and the Netherlands have paid an official visit to a military base in Romania where both nations station troops as a part of a NATO battlegroup that was bolstered in the wake of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine

BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — The foreign ministers of France and the Netherlands paid an official visit on Friday to a military base in Romania where both nations station troops as a part of a NATO battlegroup that was bolstered in the wake of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Catherine Colonna of France and Wopke Hoekstra of the Netherlands visited the military base in Cincu, central Romania, along with their Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu. The drill involved some 200 military vehicles, including four French Leclerc battle tanks that practiced firing live ammunition. They will also discuss developments in Moldova, which has been impacted in a multitude of ways since Moscow launched its war against Ukraine, Moldova's neighbor. ___Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2023 The Associated Press.

The foreign ministers of France and the Netherlands paid an official visit to Romania on Friday where they visited a NATO battlegroup, and later signed an agreement to strengthen ties between the three countries amid Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine.

Leopard 2s have a big advantage for Ukraine: They're widely available in Europe.

OSWIECIM, Poland — (AP) — Survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau are gathering Friday to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp in the final months of World War II, amid the horror of war again shattering peace in Europe. In all, some 1.1 million people were killed at the vast complex before it was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended observances marking the 60th anniversary of the camp’s liberation in 2005. Bartnikowski was among several survivors of Auschwitz who spoke about their experiences to journalists on the eve of Friday's commemorations. About 6 million European Jews were killed in the Holocaust and millions more were killed in the global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945.

Survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau are gathering to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp amid horror that yet another war has shattered peace in Europe

Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors and other mourners have commemorated the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp in the final months of World War II.

At least 11 people died in Russian missile strikes across Ukraine, according to Kyiv. “Only weapons neutralize terrorists," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The government in Kyiv is trying to tackle corruption head-on, but it’s a risky strategy.

President Biden's promise to deliver tanks to Ukraine could be delayed for months because the Pentagon reportedly does not have the 31 tanks in stock.

The one-year mark is approaching in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and one Central Florida college student is telling the story of the conflict through his lens in an exhibit at an Orlando art museum.

The site was blocked in Russia nearly a year ago, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began, along with websites of multiple other independent news outlets. Russian authorities also evicted from its property a human rights center named in honor of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, and they closed the country’s oldest human rights organization. The crackdown intensified after Russia sent troops into Ukraine 11 months ago and passed another law penalizing information that is seen as discrediting Russian troops. Also Thursday, the human rights center named after Sakharov said Moscow city authorities had ordered it to vacate its premises. Russia this week also shut down the country’s oldest human rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group.

President Joe Biden has signed off on a two-year extension of a program that protects Hong Kong residents in the U.S. from deportation.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday expanded U.S. sanctions against Russia's Wagner Group and related companies and individuals for their role in the war in Ukraine and mercenary activities, including human rights abuses, in Africa. The sanctions also hit the Chinese company Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co. LTD, also known as Spacety China, which has supplied Wagner Group affiliates with satellite imagery of Ukraine that support Wagner's military operations there. The announcements re-designate the Wagner Group, a private Russian military group owned by a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, as a “significant transnational criminal organization.” The firm had already been identified as such but the re-designations expand the sanctions. “As sanctions and export controls on Russia from our international coalition continue to bite, the Kremlin is desperately searching for arms and support — including through the brutal Wagner Group — to continue its unjust war against Ukraine,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. In addition, the State Department imposed separate but related sanctions on five companies and one person linked to the Wagner Group and 23 others for being part of Russia's military-industrial complex.

The Biden administration is expanding sanctions against Russia's Wagner Group and related companies and individuals for their role in the war in Ukraine and mercenary activities, including human rights abuses, in Africa.

Ukraine's Defence Intelligence has published intercepted conversations of the invaders about deserters near Russian Belgorod and their punishment. Source: Press service of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Quote: "I got newcomers.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — (AP) — Germany apologized on Thursday for using a leopard emoji in a jibe at Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter that ended up offending some Africans. The German foreign ministry poked fun at Russia's top diplomat during his tour of Africa when it tweeted that he wasn't there looking for leopards, but using the trip to try and justify Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The tweet, and the leopard emoji the foreign ministry used on its official account, played off Germany's decision to send some of its advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help its military fight off Russian forces. But an African Union official took offense at what she said was the continent being portrayed as only about wild animals. South Africa was one of several to abstain from a U.N. vote last year condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Germany has apologized for using a leopard emoji in a jibe at Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter that ended up offending some Africans.

