The Defense Department is speeding up coronavirus vaccine deliveries to overseas bases, U.S. European Command’s Gen. Tod Wolters said.

Two more Navy destroyers are expected to be based out of Rota, Spain, within the next few years, a move that will help U.S. European Command keep closer tabs on Russian submarines, the top U.S. officer on the Continent said Thursday.

Iran's deputy foreign minister said the talks had entered a new phase, adding that Iran had proposed draft agreements that could be a basis for negotiations.

The Czech Republic announced Saturday that it was expelling 18 Russian diplomats who it has identified as spies in a case related to a huge ammunition depot explosion in 2014.

People who live in the city and nearby villages, including thousands of members of the large U.S. military community, will have to mostly stay indoors between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. starting Friday.

A doctor for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike, says the 44-year-old Kremlin critic's health is deteriorating rapidly.

A section of the Army’s largest training base in Europe was closed off Wednesday after World War II-era rifle grenades were discovered by workers digging a trench near a building, officials said.

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The bright colors of fruits, vegetables and fresh-cut flowers in German farmers markets are an elixir for eyes that are tired of looking at four walls during coronavirus lockdowns.

Analysis

Russia’s rapid military buildup in recent weeks has sparked fears that a large-scale invasion of Ukraine looms, but confusion over Moscow’s aim has the U.S. and its European allies grasping for a coherent strategy to avert a potential crisis.

More than 700 military personnel are set to take part in Saturday's funeral ceremony at Windsor Castle, including army bands, Royal Marine buglers and an honor guard drawn from across the armed forces.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced plans to permanently base hundreds more U.S. troops in Germany, where the former Trump administration wanted to withdraw nearly 12,000 service members.

On Thursday, the United States expelled 10 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions against dozens of companies and people, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the cyber hacking of federal agencies.

Americans on or off base may participate in the U.S. military-approved, anonymous online questionnaire through April 25.

The NATO alliance, which rushed to join the United States in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, will depart the war-torn country alongside American forces in the months ahead, allies announced Wednesday.

The leaders of France and Germany are demanding the withdrawal of Russian troop reinforcements recently deployed at the border with Ukraine, the German chancellor's office said Friday after the two heads of state held security talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

E.U. officials are racing to put together a vaccine passport system by June that would ease travel inside the 27-nation bloc. And officials say they plan to publish a proposal within weeks for lifting restrictions on travelers from outside the bloc.

The top U.S. commander in Europe on Tuesday said he is confident Ukraine could repel a new Russian invasion “over time” even though Moscow has massed a large force around the country.

Some 143,000 adults who are eligible for the vaccine have yet to get a shot at Army and Air Force bases in Europe, officials said this week. That includes service members, family members, civilians, some contractors and others who are treated at base medical facilities.

In May 1965, Brian Robson was miserably homesick after working nearly a year in Melbourne, Australia, but he couldn't afford a plane ticket home to Wales. Forlorn and desperate, he came up with a madcap idea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move to restrict and stop the activities of U.S. nongovernment organizations from interfering in Russia's politics.

Three members of an Iranian separatist group, the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, were charged Thursday with financing and promoting terror in Iran with an unnamed Saudi intelligence service.

Small groups of demonstrators clashed with police Thursday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki at the end of a march to protest a new law allowing the policing of university campuses.

A photo symbolizing "love and compassion" of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months from a nurse through a transparent "hug curtain" was named the World Press Photo of the Year on Thursday.

Prince William and Prince Harry won't walk side-by-side Saturday as they follow their grandfather's coffin into St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, west of London ahead of Prince Philip's funeral.

Analysis

Tensions are rising over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with growing violations of a cease-fire and a massive Russian military buildup near its border with the region.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking after talks with his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, asked the Baltic nations to reach out to other European Union and NATO members about offering "practical assistance" to Kyiv.

EU Council President Charles Michel said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that "the EU is united in its solidarity with Ukraine."

A lawyer for relatives of people killed in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine said Thursday that 290 relatives and partners of the victims have filed compensation claims against the four suspects charged in the downing.

A meeting aimed to improve fraught ties between NATO allies Greece and Turkey quickly descended into a tense exchange of accusations between the two neighbors' foreign ministers on Thursday.

The move would end the patchwork of measures that have characterized the pandemic response across Germany's 16 states.

Col. Michael Schoenfeldt, commander the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, has been reassigned and is now performing administrative duties, the division said.

