Travels News
In a blaze of publicity, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan laid a foundation stone close to Istanbul, starting the construction of a 45-kilometer canal linking the Black and Marmara seas. Erdogan declared the project would usher in a new era for Istanbul and for Turkey.“This going to be a brand-new page in Turkey’s development. On …
Read more “Turkey Starts Canal Project Amid Environmental, Regional Concerns”
Iran said Saturday it believes a reinstatement of its 2015 nuclear deal with major world powers is possible but warned that Tehran “will not negotiate forever.””Out of a steadfast commitment to salvage a deal that the U.S. tried to torpedo, Iran has been the most active party in Vienna, proposing most drafts,” Iranian Foreign Ministry …
Read more “Iran Says Nuclear Deal Salvageable but ‘Will Not Negotiate Forever’”
U.N. Independent Expert on Protection against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, is calling for the global elimination of laws that criminalize same-sex unions by 2030. His report has been submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Currently, 69 countries criminalize homosexuality or some forms of gender identity, nearly half …
Read more “UN Expert: Criminalization of Same Sex Unions Violates Human Rights Law and Must End”
Turkish police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that gathered for a Pride parade Saturday in central Istanbul, detaining some of those seeking to take part in an event banned by local authorities.Reuters TV video showed police in riot gear pushing and dragging people, some waving rainbow flags as they assembled for the event …
Read more “Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse LGBTI March in Istanbul”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s multination trip to Europe takes him to Italy Sunday for several days of meetings with top Italian leaders, Pope Francis, Group of 20 leaders and ministerial-level officials.After being warmly welcomed in France and Germany, Blinken arrives in Rome from Paris on Sunday, when he meets with the Italian foreign …
Read more “Blinken to Arrive in Italy Sunday for Meetings With Top Leaders, Pope”
The United Nations said 12 German troops and a Belgian soldier serving in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali were wounded Friday in an attack in the country’s restive north.The U.N. mission in the country, MINUSMA, had earlier said that 15 peacekeepers were wounded when a temporary operational base in the Gao region was targeted …
Read more “Attack on UN Base in Mali Injures 12 German Soldiers”
Investigators were looking Saturday for a motive behind an attack in the German city of Wuerzburg in which a man armed with a long knife killed three people and wounded at least five others.The suspect, a 24-year-old Somali, was shot in the leg by police and arrested after the Friday afternoon attack in the southern …
Read more “German Investigators Seek Motive in Fatal Knife Attack”
A man armed with a long knife killed three people and injured five others, some seriously, in Germany’s southern city of Wuerzburg on Friday before being shot by police and arrested, authorities said. Police identified the suspect as a 24-year-old Somali man living in Wuerzburg. His life was not in danger from his gunshot wound, they …
Read more “Knife Attack in German City Leaves 3 Dead; Suspect Arrested”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that the absence of an interim agreement to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities could prompt the United States to abandon efforts to rejoin a nuclear deal. “This remains a serious concern,” Blinken said at a news conference in Paris. “The concern has been communicated to Iran and needs to …
Read more “US Could Quit Iran Nuclear Deal if Talks Do Not Advance”
On the first day of its summit in Brussels, the 27-member European Union failed to agree to terms for proposed an EU-Russia summit, and sharply debated Hungary’s new LGBT legislation. The Russia summit, proposed by France and Germany, was opposed by most eastern European nations, which felt such face-to-face discussions would appear to be …
Read more “EU Leaders Reject Putin Summit; Defend LGBT Rights”
Airlines and holiday providers on Friday expressed frustration with the U.K.’s plans to ease travel restrictions, saying uncertainty about how and when the new rules will be implemented make it difficult for people to book summer vacations. The government on Thursday expanded its “green list” of safe travel destinations, allowing people to visit without having …
Read more “Airlines Say New UK Travel Rules Cause Vacation Uncertainty”
Search and rescue crews in the southeastern Czech Republic were going house to house Friday searching for survivors of a rare tornado that struck late Thursday, killing at least three people, injuring more than 100 and causing widespread damage. Emergency crews from neighboring Austria and Slovakia joined the Czech army where the tornado struck …
