British health officials have detected another 104 cases of monkeypox in England in what has become the biggest outbreak beyond Africa of the normally rare disease. The U.K.’s Health Security Agency said Monday there were now 470 cases of monkeypox across the country, with the vast majority in gay or bisexual men. Scientists warn that …
Read more “UK Reports 104 More Cases of Monkeypox, Mostly in Men”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces and those from Russia are fighting for “literally every meter” in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, while pleading to international partners that Ukraine “needs modern missile defense systems.” In his latest nightly video message, Zelenskyy said Russia’s “key tactical goal” has not changed, with Russian forces also pushing …
Read more “Zelenskyy: Ukrainian, Russian Forces Battle for ‘Every Meter’ in Sievierodonetsk”
Italian voters snubbed a weekend referendum on changes to the justice system, dealing a blow to Matteo Salvini, the leader of the rightist League party, who had championed the plebiscite. Results released early Monday showed just 20.9% of people cast a ballot, the lowest ever for a referendum in Italy and well below the 50% …
Read more “Referendum Flop for Italy’s Salvini; Right Eyes Local Gains”
A pro-Russian separatist leader in eastern Ukraine said Sunday he would not alter the death sentences handed to two Britons and a Moroccan for fighting with the Ukrainian army. “They came to Ukraine to kill civilians for money. That’s why I don’t see any conditions for any mitigation or modification of the sentence,” Denis Pushilin, …
Read more “Pro-Russian Separatists Uphold Foreigners’ Death Sentences”
As Russian tanks and trucks rumbled close to their village, a Ukrainian teenager and his father stealthily launched their small drone into the air. Working as a team, they took bird’s-eye photos of the armored column moving toward Kyiv and pinpointed its coordinates, swiftly messaging the precious information to the Ukrainian military. Within minutes, artillery …
Read more “Ukraine Hails Teen Drone Operator Who Spied Russian Armor”
Amnesty International on Monday accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, saying attacks on Kharkiv, many using banned cluster bombs, had killed hundreds of civilians. “The repeated bombardments of residential neighborhoods in Kharkiv are indiscriminate attacks which killed and injured hundreds of civilians, and as such constitute war crimes,” the rights group said in a …
Read more “Amnesty Accuses Russia of War Crimes in Kharkiv, Killing Hundreds”
Air raid sirens wailed and one of the brides wore camouflage trousers as the Ukrainian army took a break from frontline fighting in the east to hold a double wedding Sunday. Two young couples who met just months earlier while serving in the army tied the knot together Sunday in the small city of Druzhkivka, …
Kremlin-installed officials in occupied southern Ukraine celebrated Russia Day on Sunday and began issuing Russian passports to residents in one city who requested them, as Moscow sought to solidify its rule over captured parts of the country. At one of the central squares in the city of Kherson, Russian bands played a concert to celebrate …
Read more “Moscow-Installed Officials Try to Solidify Rule in Parts of Southern Ukraine”
Belgium’s King Philippe ended his historic tour of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday in the eastern city of Bukavu, as the Congolese army repulsed a rebel attack further north. The king visited Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege on the outskirts of the city, on the last leg of his six-day visit to the former …
Read more “Belgian King Ends DR Congo Tour on Visit to Volatile East”
Having to defend Gotland against a foreign invasion seemed such a far-fetched notion to Swedish decision-makers at the start of the century that they demilitarized the Baltic Sea island. Now, the Swedish Armed Forces are back, and they are practicing with U.S. troops not just how to defend the island with a population of 58,000, …
Read more “Swedish, US Troops Drill on Remilitarized Baltic Sea Island”
The head of the World Trade Organization predicted a “bumpy and rocky” road as it opened its highest-level meeting in 4-1/2 years on Sunday, with issues like pandemic preparedness, food insecurity and overfishing of the world’s seas on the agenda. At a time when some question the WTO’s relevance, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hopes the meeting …
Read more “WTO Holds Big Meeting to Tackle Vaccines, Food Shortages”
The French voted Sunday in the first round of legislative elections dominated by a surging left-wing alliance and fears of a historic abstention rate. A strong showing for the far-left NUPES coalition could upend President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist agenda. It’s hard to find a supporter of centrist President Emmanuel Macron and his party in a …
Read more “French Far-Left Hopes for Win in Legislative Elections “
