worldwide news
World leaders and members of the public have offered tributes to Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who died Friday at the age of 99. On the gates of Buckingham Palace, a simple message was posted Friday morning: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her …
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Tributes have been offered from around the world to Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who died Friday at the age of 99. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …
A Greek journalist known for his crime reporting was shot dead outside his Athens home Friday, police said.George Karaivaz, who worked for the privately owned broadcaster STAR TV, was known for his coverage of law and order and police stories.Two unidentified people on a motorcycle fired multiple rounds at Karaivaz Friday afternoon near his home …
Germany’s top health officials said Friday a nationwide lockdown of two to four weeks is necessary to bring a new wave of COVID-19 infections under control. Health Minister Jens Spahn and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Disease President Lothar Wieler told reporters in Berlin there were 25,000 new infections reported as of Friday, which …
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Prince Philip, the Greek-born consort to Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest sitting monarch, has died at the age of 99. The Duke of Edinburgh is best remembered for his sense of duty to the queen, and also his sense of humor. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London. …
Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99. He was known for his occasionally racist and sexist remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more …
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Former Bosnian army general Jovan Divjak, who defended Sarajevo during a 44-month siege of the city, died Thursday in the Bosnian capital at the age of 84, his organization said. Divjak was one of the very few ethnic Serbs to fight for the Bosnian army during the devastating 1990s inter-communal conflict that ripped the former Yugoslavia …
Read more “Jovan Divjak, Defender of Sarajevo, Dies at Age 84”
The cement skeleton of the unfinished Eyyub Sultan mosque in France’s eastern city of Strasbourg has become a repository for myriad grievances, ranging from local partisan wrangling to longstanding friction between Islam and this country’s staunchly secular creed.The grievances also reflect mounting fears within the European Union about Turkey’s growing international influence.Claiming concern over foreign …
Read more “Strasbourg Mosque a Lightning Rod for Broader French-Turkish Tensions”
Iran and Venezuela have managed to maintain their commercial relationship, despite U.S. sanctions. Cristina Caicedo Smit reports. …
After six consecutive nights of rioting in Belfast, fears are growing of a return to violence in Northern Ireland, nearly 23 years after the Good Friday Agreement brought an end to three decades of sectarian killings and bomb attacks. Pro-British unionist supporters are angry at elements of the agreement that Britain signed to leave the European …
Read more “Belfast Riots: Fears of Return to Sectarian Violence as Brexit Stokes Divisions”
About 24 monkeys escaped from a zoo in the town of Loffingen, Germany, and eluded recapture for several hours, local police said Thursday. The Barbary macaques broke out of their enclosure at the Tatzmania wildlife park, police and local media said, about 140 kilometers southwest of Stuttgart, near the border with Switzerland. People initially spotted the …
Read more “About 24 Monkeys Escape From Zoo in Southwestern Germany”
Northern Ireland political leaders from all sides united Thursday to call for calm after at least four nights of street violence prompted by Brexit-induced trade barriers between the region and the rest of Britain.The latest violence late Wednesday involved crowds of youths in the pro-British area of Belfast setting a hijacked bus on fire and …
Read more “Northern Ireland Leaders Condemn Recent Violence”
Euro-skeptic populist leaders are adjusting political tactics — instead of calling for their countries to follow Britain and quit the European Union, they’re focusing now on changing the bloc from within. “I think after the COVID crisis, the EU needs to reinvent itself and find a new soul,” Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s Lega party and …
Read more “COVID-19 Prompts Rethink of European Populist Tactics “
Norwegian coast guard and Dutch salvage officials said Thursday they have secured a Dutch cargo ship that has been drifting off the coast of Norway for three days and are towing it. The Norwegian coast guard Monday used a helicopter to rescue the 12-member crew from the Eemslift Hendrika, which had lost power …
Read more “Abandoned Ship Secured After Drifting Off Norway”
The French Open has been delayed by one week because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governing body of the tennis tournament said Thursday.The French Tennis Federation said first-round matches will now begin on May 30 instead of May 23 because of sharp spikes in coronavirus infections in France. The postponement marks the second year in a …
DNA extracted from remains found in a Bulgarian cave of three people who lived roughly 45,000 years ago is revealing surprises about some of the first Homo sapiens populations to venture into Europe, including extensive interbreeding with Neanderthals and genetic links to present-day East Asians.Scientists said on Wednesday they sequenced the genomes of these three …
Read more “Bulgarian Cave Remains Reveal Surprises About Earliest Homo Sapiens in Europe”
The number of violent attacks against Jews in the U.S. and Germany rose last year even while anti-Jewish violent incidents decreased elsewhere around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic, an Israeli academic research group reported on Wednesday.In its annual report, the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University identified …
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NATO is marking the 72nd anniversary of its founding this week. Henry Ridgwell reports the military alliance faces new challenges – and enduring threats.Producer: Henry Hernandez …
Norwegian coast guard officials said Wednesday bad weather and rough seas have prompted them to postpone efforts to recover a Dutch cargo ship drifting off the coast of Norway following the evacuation of its crew earlier this week.The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) said it had planned to approach the Eemslift Hendrika with tugs and bring …
Read more “Norwegian Coast Guard Postpones Salvage of Abandoned Ship”
Turkey’s state media on Wednesday reported that a Turkish court sentenced dozens of people, including former soldiers attached to the presidential guard, to life in prison for their involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.The Turkish state news service Anadolu, citing judicial sources, reported 32 life sentences, including six …
Read more “Turkish Court Sentences Dozens to Life Imprisonment for 2016 Coup Attempt”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed his commitment to the editorial independence of Voice of America and other foreign news outlets overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media.Blinken’s State Department does not oversee the government’s global news organization, but he met Tuesday with acting USAGM chief executive Kelu Chao “to discuss the …
Read more “Blinken Affirms Independence of VOA, Discusses Threats to Reporting in Russia”
As NATO marks the 72nd anniversary of its founding this week, the alliance faces new challenges and enduring threats. Western allies have voiced concern over the buildup of Russian troops and military hardware along the border with Ukraine in recent weeks. Russian troops are conducting exercises in Crimea, a part of Ukraine that was forcibly annexed …
Read more “At 72, NATO Alliance Faces New Challenges, Enduring Threats”
Iran and world powers held what they described as “constructive” talks on Tuesday and agreed to form working groups to discuss the sanctions Washington might lift and the nuclear curbs Tehran might observe as they try to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.European intermediaries have started shuttling between Iranian and U.S. officials in Vienna as they …
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European Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday for talks on a reset in relations. After meeting Erdogan in Ankara, Michel spoke to reporters about the EU’s deep concern over human rights in Turkey.“The rule of law and respect of fundamental rights are core values …
Read more “EU Leaders Warn Erdogan on Human Rights Amid Progress in Talks “