Travels News
Russia’s setbacks and stretched resources in Ukraine show its forces are incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putin’s initial aims in invading the country as things stand now, the Pentagon’s intelligence chief said Friday. “We’re coming to a point right now where I think Putin is going to have to revise what his objectives are for …
Read more “US Military Intel Chief Says Putin Can’t Achieve Ukraine Goal”
A new Gallup Poll released Friday confirms overwhelming support among Finns and Swedes for their nations’ expected accession to NATO, while their views toward Russian leadership have turned “profoundly negative” as the war in Ukraine rages on. The survey found that 81% of Finns and 74% of Swedes approve of the alliance’s leadership, while their …
Read more “Finns, Swedes Overwhelmingly Back NATO, Poll Shows”
Turkish media and LGBTQ groups are questioning a decision by the country’s regulator to classify a video from a coalition of conservative groups as a public service announcement. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) voted to list a video promoting an event scheduled for Istanbul on Sunday as a public service announcement. The video …
Read more “Turkish Regulator Criticized Over Public Service Video”
King Charles and his siblings stood vigil by the coffin of their late mother Queen Elizabeth II on Friday as tens of thousands of mourners queuing to pay their final respects as she lies in state were told they faced a wait of up to 24 hours. Charles, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew and Edward, attired …
Read more “King Charles, Siblings Stand Vigil as Mourners Line Grows”
The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has sparked renewed debate in many Commonwealth countries — most of them former British colonies — about their future ties to the monarchy. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …
When Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II first visited India in 1961, huge crowds lined up to catch a glimpse of her as her royal carriage moved through the streets of New Delhi. News reports spoke about affection among Indians for the monarch, who had ascended the throne five years after the country gained independence from Britain. …
Read more “Symbol of Colonial Rule, Queen Elizabeth Evokes Emotions in India”
Media groups seeking to take over smaller rivals will have to make sure that their deals ensure media pluralism and safeguard editorial independence under draft rules announced by the European Commission on Friday. The Media Freedom Act (MFA) is part of the European Union’s strategy to prevent political interference in media outlets and spying on …
Read more “EU Wants to Ensure Independent Media, Tougher Rules for Media Mergers”
Berlin on Friday took control of the German operations of Russian oil firm Rosneft to secure energy supplies which have been disrupted after Moscow invaded Ukraine. Rosneft’s German subsidiaries, which account for about 12% of oil refining capacity in the country, were placed under trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency, the economy ministry said in …
Read more “Germany Seizes Russian Energy Firm’s Subsidiaries”
At least eight people have been killed by torrential overnight rains and floods in the central Italian region of Marche, authorities said Friday, as rescuers continued to search for four missing people. Around 40 centimeters of rain fell within two to three hours, inundating the streets of several towns around the region’s capital Ancona on …
Read more “At Least 8 Dead as Flash Floods Hit Central Italy”
Around 1,000 flights to and from France were canceled Friday as the country’s air traffic controllers went on strike, causing delays across European airspace. France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said 16 airports were operating a skeleton service, as were traffic control centers guiding planes overflying French territory at high altitude. But several regional airports were …
Read more “French Traffic Controllers’ Strike Disrupts European Air Travel”
The European Commission, the legislative arm of the European Union, released a 60-page proposal Wednesday that would ban products made by forced labor, a measure to stop goods tainted with forced labor from entering and exiting the union’s market. The proposed regulation was published one year after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduced …
Read more “Rights Groups Say EC Proposal on Forced Labor Needs Work “
European Union lawmakers on Thursday declared that Hungary has become “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” under the leadership of its nationalist government, and that its undermining of the bloc’s democratic values had taken Hungary out of the community of democracies. In a resolution that passed 433-123 with 28 abstentions, the parliamentarians raised concerns about …
Read more “EU Lawmakers Declare That Hungary is No Longer a Democracy”
A mass grave with more than 440 bodies was discovered in Izium, in northeastern Ukraine, where Russian forces were ousted just days ago, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. “I can say it is one of the largest burial sites in a big town in liberated [areas] … 440 bodies were buried in one place,” Serhiy Bolvinov, …
Read more “Ukraine: Mass Grave Found in Izium After Russians Are Ousted “
Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to have negotiated a cease-fire in the past day, pausing fighting that has reportedly killed more than 170 troops on both sides since fighting erupted earlier this week. Armenian officials announced the cease-fire starting Wednesday in a television broadcast. There has been no confirmation from Azerbaijan’s government. “We welcome the cessation …
Read more “Ukraine War, Energy Issues Muddle Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Efforts”
The U.S. on Thursday imposed new economic sanctions on an array of Russians, including some that it accused of stealing Ukrainian grain, an official who allegedly has directed the deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, and relatives of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. “The United States continues to hold the Russian government …
Read more “US Targets Russian Officials and Entities with New Sanctions”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House Friday, with trade, energy, and security all on the agenda. What’s not officially on the program, but will likely be discussed, analysts say, are the two democracies’ differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ramaphosa’s first visit to the White House …
Read more “‘Difficult’ Discussion on Ukraine Predicted at Biden-Ramaphosa Meeting”
Russia’s war on Ukraine has seen scores of hospitals and clinics bombed, and frequent power cuts that can turn off lifesaving machines. Medical aid groups are using a Kenyan-manufactured breathing device for premature babies that works without electricity, helping save vulnerable newborns in countries affected by conflict. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi, Kenya. Camera – …
Read more “Kenyan-Made Device Helps Save Premature Babies Born Amid Ukraine War”
The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has adopted a resolution demanding that Russia end its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, diplomats who attended a closed-door meeting on Thursday in Vienna said. The resolution adopted by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calls on Russia to “immediately cease …
Read more “IAEA Demands Russia Withdraw From Ukraine Nuclear Plant”
As Catalan separatists mark the fifth anniversary of a failed independence referendum next month, polls have shown support for splitting from Spain is on the decline. The October 2017 referendum asked voters whether they wanted Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic. Ninety percent voted yes. Shocking images of police …
Read more “Polls Show Support for Catalonia Independence Declining”
Tens of thousands of mourners lined up through the night and into the day Thursday to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. Aerial video in London showed the mourners lining the banks of the Thames River and across the Tower Bridge, stretching an estimated 5.6 kilometers. Officials expect 750,000 people …
Read more “Thousands Line Up to Say Goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for talks Thursday in Kyiv that von der Leyen said would include “getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession.” Ukraine applied to join the European Union in late February, days after Russia launched its invasion. The EU granted …
An Armenian official said Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan had negotiated a cease-fire after blaming each other for clashes along their border. Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, said in televised remarks that the truce had taken effect. There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan about a cease-fire agreement. The U.N. Security Council …
Read more “Armenia Says Cease-Fire Deal Reached With Azerbaijan”
Roger Federer broke the news fans across the world have long been fearing when he announced on Thursday he will retire from competitive tennis after next week’s Laver Cup in London. The 41-year-old Swiss national, who has won 20 Grand Slam titles and is regarded by many as the best player ever to wield a …
Read more “Roger Federer to Retire From Tennis After Next Week’s Laver Cup”
Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s few remaining independent news outlets, was stripped of its last media license on Thursday. Russia’s Supreme Court in effect banned Novaya Gazeta’s online version, days after a Moscow district court banned Novaya Gazeta’s newspaper and its sister magazine “No” (“But”), founded less than three months ago. The media watchdog Rozkomnadzor …
Read more “Russia Revokes Independent Novaya Gazeta’s Last Media License”