Germany apologized on Thursday for using a leopard emoji in a jibe at Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter that ended up offending some Africans. The German foreign ministry poked fun at Russia's top diplomat during his tour of Africa when it tweeted that he wasn't there looking for leopards, but using the trip to try and justify Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The tweet, and the leopard emoji the foreign ministry used on its official account, played off Germany's decision to send some of its advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help its military fight off Russian forces.

Kyiv appears confident that, as with Western tanks, it will eventually be given F-16s too.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog says antisemitism is on the rise in the Western world and he is urging the European Union to ensure that Jews can live safely on the continent where the Holocaust took place

A 16-year-old in Denmark has been charged with joining an international neo-Nazi group and having tried to recruit another person to the group, which Danish authorities described as a terrorist group

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Western-type fighter jets are the next target, as President Volodymyr Zelensky called for aircraft and long-range missiles.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the specter of nuclear weapon use, Earth crept its closest to Armageddon, a science-oriented advocacy group said, moving its famous “Doomsday Clock” up to just 90 seconds before midnight. The advocacy group started in 1947 to use a clock to symbolize the potential and likelihood of people doing something to end humanity. It moved the clock 10 seconds closer than last year, making it the closest it has ever been to striking 12. at the Disco to disband; singer Brendon Urie will ‘focus on family’“We are sending a message that the situation is becoming more urgent,” Bulletin President Rachel Bronson said at the online announcement. Russia attacks Ukraine: What you need to know Ukraine urged caution after Russia announced withdrawal from the city of Kherson.

Ukraine hails the announcements as a turning point, while Russia says they are a provocation.

The United Nations says it needs $4.3 billion to fund its humanitarian activities in war-torn Yemen this year

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden said the U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to support Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s invasion. In his remarks, Biden also praised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for agreeing to contribute tanks to support Ukraine, saying, “Germany has really stepped up.”

“The majority of the committee believes Switzerland must offer its contribution to European security, which requires more substantial aid to Ukraine,” the committee said. Authorizations for the re-export of Swiss weaponry to Ukraine, let alone direct shipments from Switzerland, have been off the table. Last week, Spain requested authorization to transfer to Ukraine two 35 mm anti-aircraft guns that were imported from Switzerland. In complex and significant situations like the Ukraine war, it can seek input and decision-making from the Federal Council. ___Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2023 The Associated Press.

The U.S. and Germany had resisted sending tanks for months. This marks the latest upgrade in heavy weapons for Ukraine and comes amid growing expectations the fighting will soon escalte.

Greek authorities say a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 has struck off the coast of the southeastern Greek island of Rhodes

Both the United States and Germany are planning to send tanks to Ukraine to aid in its fight against Russia, according to The Associated Press. >> Read more trending newsGermany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday that Germany had decided to not only send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine but to allow other nations that have the Leopard tanks to send their own. Poland, which is planning to send 14 Leopard tanks, had threatened to do so with or without Berlin’s permission. The decision to send the Abrams tanks comes just days after the Biden administration argued against sending the tanks. Germany has said for weeks that it would not send the Leopard tanks if the US does not send Abrams to Ukraine.

Egypt’s top religious institution has called on Muslims world over to boycott Swedish and Dutch products over the desecration of Islam’s holy book by far-right activists in the two European countries

BERLIN — (AP) — After weeks of hesitation that saw growing impatience among Germany's allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz was expected to announce Wednesday that his government will approve supplying German-made battle tanks to Ukraine. Scholz had insisted that any move to provide Ukraine with powerful Leopard 2 tanks would need to be closely coordinated with Germany's allies, chiefly the United States. By getting Washington to commit some of its own tanks Berlin hopes to spread the risk of any backlash from Russia. The pressure on Scholz mounted this week after Poland formally asked Germany to approve sending Leopard 2 tanks from Polish stocks to Ukraine. Germany news weekly Der Spiegel reported that Berlin could initially approve the supply of one tank company, comprising 14 vehicles.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to announce Wednesday that his government will approve supplying German-made battle tanks to Ukraine

Russia’s ambassador in Washington said dispatching the M1 Abrams tanks would be a “blatant provocation.”

