Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the humanitarian crisis in Yemen — as well as U.S. relations with Russia and China — are among his immediate priorities. VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. …
Looking through family photographs at his home in Leeds, England, Gordon Bonner, 86, said he was lost in a “hinterland of despair and desolation.” It’s been nine months since Muriel, his wife of 63 years, died from COVID-19. He was called to her bedside for the final moments.“I sat for the next hour and watched …
Read more “As UK Hits 100,000 COVID Deaths, Government Vows to ‘Learn Lessons’”
A German survivor of the Holocaust Wednesday urged lawmakers during a special session of the German Parliament to “take care of our country.”Charlotte Knobloch, 88, told lawmakers that the lives of Jews in Germany are still far from normal, nearly eight decades after Nazis murdered 6 million European Jews in the Shoah — another name …
Read more “German Parliament Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day”
A Polish law limiting abortion to cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s health or life is at risk was expected to go into effect Wednesday following an October court decision deeming abortions due to fetal defects illegal. The court’s decision set off protests across the mostly Roman Catholic country. More protests were expected as the …
Read more “Abortion Restrictions Set to Take Effect in Poland”
For the first time since his inauguration, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin — agreeing to extend a landmark nuclear arms deal while expressing concerns about the arrest of dissident Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s cyber-espionage campaign and bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior Biden administration officials said. Biden’s stance appeared to mark …
Read more “Biden, Putin Discuss Nuclear Deal, Navalny, Cyber-Espionage and US Troop Bounties”
Authorities in Moscow have lifted some coronavirus restrictions, including the overnight closure of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, citing the improving health situation. Starting on Wednesday, businesses no longer are required to have at least 30 percent of employees working remotely, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his blog, saying the “situation with the spread of the …
The U.S. Senate’s confirmation of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised hope on the other side of the Atlantic. Yellen said the U.S. administration remains committed to working to resolve digital taxation disputes, a remark that Europeans are reading optimistically.In this file photo taken on Dec. 1, 2020, Janet Yellen speaks during a cabinet …
For the first time since his inauguration, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, expressing concerns about the arrest of dissident Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s cyber-espionage campaign and bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior Biden administration officials said.Biden’s stance appeared to mark another sharp break with that of former President …
Britain’s health department reported Tuesday the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 100,000 people. In a televised news briefing from his office, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “It’s hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic, the years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended, and for so many …
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte handed in his resignation Tuesday, the opening shot in a bid to shape a new, more stable “government of national safety.” His resignation, which came after his uneasy coalition government lost the support of a junior center-left governing partner, has plunged the pandemic-struck country into fresh political turmoil. …
Read more “Italian PM Resigns, Plunging Country Into Fresh Political Turmoil”
Police and protesters in the Netherlands clashed for a third consecutive night Monday after the government imposed a curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19. At least 150 people were arrested across the country Monday as protests turned to rioting with demonstrators in some areas setting fires, throwing rocks and looting stores. In the city …
Read more “Netherlands Police, Protesters Clash for 3rd Straight Night Over COVID-19 Restrictions”
Despite making up just 0.1% of Britain’s economy, fishing played an outsized role in the brinkmanship leading up to December’s Brexit agreement between London and Brussels. Many Brexit supporters saw regaining control of the country’s sovereign waters as totemic. A month since the agreement was signed, many fishermen say they feel betrayed. …
Read more “Brexit Bites for British Businesses as Border Delays Slow Trade”
World leaders gathered virtually Monday for the Climate Adaption Summit, an online meeting hosted by the Netherlands with hopes of developing practical solutions and funding for dealing with climate change between now and 2030.The online program featured leaders from around the world, including China’s Deputy Prime Minister Han Zheng, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President …
Read more “Kerry Says US ‘Proud to Be Back’ in Paris Climate Agreement”
Pirates who seized 15 sailors when they stormed a Turkish-crewed container ship in the Gulf of Guinea two days ago have not yet made contact with authorities, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Monday.An Azeri sailor was killed when armed attackers boarded the vessel, which was headed to Cape Town from Lagos, and abducted 15 Turkish …
Read more “Turkey: No Word from Pirates Who Seized Sailors off Nigeria”
Greece and Turkey opened their first direct talks in nearly five years in Istanbul Monday to discuss long-standing maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean.Relations between Athens and Ankara were exacerbated in August of last year when Turkey deployed a survey vessel in contested Mediterranean waters and gunboats from the two countries collided.Disputes over energy sources …
Rioters set fires in the center of the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven and pelted police with rocks Sunday at a banned demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures, while officers responded with tear gas and water cannons, arresting at least 55 people.Police in the capital of Amsterdam 125 kilometers (78 miles) away also used a water …
Read more “Dutch Police Clash With Anti-Lockdown Protesters in 2 Cities”
Estonia’s two biggest political parties clinched a deal Sunday to form a new government to be led by a female prime minister for the first time in the Baltic country’s history, replacing the previous Cabinet that collapsed in a corruption scandal earlier this month. The party councils of the opposition, center-right Reform Party and the …
Read more “Estonia to Have First Female PM as Government Deal Clinched”
Hundreds of people remained behind bars in Russia Sunday, a day after they were arrested for joining nationwide street protests demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny. Navalny was detained a week ago upon his return to Russia from Germany, where he spent the last several months recovering from a nearly fatal poisoning …
Read more “In Russia, Hundreds Behind Bars Following Pro-Navalny Protests”
Dutch police said Saturday they had arrested the alleged leader of an Asian drug syndicate who is listed as one of the world’s most-wanted fugitives and has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was detained Friday at the request of Australian police, who led an …
Read more “Dutch Police Arrest Alleged Asian Drug Syndicate Kingpin”
Portugal held a presidential election Sunday, with the moderate incumbent candidate strongly favored to earn a second five-year term as a devastating COVID-19 surge grips the European Union nation. The head of state in Portugal has no legislative powers, which lie with parliament and the government, but is an influential voice in the running of the …
Read more “Portugal Chooses President Amid Severe Pandemic Surge”
The unrelenting increase in COVID-19 infections in Spain following the holiday season is again straining hospitals, threatening the mental health of doctors and nurses who have been at the forefront of the pandemic for nearly a year.In Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, the critical care capacity has more than doubled and is nearly full, with 80% …
Read more “Virus Surge Hits Mental Health of Front-Line Workers”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made clear to President Joe Biden on Saturday that he’s eager to forge a new U.S.-Britain trade deal.Johnson’s push for a deal came during a wide-ranging call between the two leaders that touched on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the Biden administration’s announcement this week …
Read more “Biden Talks to Trudeau, Lopez Obrador, Johnson in First Calls to Foreign Leaders”
Tens of thousands of supporters of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny thronged the streets of Russia on Saturday, defying warnings from authorities that those attending faced police arrest and additional health risks because of the coronavirus.The protests were called for by Navalny after he was jailed upon his return to Russia last weekend from Germany, …
Read more “Thousands Arrested in Protests Supporting Russian Opposition Leader”
The wife of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is among hundreds of Nalvany supporters Russian police have arrested Saturday during protests across the country.Yulia Navalnaya confirmed her arrest in Moscow in an Instagram post created from inside a police van, apologizing for the look of her posting. “Sorry for poor quality. Very bad light in a …
Read more “Wife of Russian Dissident Navalny Among Hundreds Arrested at Rallies Across Country”