Month: January 2021

Five members of the U.S. House of Representatives Friday urged President Joe Biden’s administration to confront what they said is a growing threat from Russia against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.“We urge the Biden administration to engage the Russian government immediately” on the matter, the five – Democratic Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, senior committee …

Read more “US House Members Warn of Growing Russian Threat Against Radio Free Europe”

Supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are taking to the streets of more than 60 Russian cities on Saturday to demand the Kremlin critic’s immediate release, defying the measures taken by police to break up the protests, which they have declared illegal.In Khabarovsk, a Russian city on the border with China, about 8,000 …

Read more “Pro-Navalny Rallies Planned in More Than 60 Russian Cities”

Well-placed geographically and politically between America and Europe, Britain has long marketed itself as the diplomatic bridge linking the two continents.Most British prime ministers since World War Two have reached for the metaphor at some time or other to describe what they saw as Britain’s essential and aggrandizing function in transatlantic relations.When Europeans in 2001 …

Read more “Role Reversal for US and Post-Brexit Britain”

There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased …

Read more “UK Chief Scientist: Virus Variant May Be More Deadly, Vaccines Effective Against It”

Four people-smugglers convicted of killing 39 people from Vietnam who died in the back of a container truck as it was shipped to England were sentenced Friday to between 13 and 27 years in prison.The victims, between the ages of 15 and 44, were found in October 2019 inside a refrigerated container that had traveled …

Read more “Britain Jails Smugglers in Deaths of 39 Vietnamese Migrants in Container”

After months of high seas tensions with Turkish and Greek warships facing off against one another over territorial disputes, the two nations now are set to resume talks Monday, after a nearly five-year hiatus. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Camera: Berke Bas  Produced by: Berke Bas, Rod James    …

A Scottish butcher company Friday released video of a bag of Haggis – a traditional Scottish food – taking a ride to the edge of space by weather balloon to promote science and Scotland’s annual “Burns Night” celebration. The video, provided by butcher Simon Howie, shows the weather balloon launch from the company’s headquarters in …

Read more “Scottish Butcher Sends Haggis to Edge of Space”

 Russia welcomed Friday the Biden administration’s announcement Thursday it is seeking a five-year extension of the New START arms control treaty, set to expire February 5, with the Kremlin saying it is waiting to see the details.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press briefing at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 14, 2021.Also, on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the …

Read more “Moscow Welcomes US Plan to Seek Arms Treaty”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement welcomed the entry into force Friday of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first nuclear disarmament instrument in more than two decades.The treaty, endorsed by 51 states, mandates assistance, such as medical care, rehabilitation and psychological support …

Read more “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Enters into Force”

Google and a French publishers lobby said Thursday that they had agreed to a copyright framework for the U.S. tech giant to pay news publishers for content online, a first for Europe.The move paves the way for individual licensing agreements for French publications, some of which have seen revenues drop with the rise of the …

Read more “Google Seals Content Payment Deal with French News Publishers”

The new administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to offer Russia a five-year extension of a nuclear arms treaty that is set to expire February 5, U.S. officials said Thursday.Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan was set to make the offer to Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, on Thursday afternoon, one …

Read more “US to Offer Russia 5-year Extension on Nuclear Treaty”

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Thursday the bank will keep its COVID-19-related economic stimulus package in place as the 19-nation Eurozone economy continues facing economic threats from the pandemic. Speaking in Berlin, Lagarde said that while newly approved vaccines and vaccination programs in Europe are a plus, the surges of COVID-19 cases throughout the …

Read more “European Central Bank Says COVID Stimulus Policies to Stay in Place”

The arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has triggered international outrage and growing calls for his release. Navalny was detained Sunday upon his return to Russia nearly five months after he was nearly poisoned to death by a military-grade nerve agent.  Charles Maynes reports the opposition figure has gone from fighting for his life …

Read more “Stakes High as Kremlin Critic Navalny Returns to Russia”

A gentle hero to many in Romania, Valeriu Nicolae says that, at heart, he is more like former NBA star Michael Jordan — highly competitive and eager to improve in what he does best. In Nicolae’s case that is helping others.The Romanian rights activist has earned praise for his tireless campaign to improve the lives …

Read more “Romania Activist Urges People to Do Something Good Every Day”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she sees more opportunity for agreement with new U.S. President Joe Biden than the previous administration, but she also continues to believe Germany and Europe cannot rely on U.S assistance as much as in the past.Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Merkel said just by looking at the executive orders …

Read more “Merkel Sees Broader Scope for Agreement with Biden”

Beatings, arrests, court cases, internet blocks and revocation of press credentials — being an accredited journalist is no longer a guarantee of protection for independent media in Belarus.Four members of Press Club Belarus, a network that focuses on journalism, have been in pre-trial detention since December 22, when club founder Yulia Slutskaya, program director Ala …

Read more “In Belarus, a Press Badge Makes You a Target”

There were words of welcome Wednesday from across the world for Joe Biden as he was sworn in as America’s 46th president. They were mixed with parting shots from some leaders aimed at his predecessor, Donald Trump, who left Washington hours before the swearing-in.     As the inauguration has been atypical — with no crowds …

Read more “European, Other World Leaders Welcome Joe Biden”

Officials in Madrid say they believe a gas leak led to an explosion near the city’s center, killing two people and injuring several others.   Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida, who was at the scene of the blast, told reporters preliminary indications pointed to a leak in the building, which is owned by the Catholic …

Read more “2 Dead After Explosion in Downtown Madrid”

Leaders of the European Union Wednesday hailed the inauguration of Joe Biden as a “new dawn” in America. Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, ahead of Biden’s swearing-in as the 46th president of the United States, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “This time-honored ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol …

Read more “EU Welcomes Biden Inauguration”

Nearly 680 non-governmental organizations in Turkey have condemned a new law aimed at increasing oversight of them, with critics saying it threatens to silence one of the country’s last independent and critical voices. “It’s creating a huge chilling effect,” said Yaman Akdeniz, co-founder of the Freedom of Expression Society, “They [government] want to create fear, and it has been successful so far with this law; there is fear …

Read more “New Law Threatens Future of Turkish NGOs”

The inauguration of Joe Biden represents not only a new chapter for the United States, but for the world. For allies and adversaries alike, new relationships with the world’s superpower are already taking shape.In much of Europe, there is a mood of optimism.“After Joe Biden was elected, you could hear a collective sigh of relief …

Read more “US Allies in Europe Welcome Biden Presidency, But Hurdles Lie Ahead”

Russia dismissed calls Tuesday for opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s release and threats of sanctions after his arrest, calling the issue a national matter.Responding to calls for sanctions against Moscow a day after Navalny was arrested, a Kremlin spokesperson said Navalny’s case would be dealt with internally.FILE – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listens during a news …

Read more “Russia Dismisses Calls for Sanctions After Navalny Arrest”

The European Union’s executive arm, the EU Commission, called on member states Tuesday to speed up their COVID-19 vaccination programs, saying nations should have at least 80% of their priority populations – front-line workers and people over 80 – vaccinated by March. At a news conference in Brussels, Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said the goal is …

Read more “EU Calls on Member States to Speed Up Vaccination Programs”

Hundreds of members of Serbia’s military lined up on Tuesday in their camouflage uniforms at an exhibition hall in Belgrade where nurses injected them with a Chinese-made vaccine against COVID-19. Last week Serbia received one million doses of Chinese Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first European country to start a mass inoculation program with it. …

Read more “Serbia Becomes First European Country to Use Chinese COVID Vaccine for Mass Rollout”