Zelenskiy hails surprise visit after Cameron pledges to continue UK military support
David Cameron has travelled to Kyiv for his first trip as UK foreign secretary in an unannounced visit just days after his surprise appointment, but did not make any significant announcement about fresh military aid.
As he met Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on Thursday, Cameron pledged that long-term British support for Ukraine would continue.
Continue reading...Aleksandra Skochilenko replaced five supermarket price tags with pieces of paper urging shoppers to stop the war
A Russian court has sentenced a St Petersburg artist to seven years in prison in a closely watched trial that has highlighted the severe punishments meted out to ordinary Russians for even small acts of civil protest against the invasion of Ukraine.
Aleksandra “Sasha” Skochilenko, an artist, musician and activist, was found guilty on Thursday of “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian army” in March 2022. The artist replaced five price tags in a local supermarket with pieces of paper urging shoppers to stop the war and resist propaganda on television.
Continue reading...The prestigious awards are being held in Europe for the first time. But does this ‘landmark moment for Spain’ neglect the musicians at the forefront of Latin music innovation?
Hordes of fans wait anxiously along fenced barriers clutching their phones, itching to catch a shot of some of the world’s most famous musicians. Some scream in excitement as cars with blacked-out windows roll up outside the glitzy venues, eagerly anticipating the arrival of artists such as Shakira, Maluma, Camilo and Karol G in the run up to the ceremony on Thursday night (16 November). This is the Latin Grammys, the most prominent event recognising artists in the Latin music world – but this year, it’s far from its usual lavish Las Vegas home. Instead, the awards are taking place in the Spanish city of Seville, the first time outside the United States in its 24-year history.
The move is the result of a three-year sponsorship deal with Andalucía’s regional government, which has allocated €22,748,000 to the ceremony and its satellite concerts. The president of the regional government, Juan Manuel Moreno, has said that the Latin Grammys in Seville presents a “landmark moment for Spain, and for Europe”.
Continue reading...MPs vote Sánchez in for second term by 179 votes to 171 but People’s Party says result comes after ‘huge assault on the rule of law’
The conservative People’s party (PP) is continuing its criticism of Pedro Sánchez inside and outside congress, hammering him for his deals with Junts and the ERC.
This is what the PP’s secretary general, Cuca Gamarra, just told the COPE radio station:
The problem our country has is called Pedro Sánchez. Pedro Sánchez is the problem because we’re talking about a politician who is capable of doing anything in his own interest and in order to remain in government in Spain. To get the seven votes he needed after losing the [general] election, he’s gone as far as signing and saying he’s going to deliver an impunity law in return for his investiture. There’s no doubt whatsoever that the danger Spain and our coexistence is facing is called Pedro Sánchez. That’s what we’re talking about.
The investiture isn’t happening today or yesterday – it’s already a done deal that was agreed outside Spain, in Waterloo.
Continue reading...Proposals aimed at choking off commercial revenues include total ban on sale of Russian rough diamonds
The European Commission is proposing a 12th round of sanctions against Moscow, including restrictions on scores of individuals apparently including the son of the former president Dmitry Medvedev and a relative of Vladimir Putin’s.
Among the 47 individuals the commission wants added to existing sanctions lists are Putin’s cousin Anna Tsivileva, who chairs the “defenders of the fatherland” foundation that supports Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Continue reading...Sauli Niinistö says this is Russia’s response to Finland’s cooperation with US and vows to take ‘very clear action’
The Finnish president has vowed to take “very clear action” over the growing number of asylum seekers arriving from Russia, which he said appeared to be a Kremlin act of revenge for Finland’s cooperation with the US.
Sauli Niinistö’s comments come after the Finnish border guard reported steadily increasing numbers of asylum seekers arriving at border crossing points in south-east Finland in recent days.
Continue reading...Bill Pallot is charged with building pieces to sell at high prices to buyers including Palace of Versailles
A leading French art expert is to face trial on charges of forgery for building furniture that he falsely claimed to be from the 18th century and that was sold at high prices to buyers who included the Palace of Versailles.
Bill Pallot, an expert on 18th-century French furniture, is charged with implementing the scam between 2008 and 2015, in one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the art world in recent years.
Continue reading...Russian officials acknowledge presence of Ukrainian troops, reported to be engaged in heavy fighting
Ukrainian troops have established a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, officials from Russia and Ukraine have acknowledged, in an operation that Kyiv says will open new avenues of attack toward Crimea.
Estimates of the number of Ukrainian troops involved range from dozens to several hundred and they are reported to be engaged in heavy fighting with Russian forces on the far side of the river.
Continue reading...Cypriot government and EU respond to revelations over apparent role of local companies in helping oligarchs shield wealth
The Cyprus police force is investigating how an oligarch attempted to transfer a £1bn stake in a public company on the day he was placed under EU sanctions, government insiders have told the Guardian.
News of the involvement of the financial crime squad came as the Cypriot government and the European Union responded to revelations that local service providers appear to have played a key role in enabling Russian oligarchs to shield assets from EU sanctions within days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Continue reading...Robert Fico describes leading broadcasters and newspapers as hostile and says they are ‘unwelcome guests at government office’
Slovakian journalists and international watchdogs have expressed alarm after the new prime minister, Robert Fico, described leading media outlets as hostile and threatened to restrict their access.
