They were once so close.Princes William and Harry grew up together, supported each other after their mother’s untimely death and worked side by side as they began their royal duties — two brothers seemingly bonded for life by blood, tradition and tragedy.But those links are now painfully strained as William sits in London defending the …
Read more “Princes William, Harry to Unveil Diana Statue as Royal Rift Simmers”
Germany and Italy have removed their last remaining soldiers from Afghanistan, ending almost two decades of deployment to the war-torn country alongside U.S. and other coalition troops. The United States and NATO plan to fully withdraw their militaries from the South Asian nation by September 11 in line with orders by U.S. President Joe Biden. The …
Read more “Germany, Italy Complete Troop Exit From Afghanistan”
Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen were awarded a prestigious Spanish prize Wednesday for their international relief work promoting healthy food.The jury that decides the Princess of Asturias Awards gave Andrés, 51, and the nonprofit group he founded the Award of Concord for “offering extraordinarily fast and efficient on-the-ground response to social and …
Read more “Spain Honors Chef Andrés for Humanitarian Kitchens”
President Vladimir Putin told Russians on Wednesday that the time would come when he would name his possible successor in the Kremlin, but he said the choice would ultimately lie with voters.Putin, 68, has been in power as president or prime minister since the turn of the century. His current six-year term in the Kremlin …
Read more “Putin Says Time Will Come When He Names Possible Successor”
Efforts are taking place around the world to vaccinate as many people as possible to protect against COVID-19. Officials are tracking the safety and effectiveness of those efforts, but some medical experts say they aren’t getting the information they need on Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. Anush Avetisyan has the story.Camera: David Gogokhia Produced by: Henry Hernandez …
Germany has removed its last remaining soldiers from Afghanistan, ending almost two decades of deployment to the war-torn country alongside U.S. and other coalition troops.The United States and NATO militaries plan to fully withdraw their militaries from the South Asian nation by September 11 in line with orders by U.S. President Joe Biden. The drawdown …
A new, smaller version of the Statue of Liberty arrived Wednesday at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, a gift to the United States from France, 135 years after that nation presented the original Lady Liberty to the U.S. The nearly-three-meter version of the statue arrived in New York after a nine-day journey across …
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They are called Adam or Nastashia, they are Europeans and live in the United Kingdom where they have been placed in homes or foster families, victims of chaotic journeys. Some of these children are now at risk of becoming undocumented as a result of Brexit.”This means that they will not have the right to live …
Read more “Brexit: Children in Care Threatened With Becoming Undocumented in United Kingdom”
Officials in Greece say they have recovered two priceless paintings — one by Pablo Picasso and another by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian — stolen from the National Gallery in Athens in 2012.During a news briefing in Athens Tuesday, a spokesman said police acted on a tip and arrested a 49-year-old handyman who confessed to the …
Read more “Greece Recovers Picasso, Mondrian Paintings Stolen in 2012”
European borders and economies are opening up this summer, thanks to falling coronavirus cases and rising vaccination numbers. But experts warn the pandemic’s scars could be long term and profound—especially for young people, a generation Europe cannot afford to lose. Things are looking up for young Parisians. Bars and restaurants have reopened, also schools and …
Read more “COVID-19 Leaves Long-Term Scars on Europe’s Youth “
European borders and economies are opening up this summer, thanks to falling coronavirus cases and rising vaccination numbers. But experts warn the pandemic’s scars could be long term and profound — especially for young people, a generation Europe cannot afford to lose. For VOA, Lisa Bryant has the story from Paris.Camera: Lisa Bryant Produced by: Jon Spier …
Russian authorities on Tuesday morning raided the apartments of several investigative journalists and their family members, a move that comes amid mounting pressure on Russia’s independent media outlets. Police searched the apartments of Roman Badanin, chief editor of the Proekt investigative online outlet, and Maria Zholobova, one of its journalists. Officers also raided the …
Read more “Russia Uses Raids to Target Investigative Journalists”
International human rights groups are voicing growing concern over Turkey’s increasing practice of abducting people from abroad who are accused of terrorism offenses.A Turkish news channel broadcasts images of Selahaddin Gulen, handcuffed and paraded in front of a Turkish flag. Gulen was spirited out of Kenya in May by Turkish intelligence forces. He is accused of …
Read more “Rights Groups Slam Turkey’s Increasing Use of Renditions”
The European Union’s asylum agency said Tuesday that the number of people seeking international protection in Europe hit its lowest level last year since 2013, but that the drop was due mostly to coronavirus travel restrictions. EASO said in a new report that 485,000 asylum applications were made in the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and …
Read more “EU Asylum Applications Drop Due to COVID-19, not Lower Demand”
The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey deeper into poverty, with many having to take on large debts, according to aid agencies. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …
The coronavirus pandemic, climate change and food security are on the agenda Tuesday as foreign ministers from the G-20 group of nations meet in Italy. The talks in the city of Matera represent the first time the ministers are gathering in person since 2019. “To bring the pandemic to an end, we must get more vaccine to more …
Read more “G-20 Ministers in Italy to Discuss Coronavirus, Climate Change, Africa Development”
The coronavirus, climate change and food security are on the agenda Tuesday as foreign ministers from the G-20 group of nations meet in Italy. The talks in the city of Matera represent the first time the ministers are gathering in person since 2019. U.S. State Department officials said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would stress the importance of working …
Read more “G-20 Ministers to Discuss Coronavirus, Climate Change, Development in Africa”
Western powers are promising recent successes by the Islamic State across Africa will not go unanswered, backing plans for a task force to focus on the terror group’s spread from Iraq and Syria to the African continent.The announcement Monday following a meeting in Rome by the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS comes a day before …
Read more “Global Coalition Fears Islamic State Expansion in Africa”
The vice president of the European Commission on Monday warned against complacency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic as the highly infectious delta variant, first discovered in India, continues to spread on the continent. During a European Union parliamentary committee meeting, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said a recent advisory from the European Center for Disease Prevention …
Read more “EU Warns Against COVID-19 Complacency as Delta Variant Spreads”
The Kremlin on Monday strongly rejected claims that Russian military instructors in the Central African Republic have been involved in killing civilians and looting homes. During a heated discussion at the U.N. Security Council last week, the United States, Britain and France accused Russian military contractors of committing human rights abuses in the conflict-stricken country. On …
Read more “Russia Denies its Personnel in CAR Involved in Killings”
Leaders of Turkey and France are pledging to ease tensions after months of trading insults, but tensions between them remain over their competing interests in Africa.French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declared Turkey and France are in what he described as “recovery period” after the French and Turkish President met on the sidelines of the …
Read more “Turkey and France Ease Tensions, but Africa Rivalries Remain “
A U.N. report examining systemic racism suffered by people of African descent is calling for an end to impunity for human rights violations by law enforcement, and for accountability and compensation for the victims. The report by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights was mandated by the Human Rights Council in June 2020 in …
Read more “UN Report on Systemic Racism Calls for Accountability, Redress for Victims “
Coalition ministers met face-to-face in Rome for the first time in two years, pledging to maintain watch against a resurgence of the insurgents.The resumption in ISIS “activities and its ability to rebuild its networks and capabilities to target security forces and civilians in areas in Iraq and Syria where the coalition is not active, requires …
Read more “Anti-Islamic State Coalition: IS Terrorists Remain a Threat ”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday continued to make the case that a face-to-face summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is the best way to address regional issues with him, days after other European leaders rejected her proposal for such a meeting. Merkel, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, proposed the summit idea during a …