21 People Survive Turkey Building Collapse

Authorities in Turkey say they arrested a shop owner and two employees Wednesday, one day after the collapse of a commercial building that trapped several people. The private DHA news agency reported that those arrested are suspected of having conducted unauthorized renovations. An investigation is continuing by local authorities in the city of Malatya in central Turkey. At the time of the collapse on …

WHO: Europe Continues to Lead World in COVID Cases, Deaths 

The World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological COVID-19 update that Europe again was leading the world in percentages of new cases and deaths from the disease. The WHO said the number of new cases in Europe rose by 7% last week and the number of deaths rose by 10%. Africa was the only other region …

EU Court Rejects Google’s Appeal of $2.8 Billion Fine

The European Union’s General Court has rejected Google’s appeal of a $2.8 billion European Commission fine for giving its own shopping suggestions an illegal advantage in search results. The commission fined the American technology giant in 2017 for wrongfully directing visitors to its Google Shopping service at the expense of smaller European competitors. The General Court ruled that it “largely dismisses” Google’s appeal and is upholding …

Blinken to Host Ukrainian Delegation for Relaunch of Strategic Partnership Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet Wednesday with his Ukrainian counterpart in Washington as the Biden administration seeks to demonstrate support for the country in the face of Russian aggression while also pushing its leaders to carry out Western-backed reforms. Blinken’s talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other high-ranking …

Poland Accuses Belarus of Terrorism at Border

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki Wednesday accused Belarus of “state terrorism” regarding the migrant crisis at the border between the two nations.   Morawiecki made the comments to reporters during a joint news conference in Warsaw with European Council President Charles Michel, who came to Poland to show European Union support for Poland on the …

International Space Station to Maneuver to Avoid Satellite Junk

The International Space Station will perform a brief maneuver on Wednesday to dodge a fragment of a defunct Chinese satellite, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. The station crewed by seven astronauts will climb 1,240 meters higher to avoid a close encounter with the fragment and will settle in an orbit 470.7 km (292 miles) above …

Climate Talks Draft Agreement Expresses ‘Alarm and Concern’

Governments are poised to express “alarm and concern” about how much Earth has already warmed and encourage one another to end their use of coal, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at U.N. climate talks. The early version of the document circulating at the negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, also impresses …

Harris, Macron to Meet Amid US Push to Ease Tensions with Longstanding Ally

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for talks Wednesday at Elysee Palace with an agenda that includes climate change, the economy, global health and supply chain issues.  A senior U.S. administration official told reporters Tuesday that the bilateral meeting is important because the U.S. relationship with France is a global one, …

Nobel Prize-winning Activist Malala Gets Married

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, got married on Tuesday in a small ceremony in Birmingham, central England, she announced on social media. “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser (Malik) and I tied the knot to be partners for life,” …

3 Killed in Suspected Turkish Drone Attack in NE Syria 

Turkey is being accused by Kurdish security forces of carrying out a drone attack Tuesday in northeastern Syria that killed three civilians in a car.  The strike took place in Qamishli, a city on the Syria-Turkey border that is controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The three victims were from the same family, …

US Vice President in France to Ease Tensions with Longstanding Ally

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris began a four-day visit to France Tuesday aimed at improving soured relations with America’s oldest ally. Relations between the two countries plunged to a historic low in September when Australia scrapped a $65 billion deal to buy traditional submarines from France in favor of an agreement in which Australia will build nuclear subs with the help of the United States and Britain. …

Poland Fears ‘Armed Escalation’ with Belarus as Migrants Mass on Frontier

Poland has warned of a possible armed escalation on its border with Belarus as thousands of migrants attempt to cross the frontier into the European Union. The Polish government accuses Belarus of directing migrants toward the border as part of a campaign of ‘hybrid warfare.’  It’s estimated that thousands of migrants are camped along the …

Are Britain’s Top Universities for Sale?

Some of Britain’s prestigious colleges — including the ancient universities of Cambridge and Oxford — are being accused of losing their moral compass by accepting donations from what critics say are dubious sources. The University of Oxford, London School of Economics and University College, London, have prompted a firestorm of criticism for accepting millions of …

 Poland, Belarus Spar About Migrants at Border

Poland and Belarus traded accusations Tuesday as a group of migrants remained on the Belarus side of the border between the two countries.  Poland says the migrants, mostly from the Middle East, are being encouraged to push their way into European Union member Poland by the government of Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko.  Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter that …

Ukrainian, Russian Charged in US Ransomware Attacks

U.S. prosecutors on Monday said they had charged a Ukrainian man with launching a July ransomware attack on an American firm that had infected 1,500 businesses throughout the world. Authorities also announced they had seized $6 million in ransom payments made to a Russian national accused of launching more than 3,000 other attacks targeting American …

European Rights Group: Palestinian Civil Society Workers’ Phones Hacked

A European human rights group alleged Monday that Israeli-made Pegasus spyware was used to hack the phones of staff members of six Palestinian civil society groups that Israel’s defense ministry has designated as terrorist organizations. Dublin-based Front Line Defenders said its allegation was confirmed independently by researchers for Amnesty International and the University of Toronto’s …

Spain’s La Palma Island Volcano Eruption Enters Eighth Week

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma entered its eighth week Monday, powerful as ever and showing no signs of stopping.  From its official Twitter account, INVOLCAN, the Canary Islands Volcanology Center, reported lava and huge plumes of smoke and ash have been spouting from the crater all …

Kremlin: Putin, CIA Chief Discuss ‘Regional Conflicts’

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed regional conflicts and a crisis in ties with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency who paid a rare trip to Moscow last week, the Kremlin said Monday. CIA chief William Burns was in Russia for two days of meetings with top officials at the request of President Joe …

Jailed ex-US Marine Whelan to Keep Fighting for Transfer from Russia

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, convicted by Russia of spying, will continue to fight for his transfer to the United States despite losing a court appeal on Monday, Interfax news agency quoted his lawyer as saying. Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced last year to 16 years in jail. He denies …

German Rescue Boat with 800 Migrants Reaches Sicilian Port

A German humanitarian ship with more than 800 rescued migrants, including 15 very young children, steamed into a Sicilian port on Sunday after being granted permission by Italian authorities following days of waiting in the Mediterranean Sea. The charity group Sea-Eye said the vessel Sea-Eye 4 was assigned to the port of Trapani, in western …

Poland’s Health Ministry Clarifies Abortion Law After Woman’s Death 

Poland’s Health Ministry issued instructions Sunday to doctors confirming that it is legal to terminate a pregnancy when the woman’s health or life is in danger, a directive that comes amid apparent confusion over a new restriction to the country’s abortion law.  The document addressed to obstetricians comes in reaction to the hospital death of …

Kerry Rallies Global Climate Push as Uncertainty Grows in US

John Kerry is everywhere and on the move at a fateful U.N. climate summit. President Joe Biden’s envoy at the talks in Glasgow, Kerry steams from side talks with U.S. rivals China and Russia that painstakingly probe for common ground on climate to news conferences extolling progress. Kerry pops into project launches, rewarding CEOs and …

Glasgow Climate Negotiators Seek to Resolve 4 Key Challenges

As this year’s U.N. climate talks go into their second week, negotiations on key topics are inching forward. Boosted by a few high-profile announcements at the start of the meeting, delegates are upbeat about the prospects for tangible progress in the fight against global warming.  Laurent Fabius, the former French foreign minister who helped forge …