Apr 27 European nations accuse Russia of 'blackmail' after shutting off natural gas for Poland and Bulgaria By Vanessa Gera, Veselin Toshkov, Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that "unfriendly" foreign customers start paying for gas in Russian rubles. European Union officials were holding emergency talks on Wednesday on the gas cutoff, which they also called blackmail. Continue reading
Apr 27 Japanese rail operator now entirely powered by renewable energy By Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press A Japanese railway company, Tokyu, says it now uses just solar and other renewable energy to power its sprawling train service. Continue reading
Apr 27 Myanmar court sentences former leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 years for corruption By Grant Peck, Associated Press A court in military-ruled Myanmar has convicted the country's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption and sentenced her to five years in prison. Continue reading
Apr 27 Russia cuts off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria, threatens to disconnect more nations By Yesica Fisch, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Russia has dramatically escalated its standoff with the West over the war in Ukraine, cutting natural gas off to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatening to disconnect even more nations. Continue reading
Apr 27 Shanghai seeks 'societal zero COVID' amid lockdown By Huizhong Wu, Associated Press Shanghai city authorities said Wednesday they will start rounds of COVID-19 testing over the next few days to determine which neighborhoods can safely be allowed a limited amount of freedom of movement, as residents in Beijing watch carefully on word… Continue reading
Apr 27 Jailed U.S. Marine released from Russia in prisoner exchange By Eric Tucker, Matthew Lee, Associated Press Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners. Russia released a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow while the U.S. released a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a prison sentence in Connecticut. Continue reading
Apr 26 Watch 5:23 As the West increases arms shipments to Ukraine, worries grow about the reaction in Russia By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn The war in Ukraine is accelerating in the eastern Donbas region. On Tuesday, as ministers from dozens of nations met in Germany to coordinate their efforts to arm Ukraine, American leaders changed their tone, from one of just helping Ukraine… Continue watching
Apr 26 Russia suspending natural gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria By Associated Press The suspensions would be the first since Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that "unfriendly" foreign buyers would have to pay the state-owned Gazprom in ruble. Continue reading
Apr 26 WATCH: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a news briefing after trip to Ukraine By Robert Burns, Associated Press The longer Ukraine's army fends off the invading Russians, the more it absorbs the advantages of Western weaponry and training. Austin convened a meeting in Germany to work out ways to keep the military aid supply going. Continue reading
Apr 26 WATCH: State Department says U.S. embassy staff is returning to Ukraine By Associated Press Following the high level visit to Ukraine by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, U.S. embassy personnel have begun traveling to Ukraine to re-establish the American embassy there. Continue reading