Month: November 2021

Skirmishes on Saturday erupted in Serbia between police and anti-government demonstrators who blocked roads and bridges in the Balkan country in protest over new laws they say favor interests of foreign investors devastating the environment.  Hundreds of people on Saturday appeared simultaneously in the capital Belgrade, the northern city of Novi Sad and other locations …

Read more “Anti-Government Protesters Block Bridges, Roads in Serbia “

Ukraine’s military is ready and able to repel any attack, says Ukrainian soldier Oleksander, standing in a trench just a few hundred meters from pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine’s military intelligence said last week that Russia had more than 92,000 troops massed around Ukraine’s borders and was preparing for an attack by the end of January or …

Read more “We’re Ready, Ukrainian Soldiers Say on Frontier With Rebels”

Britain, Germany and Italy detected cases of the new omicron coronavirus variant Saturday, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa.   The discovery of the variant has sparked global concern, a wave of travel bans or curbs and a …

Read more “Britain, Germany and Italy Detect Omicron Coronavirus Variant Cases”

Protesters in Niger blocked a French military convoy  Saturday shortly after it crossed the border from Burkina Faso, where it had been stuck for a week due to demonstrations against the former colonial ruler there, France’s army said.   French soldiers and Nigerien military police fired warning shots to prevent protesters from approaching their vehicles, …

Read more “French Convoy Faces New Protests Crossing Into Niger From Burkina Faso”

A Kurdish woman from northern Iraq, who was among 27 migrants who died trying to cross the Channel between France and Britain this week, has become the first victim to be named by British media.   Their dinghy deflated as they made a perilous crossing Wednesday of the English Channel, the worst tragedy on record …

Read more “Kurdish Woman Is First Channel Victim to Be Named: BBC”

Dutch health authorities said Saturday they had detected 61 COVID-19 cases among people who flew Friday from South Africa and were now doing further tests to see whether any are infected with the new omicron variant.   The cases were discovered among around 600 passengers who arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on two flights Friday …

Read more “Dutch Test for New Variant After Finding 61 COVID Cases Among South Africa Passengers”

The Czech Republic reported 20,315 new coronavirus cases for Friday, the first week-on-week drop in the daily tally in two months, although its hospitals were still filling and the government toughened restrictions. On the same day last week, the country of 10.7 million people reported 22,957 new cases of the coronavirus. Although hospitalizations dropped to …

Read more “Czech Republic Reports 20,315 Daily Coronavirus Cases”

France is willing to discuss autonomy for the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe if it is in the interests of the people who live there, government minister Sebastien Lecornu said. Guadeloupe and the nearby French island of Martinique have seen several days of protests against COVID-19 measures that have spilled over into violence. Lecornu, the …

Read more “France Says it is Willing to Discuss Autonomy for Guadeloupe”

The smuggler had said the car would come in 10 minutes, but Zaid Ramadan had been waiting in the dense forest straddling the Poland-Belarus border for three hours, desperate for signs of headlights in the mist – and a new life in Europe. His pregnant wife Delin shivered under a blanket. She had been against …

Read more “Iraqi Kurds Cite Work, Graft as Reasons that Belarus Beckons”

Russian authorities on Friday released the names of 51 people presumed dead after a devastating methane explosion in a coal mine in Siberia, believed to be the deadliest since 2010. The list with the names of 46 miners and five rescuers was published online by the government of the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia, where …

Read more “51 Presumed Dead in Russia Coal Mine Accident; ‘Miracle’ Survivor Found “

European Union states have agreed to suspend travel from southern Africa after the detection of a new COVID-19 variant, the presidency of the EU said Friday. A committee of health experts from all 27 EU states “agreed on the need to activate the emergency break & impose temporary restriction on all travel into EU from …

Read more “EU to Suspend Travel From Southern Africa Over New COVID Variant “

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday classified the B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa as a SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern,” saying it may spread more quickly than other forms. Preliminary evidence suggested there is an increased risk of reinfection and there had been a “detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology,” it said in a statement …

Read more “WHO Names New COVID Variant Omicron, Cautions Against Travel Measures”

