Month: June 2022

Group of Seven leaders Sunday pledged to raise $600 billion in private and public funds over five years to finance needed infrastructure in developing countries and counter China’s older, multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road project. U.S. President Joe Biden and other G-7 leaders relaunched the newly renamed “Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment,” at their annual …

Read more “G7 Aims to Raise $600 Billion to Counter China’s Belt and Road”

Greece is set to further seal its land frontiers with rival neighbor Turkey, tripling the length of a soaring fence built to block illegal migrants from sneaking in. The plan comes as Greece faces a sudden surge in refugees, both along its land and sea frontiers, as relations with its age-old foe deteriorate. Greece began …

Read more “Greece to Triple Length of Border Fence With Turkey”

Germany will start charging for rapid COVID-19 tests that were previously free, though vulnerable groups will be exempt from the fee. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that starting July 1 the rapid tests widely available at centers across Germany will cost citizens 3 euros ($3.16) each, with the rest subsidized by the government. The tests …

Read more “Germany to Charge Most Citizens for COVID Rapid Tests”

Carrying the hammer and sickle flags of the former Soviet Union, thousands protested in Madrid on Sunday against a NATO summit which will take place in the Spanish capital this week. Amid tight security, leaders of the member countries will meet in Madrid on June 29-30 as the organization faces the unprecedented challenge of the …

Read more “Thousands Protest in Madrid against NATO Summit”

Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in Central Asia this week, Russian state television reported Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader’s first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and led to severe financial sanctions from …

Read more “Russia’s Putin to Make First Foreign Trip Since Launching Ukraine War “

Russia launched new missile attacks Sunday on Ukraine’s two biggest cities, the capital of Kyiv and Kharkiv, even as leaders of the Group of Seven nations from the world’s leading democracies held talks in the Bavarian Alps to determine new ways to isolate Moscow. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in …

Read more “Russia Attacks Ukraine’s Two Biggest Cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv “

Air traffic is booming this summer, but after European vacations are over will passenger demand hold up? The question was the focus of the annual congress of the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe in Rome this week, held at the cusp of the approaching peak season. The summer period is shaping up to be by …

Read more “Despite Strong Summer Start, Europe’s Aviation Industry Frets “

Norway paid tribute on Sunday to the victims of a deadly shooting near a gay bar in the capital that shocked the normally peaceful country and led to the cancellation of a Pride march. The altar of Oslo cathedral was draped in a rainbow cloth for a service to remember the victims of the attack, …

Read more “Norway Pays Tribute to Victims of Oslo Shooting “

While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow’s influence to Africa. As the host of the summit taking place from Tuesday to Thursday, Spain …

Read more “As Summit Host, Spain Urges NATO to Watch its Southern Flank “

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s capital Sunday. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one apartment building was hit in the shelling. The attack Sunday comes on the same day that Group of Seven leaders from the world’s richest democracies are meeting in Germany. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be a main focus of …

Read more “Russia Attacks Ukraine Capital”

U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday that the United States and other Group of Seven leading economies will announce a ban on imports of gold from Russia, a step the leaders hope will further isolate Russia economically over its invasion of Ukraine. A formal announcement was expected Tuesday as the leaders meet for their annual …

Read more “Biden: G7 to Ban Russian Gold in Response to Ukraine War”

Germany welcomes the leaders of the G-7 wealthy democracies Sunday. The summit for the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States is being held in a castle in the Bavarian Alps. The three-day meeting is being held in the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Political analysts say the …

Read more “G7 Leaders Meet in Germany”

The prolonged roar of Grad rockets can be heard as locals in the east Ukrainian town of Siversk crowd around a van selling essentials such as bread, sausages and gas for camp stoves. “Everyone is suffering. All of us here are trying to survive,” said Nina, a 64-year-old retiree, pushing a bicycle. “There’s no water, …

Read more “Life in Donbas: ‘We Would Like to Live a Little Bit Longer’”

President Joe Biden touched down in Germany on Saturday, where he will attend the G-7 summit with the leaders of key U.S. allies to discuss their united front against Russia and troubling weakness in the world economy.  Biden flew from Washington to Munich, then boarded the Marine One helicopter for the short flight to the …

Read more “Biden Arrives in Europe for Summits Focused on Ukraine, Economy”

An overnight shooting in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, that killed two people and wounded more than a dozen is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, Norwegian police said Saturday. In a news conference Saturday, police officials said the man arrested after the shooting was a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin who was previously known …

Read more “Suspected Terror-Linked Shooting In Oslo Kills 2, Wounds 14”

With Ukraine’s seaports blockaded or captured by Russian forces, neighboring Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta has emerged as a main conduit for the war-torn country’s grain exports amid a growing world food crisis. It’s Romania’s biggest port, home to Europe’s fastest-loading grain terminal, and has processed nearly a million tons of grain from Ukraine …

Read more “Romanian Port Struggles to Handle Flow of Ukrainian Grain”

A new museum recently opened in Rome to display stolen art recovered by the Italian police squad charged with safeguarding the country’s artistic and cultural heritage. On display at the Rescued Art Museum are around 100 valuable artifacts, returned from the United States after having been stolen by tomb raiders and making their way illegally …

Read more “New Museum Opens in Rome for Recovered Art”

Morocco said 18 migrants died trying to cross into Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla on Friday, after a violent two-hour skirmish between migrants and border officers that also led to scores of injuries. About 2,000 migrants stormed a high fence that seals off the enclave. This led to clashes with security forces as more …

Read more “18 Migrants Died in Mass Crossing into Spanish Enclave, Morocco Says”

The Vatican’s Academy for Life on Friday praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion, saying it challenged the whole world to reflect on life issues.  The Vatican department also said in a statement that the defense of human life could not be confined to individual rights because life is a matter of “broad social …

Read more “Vatican Praises US Court Decision on Abortion, Saying It Challenges World”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the European Union’s decision to grant his country candidate status Friday, a key milestone in joining the bloc. Moldova was also granted accession candidate status. EU officials described the move as historic but cautioned that both countries will have to make tough reforms before they become full members. Historic In …

Read more “Ukraine, Moldova Hail EU Candidacy; Balkan States, Georgia Told to Wait “

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an international conference on food security Friday that the world is facing the “real risk” of multiple famines this year and that 2023 could be even worse. “The war in Ukraine has compounded problems that have been brewing for years: climate disruption; the COVID-19 pandemic; the deeply unequal recovery,” Guterres …

Read more “UN Chief Says World Faces ‘Real Risk’ of Multiple Famines This Year”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Wednesday with a military band and an equestrian escort. Turkish officials presented the visit as ushering in a new era in bilateral relations after years of bitter rivalry between Erdogan with the crown prince. The Turkish president led the international outcry …

Read more “Saudi Prince Visit to Turkey Touted as Reset But Mistrust Remains”

Nigerian rights activists are reacting with outrage after a Nigerian politician and his wife were charged by British prosecutors with human trafficking with the intent to harvest organs. Ike Ekweremadu is alleged to have smuggled a Nigerian boy into Britain to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter. The former deputy senate president and his …

Read more “Nigerian Politician Charged With Attempted Organ Harvesting in London”

When the top leaders of NATO countries meet next week in Spain, the discussion will be dominated by the Ukraine war and how to deter further Russian aggression in Europe. But in the latest sign the Western military alliance is trying to expand its focus eastward, the NATO summit will also deal with the challenges …

Read more “Why NATO’s China Focus May Endure”