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Thursday

Politics

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores deny US torture charges as 'false accusations'

Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new torture charges brought against them by US authorities, calling them “false allegations". The couple has been held in a New York jail since their capture in early January and is facing a new indictment accusing them of conspiring to torture political opponents and US citizens.

Politics

Albania's leader defies calls to resign as student protesters rampage in capital

​Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday rejected calls to resign as thousands of student-led protesters smashed windows and fought running battles with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas in the capital. The demonstrators accuse officials of corruption and neglecting education and say they are angry about the sale of parts of Albania's southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed ​by US President ‌Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports

World

Seven missing off Romania after latest Black Sea drone attacks

Romania reported seven people missing on Thursday after two drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea, where several vessels have been hit recently in suspected fallout from the Ukraine war. The attacks are the latest in a series off the coast of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in recent weeks. FRANCE 24's Eliza Herbert reports.

World

'It is clear that sooner or later we will have European casualties', Romanian MEP

Rescuers searched on Thursday for seven missing sailors after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast, setting them ablaze and raising fresh security concerns along a vital shipping route used by Ukraine. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Europe editor Armen Georgian, Nicolae Stefanuta, Romanian MEP and Co-Chair of the Group of the Greens, says that the Danube delta region is facing a more intense threat from Russia than Baltic States and that "it is clear that sooner or later we will have European casualties".

World

NATO to address drone attacks in the Black Sea after seven missing off Romania

NATO will put drone strikes in the Black Sea on its agenda at a meeting next week, officials said Thursday, following two new attacks and the disappearance of seven people. Incidents involving civilian vessels in the Black Sea have been on the rise off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in a suspected spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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Politics

Police and protesters face off in Albania on third day of anti-govt demonstrations

Demonstrators and riot police clashed in Albania's capital on Thursday in a third straight day of violence triggered by student protests calling for better university conditions and Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation. Originally sparked by a luxury tourism project linked to US President Donald Trump's family in the country's south, the demonstrations have occasionally flared into violence amid ongoing calls for Rama's resignation. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Philip Turle tells us more.

Politics

Student protests spread in Albania as demonstrators call for PM resignation

Clashes broke out between demonstrators and police for the third consecutive day on Thursday in Albania, with Prime Minister Edi Rama condemning the “chaos” that caused damage to government buildings. Thousands of protesters are calling for Rama's resignation and better studying conditions for Albanian students.

World

China, North Korea open long-delayed trade bridge

China and North Korea formally opened the Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, connecting Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Beijing says the bridge will promote economic and trade cooperation.

World

Ukraine's Zelensky defies Trump with Russian refinery strikes

Ukraine will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks published Thursday, amid deepening tensions between the two leaders over a US-Russia diesel agreement. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley tells us more.

World

'American abandonment' threatens Ukraine's civilians in war against Russia

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, October 15: First, reported Starlink disruptions in Ukraine make the European front pages. Next, US papers go into more detail about the situation. Also, an unusual alliance forms in Germany between far-right and far-left parties. Meanwhile, the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards have been announced. Finally, Finland flaunts its smelly islands.

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World

New four-lane bridge opens between China, North Korea

A new four-lane road bridge linking China and North Korea finally opened on Thursday, 12 years late, enabling the Asian giant and its isolated nuclear-armed neighbour to step up cross-border trade substantially. China is its neighbour's largest trading partner and a vital diplomatic and political backer, although relations have not always been smooth with the ruling Kim dynasty.

World

China, North Korea open long-delayed border bridge

China and North Korea officially opened their most significant land border crossing on Thursday, aiming to rejuvenate trade and commerce after years of strained ties and pandemic-related disruptions. Trucks festooned with the national flags of the neighbours drove across the long-delayed 3-km (2-mile) New Yalu River Bridge, its ​towering pylons also ‌decked in flags, linking the Chinese city of Dandong with North Korea. FRANCE 24's Jan Camenzind Broomby reports.