Britain’s blue-chip share index slumped Friday, suffering its biggest drop in more than a year as fears over a newly detected and possibly vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant gripped stock markets around the world.   The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index closed down 3.7% at its lowest in more than seven weeks, with commodity, travel, and …

Read more “Global Stocks Tumble, FTSE 100 Suffers Year’s Worst Session on Virus Scare”

All options are on the table in how to respond to Russia’s ‘large and unusual’ troop build-up near Ukraine’s border, and the NATO alliance will decide what the next move will be following consultations next week, the top U.S. diplomat for European affairs said Friday.   “As you can appreciate, all options are on the …

Read more “US State Department: ‘All Options’ on Table Over Russian Troop Build-Up Near Ukraine”

Italy imposed an entry ban Friday on people who have visited any one of eight southern African states in the last 14 days, because of the spread of a new COVID-19 variant there. Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza signed an executive order banning entry of travelers from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia …

Read more “Italy Imposes Entry Ban on Eight Southern African States”

Spain’s cabinet will restrict flights from South Africa and Botswana over concerns about a highly contagious new COVID-19 variant there, Health Minister Carolina Darias said Friday, following similar decisions by other European nations. “We will see about other countries but for now those two,” she told state broadcaster TVE. Darias did not give details on …

Read more “Spain to Restrict Flights From South Africa, Botswana Over New COVID-19 Variant”

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday Ukraine had uncovered a plot to overthrow his government next week involving individuals from Russia, although he declined to say whether he thought the Kremlin was behind it.   Speaking at an hours-long press conference, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained audio recordings of the plotters, including people from Russia, …

Read more “Zelenskiy: Ukraine Thwarts Coup Plot Involving Russians; Kremlin Denies Role”

Portugal’s Golden Visa program puts people who invest in the country on a path toward Portuguese citizenship and therefore greater access to the European Union. It’s long been attractive to Chinese from the mainland, but now more people from Hong Kong and other parts of the world are signing up. As VOA’s Laurel Bowman reports, …

Read more “Portuguese Investment Visa Long Popular Among Chinese”

Rescuers have found a survivor in a Siberian coal mine where dozens of miners are presumed dead after a devastating methane explosion, a top local official announced Friday. Sergei Tsivilyov, governor of the Kemerovo region where the mine is located, said on the messaging app Telegram that the survivor was found in the Listvyazhnaya mine …

Read more “Survivor Found in Coal Mine Accident in Russia’s Siberia”

France on Friday scrapped planned talks with the UK about migrant crossings in anger at a letter by Britain’s prime minister over the crisis, pushing relations to new lows following the deaths of 27 people in the Channel this week. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told UK counterpart Priti Patel she was no longer invited to …

Read more “Furious France Scraps UK Migrants Meeting After Johnson Letter”

Like many others in Europe, Switzerland is facing a steep rise in coronavirus cases. But its federal government, unlike others, hasn’t responded with new restrictive measures. Analysts say it doesn’t want to stir up more opposition to its anti-COVID-19 policies, which face a crucial test at the ballot box this weekend as critics have grown …

Read more “Cases Soar but Swiss Reject Lockdown as COVID Law Vote Looms”

Germany will have a new government next month after three parties agreed this week to form a coalition, ousting the ruling Christian Democrats, the party of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. The new government faces an early test of foreign policy, as Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops on Europe’s eastern borders. Members of …

Read more “Russian Brinkmanship Poses Early Test for Germany’s New Leader”

Germany will have a new government next month after three parties agreed to form a coalition, ousting the ruling Christian Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. The new government under Olaf Scholz faces an early test of foreign policy, as Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops on Europe’s eastern borders. Henry Ridgwell considers …

Read more “Russian Brinkmanship Poses Early Test for Germany’s New Leader”

France and Britain appealed Thursday for European assistance, promised stepped-up efforts to combat people-smuggling networks, and traded blame and barbs in the wake of this week’s tragedy in the English Channel that again shone a light on the scale and complexity of Europe’s migration problems. At least 27 migrants drowned Wednesday after their inflatable dinghy …

Read more “France Calls for European Aid After 27 Migrants Die at Sea “