Romania targeted by ‘aggressive’ Russian cyber attacks during elections, security reports say

Romania’s top security council on Wednesday declassified documents describing Russia’s alleged involvement in the first round of its presidential elections. One of the documents details how Calin Georgescu, the leading pro-Russian outsider candidate, was massively promoted on social media platform TikTok through coordinated accounts and paid promotion. Source link

Arab normalization with Israel ‘a problem’ amid Gaza war, King of Morocco’s cousin says

FRANCE 24 spoke to Hicham El Alaoui, King of Morocco Mohammed VI’s cousin and lecturer at the University of Berkeley in California. He is the author of “Pacted Democracy in the Middle East: Tunisia and Egypt in Comparative Perspective”, a comparative study of two countries during the Arab Spring. Turning to the war led by … Read more

OECD slashes growth forecasts for Germany, France – DW – 12/04/2024

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday trimmed its economic growth forecasts for Germany and France. The Paris-based economic body, which advises industrialized nations on policy matters, now expects the German economy to grow by 0.7% next year, down from a previous forecast of 1.1%. France also saw a cut of 0.3 … Read more

Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria’s surprise insurgency?

From leader of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda to commander-in-chief of militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Golani has spent the past dozen years carefully polishing his public image, including distancing himself from al-Qaeda -Qaeda, in order to win over international governments and Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities. Source link

German police conduct raids on alleged people smugglers – DW – 12/04/2024

German police said Wednesday a crackdown was underway against people smugglers transporting migrants to the United Kingdom via France, with more than 500 officers involved in raids in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. Other operations took place in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, according to a police spokesman. The network is accused … Read more

Film show: A Wickedly enchanting tale

The Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch Glinda are finally getting their big screen moment thanks to “Wicked”, John M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway hit. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why this fantastical Wizard of Oz origin story of spells left her pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained. We check out … Read more