Coronavirus vaccine line jumping in the United States has raised eyebrows and tested friendships. Germany has taken prioritization rules to another level, investigating and threatening to prosecute people who don't wait their turn.

U.S. European Command has raised its threat level over worries that Russia is massing forces around eastern Ukraine, where the Pentagon says tensions have escalated in recent weeks.

Medical-grade masks will be required across Germany starting Monday, but different states have different rules and military officials haven’t said if the new requirements will apply on U.S. bases.

Col. Michael Schoenfeldt, who led the 1st Armored Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, until he departed Germany for Texas in February, faces numerous allegations by subordinate officers related to what they described as a bullying leadership style.

Ukraine is moving forward with plans to build two new naval bases in the Black Sea region, an area of tension with Russia that may see greater U.S. military and NATO involvement this year.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he wants a deeper look into a deadly 2020 ambush at the small Manda Bay outpost.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition has drafted legislation that would shift the power to impose COVID-19 restrictions to the federal government from regional leaders to combat a surge in infections.

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center will begin vaccinating eligible beneficiaries in the Kaiserslautern Military Community at high risk of contracting the coronavirus starting April 16, the hospital said.

In Europe, Austin is slated to meet with commanders at U.S. European and Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart and also hold talks with his German counterparts in Berlin.

Germany, which has been accused by President Donald Trump of not spending enough on defense, spent only 1.57% of gross domestic product on its military, a NATO report said.

The sanctions, foreshadowed for weeks by the administration, would represent the first retaliatory action announced against the Kremlin for last year's hack, familiarly known as the SolarWinds breach.

Eastern European countries are easing lockdown measures to mollify their frustrated citizens, even as the region remains the world's most deadly area for the coronavirus pandemic.

Russia's defense minister said Tuesday that the country's massive military buildup in the west was part of readiness drills amid what he described as threats from NATO.

President Joe Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to “de-escalate tensions" following a Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border in their second tense call of Biden's young presidency.

When Prince Philip's funeral takes place on Saturday, it will be more than a focal point for national mourning. Many will also be watching for any signs of reconciliation between Prince Harry and the royal family, especially with his elder brother Prince William.

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday dismissed initial offers at talks in Vienna to save Tehran's tattered nuclear deal as “not worth looking at."

South Africa suspended giving Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots Tuesday as a "precautionary measure" and the company delayed its European vaccine rollout following the FDA decision to pause using the jabs while very rare blood clot cases are examined.

The United States and NATO on Tuesday expressed strong support for Ukraine and warned Russia against pressing ahead with a major troop buildup along the former Soviet republic's eastern border.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Berlin on Monday against the backdrop of a newly emerging crisis with Iran.

Coronavirus vaccination rates at most U.S. military communities in Europe continue to lag behind the U.S. and some overseas locations elsewhere, though health officials say they expect more vaccine availability this month.

Bavarian leader Markus Soeder joined the race to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after Germany's election in September, setting up a fight with the head of her Christian Democratic Union for the nomination in her governing conservative bloc.

Like many countries in Europe, Italy has experienced a wave of infections since March, when it averaged about 25,000 new cases per day at peak levels.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for a phone call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin about the Russian troop buildup across his country's border and the escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine, but the request has been left unanswered so far, Zelenskyy's spokeswoman said Monday.

Survivors from different parts of the world instead attended Sunday's memorial ceremony online. Large-scale commemorations for last year's 75th anniversary were put on hold due to social distancing requirements.

NATO fighter jets launched a flurry of intercepts Monday stretching from the Arctic to southern Europe as allies countered a “an unusual peak” of flights by Russian warplanes, the alliance said.

Coronavirus infections are soaring and new lockdowns are looming across Europe, but vaccination campaigns have ground to a halt on some U.S. bases on the Continent, with officials blaming lagging supplies and uneven distribution.

A soil sample taken during "Project Iceworm," a failed 1960s effort to hide nuclear missiles beneath Greenland's ice, reveals new info on Greenland's ice sheet.

Yuri Gagarin was killed in a training jet crash on March 27, 1968. Not quite 16 months later, the U.S. beat the Soviet Union in the space race, putting an astronaut on the moon.

The State Department says secretary of state will have meetings in the Belgian capital on Tuesday and be met there by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for additional consultations on Wednesday.

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In exchange for a negative coronavirus test, which the city was doing for free, you could get a day pass to eat at outdoor restaurants, shop without an appointment and get a haircut or tattoo.

