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Russia jails doctor over alleged Ukraine comments during consultation

Russia on Tuesday sentenced a 68-year-old paediatrician to five-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly criticising the Ukraine campaign, after she was denounced by the ex-wife of a soldier killed in combat.The case against Nadezhda Buyanova has exemplified the level of repression in Russia and how common denunciations have become while the country’s troops fight in …

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Nuclear watchdog chief says room to manoeuvre on Iran ‘shrinking’

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that “the margins for manoeuvre are beginning to shrink” on Iran’s nuclear programme ahead of an important trip to Tehran.”The Iranian administration must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that the margins to manoeuvre are beginning to shrink, and that it …

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NATO ‘must do more than just keep Ukraine in fight’, says Rutte

NATO chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday called on Western countries to ramp up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, saying Kyiv required more than just being kept “in the fight”.”We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight,” Rutte told reporters ahead of talks in Paris with French leader Emmanuel Macron.”We …

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EU unity in a ‘world on fire’: Kallas makes top diplomat pitch

Backing Ukraine “as long as it takes”, building bridges with Donald Trump and standing firm towards China — the EU’s designated foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made her pitch to lawmakers at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday.A hawkish Russia critic, the 47-year-old Kallas needs parliament’s green light to succeed Josep Borrell as the bloc’s top …

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Spain PM accused of ‘blackmail’ by tying budget to flood aid

Spain’s minority left-wing government wants to galvanise its deadlocked 2025 draft budget by linking it to urgent reconstruction funds following devastating floods, sparking “blackmail” accusations from the conservative opposition.Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government unveiled its spending plans for next year in September, forecasting a public deficit reaching 2.5 percent of annual economic output.But the text …

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New EU chief diplomat backs Ukraine as bloc’s top team faces grilling

The European Union’s designated foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the bloc must back Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, as she and other EU heavyweights faced scrutiny by parliament.Kallas is among six vice presidents tapped to lead EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s new European Commission, who need to win parliamentary approval before …

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