Month: October 2024

Tbilisi, Georgia — The speaker of the Georgian parliament signed into a law Thursday a bill that severely curtails LGBTQ+ rights in the country and mirrors legislation adopted in neighboring Russia. Shalva Papuashvili, the parliament speaker, said on social media that the legislation does “not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies, but is based on …

Read more “Georgian parliament speaker signs anti-LGBTQ+ law after president refuses to”

MOSCOW — The trial of a 72-year-old American man whom Russia accuses of working as a mercenary for Ukraine will take place behind closed doors, and the verdict will be announced Monday, Russian state media reported. Stephen Hubbard is accused of signing a $1,000-per-month contract with a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the city of Izyum …

Read more “Russia to try American accused of being Ukrainian mercenary in secret”

Vienna — The European Union is set to vote Friday on a massive tariff increase on Chinese electric vehicles that Germany fears could spark a trade war with Beijing. Reuters reported Wednesday that the measure already has enough votes to pass, with support from France, Greece, Italy and Poland, whose populations make up 39% of the …

Read more “EU to vote on tariff hike for Chinese EVs as Germany fears retaliation”

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London — A surge in support for far-right parties in Europe is driving calls for a toughening of migration laws, while also raising questions over the future of military aid to Ukraine. Austria’s Freedom Party, which was founded by former Nazis after World War II, is the latest European far-right party to score a shocking win, …

Read more “Far-right gains in Europe drive debate on migration, Ukraine aid”

Europe looks set to toughen migration laws amid a surge in support for far-right parties across the continent. Austria’s Freedom Party – which campaigned on a platform of ending migration and opposing military aid for Ukraine – finished first in Sunday’s election, although its rivals have said they will refuse to enter a coalition. Henry …

Read more “Far-right gains in Europe drive debate on migration, Ukraine aid”

Israel’s campaign against Hamas in the aftermath of the October 7 attack has seen Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the forefront of condemning Israel. However, analysts say Turkey is becoming increasingly sidelined from efforts to end the crisis in a region where Erdogan once sought to play a leading role. Dorian Jones reports from …

Read more “A year after Gaza war started, Turkey battles isolation”

TALLINN, Estonia — Four Russian journalists went on trial in Moscow on Wednesday after being accused of working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, which was designated by authorities as an extremist organization in 2021. Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Sergey Karelin and Konstantin Gabov were arrested earlier this year …

Read more “4 Russian journalists accused of working for Navalny group go on trial”

Geneva — Russian authorities have subjected hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war to “widespread and systematic torture” while supervisors in detention facilities aware of that treatment did nothing to stop the abuse, according to a report published by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We have interviewed 174 Ukrainian prisoners of war, …

Read more “Russian authorities systematically torture Ukrainian POWs, UN says”

LONDON/DUBAI — An OPEC+ panel is unlikely this week to recommend any changes to its current deal to reduce production and to start unwinding some cuts from December, despite recent sharp declines in oil prices, five sources from the producer group told Reuters. Top ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led …

Read more “OPEC+ unlikely to change output policy”

Copenhagen — Police in Denmark and Sweden said on Wednesday they were probing explosions and gunfire around Israeli embassies in their capitals that took place amid spiraling Middle East tensions. In Denmark, police said three Swedish nationals had been arrested after two blasts were reported in the “immediate proximity” of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen early …

Read more “Blasts, shooting happen near Israeli embassies in Nordic capitals”

Vatican City, Holy See — Pope Francis opened the second phase of his big Catholic reform project Wednesday, with widespread calls for women to take up more positions of responsibility in the church topping the agenda but ordained ministry still ruled out.  Francis presided over an opening Mass in St. Peter’s Square with the 368 bishops …

Read more “Women’s role in Church tops agenda as Pope opens second phase of big reform project”

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish police said on Wednesday they were investigating two blasts in the vicinity of Israel’s embassy in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen. “No one has been injured, and we are carrying out initial investigations at the scene,” Copenhagen police said on social media platform X. “A possible connection to the Israeli embassy, located …

Read more “Danish police investigate two blasts near Israel’s embassy in Copenhagen”

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ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers in southern Greece battled a wildfire for a third day that has killed two people and devastated a large forested area, prompting pledges of assistance from other European Union countries. Two waterbombing aircraft from Italy joined the firefighting effort late Tuesday after Greece requested help through the 27-country …

Read more “Firefighters battle forest fire raging in southern Greece”

GENEVA — The volume of Switzerland’s glaciers shrank again this summer, compounding the negative impact of climate change after a devastating two-year run that depleted the ice by more than 10%, scientific experts reported Tuesday. The cryosphere observation team at the Swiss Academy of Sciences reported that high temperatures in July and August, combined with the …

Read more “Swiss glaciers are receding again after 2 punishing years”

London  — Another overseas, nonpermanent judge at Hong Kong’s top court, 86-year-old Briton Nicholas Phillips, has chosen not to renew his term after it ended on Sept. 30, becoming the fifth foreign judge to step down from the Court of Final Appeal this year. Phillips told VOA through his chamber, Brick Court Chambers, in an email …

Read more “British justice at Hong Kong’s top court declines to renew term”

Madrid — Among those not present at Tuesday’s inauguration of Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was the Spanish monarch.  Sheinbaum did not invite King Felipe VI of Spain to the ceremony after the monarch did not respond to a letter demanding that he apologize for Spain’s 16th century defeat of Mexico’s powerful Aztec rulers.  Today, …

Read more “Dispute over Spain’s past domination of Mexico reveals domestic divisions”

London — As the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel approaches, many European countries are strengthening their calls for Israel to end its assault on Hamas targets in Gaza amid growing horror at the civilian death toll.   The militant attack killed 1,200 people, including Israelis and people of several other nationalities. …

Read more “Europe hardens cease-fire calls as October 7 anniversary of Hamas attack nears”

As the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas cross-border attack on Israel approaches, many European countries are strengthening their calls for Israel to end its assault on Hamas targets in Gaza amid growing horror at the civilian death toll. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …