Month: October 2021

Austria’s conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned Saturday to save his coalition government from collapse after the junior party demanded he step down while under investigation on suspicion of corruption. The move by Kurz, who denies wrongdoing, satisfied his coalition partner, the Greens, and came three days before a special session of parliament at which they …

Read more “Austria’s Kurz Steps Down Over Corruption Probe to Save Coalition”

United Nations monitors have found a significant rise in casualties in eastern Ukraine since Russia-backed separatists ended a cease-fire agreement with the government in Kyiv earlier this year. The findings are part of a report by the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council. The report covers human rights …

Read more “UN Monitors: Eastern Ukraine Casualties Rose After Cease-Fire Ended”

Red-hot lava Saturday engulfed the land Jose Roberto Sanchez inherited from his parents, and lightning flashed around the rim of the volcano that has been erupting on the Spanish island of La Palma for almost three weeks. There were 37 seismic movements Saturday, with the largest measuring 4.1, the Spanish National Geological Institute said, but …

Read more “Volcanic Lava in Spain’s La Palma Engulfs More Houses, Land “

Czech center-right opposition group Together overtook Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ ANO party in a parliamentary election on Saturday, according to nearly complete voting results. Together and another opposition group, the liberal Pirates/Mayors, were on track to win a combined 108 seats in the 200-seat lower house of parliament, a calculation by Czech Television showed. This gives the …

Read more “Czech Opposition Grabs Election Win From PM Babis”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that his country will return 26 African artworks — royal thrones, ceremonial altars, revered statues — to Benin later this month, part of France’s long-promised plans to give back artwork taken from Africa during the colonial era. Discussions have been under way for years on returning the artworks from …

Read more “France’s Macron Vows Return of African Art, Admitting ‘Colonial Pillage’”

Russia’s state statistics service reported nearly 50,000 coronavirus deaths in the country in August, taking the toll since the beginning of the pandemic to over 400,000, nearly double the official government figure. Rosstat released its figures late Friday, reporting that 49,389 people died from COVID-19 in August, a figure much higher than 24,661, the government …

Read more “Russian Agency: More than 49,000 Died From COVID-19 in August”

“It’s worse than a plague,” said Pedro Antonio Sanchez, fuming over the volcanic grit coating his bananas, the main source of wealth on the Canaries’ island of La Palma. “It’s worse than a pest or disease because it scratches [the fruit],” said Sanchez, gesturing at the black sandy deposits that have rained down since the …

Read more “Volcanic Grit, Water Shortage Threaten La Palma’s Banana Crop”

Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov of Novaya Gazeta and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa of Rappler have been named the recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize — a move press freedom advocates hope will shine light on the threats to a global free press. Esha Sarai has more. Tommy Walker contributed. …

European ministers expressed concern Friday over the growing number of migrants illegally crossing from Belarus into several Baltic states, saying Minsk is intentionally facilitating their crossing to politically destabilize those countries and distract from human rights abuses at home by the Lukashenko regime.  “They have been luring thousands of third-country nationals to Belarus, issuing them …

Read more “Baltic States Accuse Belarus of Facilitating Migration Across Their Borders”

Surrounded by a group of men wielding axes, Romanian filmmaker Mihai Dragolea was sure he was going to die. The filmmaker, part of the independent Vagabond Film production company, was with his colleague Radu Mocanu as well as Tiberiu Bosutar, a former timber worker turned environmental activist, in a remote forested area in Romania last …

Read more “Attack on Romanian Film Crew Reveals Dangers of Environmental Beat”

French President Emmanuel Macron faced the frustration of young people from across Africa on Friday over a range of issues, including migration and the vestiges of colonialism, at a summit aiming to turn the page with the continent. Billed as a chance to prove France’s commitment in particular to young Africans, the Africa-France summit gathering …

Read more “Macron Faces Anger of Young Africans at Meeting”

Starting next week, all public and private workers in Italy will be required to have a digital COVID-19 health certificate or face being sent home on unpaid leave and fined up to $1,730. The measure making the so-called “green pass” compulsory, announced last month, comes into effect October 15, and will remain in force until …

