The United States on Thursday agreed to a four-month suspension of retaliatory tariffs imposed on British goods such as Scotch whisky over a long-running aircraft subsidy row, with both sides pledging to use the time to resolve the dispute. The U.S. administration under former President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Scotch whisky and other European Union …
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Europe’s far right has suffered some setbacks recently: Germany’s top opposition party is under surveillance for extremism and France shut down a right-wing youth group. Experts say these groups are using old and new grievances and are inspired by their U.S. counterparts. For VOA, Lisa Bryant reports from Paris. …
The World Health Organization’s Europe director reported Thursday that new COVID-19 cases rose 9% to just over a million in the region last week. Hans Kluge said it was the first increase in new infections after six weeks of decline. At a virtual news briefing from his headquarters in Copenhagen, Kluge told …
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It’s a new era for Russian women, at least if they’re aspiring truckers, boat drivers, or pilots. Russia’s government has opened up several hundred professions that previously barred women under late-Soviet-era labor restrictions. From Moscow, Charles Maynes reports.Videographer: Ricardo Marquina Montanana, Producer: Henry Hernandez …
Glenda Andrew pulls a tray of salmon from the oven, filling the community center’s kitchen with the aroma of garlic, cayenne and lemon rising from its crackling skin. It is the scent of memory, of family dinners and church socials — the warmth of the Caribbean in the middle of a gray English winter made …
Read more “A Taste of The Islands Makes COVID Lockdown Easier”
Since U.S. President Joe Biden’s election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been making diplomatic overtures to the West, pledging democratic reforms at home and promising a serious effort to improve ties with Turkey’s NATO partners.The Turkish leader told France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, in a video call Tuesday that cooperation has “very serious potential,” and …
Read more “US, EU Remain Wary of Erdogan’s Diplomatic Charm Offensive”
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency recently put the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party under surveillance for suspected extremist links that pose a potential threat to democracy, German media outlets report. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, or BfV) would not comment on the reports because of ongoing legal action by …
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British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday the government is extending emergency economic aid by nearly $91 billion to boost economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In his annual budget speech to Parliament, Sunak said benefits to workers left unemployed by the pandemic will be extended until the end of September. He said the government will …
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A French government spokesman said Wednesday officials are hoping to lift some of the nation’s COVID-19-related restrictions by the middle of next month, as vaccinations have, so far, proven effective at lowering infection rates. At a Paris news conference, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters that while the nation is still facing hard times, “For …
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An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of at least 6.0 struck central Greece Wednesday and was also felt in neighboring Albania and North Macedonia, and as far as Kosovo and Montenegro. One man was injured by falling debris but there were no other immediate reports of serious injury. Local officials reported structural damage, mainly to …
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The Biden administration announced sanctions Tuesday on senior Russian government officials for the poisoning of Alexey Navalny and reiterated a demand that the opposition leader be released from detention. The sanctions were not specifically directed at President Vladimir Putin or his inner circle. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story. …
For the first time, the administration of President Joe Biden is taking punitive action against Russia. Sanctions were imposed Tuesday on several senior Russian government officials — but not the country’s president, Vladimir Putin — for what the Biden administration says is their role in the attempted murder of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny. The sanctions, seen by …
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The European Court of Justice (ECJ) Tuesday ruled that new Polish regulations regarding the appointment of Supreme Court judges could violate European law, effectively striking down efforts to exert political influence over the judiciary in that country.The legislation in question regulates Poland’s strengthened political influence over a top judicial body, the National Council of the …
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A Belarusian court sentenced a journalist to six months in prison on Tuesday for divulging medical secrets, after she had contradicted official statements about the death of a protester who the authorities suggested was drunk at the time. Katerina Borisevich, from the local news outlet TUT.BY, had reported that there was no alcohol in the bloodstream …
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Massive rallies have taken place in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, with some demonstrators supporting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan while others demand his resignation. Pashinyan is under fire for signing a November peace agreement in which Azerbaijan regained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Jonathan Spier narrates this report by Pablo Gonzalez in Yerevan and Ricardo Marquina in …
Read more “Armenia Struggles with Political Tensions and War Wounds”
France will now vaccinate people aged 65 years and older with the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca. The decision was announced Tuesday by Health Minister Olivier Veran during a televised interview. Veran said anyone older than the age of 50 with pre-existing conditions can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, “including …
Read more “France Reverses Course on Using AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine on Citizens Over 65 “
The United States is expected to impose sanctions to punish Russia for the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as early as Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter said.President Joe Biden’s decision to impose sanctions for Navalny’s poisoning reflects a harder stance than taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump, who let the incident last …
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The Pentagon appears to be making good on Washington’s pledge to help Ukraine stand up to what the United States has described as “Russian aggression.” The Defense Department announced Monday a $125 million aid package for Kyiv as part of its ongoing Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. A Pentagon statement said the package includes two armed Mark VI …
The European Union’s executive arm said Monday it will propose rules for a passport to allow those who have been vaccinated or recently tested for COVID-19 to travel for work or tourism throughout the region.From her Twitter account, EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said legislation will be presented later this month for the …
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to donors Monday for nearly $4 billion to prevent a catastrophic famine from killing millions of people in war-torn Yemen.“Today, famine is bearing down on Yemen,” Guterres told a virtual pledging conference co-hosted by the United Nations, Sweden and Switzerland. “The race is on, if we want to prevent hunger …
Read more “UN Sec-Gen Appeals to Donors for $4 Billion to Prevent Famine-related Deaths in Yemen”
A Paris court on Monday found French former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling and sentenced him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence.The 66-year-old politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate in 2014 about …
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Prince Philip has been transferred to another London hospital to continue treatment for an infection, Buckingham Palace said Monday.The palace says Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was transferred from King Edward VII’s Hospital to St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The Bart’s Heart Centre is Europe’s biggest specialized cardiovascular center, the National Health Service said.In …
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