#BREAKING EU slams Russia annexation votes, 'falsified outcome' in Ukraine: Borrell
#UPDATE EU slams "illegal" annexation votes Russia held in four occupied regions of Ukraine and their "falsified" results, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says.
"This is another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, amidst systematic abuses"
#BREAKING Kyiv calls for 'significant' boost of military aid after annexation votes
#UPDATE Kyiv urges West to increase military aid to Ukraine after pro-Kremlin authorities in 4 Moscow-held regions of Ukraine declare victory in annexation votes.
"Ukraine calls on the EU, NATO and the Group of Seven to immediately and significantly increase pressure on Russia"
#BREAKING Pro-Kremlin leader of Ukraine's Lugansk asks Putin to annex region
#BREAKING Moscow will not give out passports to mobilised Russians: government portal
#BREAKING Russian region bordering Georgia restricts access by car: authorities
#BREAKING Germany will 'never recognise' Russia's 'sham' votes in Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz tells Zelensky: spokesman
#UPDATE Ukraine called on EU and NATO countries on Wednesday to hit Russia with more sanctions and send more weapons to the frontline after Kremlin proxies held annexation votes in four occupied Ukrainian regions denounced as a "sham" by Western leaders ▶️ u.afp.com/iobn
#UPDATE Kremlin-backed officials in Ukraine appealed to President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to annex the regions under their control, after the territories held votes denounced by Kyiv and the West as a "sham" ▶️ u.afp.com/ioEv
#BREAKING UK 'will never recognise' Russian attempts to annex Ukraine territory: PM's spokesperson
The appeal to Putin represents a turning point in the seven-month invasion as Russian officials in Moscow suggest they could use nuclear weapons to cement the Kremlin's authority in the Ukrainian territories.
#BREAKING Romania's constitutional court orders recount of first round of presidential vote: statement
#UPDATE Romania's constitutional court on Thursday ordered a recount of votes cast in the first round of the presidential election, after a rival far-right contender filed a legal challenge ➡️ u.afp.com/597X
#BREAKING TikTok gave 'preferential treatment' to far-right candidate who won Romania election first round: presidency
#UPDATE A referendum on Moldova joining the EU passed with a razor-thin majority on Monday as pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu blamed the outcome on foreign meddling in a veiled reference to Russia, which denied the accusations ➡️ u.afp.com/5zL7
BREAKING France's high-speed train system disrupted by vandalism: operator
#UPDATE Hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris #Olympics , France's high-speed rail network has been hit by "malicious acts" including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF says.
"This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network," SNCF told @AFP, adding that many routes will have to be cancelled and the situation would last "at least all weekend while repairs are conducted"
BREAKING The arson attacks on France's high-speed rail network were coordinated acts of "sabotage", a source close to the investigation tells @AFP
#BREAKING 104 police, 30 journalists among injured in Bangladesh clashes: TV
#UPDATE Protesters in Bangladesh set fire to several government buildings during a day of deadly nationwide clashes between students and riot officers, a police statement said.
"The miscreants have already torched, vandalised and carried out destructive activities," on the offices of state broadcaster BTV and the national disaster management agency along with "various" police and government buildings, said the statement, issued after a nationwide internet shutdown
Bangladesh wakes to torched government buildings, internet blackout.
This week's unrest has killed at least 39 people including 32 on Thursday, with the toll expected to rise further after reports of clashes in nearly half of the country's 64 districts
#BREAKING Biden says still considers Xi a 'dictator'
#UPDATE US President Joe Biden said after a summit with Xi Jinping that he still considers the Chinese president a "dictator", after he sparked fury from Beijing by making the comparison earlier this year.
"Well look he is, I mean he's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who's running a country, a Communist country, that's based on a form of government totally different than ours," Biden said at the end of a news conference when a reporter asked if he would still use the term to describe Xi
#BREAKING China will not begin armed conflict with any nation, President Xi Jinping said Wednesday, after a high-stakes summit with US President Joe Biden.
"China does not seek spheres of influence, and will not fight a cold or hot war with any country," he told a gathering of business leaders in San Francisco