U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to outline in a speech Wednesday in Brussels a commitment by the Biden administration to rebuild and revitalize U.S. alliances. That has been part of his message during his first visit to the region as the top U.S. diplomat this week, showing a departure from four years of foreign policy …
Benjamin Briere is a French tourist who was arrested last May while visiting Iran with his drone and minivan. Still detained, he was charged with espionage and “spreading propaganda against the system.” His lawyers deny the charges.If found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.Briere’s case is the latest in a series against foreigners at a …
Read more “Jailing of French Tourist Complicates Bid to Resolve Iran Nuclear Tensions”
Press freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is suing Facebook in France, saying the social media platform spreads misinformation. The suit was filed Monday with the Paris public prosecutor. “Reporters Without Borders accuses Facebook of ‘deceptive commercial practices’ on the grounds that the social media company’s promises to provide a ‘safe’ and ‘error-free’ online environment …
Read more “Press Freedom Group Sues Facebook Over Misinformation, ‘Hate Speech’”
The executive director of Europe’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, (EMA) said Tuesday it is evaluating Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for possible authorization of use in the European Union.In comments to European Parliament lawmakers, EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said the agency is also planning inspections of the manufacturing and clinical sites in …
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After aviation, Europe’s cultural and creative sector has been hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis, losing nearly $240 billion, according to a recent study by an accounting firm. Now as France weathers its third lockdown in a year, the creative arts industry is pushing back, with a growing protest movement now occupying dozens of theaters nationwide.It’s been months since the Odeon theater was …
Read more “Swelling COVID-19 Protest Movement Takes Over French Theaters”
Results of an independent inquiry announced Monday cleared Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, of breaking a ministerial code of conduct, but she is likely to face an opposition-led vote of no confidence in parliament Tuesday. Sturgeon has been under intense scrutiny over what she did and did not do when she learned of complaints by …
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding talks Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, then attending meetings with NATO foreign ministers and a separate session with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany. Stoltenberg said ahead of the start of the two-day NATO session that ministers would look toward strengthening the alliance for the future and specifically consult about the situation in …
The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials for human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province, prompting retaliation from China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. sanctions were taken in solidary with U.S. allies. “A united transatlantic response sends …
Read more “US, EU, Britain, Canada Impose Sanctions on Chinese Officials Over Uyghurs”
European Union solidarity is breaking down amid a vaccine debacle that analysts say may have long-lasting repercussions for the future of European political integration.Member states are divided over the wisdom of imposing a vaccine export ban threatened by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The ban is mainly focused on Britain, a bid to …
Read more “EU Solidarity Breaks Down, States Complain of Unfair Vaccine Distribution”
A protest in the English city of Bristol against new policing legislation turned into violent clashes that left at least 20 officers injured — two of them seriously — widespread damage to a police station and police vehicles torched, police said Monday.Seven people were arrested during the protest, which started Sunday afternoon and ran through …
Read more “Clashes in English City of Bristol Leave 20 Police Injured”
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday approved sanctions over abuses in China, Myanmar and Russia, as the bloc expands measures targeting global rights breaches.The 27 nations are due to place four Chinese officials and one state-run entity on a blacklist over Beijing’s crackdown on the Uighur minority after ambassadors gave the go-ahead last …
Read more “EU Approves Sanctions over China, Myanmar Abuses”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Brussels Monday for meetings this week that the State Department says are aimed at boosting ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and partnering on issues such as climate change, counterterrorism and ongoing efforts in combating the coronavirus pandemic. Blinken is scheduled to take part in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers Tuesday and Wednesday, and to also …
