Biden in Geneva Ahead of Talks with Putin

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time Wednesday in Geneva amid deteriorating relations between the world powers. The meeting takes place in the final hours of Biden’s first trip abroad as president during which he has already attended the 47th G-7 summit in the English city of Cornwall, …

Hungary’s Lawmakers Ban Portrayals of Homosexuality to Minors

Hungary’s Parliament passed a bill Tuesday banning homosexuality in any content portraying or “promoting” homosexuality or sex reassignment to anyone under 18.   Hungary’s National Assembly passed the bill on a 157-1 vote. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz Party has a parliamentary majority, and lawmakers from the right-wing Jobbik Party also endorsed the measure. …

Biden Agenda for US-EU Summit to Include Coronavirus, Climate and Trade

The United States and European Union have agreed to a five-year truce on their long-running dispute over subsidies to aircraft manufacturers.The announcement Tuesday came as U.S. President Joe Biden was in Brussels for a summit with EU leaders.U.S.-based Boeing and EU-based Airbus are at the center of allegations that subsidies helping one of the plane-makers hurt the other …

China Refutes NATO Statement that it Poses ‘Systemic Challenges’ to International Community

Beijing says NATO’s description that China poses “systemic challenges” to the international community is an exaggeration.      China’s mission to the European Union issued a statement Tuesday in response to a communique issued by the leaders of the trans-Atlantic alliance the day before.  In that statement, NATO leaders pledged to join forces against China’s …

US, EU Reach Truce in Major Trade Battle  

The United States and the European Union have reached an extended truce in their long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies. Washington is conditionally suspending for five years the tariffs on Europe that were authorized by the World Trade Organization for unfair subsidies to Airbus, which is the largest aircraft manufacturer and prime competitor to Boeing of the United States. “This meeting has started with a breakthrough on aircraft,” …

Danish Footballer Eriksen Sends Public Thank You Message from Hospital

Christian Eriksen sent his first public message from the hospital on Tuesday, thanking supporters for their “sweet and amazing” well-wishes after his collapse at the European Championship. Eriksen remains in the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark’s game against Finland on Saturday, when he had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator on the field. …

Coronavirus, Climate and Trade on Agenda for US-EU Summit

Battling the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as well as working together on trade and foreign affairs are on the agenda Tuesday as U.S. President Joe Biden and European Union leaders hold a summit in Brussels. In statements issued ahead of the talks, the two sides said they would reiterate support for the COVAX facility for …

US, Russia Envoys Discuss Iran Nuclear Deal Ahead of Summit

Delegations from Russia and the United States involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran held talks in Vienna on Monday, two days ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States is not directly involved in the Vienna negotiations but has regular contacts with participating diplomats. Efforts to revive …

Biden, Erdogan Hold ‘Productive’ Talks But Announce No Breakthroughs

U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described their first face-to-face talks as heads of state as “productive” but did not announce any major breakthroughs in the relationship between the two countries. Biden told reporters after the meeting Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels that the talks were “positive …

Britain Delays Plans to Lift COVID-19 Lockdowns

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has delayed plans to lift coronavirus restrictions by a month because of the highly contagious Delta variant, first identified in India. Johnson said on Monday that restrictions will now be lifted on July 19 instead of June 21.  “I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer,” he told …

Biden Takes ‘America Is Back’ Message to Brussels – WATCH LIVE

Joe Biden took his ‘America is Back’ message to Brussels, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in his first NATO summit as U.S. president Monday.“I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there. The United States is there,” Biden said in his meeting with NATO …

China Slams G-7 Statement Criticizing Human Rights Record

China has denounced the communique issued Sunday at the end of the G-7 summit that criticized Beijing over its human rights record.   The G-7 statement called on China to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang, and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in …

NATO Reaffirms Strength of Alliance, Calls Out Russia, China

The 30 member states of NATO ended their Monday summit in Brussels, reaffirming the military alliance with a strong statement against Russia and to a lesser degree, China.Both countries were called out as “challenges to the rules-based international order.”In the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference at a NATO summit in …

Jailed Belarusian Journalist Raman Pratasevich Appears at Press Conference 

A jailed Belarusian journalist has made another public appearance during a news conference in Minsk Monday. Raman Pratasevich, who was arrested in May after his flight was forced to land in Belarus, said he was fine and had not been beaten.  Belarusian authorities deny the plane was diverted so Pratasevich could be arrested, saying instead it …

Putin Dismisses US Claims of Russian Cyberattacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin is sharply dismissing U.S. claims that Moscow and Russian hackers are carrying out debilitating cyberattacks on American companies and government agencies, including demands for millions of dollars in ransom to restore corporate computer operating systems.   Putin rejected the claims as “farcical” in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News. His remarks …

China Slams G7 Statement Criticizing Human Rights Record

China has denounced the communique issued Sunday at the end of the G-7 summit that criticized Beijing over its human rights record.   The G-7 statement called on China to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang, and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in …

US-Russian Leaders to Meet in Geneva Amid Bilateral Tensions

President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meet in Geneva on Wednesday, for the first time since Biden took office in January. As Charles Maynes reports from Moscow, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to normalize relations that have become increasingly tense.Camera: Ricardo Marquina Montanana Produced by: Jason Godman …

At Summit’s End, G-7 Leaders Call Out China, Russia

Leaders of the G-7 ended their three-day summit Sunday, committing to a series of actions to end the coronavirus pandemic, mitigate climate change and rebuild the global economy. The group named China and Russia as sources of global security and economic threats. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report from Brussels, the next leg …

G-7 Leaders Pledge More than 1 Billion COVID Vaccines Doses to Poorer Nations 

G-7 leaders have wrapped up their summit in Carbis Bay, England, pledging more than one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer nations and calling out China on several issues. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters the doses would come both directly and through COVAX, the U.N.-backed program delivering vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. A communique …

US, Russia Spar on Cyberattacks Ahead of Biden-Putin Summit

The United States and Russia sparred Sunday about responsibility for debilitating cyberattacks as U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared for their summit in Geneva on Wednesday.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC’s “This Week” show, “No responsible country should be in the business of harboring in any way criminal organizations …

Djokovic Wins French Open, Clinching 19th Grand Slam

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic defeated Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas Sunday in the French Open final, clinching his 19th Grand Slam win 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.   “I want to thank my team, my box, my family, my coach,” Djokovic said after his win, acknowledging that while the game was “physically and mentally very difficult” …