An extremely rare, purple-pink diamond mined in Russia, which Sotheby’s described as “a true wonder of nature,” sold for $26.6 million on Wednesday, the auction house said.Sotheby’s had estimated that the flawless oval gem, “The Spirit of the Rose,” could fetch from $23 million to $38 million at the Geneva sale.The hammer price was 21 million …
Read more “Pink Diamond Fetches $26.6M at Sotheby’s Geneva Sale”
Greece and Egypt, which angered Turkey by reaching an agreement on natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, will welcome more decisive U.S. involvement in the region under President-elect Joe Biden, the Greek prime minister said Wednesday.”Both Greece and Egypt will receive positively a more decisive role of the United States in the Middle East and …
Read more “Greek PM: Greece, Egypt to Welcome ‘More Decisive’ US Involvement Under Biden”
Three months after disputed elections in Belarus, protesters and journalists continue to be arrested, beaten and harassed. On Sunday, police detained over 1,000 people at protests in cities across the Eastern European nation.The arrests were the highest number since protests calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down began in August.FILE – Belarusian President Alexander …
Read more “No Guarantee of Safety for Media Covering Disputed Belarus Election”
After the recent terror attacks in France and Austria, European leaders held a summit Tuesday in France to coordinate the response against terrorism, and they are pushing for a “common coordinated and rapid” European response to counterterror attacks.The question of how to respond to Islamist attacks like the recent ones in Nice and Vienna brought together Tuesday French President Emmanuel Macron …
Read more “EU Leaders Urge ‘Rapid and Coordinated’ Response to Terror Attacks”
The United Nations is appealing for $45.5 million to provide life-saving assistance for 260,000 of the most vulnerable people affected by Super Typhoon Goni in the Philippines.The storm, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, swept across large swathes of southern Luzon with terrifying force 10 days ago. Torrential rains and violent winds blew …
Read more “UN Wants $45 Million for Super Typhoon Goni Survivors in Philippines”
Bishops, cardinals and popes repeatedly dismissed or downplayed sexual molestation accusations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Vatican said in a 400-page report released Tuesday. Released two years after Pope Francis launched an internal investigation, the report said the Vatican knew of McCarrick’s behavior since at least 1999, but he continued to rise through …
Read more “Vatican Knew of Sex Allegations Against Former Cardinal, Report Says”
Authorities on the Greek Island of Crete say ongoing torrential rains have led to severe flooding that has turned roads into rivers, uprooted trees, damaged hundreds of homes and businesses and swept cars out to sea.Emergency response officials say the worst damage occurred east of the island’s capital, Iraklion, in small towns and villages, where …
Read more “Heavy Rain Brings Severe Flooding to Greek Island of Crete “
European Union regulators have filed antitrust charges against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of using data to gain an unfair advantage over merchants using its platform. The EU’s executive commission, the bloc’s top antitrust enforcer, said Tuesday that the charges have been sent to the company. The commission said it takes issue with Amazon’s systematic …
Read more “EU Files Antitrust Charges Against Amazon Over Use of Data”
The Vatican on Tuesday will release its report into the rise and fall of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the once-influential American cardinal who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation confirmed decades of rumors that he was a sexual predator. The McCarrick scandal is different from other cases of clergy abuse, primarily because …
Read more “Vatican to Release Report on Defrocked Cardinal McCarrick”
The European Union will impose tariffs on up to $4 billion of U.S. imports in retaliation for U.S. subsidies for Boeing but said on Monday it was hopeful of an improvement in trade ties under U.S. President-elect Joe Biden. The move, given the green light by the World Trade Organization last month, is the latest in …
Read more “EU ‘Regrettably’ Hits US with Tariffs, Seeks Better Ties with Biden”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday became the latest world leader to test positive for COVID-19.Zelenskiy tweeted the announcement, saying “There are no lucky people for whom #COVID19 does not pose a threat. Despite all the quarantine measures, I received a positive test. I feel good & take a lot of vitamins. Promise to isolate …
Read more “Ukraine President Zelenskiy Tests Positive for COVID-19”
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has appeared for the first time before a war crimes court in The Hague to face charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from Kosovo’s war of independence more than 20 years ago.A commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) during the 1998-1999 war, Thaci resigned as …
Read more “Former Kosovo President Enters ‘Not Guilty’ Plea at War Crimes Court “
Police in Belarus arrested at least 500 people on Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets again to demand new elections and the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. At least nine journalists were detained, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The human rights group Viasna was quoted to have put …
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday congratulated the new U.S. president-elect and his running mate on their projected election victory and said the U.S. and its European partners must stand together to deal with the challenges of our time. At a news conference in Berlin, Merkel said Biden has decades of experience in both domestic …
Read more “German Chancellor Congratulates Biden, Harris on Election Victory”
In a scaled-back service, Queen Elizabeth II led tributes Sunday to those from the U.K. and the Commonwealth who perished in wartime, as most veterans paid their respects at home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The 94-year-old monarch looked on from a balcony at a government building above the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central …
Read more “UK Honors War Dead in Scaled-back Remembrance Sunday Service”
Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Sunday he was resigning for health reasons, the second surprise departure of a top economic policymaker in two days after the central bank chief was ousted.The upheaval follows a 30% slide in the lira to record lows this year amid the coronavirus pandemic as investors worried about falling …
Read more “Turkish Finance Minister Resigns in Second Surprise Departure After Lira Slide”
Georgian police fired water cannon and tear gas against hundreds of protesters outside the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Sunday to support a call by opposition parties for a rerun of Oct. 31 parliamentary elections that they say were rigged.Small groups of protesters started throwing stones at the police. The demonstrators had moved to the …
Read more “Georgian Police Fire Water Cannon at Protesters Who Claim Polls Were Rigged”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Joe Biden after he was projected to become the next U.S. president. Greece views the pending change of guard at the White House as pivotal to easing turbulent relations with Turkey. Many analysts, though, warn Athens should take a more cautious approach. …
Read more “Greece Welcomes Biden Election Win as Hope for Stability”
European leaders reacted positively and congratulated Joe Biden on his projected victory over Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. Congratulations also went to Vice-President elect Kamala Harris for her historic achievement. After days of waiting, Europe is optimistic that a new era of relations with the U.S. is now on the horizon. After days …
Read more “European Leaders Congratulate Winners of US Elections “
U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, when first elected, both thought they could establish a rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and dramatically improve U.S.-Russian relations.Their appraisal of Putin swiftly changed.When asked his impression of Putin after his first face-to-face meeting, George W. Bush said, “I looked the man in the eye. I …
After days of shying away from comment on America’s presidential election, world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tendered congratulations Saturday to Joe Biden after Pennsylvania’s vote results made him the projected winner.“The U.S. is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our …
Read more “World Leaders Offer Congratulations to Biden, Harris”
Slovakia held a second round of nationwide coronavirus testing on Saturday in an effort to curb increasing infections, with more than half a million people screened by noon.Last weekend, more than 3.6 million people — two thirds of the population — took part in the first round of a scheme that other nations are studying …
Read more “Slovakia’s Second Round of Coronavirus Tests Draws Large Crowds”
Ethiopia’s stability is on the line as the recent outburst of fierce fighting in the country’s Tigray and Oromia regions risks getting out of hand. U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet called Saturday for a de-escalation of violence and for grievances in these separate but equally destructive conflicts to be settled peacefully.Heavy clashes broke out Wednesday …
Read more “UN Rights Chief Urges Halt to Ethiopia Violence, Dialogue to Restore Peace “
As Britain battles a surge in coronavirus infections with a nationwide monthlong lockdown, an ambitious mass testing pilot project has been launched in the northwestern city of Liverpool. Anyone who lives or works in the city and comes forward will be given a free test, whether they show symptoms of COVID-19 or not. Sabina Castelfranco …