Germany will likely institute another lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which would make it the latest European country enacting fresh restrictions.A draft of recommendations to be presented to German Chancellor Angela Merkel will push for lockdowns to be extended until April 18, Reuters reported Sunday.In Poland, which is seeing the highest number …
Read more “European Countries Enter New Lockdowns as Vaccine Campaigns Lag”
A year ago, Greece prided itself on successfully quashing its coronavirus curve like few countries worldwide. Now, it is struggling with a roaring resurgence of the bug that causes the COVID-19 disease. As infections continue to surge, the government in Athens is preparing to draft doctors from the private sector to aid the state’s strained …
Read more “Greece Set to Mobilize Private Doctors to Cope With Surging Coronavirus Infections”
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s surprise withdrawal from a European treaty aimed at protecting women against violence.In a statement, Biden called Turkey’s rejection of the treaty “unwarranted” and “deeply disappointing.”“Countries should be working to strengthen and renew their commitments to ending violence against women, not rejecting international treaties …
Read more “Biden Condemns Turkish Withdrawal from Treaty Aimed at Protecting Women”
Russia’s ambassador to the United States returned to Moscow on Sunday after being recalled for emergency consultations amid rising tensions with Washington following President Joe Biden’s comments that he believed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was a killer. Biden’s remark in a TV interview earlier in the week in turn prompted a terse quip …
Read more “Russia’s Envoy to US Back in Moscow After Spat over Biden Comments”
French language lovers could celebrate International Francophonie Day on Saturday with a new online interactive dictionary. Rolled out by the French government, it reflects not only the language’s evolution but also the reality that most of today’s speakers are not French.Did you receive a “pourriel” or “throw a camel” today? If you are wondering what …
Read more “New French Dictionary Celebrates a Language That is no Longer Just French”
The founder of BioNTech, which partnered with Pfizer in making one of the first coronavirus vaccines to be approved for use, is optimistic that the virus will be under control in most European countries by the end of the summer despite a faltering vaccine rollout.In Germany, owners of shuttered shops and would-be vacationers are increasingly …
Read more “BioNTech Founder: We Can Get Most Germans Vaccinated by Summer’s End”
Brazil is in talks with the United States to import excess doses of coronavirus vaccines, its Foreign Ministry tweeted Saturday.The South American nation recorded 79,069 new coronavirus infections in a 24-hour period, its Health Ministry said Saturday, and reported more than 2,400 COVID-19 deaths.The talks between the U.S. and Brazil began March 13. On Friday, …
Read more “Brazil Seeks to Import Excess US Coronavirus Vaccines “
A volcano erupted Friday night on Iceland’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, following small daily earthquakes in recent weeks.The eruption lit the night sky and could easily be seen from the outskirts of the capital, Reykjavík, about 30 kilometers away.Aerial footage, posted on Facebook by the Icelandic Meteorological Office, showed a small eruption spewing red lava down …
Read more “Long-Dormant Volcano Erupts Near Iceland’s Capital”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pulled Turkey out of an international accord designed to protect women, the country’s official gazette said Saturday, despite calls from advocates who see the pact as key to combating rising domestic violence.The Council of Europe accord, forged in Istanbul, pledged to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence and promote equality. Turkey, …
Read more “Turkey’s Erdogan Quits European Treaty on Violence Against Women”
A Black French scholar and expert on U.S. minority rights movements who’s taking charge of France’s state-run immigration museum says it’s “vital” for his country to confront its colonial past so that it can conquer present racial injustice. “The French are highly reluctant to look at the dark dimensions of their own history,” Pap …
Read more “Black Scholar: It’s Time France Confronts Its Colonial Past”
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his country’s “state-sponsored assault on media freedom” through the targeting of U.S.-funded news service RFE/RL. In a March 12 statement, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called attention to the deteriorating media environment in Russia and …
Read more “US Senators Condemn Russia’s ‘Assault’ on RFE/RL”
The suspected abduction and murder of a young London woman as she walked home has dismayed Britain and revived a painful question: Why are women too often not safe on the streets?The fate of Sarah Everard is all the more shocking because the suspect charged Friday with abducting and killing her is a British police …
Read more “Case of British Woman Who Vanished on Way Home Stirs Grief, Anger”