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Turkey has “legitimate concerns” over terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously. Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and says it will not back the two Nordic nations joining NATO until they change their policies. Speaking at a joint news conference …
Read more “NATO Chief: Turkey Has ‘Legitimate Concerns’ Over Terrorism “
The first of dozens of restaurants taken over after the iconic fast-food chain McDonald’s pulled out of Russia has reopened in Moscow, under new ownership and a new name: Tasty and That’s It. Owners of the new chain, whose name in Russian is Vkusno and Tochka, say initially 15 rebranded restaurants will reopen across Russia, …
Read more “Rebranded McDonalds Restaurants Reopen in Russia “
Legislation that Britain will unilaterally bring forward on Monday to scrap some of the rules that govern post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland will not break international law, minister Brandon Lewis said on Sunday. “The legislation that we will outline tomorrow is within the law; what we are going to do is lawful and it is …
Read more “UK’s New Northern Ireland Trade Rules Will Not Break Law, Minister Says “
Pope Francis apologized to the people of Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan on Sunday for having to cancel his visit because of walking problems, and said he was hopeful his condition would improve. The Vatican announced on Thursday that the July 2-7 trip had been postponed indefinitely because of the 85-year-old pontiff’s knee …
Read more “Pope Apologizes for Having to Cancel Africa Trip”
Penny Taylor used her induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame to call for the release of her former WNBA Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner, noting it’s been 114 days since the seven-time WNBA All-Star was detained. “BG is our family,” Taylor said in asking President Biden’s help freeing Griner. “She’s yours too. The …
Read more “Penny Taylor Calls for Griner’s Release at Hall of Fame Induction”
In the outdoor gym on Venice Beach, the name given to an inviting stretch of sand on the majestic Dnieper River that courses through the capital of Ukraine, Serhiy Chornyi is working on his summer body, up-down-up-downing a chunky hunk of iron. The aim of his sweat and toil isn’t to impress the girls in …
Read more “Kyiv’s Bitter Summer: War, Guilt and Last Kisses”
Italian rescuers on Saturday found the bodies of seven people, including four Turkish and two Lebanese businessmen, who died when their helicopter crashed in a heavily forested, mountainous area in north-central Italy during a storm, authorities said. Colonel Alfonso Cipriano, who heads an air force rescue coordination unit that led the search since Thursday, said …
Read more “Italy Finds 7 Bodies at Scorched Crash Site of Helicopter”
The European Union should kick off accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania to finally fulfill its pledge to integrate the Western Balkans, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday on the second day of a tour to the region. Speaking in Skopje, Scholz said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made it important for Europe …
Read more “German Chancellor Calls for EU to Open Accession Talks with North Macedonia and Albania”
The first highway bridge connecting China and Russia opened Friday, the first day of the 3-day Shangri-La Summit in Singapore. Construction of the bridge was completed two years back, but it remained unused because of the coronavirus pandemic. The timing of its opening is significant. Russia and China have come under severe criticism …
Read more “China, Russia Open Cross-Border Bridge Amid Sanctions, Criticism”
Britain’s plan to fly asylum seekers 6,000 kilometers to Rwanda faces a last-minute legal challenge. The first flight is scheduled to leave June 14, carrying up to 100 migrants. However, a group of non-governmental organizations and refugee campaigners have launched a legal case at the High Court in London to seek an injunction blocking the …
Read more “British Plan to Fly Asylum Seekers to Rwanda Faces Last-Minute Legal Challenge”
Armed with a bright smile and a fistful of campaign flyers, Sarah Legrain works her way through the Curial market in northeastern Paris’ 19th arrondissement, where shoppers banter and bargain in North African Arabic. She accepts a slice of watermelon from a vendor, and chats with a veiled Tunisian mother. A man in a white …
Read more “In France, New Far-Left Alliance Threatens to Upend Macron’s Second-Term Agenda”
A years-old piece of draft legislation that seeks to criminalize the spread of disinformation is moving toward a vote in the Turkish parliament. The bill is being met with deep concern by media rights groups across the country. If passed, the so-called “disinformation” law put forward by ruling majority parliamentarians would carry a sentence of …
Read more “Turkish Media Groups Voice Concern Over Draft Disinformation Bill”