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Hungary questions EU plans to phase out Russian energy

Hungary questions EU plans to phase out Russian energy
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was speaking with journalists at the Russian Energy Week international forum in Moscow on Oct. 15, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 4 sec ago

Hungary questions EU plans to phase out Russian energy

Hungary questions EU plans to phase out Russian energy
  • Hungary has pushed back against plans by the European Commission to phase out the EU’s imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas

MOSCOW: Hungary’s foreign minister warned on Wednesday that Budapest would suffer if it was cut off from Russian gas and said the country would not accept outside pressure when it came to decisions on its own energy supplies.
Hungary has pushed back against plans by the European Commission to phase out the EU’s imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who is in Moscow to attend the Russian Energy Week forum, told reporters that national interest was paramount for Budapest when it came to securing its own energy supplies.


Sweden ready to make new contributions to PURL arms initiative, defense minister says

Sweden ready to make new contributions to PURL arms initiative, defense minister says
Updated 2 sec ago

Sweden ready to make new contributions to PURL arms initiative, defense minister says

Sweden ready to make new contributions to PURL arms initiative, defense minister says
BRUSSELS: Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Wednesday that his country stands ready to make fresh contributions to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) arms initiative and called on other countries to continue to step up their assistance to Ukraine.
“We’ve been seeing the wrong trajectory when it comes to support to Ukraine. That has been going down. We want to see more stepping up to enhance and increase the financial support and military donations to Ukraine,” Jonson said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers held in Brussels.

Russia will be a major threat to NATO after Ukraine war, Finland’s Defense Minister says

Russia will be a major threat to NATO after Ukraine war, Finland’s Defense Minister says
Updated 7 min 45 sec ago

Russia will be a major threat to NATO after Ukraine war, Finland’s Defense Minister says

Russia will be a major threat to NATO after Ukraine war, Finland’s Defense Minister says

BRUSSELS: Russia will continue to be a major threat to NATO after the war in Ukraine ends, Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told reporters on Wednesday, adding that they had seen a new build-up of Russian forces.
Hakkanen, speaking before a meeting of NATO defense ministers, also said Russia is consuming military resources at a rapid pace and is becoming increasingly reliant on China.


Over 12 civilians killed in Pakistani attack, Afghan Taliban say

Over 12 civilians killed in Pakistani attack, Afghan Taliban say
Updated 34 min 43 sec ago

Over 12 civilians killed in Pakistani attack, Afghan Taliban say

Over 12 civilians killed in Pakistani attack, Afghan Taliban say
  • Pakistani officials blamed the Taliban for the clashes and said four civilians were wounded on their side of the border
  • Clashes regularly break out between the countries’ security forces along their contested 2,600km frontier

ISLAMABAD: More than 12 civilians were killed in Afghanistan as fresh fighting broke out between Afghan and Pakistani forces on Wednesday, the Taliban said, rupturing a fragile peace that had briefly taken hold after weekend clashes between the countries killed dozens.

Once allies, the recent friction between the South Asian nations erupted after Islamabad demanded that the Afghan Taliban administration act against militants who have stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operate from havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban denies the presence of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan.

“Early this morning, Pakistani forces launched attacks … more than 12 civilians were martyred and over 100 others were wounded,” Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X.

The Taliban also said it had killed “a large number of Pakistani soldiers,” captured their posts and centers, seized their weapons and tanks, and “destroyed” most of their military facilities.

Pakistani officials blamed the Taliban for the clashes and said four civilians were wounded on their side of the border.

“Taliban forces attacked Pakistani post near Chaman (district),” Habib Ullah Bangulzai, the regional administrator in Pakistan’s Chaman district, said.

The fighting continued for about five hours in the early hours of the day, he said, adding that Pakistani forces had “repulsed” the attack.

Although clashes regularly break out between the countries’ security forces along their contested 2,600km frontier, last week’s fighting was their worst since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

The neighbors have closed several crossings along their border in its aftermath, bringing trade to a halt and leaving scores of loaded goods vehicles stranded on both sides.

Pakistan is the main source of goods and food supplies for landlocked, impoverished Afghanistan.

Last week’s clashes drew international concern, with China asking both countries to protect its citizens and investments, Russia urging restraint, and US President Donald Trump saying he could help end the conflict.

The tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan this month have coincided with Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, Pakistan’s arch rival.

India and Afghanistan, during Muttaqi’s visit, decided to upgrade ties, with New Delhi saying it would reopen its embassy in Kabul, and the Afghan Taliban also announcing it would send its diplomats to India.


US Supreme Court to hear pivotal minority voting rights case

US Supreme Court to hear pivotal minority voting rights case
Updated 59 min 50 sec ago

US Supreme Court to hear pivotal minority voting rights case

US Supreme Court to hear pivotal minority voting rights case
  • The case touching on the thorny issues of race and politics is a challenge to a congressional map adopted by the Louisiana state legislature creating a second Black majority district

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court hears a case involving Black voters on Wednesday that could have lasting repercussions on whether Democrats or Republicans control the House of Representatives.
The case touching on the thorny issues of race and politics is a challenge to a congressional map adopted by the Louisiana state legislature creating a second Black majority district.
The conservative-dominated top court actually heard the case last term, but in an unusual move it decided not to issue a ruling and scheduled it for re-argument during the current session.
African-Americans tend to overwhelmingly vote Democratic and they make up one-third of the population of Louisiana, which has six congressional districts.
Following the 2020 census, Louisiana created a new congressional map that included only one Black majority district instead of the previous two.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others filed suit claiming the new map diluted Black voting power and violated the Voting Rights Act, which was passed during the civil rights movement in 1965 to remedy historic racial discrimination.
The Louisiana legislature released a new map last year with two Black majority districts that was met with the legal challenge from a group of “non-African American” voters. It has now reached the Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority.
The opponents of the redrawn map argue that using race to design congressional districts is racial gerrymandering prohibited by the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
“The stakes are incredibly high,” said ACLU attorney Sophia Lin Lakin. “The outcome will not only determine the next steps for Louisiana’s congressional map, but may also shape the future of redistricting cases nationwide.”
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House and an increase or decrease in the number of Black majority districts could help tip the balance in the November 2026 midterm elections, when all 435 seats in the chamber will be up for grabs.
‘One-party control’
According to a report by two voting advocacy groups, Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter, a Supreme Court ruling striking down Voting Rights Act protections for minorities could lead to Republicans picking up an additional 19 seats in the House.
“It’s enough to cement one-party control of the US House for at least a generation,” they said.
The Louisiana voting case is being heard against a backdrop of redistricting moves in both Republican- and Democratic-ruled states.
Republican-led Texas is drawing new congressional district maps that are expected to flip up to five House seats from Democrats to Republicans.
Several mainly Latino or Black districts which Republican Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election in Texas were broken up to dilute support for Democrats.
Democratic leaders in California responded with a redistricting push to offset potential Republican gains in Texas, though it will first be put to a state-wide referendum.


Military seizes power in Madagascar as president impeached

Military seizes power in Madagascar as president impeached
Updated 15 October 2025

Military seizes power in Madagascar as president impeached

Military seizes power in Madagascar as president impeached
  • President Andry Rajoelina late Monday refused growing demands to step down from the protest movement that started on September 25
  • Parliamentarians pushed ahead with the vote to impeach Rajoelina for desertion of duty despite a bid by the presidency to block the motion

ANTANANARIVO: An elite Madagascar military unit said Tuesday it had taken power in the Indian Ocean nation after parliamentarians voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina following weeks of anti-government protests.
There were celebrations in the streets of the capital after the commander of the CAPSAT military unit, which joined the demonstrators at the weekend, announced that it was in charge.
The presidency denounced “a clear act of attempted coup” and insisted that Rajoelina, in hiding reportedly out of the country, “remains fully in office.”
Rajoelina, 51, had late Monday refused growing demands to step down from the protest movement that started on September 25 over power and water shortages, and developed into a campaign against the president and ruling elite.
Outside the presidential palace, CAPSAT commander Col. Michael Randrianirina read out a statement announcing the suspension of the constitution.
A governing committee composed of officers from the army, gendarmerie and national police would be established, he said. “Perhaps in time it will include senior civilian advisers.”
“It is this committee that will carry out the work of the presidency,” Randrianirina said. “At the same time, after a few days, we will set up a civilian government.”
“We have taken power,” he confirmed to AFP.
Afterwards, officers from the unit rolled through the capital in armored Humvees and pick-up trucks en route to their base, where hundreds of soldiers stood in formation to receive them.
Crowds lined the pavements, cheering and waving as they passed, while some followed the convoy in their own cars, honking their horns in a victory lap through a city still on edge.
“It’s a huge joy,” said businesswoman Baovola Zanarison Rakotomanga, 41, among the crowds celebrating at city hall.
“We have suffered for so long... we hope to now be able to move forward, united,” she said.
‘Safe place’
Parliamentarians pushed ahead with the vote to impeach Rajoelina for desertion of duty despite a bid by the presidency to block the motion by ordering the dissolution of the national assembly.
The vote passed with 130 votes in favor – well above the two-thirds constitutional threshold required.
The presidency said the session was “devoid of any legal basis.”
But the constitutional court later validated the impeachment and confirmed Randrianirina’s authority.
After reports that he had left the country with the assistance of France, Rajoelina – who has French nationality – said in a national address late Monday that he was in a “safe place to protect my life.”
He did not reveal his location but some reports said he may have gone to Dubai.
Making clear he would not step down, Rajoelina said he was “on a mission to find solutions” to the political crisis and would not let the impoverished nation “destroy itself.”
The relatively low-key youth-led protest movement took a turn at the weekend when CAPSAT – which played a major role in the 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power – joined the protesters.
They were followed by the gendarmerie which admitted to “faults and excesses” against the demonstrations in which at least 22 people were killed, according to the UN, an early toll dismissed by the government.
At a fresh rally outside city hall Tuesday, demonstrators expressed anger at France, the colonial ruler until independence in 1960, accusing it of meddling in the island’s affairs.
“It’s like they’re colonizing us again,” said civil engineer Koloina Rakotomavonirina, 26. “We want them to leave our island for good.”
Adding to statements of concern from the African Union and SADC regional bloc, a United Nations spokesman said Tuesday “if there is a coup underway, we would stand against that.”
“We’re trying to see exactly what happens, once the dust is settled,” said Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the UN chief, Antonio Guterres.