
Ukraine rejects accusation by Hungarian leader Orbán over the fatal beating of a dual citizen
Orbán, a vehement critic of Ukraine and its fight to ward off Russia's full-scale invasion, told state radio that a man who reportedly died in a Ukrainian hospital earlier this month had been 'beaten to death' by his recruiters.
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Labour Has 'Disappointed' People While In Government, Reeves Admits
Save Rachel Reeves admits Labour has "disappointed" people while in government. The politician said she understood that being Chancellor meant making unpopular decisions.
Yahoo
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Dmitry Medvedev: Russia's hawkish ex-president
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, whose comments prompted US President Donald Trump to move two nuclear submarines, was once seen as a liberal reformer but has become one of the Kremlin's most prominent anti-Western hawks. The 59-year-old, who served as head of state between 2008 and 2012, sought "friendly" ties with Europe and the United States during his single term but faded into obscurity after handing the post back to President Vladimir Putin. Demoted to prime minister in 2012 and then made deputy head of Russia's security council in 2020 -- a largely advisory role -- Medvedev began espousing hardline views on social media shortly after Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive. In public statements since the conflict began he has described Westerners as "bastards and degenerates", declared that "Ukraine is, of course, Russia" and raised the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Russia's enemies. In June, after the US launched air strikes on nuclear facilities in Moscow-allied Iran, Medvedev suggested that "a number of countries" were willing to provide Tehran with nuclear warheads, prompting an angry Trump to accuse him of "casually" threatening a nuclear strike. On Thursday, Medvedev alluded to Moscow's semi-automatic "Dead Hand" nuclear arms control system in a Telegram post criticising Trump. Medvedev's critics have derided his posts as an attempt to retain political relevance in Russia's crowded elite circles, but Trump has taken the threats seriously. "Based on the highly provocative statements," Trump said Friday, "I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that." - Tandem rule - Medvedev's often incendiary posts contrast sharply with his public image in office, when he declared Russia did not want confrontation with "any country" as part of his foreign policy doctrine. In 2010, he signed a nuclear arms reduction treaty with US President Barack Obama, while in 2011 he brought Russia into the World Trade Organisation after 18 years of negotiations. On his watch, Moscow also abstained in a key UN Security Council vote on Libya in 2011 that paved the way for a NATO-led military intervention, a decision Putin has relentlessly criticised since. But it was always clear who was the senior partner in a pairing dubbed Batman and Robin by a secret US cable. Medvedev's first act after winning a 2008 presidential election on the back of Putin's support was to appoint the Russian strongman as prime minister, giving Putin broad decision-making power. While some in the West greeted Medvedev's arrival, others saw him as simply a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power. In 2008 Russia sent troops into Georgia, fracturing relations with the West, a decision that Medvedev insisted he made but that a top general claimed was planned by Putin before Medvedev was even inaugurated. His trademark modernisation programme was marked by bold statements but was also mercilessly mocked by commentators for being short on actions as Putin held real power. - Putin's protege - Medvedev, born in Putin's home town of Leningrad, owes his entire political career to the former KGB agent. Putin took his protege to Moscow after being appointed prime minister in 1999 and Medvedev rapidly rose to become chairman of gas giant Gazprom. He also served as chief of staff at the Kremlin and as first deputy prime minister. After taking office, he said Russia's economy had reached a "dead end" and required urgent reform. But cynics pointed out that such words counted for little when Russia was still dominated by Putin, and Medvedev himself played down the idea there was any radical difference in their visions. After championing anti-corruption measures while in office, Medvedev was himself accused of graft in 2017, when late opposition leader Alexei Navalny alleged he had built a luxury property empire using embezzled funds. Navalny was labelled an "extremist" by Russian authorities in 2021. While liberals and the West hoped Medvedev would reverse the increase in state control and erosion of civil liberties during Putin's previous rule, he showed little desire for a radical break with Putin's legacy. "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin really is modern Russia's most popular, experienced and successful politician," Medvedev said during an attempt to explain why he was standing down in favour of Putin in 2012. bur/tw


Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
France to deport Palestinian woman over antisemitic post featuring Hitler, halts Gaza evacuations
France is halting all evacuations of Gazans fleeing the war-torn enclave amid growing outrage over a Palestinian student allegedly reposting antisemitic content on her social media. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Info radio that the woman "must leave the country" and that she "has no place" in France. "No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn the necessary conclusions from this investigation," Barrot said in the interview. He also vowed there would be a probe into how the Palestinian woman was able to get a student visa. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also expressed outrage over the incident, writing on X, "Hamas propagandists have no place in our country." The now-expelled Sciences Po Lille student, who has not been identified by the French government, is accused of sharing a post with an image of Adolf Hitler that called for killing Jews. According to a screenshot shared by the Jerusalem Post, the caption of the Hitler image—when translated by Grok from Arabic to English — read: "Kill the Jews everywhere. I don't want a Jewish lineage on this earth. You must kill them before they kill you." In a thread on X, Sciences Po Lille said its administration became aware of the student's posts due to a report by Radio Monte-Carlo (RMC). The school condemned the posts, saying the content is in "direct contradiction with the values upheld by Sciences Po Lille." It added that the institution rejects antisemitism, discrimination, and incitement to hatred. "France has no obligation to host international students who glorify terrorism, crimes against humanity, or antisemitism," French Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste wrote. "Whether they come from Gaza or elsewhere, international students who express or relay such views have no place in our country, nor on our soil." Baptiste also vowed that the French government would "do everything necessary to ensure that the case of the Palestinian student admitted to Sciences Po Lille, who shared extremely serious comments on social media, is handled with the utmost firmness." French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently drew the ire of the U.S. and Israel over a plan to recognize a Palestinian state, has yet to comment on the matter regarding the student. According to Macron's plan, Paris will recognize a Palestinian state in September. The country appeared to lay the groundwork for this at the United Nations earlier this week as it co-chaired a conference with Saudi Arabia. During the conference, several nations signed the "New York Declaration," which calls for Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. The declaration also demands that Israel evacuate its forces from the Strip. The U.S. objected to the conference before it began, with State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce calling it "unproductive and ill-timed." She also dismissed it as a "publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict." "As Secretary Rubio has made clear, this effort is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th and a reward for terrorism. It keeps hostages trapped in tunnels," Bruce said. "The United States will not participate in this insult but will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and deliver a permanent peace. Our focus remains on serious diplomacy: not stage-managed conferences designed to manufacture the appearance of relevance." Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon also objected to the conference. "Israel has already agreed many times to a ceasefire. No token recognition and no UN resolution will change the basic fact that there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement," Danon said in a statement.