Month: February 2022

Camilla, the wife of British heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, has tested positive for coronavirus. “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating,” Clarence House said in a statement. “We continue to follow government guidelines.” The 73-year-old Charles tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time last week. Clarence House …

Read more “Camilla, Wife of Britain’s Prince Charles, Tests Positive for COVID”

The wife of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny lashed out at Russian authorities Monday, on the eve of a new trial that could extend his sentence by over a decade. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic, was jailed last February for two and a half years on old fraud charges after surviving a …

Read more “Navalnaya Slams Kremlin ‘Cowards’ on Eve of Husband’s Trial  “

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting the United Arab Emirates, hoping to repair strained ties. Analysts say shared concerns over Iran could provide common ground. Erdogan said that his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday, aims to ease years of tension and rivalry with the Persian Gulf state. He said …

Read more “Erdogan Visits UAE in Bid to Repair Ties with Arab World “

Belgium is bracing Monday as a “freedom convoy” of protesters heads to the capital to demonstrate against COVID-related regulations. Officials have, however, banned, motorized protests in Brussels and have set up checkpoints along Belgium’s borders. Alexander De Croo, Belgium’s prime minister, said, “We never had rules that were too hard and we don’t have so …

Read more “Belgium Braces for COVID ‘Freedom Convoy’”

BEIJING — Russian teenager Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a pre-Games drug test. The Court of Arbitration for Sport released its ruling less than 12 hours after a hastily arranged hearing that lasted into early Monday morning that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite …

Read more “Russian Skater Kamila Valieva Cleared to Compete at Olympics”

The guessing game about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions continued Sunday, with alarmed Western military officials and independent experts agreeing the Kremlin has amassed sufficient forces to invade Ukraine. Disagreements persist, though, among allies over whether the military buildup is a feint designed to extract Western concessions or an invasion force primed for assault. Washington …

Read more “Allies Still Split over Russian Intentions”

  U.S. President Joe Biden again warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call Saturday of “swift and severe” consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, according to a statement from the White House.  Biden and Putin discussed the crisis as tensions continue to grow amid concerns that Russia is ready to mount an invasion of …

Read more “Biden Warns Putin Again of ‘Severe Costs’ as They Discuss Ukraine Crisis”

Waving flags and singing the national anthem, thousands of Ukrainians braved the winter cold to march across Kyiv on Saturday to show unity in the face of a feared Russian invasion. “Panic is useless. We must unite and fight for independence,” said student Maria Shcherbenko, expressing a sentiment similar to that voiced by Ukranian President …

Read more “Thousands of Ukrainians March in Face of Russian Threat”

Britain joined the United States on Friday in urging foreign nationals to evacuate Ukraine while there are still commercial means to do so. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its advice shortly after the country’s defense minister, Ben Wallace, flew out of Moscow after talks with senior Kremlin figures. Estonia is also urging …

Read more “Western Evacuation Calls Draw Criticism”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will speak with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, later Saturday about what appears to be Russia’s imminent invasion of Ukraine. Blinken, speaking at a press conference in Fiji, said if Russan President Vladimir Putin “decides to take military action [against Ukraine] we will swiftly impose severe economic …

Read more “US, Russian Diplomats to Discuss Mounting Crisis in Ukraine”

Ukraine’s LGBT+ community is on high alert in the face of a potential Russian invasion. Under President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, they enjoy free speech and assembly protections, but fear discrimination if Ukraine falls under Moscow’s authority. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …

Unnamed U.S. intelligence officials say Washington is ready to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv in anticipation of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to an Associated Press report. The AP story says the State Department will announce the plans early Saturday that would require all American embassy staff to leave Ukraine because of the …

Read more “US Plans to Evacuate Embassy in Kyiv, AP Reports”

Facing increasing pressure from China, Lithuania has been gaining support this week in a standoff that began over trade and was elevated when the small Baltic nation became the first European Union member to allow Taiwan to use its name on a de facto embassy. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius …

Read more “Lithuania Gains Support in Dispute With China “

Spanish power company Iberdrola is suing the holding company of business news site El Confidencial over coverage of an industrial espionage case, a move the site’s director says threatens its survival. The multinational energy firm, which is seeking $20 million in damages, said that for more than two years up to November 2021, El Confidencial …

Read more “Spanish Energy Company Sues Over Industrial Spying Coverage “

The International Criminal Court will next week hear an appeal by Ugandan former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Ongwen, a former child soldier in the notorious rebel group led by the fugitive Joseph Kony in the early 2000s, was sentenced by the ICC in …

Read more “ICC to Hear Ugandan LRA Commander’s Appeal”

Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.  Ukraine defiant in face of Russian threat  Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva said Friday that her country will not bow to threats of military action from Russia and is …

Read more “UN Weekly Roundup: February 5-11, 2022”

World leaders met Friday in the French northwest coastal city of Brest for a three-day summit aimed at taking action to clean and protect the earth’s oceans. The One Ocean Summit is being hosted by France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union Council, along with the United Nations. The goal of …

Read more “EU, UN Host Summit on Cleaning, Protecting the World’s Oceans”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that Russia could attack Ukraine at “any time” and warned Americans to leave Ukraine immediately. Blinken issued the warning in Australia after meeting leaders of the Quad countries, the United States, Australia, Japan and India. Blinken cited “troubling signs” regarding Russia, including adding to the more than …

Read more “Blinken Warns that Russia Could Attack Ukraine at ‘Any Time’”