Connect with us

International

Zelensky to address EU summit as oil sanction plan stalls

AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak via videolink with EU leaders on Monday as the bloc struggles to agree oil sanctions on Russia in the teeth of opposition from Hungary.

EU chief Charles Michel said in a letter sent to leaders on Friday that Zelensky would virtually join the beginning of the two-day emergency summit taking place in Brussels.

The gathering will tackle Ukraine’s immediate need for cash, the energy and food crises ensuing from the war, and how to build up a coordinated European defence military industry, Michel’s letter said.

Advertisement
20240410_mh_renta_728x90
20240426_bcr_censo_728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230816_dgs_728x90
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
CEL
CEL
SSF
SSF
SSF
previous arrow
next arrow

Much of the attention though will be on Brussels’ stymied effort to impose an import embargo on Russian oil as part of stepped-up punishment on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 4 as a plan to be phased in over this year, the oil ban has run aground on resolute refusal by Hungary to accept it.

The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — a longtime thorn in Brussels’ side for his rolling back of democratic norms — says it needs financial “solutions” from the European Union first, given the country’s dependence on piped-in Russian oil.

The question of money is especially problematic, as the EU has been withholding coronavirus recovery funds sought by Budapest because of its rule of law failings.

Orban wrote to Michel earlier this week saying it would be “counterproductive” to raise the oil sanctions issue at the summit.

Advertisement
20240410_mh_renta_728x90
20240426_bcr_censo_728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230816_dgs_728x90
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
CEL
CEL
SSF
SSF
SSF
previous arrow
next arrow

But Michel said Wednesday he was “still confident” the matter could be resolved in time for the gathering. 

EU ambassadors were on Sunday to meet to try once more to find agreement. 

Some diplomats said it might be possible to exclude the oil pipeline to Hungary from the sanctions package, but others said that would expose EU disunity and hand Russian President Vladimir Putin a win.

Advertisement
20240410_mh_renta_728x90
20240426_bcr_censo_728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230816_dgs_728x90
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
CEL
CEL
SSF
SSF
SSF
previous arrow
next arrow
Continue Reading
Advertisement
20240410_mh_renta_300x250
20231124_etesal_300x250_1
20230816_dgs_300x250
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_300X250
MARN1

International

President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile

Chile offers residency and Chilean nationality to Nicaraguan opponents

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has implemented a nighttime curfew in three municipalities of the Biobío region following the murder of three police officers. The Chilean leader emphasized that “criminals will answer to Chile and its justice system.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boric stated that he made the decision “after discussing with the General Director of the Carabineros, the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Head of National Defense, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having also considered various alternatives and taking into account the needs of the ongoing investigation.”

He further detailed that “I have instructed to decree a curfew in the municipalities of Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa from midnight to 7:00 AM. Additionally, police and military presence will be intensified to our utmost capacity with joint patrols in the area.”

Continue Reading

International

President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series

Last Friday, before the 2024 Mexico City Series between the Astros and Rockies at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with representatives from both teams.

Through his social media, the President shared his interaction with executives from the Houston and Colorado teams, as well as with Astros’ Mexican pitcher, José Urquidy.

“Yesterday (Friday), before starting the tour, I had breakfast with executives and friends from the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies. There’s increasingly more baseball fever in our country,” López Obrador wrote.

The photos also featured former Mexican major leaguers Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla and Jorge de la Rosa, both of whom played for the Colorado team.

On Saturday night, the Houston Astros won the first game in the “capital inferno,” home of the Mexico City Red Devils, with a commanding score of 12 to 4.

This Sunday, the second game of the series will take place at AHH, with both teams arriving in Mexico on a losing streak. Another great Major League celebration is anticipated at the “fire diamond.”

Continue Reading

International

Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad

An Iraqi TikToker, previously sentenced to prison last year for posting content deemed “indecent” on social media, was fatally shot in Baghdad on Friday, according to two security officials.

Om Fahad, who had tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, gained fame for her videos featuring her in tight outfits dancing to Iraqi music, in a country that is predominantly conservative and patriarchal.

The young woman was shot by an assailant on a motorcycle while she was in her vehicle outside her home in central Baghdad, two security officials reported anonymously to AFP.

In February 2023, a court initially sentenced Om Fahad to six months in jail for “publishing various videos with indecent intentions that violate modesty and public morals.”

Continue Reading

Trending

Central News