Turkey warns of risks of servicing Russian aircraft
Turkey's largest provider of airport ground handling services, Havaş, has warned of problems with the maintenance of Boeing airliners operated by Russian airlines, Russian media outlet RBC reported, citing a letter that Havaş CEO Mete Erna sent to contractors on Jan. 31.
news.yahoo.comRussian arms dealer, son and front firms hit with sanctions
WASHINGTON — (AP) — A Russian arms dealer, his son, a group of front companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East and their leadership have been targeted for U.S. sanctions in an effort to quell Russia's access to weapons as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. Russian arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, his son and companies connected to “the Zimenkov network” in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel, among other countries, were identified by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for financial penalties. Roughly 22 people and organizations related to a sanctions evasion network supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex were named in Wednesday's news release. “Russia’s desperate attempts to utilize proxies to circumvent U.S. sanctions demonstrate that sanctions have made it much harder and costlier for Russia’s military-industrial complex to resupply Putin’s war machine,” Treasury's Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a Wednesday statement. Ukraine is hoping to secure more Western military aid as it tries to fend off the much larger Russian forces.
wftv.comRussian arms dealer, son and front firms hit with sanctions
A Russian arms dealer, his son and a group of front companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East and their leadership have been targeted for U.S. sanctions in an effort to quell Russia’s access to weapons to continue its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine live briefing: Allies split over fighter jets for Ukraine; fierce fighting in Bakhmut
Several Western allies say they won’t send fighter jets, but some officials think they’ll relent. Bakhmut sees intense fighting but is not likely to imminently fall, analysts say.
washingtonpost.comUS accuses Russia of endangering nuclear arms control treaty
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Russia's refusal to allow on-the-ground inspections to resume is endangering the New START nuclear treaty and U.S.-Russian arms control overall, the Biden administration charged on Tuesday. “Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control,” the State Department said Tuesday. The administration also blamed Russia for the two country's failure to resume talks required under the New START treaty. It insisted the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control efforts were essential to the security of the U.S., its allies and the world at large. “It is all the more important during times of tension when guardrails and clarity matter most,” the State Department said.
wftv.comExperts seek investigation of Wagner Group, Mali forces
Independent human rights experts working with the U.N. are calling for an investigation of possible abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by government forces in Mali and Russian military contractor the Wagner Group.
Europe scrapes out economic growth by dodging gas disaster
Economic output crept 0.1% higher in the last three months of 2022, European Union statistics agency Eurostat reported Tuesday, avoiding an outright downturn as warmer-than-usual winter weather shelved fears of energy rationing in Europe. Growth also faced headwinds from reduced activity in China, a major trade partner, due to the severe COVID-19 restrictions that have since been lifted. A possible economic rebound there is a key question for Europe and the global economy this year, given China's previous role as a motor of global growth. The news comes as the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for global economic growth this year to 2.9% from 2.7%, not great but an improvement based partly on hopes for China. A stronger global economy is important for Europe given its extensive trade links.
wftv.comIMF upgrades outlook for the global economy in 2023
That's the view of the International Monetary Fund, which now expects the world economy to grow 2.9% this year. Together, China and India should account for half of this year's global growth, while the United States and Europe contribute 10%, according to Gourinchas. It has forecast its economy will shrink 0.6% in 2023; in October, the IMF had expected growth of 0.3%. The global outlook has been shrouded in uncertainty since the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020. Three weeks ago, the IMF’s sister agency, the World Bank, issued a more downbeat outlook for the global economy.
wftv.comIMF upgrades its outlook for the global economy in 2023
That's the view of the International Monetary Fund, which now expects the world economy to grow 2.9% this year. The IMF's 2023 growth outlook improved for the United States (forecast to grow 1.4%) as well as for the 19 countries that share the euro currency (0.7%). It has forecast that the British economy will shrink 0.6% in 2023; in October, the IMF had expected growth of 0.3%. The global outlook has been shrouded in uncertainty since the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020. Three weeks ago, the IMF’s sister agency, the World Bank, issued a more downbeat outlook for the global economy.
wftv.comWhy Biden doesn't want to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
President Biden says he won't send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite reports that some Pentagon officials are pushing for it. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, now president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, joins CBS News' John Dickerson to discuss the factors Mr. Biden must weigh what it could mean for the future of the war in Ukraine.
news.yahoo.com‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you:’ Former British PM says Putin threatened him with missile
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike in an “extraordinary” phone call prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the BBC is reporting. >> Read more trending newsJohnson recalled the phone call for a BBC documentary saying Putin told him it “would only take a minute” to launch a missile. According to Johnson, Putin made the threat after Johnson warned that a war with Ukraine would be an “utter catastrophe.”“He threatened me at one point, and he said, ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute’ or something like that. Johnson said he tried to dissuade him from invading Ukraine warning invasion would bring “massive” Western sanctions. “There were no threats with missiles,” Peskov said on a conference call with reporters.
wftv.comNATO chief urges Seoul to send military support to Ukraine
SEOUL, South Korea — (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called for South Korea to provide direct military support to Ukraine, saying Kyiv is in urgent need of weapons to fight off the prolonged Russian invasion. South Korea, a growing arms exporter with the large U.S.-backed military, has provided humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine while joining U.S.-led economic sanctions against Moscow. That’s the reality,” said Stoltenberg, who arrived in South Korea on Sunday on a trip that also includes Japan. Stoltenberg also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday. South Korean officials didn’t confirm any specific discussions about sending arms to Ukraine.
wftv.com’20 Days in Mariupol’ wins Sundance audience award
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.
wftv.comFrench, Dutch ministers visit NATO battlegroup in Romania
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
washingtonpost.comIn Romania, French, Dutch FMs sign agreement to boost ties
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.
First delivery of S. Korean heavy weapons comes to Poland
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.