Month: October 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling on the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to “end the violence and protect civilians” after nearly a month of intense fighting in the breakaway mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.   The State Department issued the statement after Pompeo met separately with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and …

Read more “Pompeo Urges Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs to End Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh”

Belgian officials Friday announced new COVID-19 restrictions but stopped short of a lockdown to stem the surging rate of infections, which are now averaging more than 10,000 per day.At a news conference in Brussels, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced, among other restrictions, fans are now banned from sports matches; zoos and theme parks will …

Read more “Belgium Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions But Resists Lockdown”

The relationship between France and the United States is rarely as far apart as it is now, say experts. As the U.S. presidential election nears, polls show many French are hoping for a reboot under a new leader in the White House, as Lisa Bryant reports for VOA from Paris. Producer: Henry Hernandez …

Russia and Iran are ramping up attacks on U.S. government networks and computer systems while also amplifying their disinformation campaigns, hoping to rattle the confidence of American voters with less than two weeks until the Nov. 3 presidential election.The warning Thursday from U.S. intelligence and election security officials came less than 24 hours after the …

Read more “US Warns of More Election Meddling from Russia, Iran”

Healthy volunteers will be deliberately infected with the coronavirus to try to speed up the development of a vaccine, under plans announced by the British government this week.  The trial will involve healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30. Most coronavirus vaccine trials involve giving volunteers the potential vaccine or a placebo and then waiting until enough …

Read more “Britain to Deliberately Infect Volunteers With Coronavirus”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed Thursday that the military alliance would establish a space center at the Allied Air Command base in Ramstein, Germany.Speaking in Brussels after a virtual conference of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg confirmed reports regarding the space center made earlier this week by European news agencies.”NATO is determined to keep our cutting edge …

Read more “NATO Chief: Alliance to Build Space Center at Ramstein Airbase in Germany”

Poland’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that abortions for fetal abnormalities violate the Roman Catholic country’s Constitution. Prior to the new near-total ban, the country already had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe.     After the ruling by Poland’s top court goes into effect, terminations will be allowed only in cases of rape, …

Read more “Poland’s Top Court Tightens Near-Total Abortion Ban”

The Czech Republic will get 30 ventilators from the European Union and is seeking more help and equipment abroad to help grapple with the continent’s worst outbreak of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday. The country of 10.7 million has seen daily cases soar to nearly 15,000, and the government fears …

Read more “Czechs to Get Ventilators from EU as Coronavirus Cases Soar”

French President Emmanuel Macron paid a soaring tribute Wednesday to a middle school teacher brutally killed in an Islamic terrorist attack last week, while vowing an all-out fight against radical Islam he said threatened the nation. Seven people, including two teenagers, face possible prosecution.President Macron’s homage to slain history teacher Samuel Paty was broadcast live …

Read more “France Pays Homage to Slain Teacher as Some Question Country’s Secularist Ideals”

French President Emmanuel Macron paid a soaring tribute to slain history teacher Samuel Paty during a national commemoration Wednesday at Paris’ Sorbonne University, describing him as incarnating values of tolerance and learning, and describing in bleak terms the threat of radical Islam.“We will not renounce cartoons,” said Macron, in reference to cartoons of the Prophet …

Read more “France Pays Homage to Slain Teacher Even as Some Question Secular Creed”

About midnight Sunday, reporter Shkumbin Kajtazi heard gunshots ring out in Mitrovica, the Kosovan city where he lives.When he went outside, Kajtazi, who works for the news website Reporteri and runs his own outlet Jepi Zë (Give it Voice), found the window of his car shattered by bullets.Reporter Shkumbin Kajtazi said the attack on his …

Read more “Bullets Shatter Window of Journalist’s Car in Kosovo”

British Prime Boris Johnson pushed back again Wednesday on opposition efforts to implement a two-week “circuit-breaker” nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus cases in the country.In the House of Commons, Opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson’s regional three-tiered alert system has not been working and that more drastic measures need to …

Read more “British PM, Opposition Debate Pandemic Response”

Greece’s navy has issued a code orange alert, advising battleships to surround a cluster of tiny islands in the southeast Aegean Sea and prepare for potential hostile action from Turkey.  The dangerous standoff is further complicating efforts by the United States and the European Union to get the two sides to negotiate a maritime settlement.Greece’s …

Read more “Greece Puts Navy on Alert as Turkey Tensions Flare Again”

People in Ukraine are closely following the U.S. presidential election given America’s strategic importance to the country and campaign allegations of corruption linked to Ukraine.  Henry Ridgwell reports.Videographer: Eugene Risunkov …

In Germany, policymakers are awaiting the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in the belief that it will have significant consequences for the country and for Europe. Jacob Russell has this report from Berlin.Camera: Jacob Russell  Producer:  Jon Spier  …

Spain this week will become the first European country to report one million coronavirus cases since the pandemic started.   Despite bringing in one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, experts say that Spain has reached this grim milestone because the pandemic has exposed some deep flaws in its health system and model of government. At …

Read more “Spain Becomes COVID-19 Hotspot Again — But Why?”

The U.S. and Russia signaled their willingness Tuesday to reach a new deal on nuclear arms control by working toward a freeze on warhead arsenals for a year past the February expiration of the current weapons pact.   Russia proposed extending the accord for the New START arms-control treaty, with the U.S. State Department hours …

Read more “US, Russia Signal Willingness to Extend Nuclear Arms Pact”

Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus under a system of tight control inherited from the former Soviet Union and largely dependent on Russia.  His opponents denounce Lukashenko as repressive and want him out, while his supporters point to Belarus’ record of stability and low unemployment as reasons for him to stay.  Jonathan Spier narrates …

Read more “Belarus Protesters Torn on How Much Change They Really Want”

Protests against the monarchy have spread in Spain and polls show the nation is divided over whether it should be abolished. Alfonso Beato has more from Barcelona in this story narrated by Jonathan Spier.  Camera: Alfonso Beato  Produced by: Jon Spier   …

France’s Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into a wide range of hate speech following the beheading of a history teacher last week. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that 80 instances of hate speech online had been investigated since Friday’s attack and that 51 French Muslim organizations would be probed, as well. “Not a minute of respite …

Read more “France Probes Muslim Organizations Following Beheading of Teacher”

Officials in Wales announced Monday they will impose a two-week “firebreak” lockdown effective Friday, requiring all but essential workers to stay at home to combat an accelerating second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the move at a news conference, saying the lockdown will be in effect from Friday to November …

Read more “Wales to Impose Two-Week Coronavirus Lockdown Beginning Friday “

Finland’s Nokia has been selected by NASA to build the first cellular network on the moon, the company said on Monday.   The lunar network will be part of the U.S. space agency’s efforts to return humans to the moon by 2024 and build long-term settlements there under its Artemis program.   Nokia said the …

Read more “Got Any Signal Up Here? Nokia to Build Mobile Network on Moon”

The Kremlin signaled on Monday a new round of oil talks with Saudi Arabia as producer group OPEC+ meets on Monday to discuss the weakening demand outlook in the face of rising coronavirus infections.   “Those markets are volatile, and we are at an active stage of cooperation, exchange of opinions. That is why it …

Read more “Kremlin Signals New OPEC+ Oil Talks Amid Weak Demand Outlook”

The Czech Republic, which has the highest coronavirus infection rate in Europe, will wait at least two weeks before deciding whether to order a full lockdown to stem its epidemic, Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek said Sunday.In the past week, bars and restaurants in the country of 10.7 million have been ordered to close except …

Read more “Czechs to Wait 2 Weeks Before Considering COVID Lockdown”