List of All Articles with Tag 'eur'

The White House said it had information that Russia was executing its own soldiers who retreated from an offensive in Ukraine or refused to follow orders. “We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told a media briefing on Thursday. “We also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to execute entire units if they seek to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire,” he added. The US also claimed that some of the Russian casualties near Avdivvka were “on the orders of their own leaders”. Ukrainian forces have been fighting a Russian military onslaught in the frontline town of Avdiivka – a few kilometres north of occupied Donetsk – for several weeks since mid-October. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation as “particularly tough” earlier this week. Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, made no reference to the White House statement but said that the latest military aid package of $150m to Ukraine by the US was “provocative and inflammatory actions in the international arena that look more like pouring oil on the fire”. He wrote on Telegram: “It is long past time to halt the mindless multi-billion dollar flow to the bankrupt Kyiv regime. Time to stop showing total disdain towards the opinions of your own citizens and indifference to the growing number of victims dying from American weaponry.” Mr Kirby confirmed that since 11 October Russia lost “at least 125 units of armoured vehicles around Avdiivka and more than a battalion’s worth of military equipment”. White House also said that the Russian troops in Avdivvka are struggling with “low morale”. Mr Kirby warned that Russia will likely continue to attack around Avdiivka and “may be able to achieve some tactical gains” in the coming months. However, he added that this will come at the cost of “thousands of casualties” as the Russian soldiers are thrown into battle without proper training and with “poor morale”. Mr Kirby said threats to execute the soldiers were barbaric, according to Reuters. “I think it’s a symptom of ... how poorly Russia’s military leaders know they’re doing and how bad they have handled this from a military perspective.” Additional reporting with agencies Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary As the Turkish Republic turns 100, here's a look at its achievements and challenges ahead White House says Russia is executing its own soldiers for not following orders Russia recruits prisoners for Ukraine war as Putin replicates Wagner

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Oil headed for a weekly drop as bearishness in equity markets and dollar strength outweighed fears the Israel-Hamas

Mason Crosby tries out for the Rams, Matt LaFleur hints at the status of Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, and Jordan Love finds his defender.

Member states disagreed over whether to call for short breaks in the fighting or a longer pause.

By Yoruk Bahceli and Naomi Rovnick The European Central Bank steered clear on Thursday of signalling any big

European natural gas prices rose amid market jitters about the next phase in the Israel-Hamas war, including the

European Union leaders gathered Thursday to debate ways to use their combined leverage to ensure that more aid reaches Palestinians in need, and how to help EU citizens in Gaza escape danger, including some held hostage by Hamas. EU nations have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians, but the brutal nature of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7., which killed more than 1,400 people, and the hardship of civilians forced from their homes in Gaza have shone a bright spotlight on those divisions. Across the EU spectrum, Austria, Germany and Hungary are among Israel's top supporters. The leaders of Austria and Germany went to Israel to show solidarity after the assault. Spain and Ireland often focus on the plight of the Palestinians. Hamas, for its part, is on the EU’s list of terrorist groups. The challenge has been to strike a balance between condemning the Hamas attacks, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and ensuring that the rights of civilians on both sides are protected under international law. EU envoys have wrangled in recent days over whether to call for a “humanitarian pause” or “pauses,” or even a “window” in the fighting, to allow aid in. Israel’s strongest backers oppose any language that might be seen to constrain its right to self-defense. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza has soared past 7,000, according to Palestinian officials. It’s unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A draft of the leaders’ summit statement, seen by The Associated Press, sees them call “for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses.” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said: “I’m not obsessed about what language we use. What we want is the killing and the violence to stop; to stop so that humanitarian aid can get into Gaza, where Palestinian people are ... suffering, and also to allow us to get EU citizens out." He said that about 30 Irish Palestinian citizens are stuck. "We’re keen for them to be able to leave Gaza if they want to leave, and that’s currently not possible,” Varadkar told reporters. Despite its limited political leverage, the 27-nation bloc is the world’s top aid supplier to the Palestinians. It has sent almost 78 million euros ($82 million) this year and over 930 million euros ($982 million) since 2000. The EU has little influence over Israel – the United States is its staunchest ally – but remains the country’s biggest trade partner. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has trumpeted what it calls an “air bridge” for Gaza – it consists of two plane loads of aid so far – and has demanded that more humanitarian assistance be allowed into poverty and conflict-hit Gaza. In recent days, Israel has let more than 60 trucks with aid enter from Egypt. Aid workers and the EU say it's not enough, just a tiny fraction of what came in before the war. Israel is still barring deliveries of fuel — needed to power generators — saying it believes that Hamas will take it. A warning by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, over waning fuel supplies has raised alarm that the humanitarian crisis could quickly worsen. Gaza’s population has also been running out of food, water and medicine. The EU is UNRWA’s third biggest funder. Dozens of European nationals are believed to be among the more than 200 Israelis and foreigners taken hostage by Hamas. Scores more have been caught up in the turmoil as around 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents fled their homes under orders from the Israeli army. Exact numbers are difficult to establish as some countries prefer not to provide them for security reasons. EU officials also declined to say. Qatar has become a key interlocutor for countries hoping to have their captive nationals released. EU officials have said that Turkey could also play an important role, underscoring the need for the bloc to maintain good relations with countries in the region, beyond Israel. In the draft summit statement – perhaps due to the extreme security concerns – the leaders note only that they “reviewed the state of play and the follow-up on the different strands of action, including concerted efforts to assist EU citizens.” Read More Harris will attend an AI summit at a UK estate that was a base for World War II codebreakers European Union to press the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to set decades of enmity behind them Europe's central bank is set to halt rate hikes as the Mideast war casts a shadow over the economy Israel-Hamas war could threaten already fragile economies in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan British leader Rishi Sunak marks a year in office with little to celebrate Belgian police are looking for a Palestinian man following media report he could plan an attack

