Feb 20 Watch 12:28 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt to avoid U.S. extradition By William Brangham, Alexis Cox, Nana Adwoa Antwi-Boasiako A two-day hearing in a London court room began Tuesday over the fate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. At stake is whether he'll be extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges. Carrie DeCell, a senior staff attorney at the Knight… Continue watching
Feb 20 Watch 8:19 Taiwan's top diplomat to the U.S.: 'We are already a sovereign and independent nation' By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn, Sonia Kopelev Tensions in the Taiwan Strait increased this week following incidents near an island involving the Chinese and Taiwanese coast guards. It's happening at a sensitive moment, in between Taiwan's recent election and the upcoming inauguration of its new president. Nick… Continue watching
Feb 20 Polish farmers block Ukraine's border as they intensify protests against non-EU imports By Vanessa Gera, Associated Press Farmers across Europe have been protesting, worried that EU plans to place limits on the use of chemicals and on greenhouse gas emissions will result in a reduction in production and income. Continue reading
Feb 20 WATCH: State Department holds briefing after a Russian court extends the pretrial detention for an American reporter By Associated Press A court in the Russian capital has ruled to keep Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in custody pending his trial on espionage charges that he denies. Continue reading
Feb 20 Attacks on ships and U.S. drones show Houthis can still fight despite airstrikes By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Analysts warn that the longer their attacks go on, the greater the risk to the global economy. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led campaign has boosted the rebels' standing in the Arab world, despite their human rights abuses in a longer, stalemated conflict… Continue reading
Feb 20 Ransomware group LockBit is disrupted by a global police operation that includes 2 arrests By Jill Lawless, Kelvin Chan, Associated Press Britain's National Crime Agency says it led an international operation targeting LockBit, which provides ransomware as a service to so-called affiliates who infect victim networks with the computer-crippling malware and negotiate ransoms. Continue reading
Feb 20 Ukraine PM in Tokyo says his country needs missiles, but expects new U.S. aid to come through By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Additional long-range missiles are crucial for his country's air defense against Russia on the frontline, said the Ukrainian prime minister, speaking at a news conference the day after he attended a reconstruction conference in Tokyo co-hosted by Japan and Ukraine. Continue reading
Feb 20 White House promises 'major sanctions' on Russia in response to Alexei Navalny's death By Zeke Miller, Fatima Hussein, Associated Press The White House says it is preparing additional "major sanctions" on Russia in response to opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony. Continue reading
Feb 20 Widow and aides indicted in assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse By Dánica Coto, Evens Sanon, Associated Press Dozens of suspects were indicted in the 122-page report issued by Walther Wesser Voltaire, who is the fifth judge to lead the investigation after previous ones stepped down for various reasons, including fear of being killed. Continue reading
Feb 20 Biden emphasizes that majority of Ukraine aid package would be spent in U.S. By Jamie Stengle, Josh Boak, Associated Press The president's argument challenges criticism by some Republican lawmakers that the federal government should be spending more money at home instead of supporting overseas wars. Continue reading