worldwide news
As COVID-19 infection rates begin to drop in the region, European Union ministers met in Brussels Tuesday in hopes of reaching an agreement on a “green certificate” travel pass designed to make it easier for fully vaccinated tourists to travel in the continent in time for the summer vacation season. The EU’s executive arm, …
Read more “European Union Seeks to Reopen Travel with Vaccination Pass”
Nearly 200 jihadists imprisoned in France are due to be released over the next two years and French security officials are pressing French lawmakers to approve fresh antiterrorist measures to impose enhanced restrictions on those freed and to give police new legal powers to fight terrorism. British officials, likewise, are fearful of a resurgent jihadist threat …
Read more “France, Britain Fearful of Resurgent Jihadist Threat After Lockdown”
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth delivered the official Opening of Parliament speech Tuesday, her first ceremonial appearance since the death of her husband, Prince Philip.The speech, traditionally a large-scale event full of pageantry in which the queen opens the new parliament, was scaled back considerably due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the queen wearing a day dress …
Read more “Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Presents Government Agenda”
Turkey’s foreign minister is visiting Saudi Arabia in a bid to repair deeply strained relations. The visit is part of broader regional efforts by Ankara to stem its growing isolation in the region. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s two-day visit to Saudi Arabia that started Monday follows this month’s phone call between President Recep Tayyip …
Read more “Turkey Steps Up Efforts to Win Back Mideast Partners “
A rocket attack on a Turkish military supply convoy in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has killed one soldier and wounded four others, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Turkish forces retaliated to the attack by firing on targets they identified in the region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It did not elaborate or say who …
Read more “Turkish Soldier Killed, 4 Hurt in Attack in Syria”
Seven children were shot and killed at a school in southwest Russia Tuesday, Russian officials said.At least one teacher was also killed in the incident in the city of Kazan, capital of the Tartarstan republic, located more than 800 kilometers east of Moscow. Four boys and three girls were among those killed. Initial reports from state-owned RIA news agency said …
Nearly 200 jihadists imprisoned in France are due to be released over the next two years and French security officials are pressing French lawmakers to approve fresh antiterrorist measures to impose enhanced restrictions on those freed and to give police new legal powers to fight terrorism. British officials, likewise, are fearful of a resurgent jihadist threat …
Read more “France, Britain Plan Tougher Counterterrorism Measures “
Mosques across Turkey broadcast prayers Monday in support of Palestinians injured in violent confrontations with Israeli police in Jerusalem. The unrest, which coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, comes amid the possible eviction of Palestinians from east Jerusalem homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers.Also Monday, hundreds of people, many waving Palestinian flags, …
Read more “Turkey Criticizes Israel over Response to Palestinian Protests”
European and Chinese leaders are urging swift ratification of the trade deal they agreed to in December, after tensions over accusations of human rights abuses in China delayed approval of the deal by European Union lawmakers. The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) took seven years of negotiations and was finally agreed to in principle …
Read more “EU Suspends China Trade Deal as Tensions Grow Over Xinjiang, Hong Kong”
German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced Monday the country was making the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine available to all adults, lifting a prioritization that limited the shot only to those 60 and older.Like the AstraZeneca vaccine before it, Germany had limited the use of the Johnson & Johnson shot after several cases of …
Read more “Germany Makes Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Available to All Adults”
Disquiet is growing within France’s military ranks, with the publication of a second open letter — this time by serving soldiers — warning growing Islamism, delinquency and violence threaten the country’s very survival.This latest open letter by members of France’s armed forces is making headlines — and stirring debate. Like one last month signed by …
Read more “Second Open Letter by French Soldiers Warns of Civil Insurrection”
Boris Johnson’s resounding victory in local and regional elections in Britain last week is dismaying not just for the country’s storied Labour Party, but also for mainstream leftist parties on the continent of Europe, most of which are also struggling for electoral relevancy. From Italy to Germany, France to the countries of Central Europe, the …
Read more “Europe’s Social Democratic Parties Struggle for Electoral Relevancy “
A diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Spain over Madrid’s decision to host a leader of the Western Saharan independence movement has soured what had been improving relations across the Mediterranean Sea. Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, which wants for independence of the Sahrawi people in Western Sahara, is being treated at a hospital …
Read more “Fresh Dispute Erupts Between Spain and Morocco Over Western Sahara Leader”
Helmut Jahn, a prominent German architect who designed an Illinois state government building and worked on the design of the FBI headquarters in Washington, was killed in a bicycle accident outside Chicago. Jahn, 81, was struck Saturday afternoon while riding north on a village street in Campton Hills, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Chicago. Jahn …
Read more “Famous German Architect Killed in Illinois Bike Accident”
One of Britain’s most wanted fugitives, a 35-year-old suspected of involvement in a plot to traffic huge quantities of cocaine, has been arrested in Dubai, authorities said Sunday. Michael Paul Moogan, from Liverpool, had been on the run for eight years since a raid on a Rotterdam cafe that is suspected of being a front for meetings between drug traffickers …
Read more “British Fugitive Arrested in Dubai on Drug-trafficking Charges”
More than 1,200 migrants in several decrepit, overcrowded fishing boats on Sunday reached a tiny Italian island in a span of 12 hours, as human traffickers exploited calm seas and warm weather to launch multiple vessels, the mayor said. The first of the migrants arrived at 5 a.m., Lampedusa Mayor Salvatore Martello told Sky TG24 TV …
Read more “More Than 1,200 Migrants Reach Italian Island in Boats in 12 Hours”
President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for bringing France out of the pandemic aren’t just about resuscitating long-closed restaurants, boutiques and museums. They are also about preparing his possible campaign for a second term.A year before the next presidential election, Macron is focusing on saving jobs and reviving the pandemic-battered French economy as his country inches out …
Read more “Eyeing Reelection Bid, Macron Looks to Repair French Economy”
The leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, has vowed to start the push for a second referendum on Scottish independence as her party made major gains in elections this weekend for Scotland’s devolved Parliament, but fell short by one seat of securing an overall majority. Sturgeon is wasting no time in laying down the …
Read more “Buoyed by Big Election Win, Scottish Nationalists Demand Independence Vote “
Russia showed off its military might with parades across the country on Sunday to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. President Vladimir Putin reviewed the main Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square, featuring some 12,000 troops, nearly 200 pieces of military hardware, and aircraft and helicopter flyovers. Putin watched the display …
Read more “Russia Rolls out Military Might for Victory Day Amid Tensions with West “
President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for bringing France out of the pandemic aren’t just about resuscitating long-closed restaurants, boutiques and museums. They are also about preparing his possible campaign for a second term.A year before the next presidential election, Macron is focusing on saving jobs and reviving the pandemic-battered French economy as his country inches out …
Read more “Eyeing Reelection Bid, Macron Looks to Repair French Eeconomy”
An Italian judge murdered by the mafia in Sicily takes a step towards sainthood Sunday, almost three decades after being declared a martyr by pope John Paul II.The beatification of Rosario Livatino will take place in the cathedral in Agrigento, the Sicilian town near where he was gunned down aged 38 on September 21, 1990.In …
Read more “Sicilian Judge Killed by Mafia Takes Step to Sainthood”
Italian archaeologists have uncovered the fossilized remains of nine Neanderthals in a cave near Rome, shedding new light on how the Italian peninsula was populated and under what environmental conditions.The Italian Culture Ministry announced the discovery Saturday, saying it had confirmed that the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo was “one of the most significant …
Read more “Archaeologists Discover Remains of 9 Neanderthals Near Rome”
The European Union said Saturday that it had posted bail for Georgia’s jailed opposition leader, Nika Melia, paving the way for his release and ending a protracted political crisis in the Caucasus country.Melia, the chairman of Georgia’s main opposition force, the United National Movement (UNM), was arrested in February in a violent police raid on …
Read more “EU Posts Bail to Free Jailed Georgia Opposition Leader”
Pro-independence parties won a majority in Scotland’s parliament on Saturday, paving the way to a high-stakes political, legal and constitutional battle with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the future of the United Kingdom.Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the result meant she would push ahead with plans for a second independence referendum once the …
Read more “Scottish Nationalists Vow Independence Vote After Election Win”