The investment bank has identified eight stocks to buy ahead of a potentially volatile European earnings season.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — (AP) — Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50% in 2022 compared to the previous year, driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. The effect is particularly notable in Haiti, where seven journalists were killed in 2022, a huge number for a small island country of about 12 million people. The CPJ noted that more than half — 35 of the 67 killings — took place in just three countries: Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. Mexico saw 13 news workers killed, according to the committee. The 2022 killings also included four journalists in the Philippines, and two each in Colombia, Brazil and Honduras.

Many of Wednesday's papers look at calls for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to cut taxes and Germany's decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Countries deemed too dangerous for travel by the State Department are known for civil unrest, terrorist activity, and kidnappings.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia is facing a shortage of certain medicines amid its war with Ukraine, even though the country is producing more of its own drugs domestically.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the specter of nuclear weapon use, Earth crept its closest to Armageddon, a science-oriented advocacy group said, moving its famous "Doomsday Clock" up to just 90 seconds before midnight. “We are really closer to that doomsday,” former Mongolian president Elbegdorj Tsakhia said Tuesday at the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists annual announcement rating how close humanity is from doing itself in. The advocacy group started in 1947 to use a clock to symbolize the potential and likelihood of people doing something to end humanity. It moved the clock 10 seconds closer than last year, making it the closest it has ever been to striking 12. “We are sending a message that the situation is becoming more urgent,” Bulletin President Rachel Bronson said at the online announcement.

PARIS — (AP) — Paris is rushing to finish construction work in time for the 2024 Olympics with just 18 months to go. The steel that was going to be used for the arena was initially going to be provided by Ukraine, said Christophe Rosa, the deputy general delegate of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic delegation at Paris City Hall. The construction work, which costs about 138 million euros ($150 million), requires 1,500 tons of steel. Two gymnasiums next to the venue will provide sport facilities that are much needed in one of the poorest areas of the capital, according to Paris City Hall. “It’s the only venue that we’re having to build in the city of Paris for the Olympic Games," said Eve Brunelle, equipment project manager at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic delegation at city hall.

Paris is rushing to finish construction work in time for the 2024 Olympics with just 18 months to go.

The world is closer to catastrophe than it ever has been, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said on Tuesday. The group's experts called out Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other threats.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — (AP) — Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50% in 2022 compared to the previous year, driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. The effect is particularly notable in Haiti, where seven journalists were killed in 2022, a huge number for a small island country of about 12 million people. The CPJ noted that more than half — 35 of the 67 killings — took place in just three countries: Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. Mexico saw 13 news workers killed, according to the committee. The 2022 killings also included four journalists in the Philippines, and two each in Colombia, Brazil and Honduras.

Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50% in 2022 compared to the previous year, driven largely by the slayings of reporters in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti

Buckingham Palace says U.K. Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their second child this summer

The German military-industrial concern Rheinmetall has announced that it is ready to transfer up to 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine if the German government gives the green light, the BBC reported on Jan. 23.

France and Germany have commemorated the 60th anniversary of their post-World War II friendship treaty by committing to “unwavering support” for Ukraine and to strengthening the European Union.

The U.S. Treasury Department will impose additional sanctions on the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, that has been aiding Russia’s military in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a substantial boost in military spending through the end of this decade to face evolving threats.

The European Union’s parliament calls on the member states to back the creation of a special court to judge on any war crime of agression by Russia in Ukraine.

Poland's prime minister has requested a security review of strategic infrastructure after three foreign divers were rescued from near a key oil port where they had no authorization to be.

The Biden administration will provide $125 million for parts and other supplies to help repair crews in Ukraine keep up with Russian strikes pounding the country’s electrical system.

Poland’s prime minister says he wants the German government to supply a wide range of weapons to Ukraine.

