Rwanda severs ties with Belgium over DR Congo conflict

Rwanda has cut diplomatic ties with Belgium, saying it has been “consistently undermined” by the European nation during the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Brussels has been leading calls for European nations to sanction Rwanda over its support for the M23, a rebel group at the centre of DR Congo’s crisis. The … Read more

White House denies defying judge’s order over deportations to El Salvador

Video shows alleged gang members deported by US in El Salvador mega-jail The White House has denied an accusation from rights groups that it flouted due process by defying a judge’s order during a mass deportation at the weekend. A group of 238 alleged Venezuelan gang members, plus 23 alleged members of the international MS-13 … Read more

Czechs appeal for EU help with Radio Free Europe after Trump cuts

The Czech Republic is pushing for EU support to keep Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) running after the Trump administration cut funding for the global broadcaster. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said RFE/RL, based in Prague, “is one of the few credible sources in dictatorships like Iran, Belarus, and Afghanistan”. In Eastern Europe, the US government-funded … Read more

Saakashvili sentenced to further four years in jail

A court in Georgia has handed a further prison sentence to the jailed former president, Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili was sentenced on Monday to four-and-a-half years behind bars for illegally crossing the border when returning to the country from exile in 2021, his lawyer said. He is already serving concurrent terms for embezzlement and abuse of … Read more

Taiwan revokes visa of pro-Beijing Chinese influencer

A Chinese influencer living in Taiwan must leave the island within days or be deported, Taiwanese authorities said, after she posted videos supporting the idea of China taking the island by force. The move comes at a time of heightened cross-strait tensions and increasing suspicions of Chinese influence operations on the democratic island. Taiwan’s National … Read more

Ukrainian troops tell of catastrophe and panic

Jonathan Beale & Anastasiia Levchenko BBC News Getty Images A Ukrainian soldier comforts a comrade during fighting in Kursk Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region have described scenes “like a horror movie” as they retreated from the front lines. The BBC has received extensive accounts from Ukrainian troops, who recount a “catastrophic” withdrawal in … Read more