Travels News
Dozens of relatives of the 298 victims of Malaysian Airlines flight 17, shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, will begin giving testimony on Monday at the murder trial of four fugitive suspects accused of carrying out the attack.The aircraft was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by what international …
Read more “Families of MH17 Airline Crash Victims to Speak in Court”
Four years ago, European leaders chided then U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on America’s southern border with Mexico. “We have a history and a tradition that we celebrate when walls are brought down and bridges are built,” admonished Federica Mogherini, then the EU’s foreign policy chief. But Europe now …
Read more “Fortress Europe Takes Shape as EU Countries Fear Bigger Migration Flows”
A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent in the wake of last year’s anti-government protests. Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Coordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest last September. …
Read more “Belarus Court Gives Opposition Activists Lengthy Sentences “
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Qatar on a trip that will also take him to Germany for talks with important U.S. allies on the situation in Afghanistan. “Departing for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany where I’ll have the opportunity to thank our Qatari and German friends in-person for the outstanding support they’ve given to safely transit …
Read more “Blinken to Visit Qatar, Germany for Afghanistan Diplomacy”
The sole surviving member of the terror cell that massacred 130 people in Paris in November 20 was a pot-smoking party man who dabbled in petty crime before falling in thrall to the Islamic State group. All eyes will be on Salah Abdeslam on Wednesday when he goes on trial in Paris along with 19 others …
Read more “Surviving Member of Terror Cell in Paris Attacks to Go on Trial”
Arriving in a military helicopter, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro was inaugurated in the state’s old capital on Sunday amid clashes between police and protesters who oppose continued Serb influence in the tiny Balkan nation.Hospital officials in the city of Cetinje said at least 60 people were injured, including 30 police …
Read more “Police Clash with Opponents of Serbian Church in Montenegro”
The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro was inaugurated on Sunday, arriving by helicopter under the protection of police who dispersed protesters with tear gas. The decision to anoint Bishop Joanikije as the new Metropolitan of Montenegro at the historic monastery of Cetinje has aggravated ethnic tension in the tiny Balkan state. Protesters had …
Read more “Protests as Montenegro’s New Orthodox Head Inaugurated “
Germany’s center-left chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz wants to lead Europe’s largest economy in a coalition government with the left-leaning Greens, though polls suggest he will need support of a third party to reach a stable majority in parliament.Scholz and his Social Democrats (SPD) have opened up a five-point lead over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives ahead …
Read more “Boosted by Surge in Polls, Germany’s Scholz Bets on Coalition with the Greens”
The biggest trial in France’s modern legal history begins on Wednesday over the November 2015 attacks on Paris that saw 130 people slaughtered at bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall.The suicide bombing and gun assault by three teams of jihadists, later claimed by the Islamic State group, was France’s worst post-war atrocity.A purpose-built facility …
Read more “France’s Biggest Trial to Open Over November 2015 Attacks”
Among the cranes and containers of the port of Rotterdam is a surreal sight: a herd of cows peacefully feeding on board what calls itself the world’s first floating farm.In the low-lying Netherlands where land is scarce and climate change is a daily threat, the three-story glass and steel platform aims to show the “future …
Read more “Floating Dutch Cow Farm Aims to Curb Climate Impact”
Europe’s top human rights body on Friday called on Greece’s parliament to withdraw articles included in draft legislation that would impose heavy penalties on nongovernmental organizations that carry out unsanctioned rescue operations of migrants at sea. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, Dunja Mijatovic, said in a statement that the proposed changes would “seriously hinder …
Read more “Rights Body Raps Greece Over Migrant Rescue Crackdown”
On August 24, 1991, Ukraine announced its independence from the Soviet Union, and in the next few months, the international community — country by country — recognized Ukraine as an independent sovereign state. But the foundation of this shift had been laid at the United Nations headquarters about a year earlier. Iryna Solomko has the …
Read more “How 30 Years of Ukraine Independence Started in UN”
NATO’s secretary general called on Russia on Friday to be open about its “Zapad-2021” military exercises and the troop numbers involved as alarm grows in Poland, the Baltics and Ukraine about Moscow’s intentions.Previous “Zapad”, or West, exercises along the border that Russia shares with NATO have been on a vast scale, according to allied officials, …
Read more “NATO Calls on Russia To Be Transparent With Military Exercises”
The Taliban on Thursday briefly detained a former British soldier who was trying to evacuate overland 50 Afghan employees and 350 of their relatives, according to British media reports. Ben Slater says he launched his own evacuation bid after British officials failed to approve visas in time for his staff, consisting mainly of women, to …
Read more “Taliban Detain Former British Soldier, Ending Bid to Evacuate NGO Staff”
Turkey is stepping up a border security barrier with Iran, primarily to thwart a possible large influx of refugees from entering Afghanistan. Yet for many refugees, the wall, trenches and barbed wire are just more obstacles they say they have no choice but to overcome. VOA’s Heather Murdock has this report from Van, Tatvan and …
Read more “Turkey Steps Up Border Security to Thwart Afghan Refugees”
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has issued a report saying that based on current evidence, there is no urgent need for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and the public health focus should remain on getting initial vaccinations to eligible European citizens.The report added additional doses should be considered for those individuals with compromised …
Read more “Europe’s Infectious Disease Agency Says No Pressing Need for Boosters”
European Union defense ministers discussed Thursday how to better respond to future crises following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, including the creation of a rapid response force.As they met in Slovenia to discuss lessons learned from the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan, Germany proposed that willing coalition members be enabled to create a rapid deployment military …
Read more “EU Defense Ministers Mull Rapid Response Force after Afghanistan’s Fall”
he clandestine sea route from the coasts of Senegal to Spain is a dangerous voyage for thousands of migrants. For those who make it, what awaits them is a life outside the law and the stigma of being called an illegal immigrant. Jonathan Spier narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona.Camera: Alfonso Beato …
Albania is temporarily hosting some 600 Afghan refugees who have fled the violence and chaos in their country. The last of several flights – with 150 people on board – arrived in Albania August 30. Ilirian Agolli spoke with some of them. Keida Kostreci narrates his story. …
Ireland on Thursday slapped Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service with a record fine for breaching EU data privacy laws after European regulators demanded the penalty be increased.Ireland’s Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook’s European headquarters are situated in the country.”And following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million …
Read more “Ireland Fines WhatsApp for Breaching EU Privacy Laws”
Plans by anti-COVID vaccine activists to shut down rail travel in Italy fell apart Wednesday as police outnumbered protesters at railway stations across the country. The Italian government has gone ahead with its plan to require Green Passes for long-distance travel, and the pass became mandatory Wednesday.Italian authorities have said they are adamant that everything …
Read more “Anti-COVID Vaccine Protests Fail to Materialize in Italy”
Among the growing numbers of Afghans arriving in Turkey after fleeing the Taliban are those who fought alongside NATO forces. As Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul, they are now looking for help from countries with whose soldiers they served.Video editor: Rob Raffaele …
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Wednesday officially opened the international Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin — a center designed to pool the world’s resources to fight future global health emergencies. The hub, originally announced in May, will be a collection agency for health data …
Read more “WHO Chief, Germany’s Merkel Open Global Pandemic Hub in Berlin”
As the evacuation of tens of thousands from the airport in Kabul was underway, the attempted rescue of dozens of veterinary staff and hundreds of animals from a British animal rescue charity in Afghanistan caught the attention of the media. Their plight led to a heated dispute between the charity and the British government, as …
Read more “Afghanistan Animal Rescue Triggers Dispute Between Charity and British Government”