Feb 23 Watch 5:00 Boyfriend of Russian-American woman arrested in Russia discusses effort to bring her home By Geoff Bennett, Sonia Kopelev A Russian-American dual citizen who's been living and working in Los Angeles has been detained in Russia accused of treason and fundraising for Ukraine. Ksenia Karelina was in Russia visiting her family when she was arrested. Her boyfriend, Chris Van… Continue watching
Feb 23 Iraq reopens a key oil refinery a decade after it was stormed by the Islamic State By Abdulrahman Zeyad, Associated Press Iraq’s prime minister has announced the reopening of the Beiji refinery, the country’s largest, which had been shut down for a decade after being damaged in the battle against the Islamic State extremist group. Continue reading
Feb 23 Angry French farmers protest with their tractors again in the streets of Paris By Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press Angry farmers are back in Paris on their tractors on the eve of a major agricultural fair in the French capital, in a new protest demanding more government support and simpler regulations. Continue reading
Feb 23 Germany’s parliament votes to legalize limited marijuana possession and allow ‘cannabis clubs’ By Geir Moulson, Associated Press German lawmakers have approved a government plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, paving the way for the country to decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana and allow members of "cannabis clubs" to buy it for recreational purposes. Continue reading
Feb 23 Israel plans to build 3,300 new settlement homes in occupied West Bank in response to a fatal shooting By Julia Frankel, Associated Press The move, announced late Thursday, drew an angry reaction from the U.S. as relations between the allies are already frayed over the course of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Continue reading
Feb 23 WATCH: White House holds briefing after Mexico’s president disclosed a NYT reporter’s phone number By Associated Press Asked about the issue Friday at a White House press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “obviously, that’s not something we support."… Continue reading
Feb 23 In Ukraine, Schumer challenges Speaker Johnson to ‘rise to the occasion’ and pass more U.S. aid By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Schumer's surprise trip comes as Zelenskyy has said that delays in aid from the U.S. and other Western countries are opening a door for Russian battlefield advances. Continue reading
Feb 23 Israel seeks open-ended control over security and civilians in Gaza in new postwar plan By Wafaa Shurafa, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval. Separately, cease-fire efforts appeared to gain traction, with mediators to present a new proposal at an expected high-level meeting this weekend in Paris. Continue reading
Feb 23 Russia hit with new sanctions for the Ukraine war’s 2nd anniversary and Navalny’s death By Fatima Hussein, Lorne Cook, Associated Press The U.S. Treasury, State Department and Commerce Department plan Friday to impose roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single tranche of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Continue reading
Feb 22 Watch 4:00 Continued Israeli airstrikes flatten parts of Rafah amid slow progress for Gaza cease-fire By Geoff Bennett, Solveig Rennan, Nana Adwoa Antwi-Boasiako As the deadly bombing of Gaza continues, there is some progress towards a resumption of talks to release hostages held by Hamas and a cease-fire. Israel's Army Radio said the country's war cabinet approved sending emissaries to truce talks in… Continue watching