LONDON The European Central Bank broke the longest streak of interest rate rises in its 25-year history on

Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., the largest wind-turbine maker, said profit plunged as a price war continues

By Silvia Aloisi and Richa Naidu LONDON/PARIS Some of Europe's top companies, including Volkswagen and Unilever warned on

The Pope on Tuesday accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop whose diocese has been hit by reports of an orgy involving priests and a male sex worker. The Vatican did not give any reason for the departure of 59-year-old Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak as head of the diocese of Sosnowiec, in southwestern Poland. The bishop resigned after one of his priests was placed under criminal investigation over reports from last month that he had organised a sex party. It was also alleged that the male sex worker who had been invited to the orgy involving priests from the diocese had lost consciousness due to an overdose of erectile dysfunction pills. In September, Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal daily Polish newspaper, published a report stating that during the gathering, which took place in a facility owned by the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels in Dabrowa Gornicza, one of the priests had contacted emergency services to request an ambulance. But the paper — according to the New York Times — reported that the priests at the event hindered paramedics from helping the unconscious man. Paramedics later called the police and only then the priests relented. Waldemar Lubniewski, spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Sosnowiec, said at the time the investigation was focused on a “failure to provide assistance to a person in a situation that poses an immediate threat of loss of life or serious damage to health”. Father Tomasz Z, the priest who allegedly arranged the sex party within his church apartment, was identified solely by the diocese. He spoke with the Polish media last month, contesting the specific details of the incident. He questioned the accuracy of the count of priests present during the alleged sex party and remarked, “it is worth reading what the definition of an orgy is”. He brushed off the controversy over the events in his apartment as “an obvious attack on the church, including the clergy and believers” and said that the uproar would not have happened if “something similar had happened” to a person outside the clergy. But the diocese largely corroborated the media reports. It said that an outside investigative commission had concluded that Father Tomasz committed “a very serious violation of moral norms” as well as of his obligations as a priest. In a statement last month, the diocese said that the “participation” of Father Tomasz “in what happened on the night of August 30-31 is not in doubt”. It said that he had been stripped of all functions at the diocese and was “sent to live outside the parish”. Kaszak announced his resignation on 24 October but did not provide any more details. He has not been accused of having been involved in the alleged orgy but reports say he is being held responsible for the conduct of the priests under his diocese. “I ask everyone to forgive my human limitations,” he wrote in his statement. “If I have offended anyone or neglected something, I am very sorry.” Kaszak was designated as a bishop in 2009 by the then-Pope Benedict XVI, following a brief stint as the second-in-command in the Vatican’s family office. The Vatican embassy in Poland has announced that Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Katowice will serve as a temporary administrator, overseeing the diocese of Sosnowiec until the appointment of a new bishop. Read More The pope's absolute power, and the problems it can cause, are on display in 2 Vatican trials Vatican defends wartime Pope Pius XII as conference honors Israeli victims of Hamas incursion Pope Francis pushes to ‘open church to all’ as critics accuse him of ‘poisoning’ Catholicism 'Let's Fly,' the latest exhibition from the Balloon Museum, awakens childlike wonder in all of us Experts reconstruct the face of Peru’s most famous mummy, a teenage Inca sacrificed in Andean snow Pope accepts resignation of bishop of Polish diocese where gay orgy scandal under investigation