Category: World

The World Health Organization ((WHO)) Thursday called on China to cooperate more fully with investigations into the origins of COVID-19, saying a full accounting is owed to the millions of people who suffered and died.   During a briefing at the agency’s Geneva headquarters, along with German Health Minister Jens Spahn, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom …

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U.S. President Joe Biden is meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House Thursday in what will probably be her last official visit.   After 16 years as chancellor, Merkel plans to leave the government following national elections in September.   “This visit will affirm the deep and enduring bilateral ties between the …

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a step back and – after months of protests by professors and students – removed a controversial rector he had imposed on a leading university in Istanbul. The school, Bogazici University, is regarded as a center of liberal thought and academic freedom.     Bogazici University professors clapped …

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A well-known Dutch crime reporter who was shot last week in Amsterdam has died.A statement from the family of Peter R. de Vries said the journalist “fought to the end but was unable to win the battle.””Peter has lived by his conviction: ‘On bended knee is no way to be free,’” the statement said. “We …

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The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is raising questions about who will fill the power vacuum left in America’s wake. In Moscow, Kremlin officials are skeptically eyeing recent Taliban advances — and how they might affect neighboring buffer states in Central Asia. Charles Maynes reports from Moscow.Camera: Ricardo Marquina-Montanana Produced by: Henry Hernandez   …

Officials in western Germany Thursday said severe flooding overnight killed more than 30 people, with of dozens of others missing after torrential rains swept through parts of western Europe.   German police say four people died and some 30 were missing around the wine-growing hub of Ahrweiler county, southwest of Bonn, after the Ahr river, …

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The State Department will offer rewards up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of anyone engaged in foreign state-sanctioned malicious cyber activity against critical U.S. infrastructure — including ransomware attacks — and the White House has launched a task force to coordinate efforts to stem the ransomware scourge.The Biden administration is also …

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At least seven people have died and several people are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and causing some buildings to collapse.Police in the western city of Koblenz said Thursday that four people had died in Ahrweiler county, and about 50 were trapped on the …

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European Union leaders on Wednesday introduced the bloc’s most comprehensive plans yet to combat climate change, with a new goal of reducing carbon emissions to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030.Unveiled by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, the legislation would make the bloc’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding and …

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The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that deaths among maritime migration routes to Europe have more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2020.The organization said Wednesday that at least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe in the first six months of 2021. Most of …

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Pope Francis returned to the Vatican Wednesday, after more than 11 days in the hospital where he underwent intestinal surgery.   The Pope Francis arrived at the Vatican via automobile and stepped out slowly but unassisted. He shook hands and chatted with military personnel and police officers before entering the Vatican gates.   Vatican spokesman …

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Wednesday to enact measures to protect British professional soccer players from online abuse. Punishment for someone found guilty of such abuse could include banishment from games. The move comes after online abuse, some of it racist, was directed at three Black players for the English national team who missed their penalty …

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Pope Francis was seen leaving the hospital Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing planned surgery to remove half of his colon. Witnesses said a car carrying Francis, 84, was seen leaving Rome’s Gemelli Polytechnic hospital Wednesday morning. Doctors removed half of the pontiff’s colon on July 4 because of a severe narrowing of his large intestine, his first …

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France’s Bastille Day celebrations, though scaled back, returned Wednesday to the famed Champs-Elysees in Paris, after a one-year absence due to COVID-19.   French officials limited the crowd size to about 10,000, less than half the 25,000 that usually line the famed boulevard to watch the traditional parade. Spectators reportedly had to show special passes …

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China’s bid to expand its influence in Eastern Europe could hit a snag if Hungary’s controversial Prime Minister Viktor Orban is defeated in what is shaping up to be an unexpectedly close election next year.Hungary under Orban has fostered ever-closer ties with China, which sees the country as a linchpin of its efforts to reach …

Read more “Will China’s European Ambitions Founder in Hungary?”

The Taliban warned Tuesday that if Turkey extends its military presence in Afghanistan the Islamist group will view Turkish troops as “occupiers” and wage “jihad” against them.The warning came amid fresh battlefield moves that critics say show the Taliban are planning a military takeover of Afghanistan in defiance of their peace pledges, raising the prospects …

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Pope Francis has been steadily recovering from the scheduled intestinal surgery he underwent on July 4. The Vatican has not yet provided a date for his release from the Rome hospital where his surgery was performed. His stay has now been extended for a few more days.The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Francis would leave …

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Last year, the COVID pandemic saw Turkey canceling one of the world’s oldest sporting events: the centuries-old Kirkpinar oil wrestling tournament. For Turkish and international fans, the festival’s return offers hope that pandemic restrictions are finally ending. Dorian Jones reports from Edirne in northwestern Turkey.  …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday urged all German residents to get vaccinated if they want to enjoy more freedom. Merkel made the comments following a visit to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI) along with RKI President Lothar Wieler and Health Minister Jens Spahn.   The visit comes as the country has seen …

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European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday on an ambitious global infrastructure plan linking Europe to the world.     The infrastructure scheme is designed to rival Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which Western governments fear encourages countries to take on large Chinese loans that can then be leveraged by Beijing for political purposes. …

Read more “EU Agrees on Infrastructure Plan to Rival China’s New Silk Road  “

Last year, the COVID pandemic saw Turkey canceling one of the world’s oldest sporting events: the centuries-old Kirkpinar oil wrestling tournament. For Turkish and international fans, the festival’s return offers hope that pandemic restrictions are finally ending. Dorian Jones reports from Edirne in northwestern Turkey.  …

U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is calling for action and concrete measures to end systemic racism and racial violence against Africans and people of African descent. The high commissioner has presented a series of recommendations to address existing problems in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.   The report was mandated by …

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A Vatican spokesman said on Monday that Pope Francis will remain in Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital for a few more days as he recovers from intestinal surgery performed more than a week ago.Francis underwent three hours of planned surgery on July 4 to treat “severe diverticular stenosis with signs of sclerosing diverticulitis,” or a hardening …

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England’s defeat on penalty kicks in the final of the European soccer cup caused a barrage of online racist attacks against Black players who missed goals in the shootout. The Euro 2020 soccer final between Italy and England played at Wembley stadium Sunday night was nerve-racking for fans of both teams. Italians were very concerned when …

Read more “Racist Attacks on England’s Black Soccer Players Condemned “