Fico, who took over as Slovakia’s leader in October as part of a coalition government led by his populist Smer party, said this week that some of the country’s biggest outlets were not welcome in his office.
Continue reading...Broadcaster NDR launches investigation after Hubert Seipel admits receiving support for work on two books on Russian leader
A German publisher has announced a stop to the sale of books authored by a leading journalist and Russia expert after an investigation showed he had received at least €600,000 (£522,000) in undisclosed offshore payments from companies linked to an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.
Hubert Seipel, an award-winning film-maker and author, admitted receiving support for his work on two books charting the Russian leader’s rise to power and offering portrayals described as sympathetic to him.
Continue reading...Boeing 747 cargo plane turns back after horse becomes untethered in flight and pilot says ‘We cannot get the horse back secured’
A cargo plane heading for Belgium was forced to return to New York City after a horse escaped from its crate on board.
The horse became loose on the Boeing 747 cargo plane within 30 minutes of the plane’s initial takeoff, according to the audio clips from air traffic control that were reconstructed on YouTube, ABC News reported.
Continue reading...Petr Aven, a UK-based billionaire who owns a Surrey mansion, is under UK and EU sanctions
He is a billionaire Russian oligarch who has been closely linked to Vladimir Putin for three decades.
And for years Petr Aven also enjoyed the trappings of London high society, as a trustee and donor of the Royal Academy of Arts, as well as owning three multimillion-pound UK properties, including one in the ultra-wealthy Surrey enclave of Virginia Water.
Continue reading...Floods force evacuation of homes, schools and town halls in Calais region and in the Alps
Widespread flooding in northern and eastern France has led to thousands of people having to evacuate their waterlogged homes, the collapse of roads and the closure of schools and public buildings.
Record rainfall has caused rivers to break their banks, forcing the government to declare an official state of emergency in hundreds of towns and villages.
Continue reading...Research in 21 countries suggests a growing ‘a la carte’ approach where states ‘mix and match’ partners on different issues
As the US and Chinese presidents meet on Wednesday in high-stakes diplomacy intended to reduce tensions between the world’s two superpowers, a survey of 21 countries shows that geopolitical alliances no longer fit a “west v the rest” frame.
Many in the west think it is in decline, many outside it want China to be more active in their economies and believe Russia will win its war against Ukraine, and many beyond Europe reckon the EU will not last another 20 years, according to the research, which concludes that global relations are becoming increasingly “a la carte”.
Continue reading...Oleksandr Dubinsky accused of spreading disinformation about Ukrainian interference in US politics while in pay of Russian intelligence
Ukrainian authorities have arrested a controversial MP who was at the heart of efforts by Rudy Giuliani to dig up compromising material about Joe Biden, and placed him in pre-trial detention.
Oleksandr Dubinsky, 42, is accused of collusion with Russia and of spreading “fake” information about Ukraine’s political and military leadership, in particular related to his claims about supposed Ukrainian interference in US political processes.
Continue reading...Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff says Ukraine’s forces established on Dnipro’s east bank in Kherson region. This live blog is closed
Here are some of images from the wires of leaders at a meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers at the European Council in Brussels today.
The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said on Tuesday that it had agreed a timetable for the construction of two new reactors at the Paks-2 nuclear plant in Hungary, Reuters reports.
Continue reading...In-development film comes after controversy around the re-creation of late stars’ voices, such as Anthony Bourdain
Sixty years after her death, Édith Piaf’s voice will be re-created using AI to narrate her biopic.
As reported by Variety, Warner Music Group (WMG) has partnered with the Piaf estate to produce the feature-length film Edith. Artificial intelligence has been trained to replicate Piaf’s voice by feeding it hundreds of voice clips, with WMG promising the resultant re-creation will “further enhance the authenticity and emotional impact of her story”.
Continue reading...The longtime chief of Positif film magazine started working there in 1968, and was a passionate advocate of cinema until his death
Michel Ciment, the celebrated French film critic and longtime editor of Positif magazine, has died aged 85. The magazine reported the news on social media, describing him as Positif’s “master architect” after a 60-year career.
Born in Paris in 1938, Ciment fell in love with cinema as a student, and joined Positif in 1968, becoming editorial director in 1973; he said he admired Positif over Cahiers du Cinéma because the magazine was “left wing” and influenced by surrealism. Ciment published a string of books about prominent film directors, including Kazan by Kazan (1973), Conversations with Losey (1979) and Stanley Kubrick (1980).
Continue reading...Biggest ever leak of financial data from Cyprus raises concerns over EU state’s role in managing Russian fortunes
Cyprus has vowed to tighten controls on its financial sector as an investigation published by the Guardian and its reporting partners reveals oligarchs transferred hundreds of millions in assets while sanctions loomed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The role of the blue-chip accountants PwC Cyprus and other advisers in managing transactions as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched their assault has emerged from Cyprus Confidential, a cache of 3.6m files leaked by an anonymous source to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Germany’s Paper Trail Media, which shared access with the Guardian and other reporting partners.
Continue reading...