Moldovan authorities said on Saturday that the remains of a rocket “originating from Russia’s air attacks on Ukraine” was found by border officials in a northern village near to the country’s border with war-torn Ukraine.

Russia claims that its forces have captured the fiercely contested salt mining town of Soledar.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that the rule of law is at grave risk of becoming “the Rule of Lawlessness.”.

President Joe Biden will host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the White House for talks that are expected to center on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A leading rights group says widespread opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the power of a unified response against human rights abuses.

Russia's still making plenty of money from oil sales despite a price cap imposed by the Group of Seven major democracies.

The Biden administration says Iran’s sale of lethal drones to Russia for use in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine means the country may be “contributing to widespread war crimes.”.

Russian authorities have announced criminal probes against a famous actor critical of the war in Ukraine and a philanthropist who supports the Russian opposition.

Revelers are celebrating the traditional ball drop in New York City’s Times Square, ushering in 2023 in the largest New Year’s celebration in the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has defended what he says is his country’s position of impartiality on the war in Ukraine and signaled that China would deepen ties with Russia in the coming year.

Access to health care for Native Americans across the U.S. will be bolstered with funding included in a government spending bill approved by Congress.

The White House says a private Russian military company has taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster its forces as it fights side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine.

Congressional leaders have unveiled a $1.7 trillion bill to fund the government.

A senior U.S. military official says Russia's war in Ukraine and anti-regime protests in Iran limited both adversaries' ability to influence or interfere in the recent midterm elections.

Emergency crews have pulled the body of a toddler from the rubble in a pre-dawn search for survivors of a Russian missile strike that tore through an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.

Elections, coups, disease outbreaks and extreme weather are some of the main events that occurred across Africa in 2022.

A new report says the war in Ukraine, chaos in Haiti and criminal groups in Mexico contributed to a sharp spike in the number of journalists killed in 2022 over the previous year.

Ukraine's finance minister says crucial Western financial aid is “not charity” but “self-preservation" as donor countries share the price of turning back Russian aggression.

The United States will increase exports of liquefied natural gas to Britain under a new agreement calling for the two countries to work together to boost energy security and drive down prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda and the country's defense minister have taken delivery of a first shipment of tanks and howitzers from South Korea, hailing the swift implementation of a deal signed in the summer in the face of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

EU leaders and their counterparts in the Western Balkans have worked to strengthen their partnership during a summit in Albania as Russia's war in Ukraine threatens to reshape the geopolitical balance in the region.

Global arms sales have grown by nearly 2%, chiefly because of the war in Ukraine.

India's foreign minister has signaled that his country will continue to buy oil from Russia, even as Western governments press Moscow with a price cap on its oil exports.

The war in Ukraine has put the European Union’s expansion at the top of the agenda as officials from the Western Balkans and EU leaders prepare to meet Tuesday.

Europe’s largest security organization has opened a meeting in Poland strongly denouncing Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Russia and Kenya received encouraging news from track and field’s ruling body, though any possible reprieve for Russia was tempered by World Athletics’ intent to keep the country out of international meets until the war in Ukraine is over.

Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Hudson and “Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson have been named People magazine’s 2022 “People of the Year.”.

Moldova’s Foreign Minister says that apart from Ukraine, his country has been hit hardest by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, as NATO offered fresh support to three countries shaken by the effects of Russia’s 10-month-old war.

Finland’s leader says it must give more weapons and support to Ukraine to ensure it wins its war against Russia.

Russia is complaining about Pope Francis’ latest condemnation of atrocities in Ukraine.

The Biden administration says Russia has abruptly postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week.

Russian energy giant Gazprom announced Monday that it will not further reduce natural gas to Moldova as it had threatened to do after claiming that bills went unpaid and that flows crossing through Ukraine were not making it to Moldova.

The intense firefight over Ukraine has the Pentagon rethinking its weapons stockpiles.

Russian rockets have rained down on a small town in eastern Ukraine for the second time in a week, killing a newborn boy and destroying the municipal hospital.

Diplomats are drumming up money and other support Monday for Europe’s poorest country, Moldova.

Leaders from around the Asia-Pacific have condemned and called for an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.