The largest U.S. military hospital overseas may have to cancel coronavirus vaccinations as of next week, as supplies dwindle and new deliveries are delayed, it said.

An airman who participated in child pornography chat rooms and collected thousands of illegal pornographic files was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of related charges at a court-martial Thursday.

Federal prosecutors allege that the defendant used a kitchen knife to attack the two men, aged 55 and 53, because he believed they were a gay couple and considered this to be a "grave sin."

A Turkish court sentenced dozens of people, including former soldiers attached to the presidential guard regiment, to life imprisonment on Wednesday over their involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

Princes William and Harry issued separate statements Monday paying tribute to their grandfather, Prince Philip, who died last week at 99.

Senegal and Spain signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to discourage illegal migration that has been increasing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Levels of potentially toxic lead in the blood of special operations forces who used a firing range in Germany fell significantly after the Army made changes to the training facilities and requirements for soldiers who use them, a study has found.

Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris, 36, died alone in his off-base home Jan. 12. He had tested positive for the coronavirus a week earlier, and his family immediately suspected it caused his death.

The Ukrainian military said that a soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in artillery fire from Russia-backed separatist rebels Sunday, as hostilities rise sharply in the country's east.

The KT-1 type plane crashed off the Aegean coastal town of Foca, in the western Izmir province, the Ministry of National Defense said.

Three U.S. service members were seriously injured and two sustained minor injuries in a car crash southwest of Berlin, police and media reports said.

The Kremlin said Friday it fears a resumption of full-scale fighting in eastern Ukraine and could take steps to protect Russian civilians there, a stark warning that comes amid a Russian troop build-up along the border.

Army officials in Bavaria have asked law enforcement to investigate allegations that children at the Child Development Center at Vilseck, Germany, have been mistreated by staff members.

A 24-year-old U.S. service member suffered serious injuries when her car crashed into a highway guardrail in northeastern Italy, local media reports said.

A Marine Corps Osprey tiltrotor squadron has arrived at Moron Air Base in Spain for a rotation in support of U.S. Africa Command’s North and West Africa Response Force, which conducts contingency and crisis operations throughout the two regions.

Authorities believe the 24-year-old man, who wasn't identified, was part of a group that sought to strike a church in England, possibly St. Paul's Cathedral in London, but British police thwarted the plot.

Millions of people in Britain will get their first chance in months for haircuts, casual shopping and restaurant meals on Monday, as the government takes the next step on its lockdown-lifting road map.

Prosecutors in Bergamo, Italy, placed Dr. Ranieri Guerra, WHO's assistant director general, under investigation for allegedly making false declarations to them when he voluntarily agreed to be questioned in November.

Germany doubled the number of daily COVID-19 vaccinations, France hit a key immunization milestone a week ahead of schedule, and Italy is set to ease lockdown restrictions as contagion rates slow.

The British government announced Monday that it will offer every citizen in England two at-home rapid coronavirus tests a week.

Holocaust survivors are taking to social media to share their experiences of how hate speech paved the way for mass murder.

First-day experiences may include eating lunch by a stage in a room that doubles as a performance hall; exercising on a spongy gym floor; and learning about the pottery kiln in the art studio.

Prince Philip's royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17 at Windsor Castle — a slimmed-down service amid the COVID-19 pandemic that will be entirely closed to the public. Prince Harry will attend the service,

Philip, who served in the Royal Navy during World War II, married the future queen in 1947 and kept up a full schedule of public appearances until he retired in 2017.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame on Wednesday welcomed a new French report documenting France's role in the 1994 genocide.

Merkel told Russian President Vladimir Putin on during a phone call Thursday that Russia must reverse the buildup of troops in the area of eastern Ukraine to help achieve "a de-escalation of the situation."

Crowds clashed across a concrete "peace wall" in west Belfast that separates a British loyalist Protestant neighborhood from an Irish nationalist Catholic area. Police fired rubber bullets at the crowd, and nearby a city bus was hijacked and set on fire.

In Spain, residents now have to be over 60 to get an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. In Belgium, over 55. In the United Kingdom, authorities recommend the shot not be given to adults under 30, and Australia recommends shots not be given to those under 50.

Based on the evidence to date, a top official at the European Medicines Agency said there's a clear association between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the dozens of rare blood clots that have been reported worldwide amid the tens of millions of vaccine jabs that have been given out.

"We've lost, almost, the grandfather of the nation," Prince Andrew said. "And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who's feeling it probably more than everybody else."