As many as 130 people died this week in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Safa Msehli, IOM spokeswoman said “For two days, the NGO Alarm Phone, which is responsible for sending distress calls to the relevant maritime rescue centers in the Mediterranean region had been calling …
Read more “IOM Says Up to 130 Dead as Boat Overturns in Mediterranean”
The White House brought out the billionaires, the CEOs and the union executives Friday to help sell President Joe Biden’s vision of a climate-friendly transformation of the U.S. economy at his virtual summit of world leaders.The closing day of the two-day summit on climate change showcased Bill Gates and Mike Bloomberg, steelworker and electrical union …
Read more “Climate Summit Day 2: Invest for Big Payoff – WATCH LIVE”
Athletes who make political or social justice protests at the Tokyo Olympics were promised legal support Thursday by a global union and an activist group in Germany.The pledges came one day after the International Olympic Committee confirmed its long-standing ban on “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” on the field of play, medal podiums …
Read more “Olympic Athletes Promised Legal Support if They Protest”
The killing of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last year sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world, alongside demands for a reexamination of injustice, racism and colonial history.Now, how will the guilty verdicts rendered this week against Floyd’s murderer — white former police Officer Derek Chauvin — influence those demands for change?Britain was …
Read more “Will Conviction in Floyd Case Deliver Global Change?”
The police killing of the 46-year-old Black man George Floyd in Minneapolis last year sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world – and demands for a re-examination of injustice, racism and colonial history. So how will the guilty verdicts handed down this week against Floyd’s murderer – former police officer Derek Chauvin – influence those global demands for …
Pakistan’s parliament will resume debating the fate of the French ambassador Friday after the government appeared, for now, to put a lid on bloody anti-France protests that rocked the country for a week.A resolution calls for debate on whether to expel the French envoy, for the national assembly to condemn Western blasphemy, for Muslim nations …
Read more “Pakistan Parliament to Resume Debate on French Envoy’s Expulsion”
An ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has urged Navalny to end his hunger strike, which is in its third week.”To continue [the strike] would be dangerous for his life and health,” Anastasia Vasilyeva, head of the Doctors Alliance union, told Reuters. “We very much hope Alexei will end the hunger strike tomorrow.”The news …
In Russia, thousands took to the streets in Moscow and across the country to protest the continued detention of jailed — and reportedly ailing — opposition leader Alexey Navalny, now on the third week of a prison hunger strike. But as Charles Maynes reports from St. Petersburg, it is nationwide support that may be key …
Read more “As Russians Protest to Save Navalny, Nationwide Turnout is Key “
The Czech Republic on Thursday ordered Russia to remove more staff from its Prague embassy, in a growing spat between the two countries.Last week, Prague expelled 18 embassy staff members, saying they were intelligence officers.The dispute stems from Czech accusations that Russian spies were behind a deadly explosion at a Czech arms depot in 2014. …
Read more “Diplomatic Row Between Moscow, Prague Intensifies”
As President Biden hosts a virtual climate summit this Earth Day, a report out Thursday adds more fuel to the planet’s growing crisis, showing record-breaking temperatures in Europe and Arctic Siberia last year. It comes as the European Union announced a key climate deal and financing rules — both sharply criticized by green groups. The …
A journalist in Belarus may face criminal charges for an interview his media outlet published with opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in another sign of the government’s crackdown on press freedom. Uladzimer Yanukevich, the chief editor of the independent Intex-press newspaper in the western city of Baranavichy, was questioned at a local police department for 4 1/2 …
Read more “Belarusian Editor May Face Charges for Interview With Opposition Leader “
Ukraine’s president said Thursday that Russia’s troop reduction near the Ukraine border was reducing tensions between the countries but cautioned his country must remain alert.Russia earlier ordered tens of thousands of troops to return to their home bases following large-scale drills.“The reduction of troops on our border proportionally reduces tension,” tweeted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “Ukraine …
Read more “Ukraine’s President Says Russian Troop Pullback Eases Tensions”