Read more “Rare Czech Republic Tornado Kills 3, Wipes Out Village”
A rare tornado struck along the Czech Republic’s southern border on Thursday evening, destroying parts of some towns as strong storms swept through the area and injured at least 150 people, emergency services and media reported.A Czech Television meteorologist said the tornado, reported in towns around Hodonin, along the Austrian border and 270 kilometers southeast …
Read more “Rare Tornado, Storms Rip Through Southern Czech Republic”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in France, his latest stop in a multination tour, where he will meet Friday with President Emmanuel Macron, following up on U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent meetings with allies in the region to boost transatlantic relations. “During this trip to engage with the United States’ oldest ally, Secretary Blinken will …
Read more “Secretary of State Blinken to Meet with French President Macron”
A Ukrainian hacker was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a notorious cybercrime group that stole millions of credit and debit card details from across the United States, the Department of Justice said Thursday.Andrii Kolpakov, 33, was also ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to one count …
Read more “Ukrainian Member of Cybercrime Gang Sentenced in US”
A fatal attack by a gunman on a provincial office of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party is stoking fears of growing political violence against opposition parties. For VOA, Dorian Jones report from Istanbul.Produced by: Rod James …
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels Thursday are considering a proposal by France and Germany to holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a proposal that is receiving a cool response from member nations bordering Russia. France and Germany proposed the summit in the wake of Putin’s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden …
Read more “EU Leaders Debate Merits of Holding Summit With Putin”
Germany’s Green party was riding high in opinion polls until recently, but signs are now emerging of voters worrying how climate-action policies could impact their livelihoods and lives. And the old political tactic by traditional parties of labeling the Greens as a nagging, didactic “prohibition party” is beginning to resonate once again. …
Read more “Germany’s Greens Dip as Christian Democrats Pledge Painless Climate Action”
Authorities in Spain say that a judge has ordered an autopsy on the remains of John McAfee, the gun-loving antivirus pioneer, cryptocurrency promoter and occasional politician who died in a cell pending extradition to the United States for allegedly evading millions in unpaid taxes. A court spokeswoman for the Catalonia region said Thursday that a …
Read more “Lawyer Says Death of McAfee Surprised US Mogul’s Family”
The United States and Germany are partnering to counter Holocaust denial and antisemitism, an effort U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said will “ensure that current and future generations learn about the Holocaust and also learn from it.”Speaking Thursday at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Blinken said Holocaust denial and antisemitism go hand in hand with homophobia, xenophobia, racism and …
Read more “US, Germany Launch Effort to Counter Holocaust Denial”
John McAfee, creator of the McAfee antivirus software, has been found dead in his cell in a jail near Barcelona, a government official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Hours earlier, a Spanish court issued a preliminary ruling in favor of the 75-year-old tycoon’s extradition to the United States to face tax-related criminal charges. …
Read more “McAfee Antivirus Software Creator Found Dead in Spanish Prison”
Russian forces said they fired warning shots Wednesday at a British Royal Navy destroyer taking part in a U.S.-led naval exercise in the Black Sea near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.Russia’s Defense Ministry said the action was taken because the HMS Defender entered 3 kilometers into Russia’s territorial waters. Britain says …
Read more “Warning Shots Fired at British Destroyer in Black Sea, Russia Says”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday slammed an anti-LGBT measure passed by Hungary’s Parliament as “a shame” that goes against the fundamental values of the European Union. FILE – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks in Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2021.The bill, approved last week by Hungary’s right-wing ruling coalition in …
Read more “EU Chief Vows Action Against Hungary’s Anti-LGBT Measure”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Berlin for talks Tuesday with German leaders and to take part in a conference on Libya’s political future. Germany and the United Nations are hosting Wednesday’s Berlin conference, seeking to build on earlier efforts to bring about a lasting halt in fighting in Libya and support a stable government. Wheels up for …