Read more “‘COVID Health Pass’ Required for Italian Workers Starting Next Week”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee Friday awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” At a ceremony in Oslo, Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen announced the winners, saying, “Ms. …

Read more “Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Two Journalists Fighting for Freedom of Expression”

The United States and the European Union have honored the memory of a Russian investigative journalist slain 15 years ago by demanding that Moscow bring to justice those who ordered her killing and praising the independent journalists continuing her legacy under Kremlin pressure. In one of two statements issued Thursday, the 15th anniversary of Anna …

Read more “US, EU Urge Russia to Find, Prosecute Mastermind in Journalist’s 2006 Killing”

A Russian film crew blasts into space on a moviemaking history mission, an American actor known for playing a space explorer gets the chance to see the real deal, and more. VOA’s Jesusemen Oni has more on the Week in Space. …

The Irish and Estonian governments on Thursday agreed to sign on to a 15% global minimum tax rate on multinational firms, leaving only Hungary as the last hold-out against the far-reaching deal.  The reform aims to stop international corporations from slashing the tax bills by registering in nations with low rates.  “The government has now …

Read more “Hold-outs Ireland, Estonia Agree to Global Tax Reform Deal”

Spain’s airport authority for the Canary Islands shut down the airport on the island of La Palma again Thursday because of accumulating ash from a volcano that has been erupting there for 18 days.  From its Twitter account, the airport authority, Aena, said the facility was closed because of accumulating ash. In news agency video from …

Read more “Ash From Latest Eruption Shuts Down Airport in Canary Islands “

The head of a major Ukrainian state-owned bank has said he is under investigation in connection with a confrontation with RFE/RL investigative reporters during an interview this week. Yevhen Metsher, who stepped down temporarily as Ukreximbank’s CEO earlier this week, said he was handed the official notice on Thursday. “I am ready to fully cooperate …

Read more “Ukrainian Bank Chief Investigated After Confrontation With RFE/RL Journalists”

Russia appears to be getting more aggressive and more successful as the nation’s hackers launch a growing number of cyberattacks against the United States and other nations, according to a new report by Microsoft.  Microsoft’s 2021 Digital Defense Report warns that what it labels as “Russian nation-state actors” are responsible for 58% of all nation-state cyberattacks, …

Read more “Microsoft: Russia Cyberattacks Targeting More Governments, Agencies”

After losing two full summers of tourism revenue, Britain is getting rid of restrictive quarantine requirements for visitors from 47 countries, including India, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey. Starting Monday, vaccinated travelers from those countries will no longer have to quarantine for 10 days in a hotel upon arrival in Britain. Britain recognizes the AstraZeneca, …

Read more “Britain Eases Quarantine Requirements for 47 Countries”

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Thursday the nation has vaccinated millions more people than previously thought, thanks to some unreported vaccination numbers discovered by the Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control. The institute says nearly 80% of adults in Germany are fully vaccinated, and about 84% have received at least one shot. Previous official …

Read more “German Health Minister Says Vaccinations Further Along Than Thought”

A popular Russian newspaper has shut down its branch in Belarus after one of its local staff was arrested in the wake of a shootout that left an opposition supporter and a security officer dead. Komsomolskaya Pravda announced the decision to close its Belarusian subsidiary on Tuesday night, citing “the events of the past year …

Read more “Russian Paper Shuts Belarus Branch After Journalist’s Arrest”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday the expulsion of eight members of the Russian Mission to the alliance was not the result of any one particular event, but due to an “increase in malign activity for some time.” NATO officials confirmed Wednesday they were expelling eight Russian diplomats and planned to reduce the size of …

Read more “NATO Chief Says Expulsions of Russian Diplomats Not Linked to Particular Event”

NATO is expelling eight Russian diplomats and plans to halve the size of Russia’s observer mission to the Western alliance in response to alleged malign Russian espionage activities in Europe, which have included killings, attempted assassinations and explosions, say European officials. The diplomats have been told to leave Brussels by the end of this month. …

Read more “NATO Expulsions of Russian Diplomats Will Likely Trigger Moscow Response”