U.S. officials say President Joe Biden is preparing to recognize the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.The officials, who spoke to several news agencies on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive topic, said the move could come Saturday, an annual day of commemoration for …
Read more “Biden Preparing to Recognize Armenian Genocide, Officials Say”
France’s foreign minister is defending the takeover of Chad’s government by a transitional military council. Jean-Yves Le Drian said during a television interview Thursday that “exceptional circumstances” made it necessary for Chad’s military to dissolve the National Assembly and form an 18-month transitional council, following the death of President Idriss Deby this week. The speaker of …
Read more “French Foreign Minister Backs Chad’s Transitional Military Council “
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday that Russia and President Vladimir Putin will face sanctions if opposition leader Alexey Navalny dies. Speaking to France 2 television, Le Drian said, “We will take the necessary sanctions and it will be the responsibility of Mr. Putin and the Russian authorities. I hope we won’t …
Read more “Russia Will Face Sanctions If Navalny Dies, France Says”
U.S. officials say President Joe Biden is preparing to recognize the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.The officials, who spoke to several news agencies on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive topic, said the move could come Saturday, an annual day of commemoration for …
Read more “Officials Say Biden Preparing to Recognize Armenian Genocide”
The United States is warning the Russian government that it is responsible for whatever happens to opposition leader Alexey Navalny, whose condition is reportedly deteriorating while in custody. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story. Camera: Natasha Mozgovaya and Ricardo Marquina Montañana …
Police arrested nearly 1,500 people Wednesday during a day of demonstrations throughout Russia calling for freedom for imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny, whose health reportedly is in severe decline after three weeks of hunger striking, according to a group that monitors political detentions.The largest of the protests took place in Moscow, where thousands marched through …
Read more “Nearly 1,500 Reported Arrested at Navalny Rallies in Russia”
The police killing of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd in Minneapolis last year triggered Black Lives Matter protests around the world. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the murder conviction reached Tuesday against former officer Derek Chauvin has been welcomed in many countries — but equality activists say there is still much work to be done. …
Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning foreign rivals against provocation or testing the nation’s strength, insisting Russia’s response would be “asymmetric, fast, and tough.”The remarks came Wednesday during his annual state-of-the-nation speech, delivered to top officials and both houses of the Russian parliament, and Putin also said Russia is striving for good relations with other …
Read more “Putin Warns Nations of ‘Crossing Red Line’ with Russia”
Over a year ago, when much of the world shuttered as the pandemic swept the globe, Mohammed al-Awas, 46, a Syrian refugee, was stranded with his wife and five children at a gas station in Turkey. Not far from the Greek border, some families were sheltered nearby in an area usually reserved for fixing cars, their …
Read more “Hungry Ramadan: Refugees in Turkey See Steep Decline in Holiday Charity”
United Nations human rights experts said Wednesday that jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s life is in “serious danger” and appealed to Moscow to allow Navalny to seek emergency medical treatment in another country.“We urge the Russian authorities to ensure Mr. Navalny has access to his own doctors and to allow him to be evacuated …
Read more “UN Experts: Russian Dissident Navalny’s Life in ‘Serious Danger’ “
Police in central Berlin have clashed with protesters outside the German parliament, which is considering a bill to give Chancellor Angela Merkel the power to impose tougher restrictions as the nation suffers a third wave of coronavirus infections. A police spokesman said officers had to break up the protest because people were not wearing …
Read more “In Germany, 60 Arrested in Protests Over COVID Restrictions”
The European Union’s executive branch on Wednesday announced proposals designed to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI), banning its use in practices such as surveillance and facial scanning that threaten personal rights.At a news briefing in Brussels, European Commission Executive Vice President and Tech Commissioner Margrethe Vestager noted the benefits of AI in the …
Read more “European Union Moves to Regulate Artificial Intelligence”