French authorities have dropped a sensitive investigation into the plane crash that sparked Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, citing lack of sufficient evidence. Continue reading →
{FD} French police defend pulling out gun against protesters
French authorities on Sunday defended aggressive police actions to contain violence at yellow vest protests after a policeman was seen briefly brandishing a gun at a surging crowd in Paris. Continue reading →
{FD} France’s Macron defends Europe from all sides _ including US
After French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe needs to defend itself from the United States, aides said he was misunderstood. Continue reading →
{FD} Why it’s still in Russia’s interest to mess with US politics
Sweeping accusations that the Kremlin tried to sway the 2016 U.S. election haven’t chastened Russian trolls, hackers and spies — and might even have emboldened them. Continue reading →
{FD} New blow to GRU: More Russian military spies exposed
It seems like open season on the GRU. Continue reading →
{FD} Russia seeks to counter US weight as Lavrov takes UN stage
Russia is framing itself as a counterweight to U.S. power around the world as the Russian foreign minister takes his turn Friday at the annual U.N. General Assembly. Continue reading →
{FD} AP Interview: UNESCO chief says schools must fight extremism
The head of the U.N. education agency says schools are ground zero in the fight against anti-Semitism and extremist violence — and she will push world leaders meeting in New York this week to invest more in teaching tolerance. Continue reading →
{FD} Russian envoy: Moscow open to Putin visit to Washington
Moscow is ready to discuss a possible visit by President Vladimir Putin to Washington after a surprise invitation from President Donald Trump, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. said Friday. Continue reading →
{FD} Russia’s post-summit view: Praise for Putin, pity for Trump
For Vladimir Putin, holding a summit with Donald Trump was a victory in itself. Continue reading →
{FD} Trump wins sympathy from Russian media ahead of summit
U.S. President Donald Trump is no fan of American journalists, but he might love what the Russian media are saying about him ahead of his meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Continue reading →
{FD} Migration, outreach mean diversity is soccer’s new normal
When France’s xenophobic fringes disparage the country’s diverse World Cup team as more African than European, fans say, “So what?” Continue reading →
{FD} World Cup fans rev up revenues for sanctions-hobbled Russia
Moscow’s beer kegs are emptying fast and demand for Vladimir Putin T-shirts is overwhelming St. Petersburg street vendors as the World Cup sends business surging across the 11 Russian cities hosting soccer’s biggest show. Continue reading →
{FD} Hosting World Cup makes Russia more gay-friendly _ for now
While World Cup fans pack the St. Petersburg Stadium fantasizing of soccer victory, Pyotr Voskresensky and fellow gay rights activists follow the matches in a quiet gallery across town decorated with beanbags and astroturf. Continue reading →
{FD} Smiling Russians? World Cup hosts defy glum, hostile image
Chilly, gray, threatening. Continue reading →
{FD} Russian fans celebrate once-maligned team as heroes
What a transformation. Continue reading →
{FD} Russia’s World Cup headache: Keeping it safe, keeping it fun
When a taxi driver suddenly rammed into pedestrians near Red Square, despite intense security measures around Russian cities for the World Cup, fans and other visitors asked themselves: Are we safe? Continue reading →
{FD} Blast at French grain silo injures at least 4; cause unclear
Authorities say an explosion at a grain silo in the eastern French city of Strasbourg has injured at least four people, and a large rescue operation is underway. Continue reading →
{FD} Officials: Paris attacker born in Chechnya; parents detained
A French judicial official says the man behind a deadly knife attack in central Paris was born in Chechnya in 1997, and his parents have been detained. Continue reading →
{FD} Europe isn’t US ‘vassal,’ wants to uphold Iran nuclear deal
France urged Europeans to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump over the Iran nuclear deal and not act as “vassals,” as the region scrambles to save the 2015 accord and billions of dollars in trade. Continue reading →
{FD} Tourists at French abbey evacuated after threat
French authorities are evacuating tourists and others from the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey and monument in western France after a visitor apparently threatened to attack security services. Continue reading →
