Lawyers for the Duchess of Sussex asked a British judge on Tuesday to settle her lawsuit against a newspaper before it goes to trial by ruling that its publication of a “deeply personal” letter to her estranged father was “a plain and a serious breach of her rights of privacy.” Meghan’s latest attempt to protect …
Read more “Meghan Seeks Court Ruling over ‘Serious Breach’ of Privacy”
The Museum of London announced this week that is has acquired, as part of its protest collection, a nearly-three-meter tall “baby blimp” depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as a snarling, diapered baby. The helium-filled balloon was originally designed by a group of Londoners seeking to protest Trump’s visit to their city in 2018. The blimp …
Read more “Museum of London Acquires Mini Blimp Depicting Trump as Diapered Baby”
Turkey imposed advertising bans Tuesday on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest for not complying with a new law requiring social media companies to appoint a local representative to handle content removal orders. The rules that went into effect in October have drawn criticism from human rights and media freedom groups who argue Turkey’s government is …
Read more “Turkey Hits Twitter, Pinterest with Advertising Bans”
A Russian court on Monday sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 30 days in a Moscow prison over parole violations, setting the stage for a later trial that could send the Kremlin’s most vocal critic to prison for several years. The court ruling came less than a day after Navalny was detained upon arrival of …
Read more “Russian Court Orders Putin Critic Navalny Held for 30 Days”
Western leaders have demanded the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was arrested Sunday on arrival in Moscow after receiving medical treatment in Germany. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
The decision by social media giants to police more content, along with banning U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters from posting, is intensifying a debate in Europe over how to regulate platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.The hotly contested debate has mostly focused on whether governments should intervene to censor and curtail …
Read more “Should Social Media Platforms Lose Legal Protection?”
Hundreds of students protested in Rome on Monday to demand more classrooms, transport to school and better access to education.After almost 10 months of remote learning, it was the first day back for high school pupils, yet many chose to demonstrate instead. For most high schools, only half of the students from each class were allowed …
Western leaders have demanded the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was arrested Sunday on arrival in Moscow after receiving medical treatment in Germany.The 44-year-old Putin critic and leader of the Russia of the Future party was poisoned by a nerve agent in Siberia last August. The Kremlin denies involvement in that attack.“The …
Read more “EU, US Demand Release of Kremlin Critic as Calls Grow for ‘Magnitsky’ Sanctions”
After 55 years, a group of U.S. veterans may be closer to securing disability benefits denied to them following a Cold War-era accident they say has now left them with serious medical conditions. The accident involved the collision of two U.S. aircraft over Palomares in southern Spain and the ensuing discharge of radioactive materials from hydrogen …
Read more “Ex-US Soldiers Nearing Resolution of Claims From 1966 Palomares Accident”
Extreme cold has hit large parts of Europe, with freezing temperatures cracking railroad tracks in Poland, snow blanketing the Turkish city of Istanbul and smog spiking as coal was being burned to generate heat. Temperatures dropped to minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18 Fahrenheit) in some Polish areas overnight, the coldest night in 11 years. …
Read more “Winter Weather Hits Parts of Europe, From Poland to Turkey”
European markets are mixed Monday as investors pull back in response to last week’s dismal U.S. retail figures, along with the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol building. Britain’s FTSE index is down 0.3% at midday. France’s CAC-40 index is also 0.3% lower, while …
Read more “Markets Mixed in Face of Economic, Political Turmoil”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday dismissed a claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons, calling it “absurd nonsense”. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche published on Saturday, said Iran was building up its nuclear weapons’ capacity …
Read more “Iran’s Zarif to France: Avoid ‘Absurd Nonsense’ about Tehran’s Nuclear Work “
A leading Greek sporting official has resigned over allegations that he sexually assaulted Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou. The revelation has sparked an urgent judicial investigation, prompting more alleged victims to speak out about similar sexual assaults. But prosecuting the alleged offenders may prove impossible due to ineffective laws. Greeks are already calling her the silence breaker. And 23 years …
Read more “Leading Greek Sporting Official Resigns Following Rape Charges “
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday dismissed a claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons, calling it “absurd nonsense”. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche published on Saturday, said Iran was building up its nuclear weapons’ capacity …
Read more “Iran’s Zarif Tells France: Avoid ‘Absurd Nonsense” about Tehran’s Nuclear Work “
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny is due to fly back to Russia on January 17 from Germany despite the Russian authorities’ stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.Navalny is expected to fly to Moscow from Berlin, where he has received months of medical treatment for a poisoning that he has blamed …
Read more “Navalny Due to Fly Back to Russia with Threat of Arrest Looming”
Turkey has often been described as the gateway between Asia and Europe and because of its location, millions of refugees have arrived in the country as a way station in their effort to migrate to Europe. VOA’s Hilmi Hacaloglu and Umut Colak filed this report on how Afghan refugees are struggling to survive in Istanbul. …
Read more “For Undocumented Afghan Migrants in Turkey, Life is Hard but Better”
Germany, France and Britain pressed Iran on Saturday to back off the latest planned violation of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, saying that Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal.The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that Iran had informed it that Iran began installing equipment for the production of uranium …
Read more “European Powers Press Iran to Back off Latest Nuclear Move “
Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) Saturday chose Armin Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, as their new leader. The pick suggests the party favors continuing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s middle-of-the-road policies when she steps down in September after 16 years in office.Laschet’s win puts him in position to succeed Merkel when …
Read more “Germany’s Ruling Christian Democrats Pick Merkel Loyalist as New Leader “
India began its COVID-19 vaccine campaign Saturday. Frontline workers are slated to receive the first inoculations. The campaign began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a nationally televised speech. “We are launching the world’s biggest vaccination drive and it shows the world our capability,” Modi said. COVID-19 deaths worldwide exceeded 2 million Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University, …
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he hoped positive steps will be taken on Turkey’s role in the F-35 jet program once U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office, describing Ankara’s exclusion for purchasing Russian defenses as a “serious wrong.”Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile …
Read more “Erdogan Hopes for Positive Steps on F-35 Jet Program in Biden Term”
British lawmakers from the ruling Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission are saying the Chinese Communist Party has intensified an assault on all human rights throughout China — and that those interacting with the regime should do so in the knowledge that they are interacting with “a criminal state.” Henry Ridgwell reports from London.Camera: Henry Ridgwell …
Read more “British Lawmakers Allege China a ‘Criminal State’ as Human Rights Abuses Intensify”
The recent arrest by Turkish authorities of an alleged Iranian spy ring is seen as a sign of increasing rivalry between the two neighbors. The arrest comes as Turkey seeks to expand its influence in the Caucasus, an area considered by Tehran as its backyard. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
Germany’s president on Friday reached out to employers to allow their employees to work from home to reduce contacts that might exacerbate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In televised remarks, along with the head of Germany’s trade unions federation and the main employers’ association, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said variant strains of the virus first identified in …
Read more “Germany’s President Urges Employers to Allow Work from Home”
The recent arrest by Turkish authorities of an alleged Iranian spy ring is seen as a sign of increasing rivalry between the two neighbors. The arrest comes as Turkey seeks to expand its influence in the Caucasus, an area considered by Tehran as its backyard. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …