worldwide news
Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said, if true, contains a “truly shocking revelation” about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia.The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian …
Read more “Biden Slams Trump Over Reported Bounties Placed on US Troops”
Centrist politician Micheál Martin became Ireland’s new prime minister Saturday, fusing two longtime rival parties into a coalition four months after an election that upended the status quo.The deal will see Martin’s Fianna Fail govern with Fine Gael — the party of outgoing leader Leo Varadkar — and with the smaller Green Party. Fianna Fail …
Read more “Ireland’s Martin to Lead Historic Government Coalition”
Several dozen women demonstrated Saturday in support of French police in central Paris, to counter public discontent over the perceived way law enforcement treats minorities.The demonstration of support surfaced as local governments across France attempt to change law enforcement practices and punish officers suspected of racism following the death of African American George Floyd while …
Read more “Women Support French Police Amid Public Discontent”
Nordic authorities say they detected slightly increased levels of radioactivity in northern Europe this month that Dutch officials said might be from a source in western Russia and might “indicate damage to a fuel element in a nuclear power plant.”But the Russian news agency Tass, citing a spokesman with the state nuclear power operator Rosenergoatom. …
Read more “Radioactivity Hike Seen in Northern Europe; Source Unknown”
Facebook said Friday that it will flag all “newsworthy” posts from politicians that break its rules, including those from President Donald Trump.Separately, Facebook’s stock dropped more than 8%, erasing roughly $50 billion from its market valuation, after the European company behind brands such as Ben & Jerry’s and Dove announced it would boycott Facebook ads …
Read more “Facebook to Label All Rule-breaking Posts – Even Trump’s”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he would soon travel to Russia for more talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin.”Trust-building talks initiated with President Putin at Fort Bregancon continue,” Macron said in a tweet, mentioning European security, regional conflicts and climate change as key themes. “I will travel soon to Russia.”Macron and Putin held …
European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final “safe list” of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.Ambassadors from the 27 EU members convened from Friday afternoon to establish criteria for granting quarantine-free access from next Wednesday.A redrawn …
Read more “EU Holds Off Decision on Borders; Americans Set to Be Excluded”
Businesses across Greece have been slowly reopening, scrambling to make up for lost work after a shutdown of more than two months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The relaunch isn’t easy, especially for those in marginalized professions, such as sex workers, who say they are among the hardest hit.In the small city of Larisa, north …
A campaign to topple statues of slave owners and Confederate heroes across the United States has extended in California to monuments honoring icons of the region’s Spanish colonial history, much to the distress of the Spanish Embassy in Washington.“We deeply regret the destruction of the statue of Saint Junipero Serra in San Francisco today, and …
U.S. intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces, The New York Times reported Friday.Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the United States determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe …
Read more “NY Times: Russia Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill US Troops”
A Moscow court on Friday convicted acclaimed Russian theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov of fraud, in a long-running case that critics have slammed as fabricated.The judge ruled that Serebrennikov, 50, and two co-defendants were guilty of misappropriating 129 million rubles ($2 million) of state funds that financed a theatrical project.”Serebrennikov, [Yury] Itin and [Konstantin] …
Read more “Russian Court Finds Director Serebrennikov Guilty of Fraud”
Three people were killed in a stabbing attack in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Friday, British media reported on Friday, with police saying a suspect had been shot and an officer injured.An eyewitness told Sky News she had seen several people covered in blood being treated by emergency services after an incident at a …
Read more “3 People Killed in Glasgow Incident, Including Suspected Attacker: BBC”
The governor of a southern Italian region insisted on Friday that seasonal Bulgarian crop pickers who live in an apartment complex with dozens of COVID-19 cases must stay inside for 15 days, not even emerging for food. Wearing a mask to discourage virus spread, Campania Gov. Vincenzo De Luca told reporters that the national …
Read more “Tensions Rise At Virus Hot Spot Apartments in Southern Italy”
The United Nations marks the 75th anniversary of its founding on Friday, in a much different world than it was born into. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer looks at how the organization has matured and the challenges it faces going forward. Produced by: Jesusemen Oni …
This weekend the White House had hoped to host high-profile talks between leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, but the indictment of Kosovo’s president on war crimes charges forced officials to suspend the talks indefinitely, putting future negotiations in limbo. On Wednesday, a Hague-based special prosecutor indicted Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and nine others on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Kosovo’s war …
Read more “After Kosovo President War Crimes Indictment, Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Uncertain “
France and Germany pledged Thursday to contribute more funding to the World Health Organization as it fights the coronavirus pandemic. The pledges came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met in Geneva with health ministers from the two countries to discuss the pandemic and global responses.The meeting Thursday coincided with an announcement by WHO Regional …
Read more “France, Germany Express Political, Financial Support for WHO”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on the United States and the European Union to cultivate a shared understanding of China in order to create an effective resistance strategy to Beijing’s increasing economic power. The remarks, made Thursday at an event hosted by the German Marshall Fund, came as Pompeo announced his intent to …
The Eiffel Tower, one of France’s most iconic landmarks, reopened for the first time on Thursday after it was forced to close its doors for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.France was hit badly by the virus, recording 29,731 deaths and 161,348 confirmed cases as President Macron faced heavy criticism regarding his government’s management of …
Read more “Eiffel Tower Reopens — As Long as You Can Take the Stairs”
Police around the southern English coastal town of Bournemouth urged people to stay away Thursday as thousands defied coronavirus social distancing rules and flocked to local beaches on what is the U.K.’s hottest day of the year so far. A “major incident” has been declared for the largely rural area that can only be navigated …
Read more “On Hottest Day of Year, Thousands Cram Onto English Beaches”
The prime minister of Kosovo on Thursday canceled his plans to attend a White House meeting with leaders of Serbia following the indictment of Kosovo’s president on war crimes charges stemming from the 1990s armed conflict between the two Balkan countries. Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said he informed U.S presidential envoy Richard Grenell of …
Read more “Kosovo PM Cancels Trip to US for Talks With Serbia”
A videoconference summit this week between leaders from China and the European Union had a wide-ranging agenda including trade, climate change, cybersecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic, but it ended without agreements, or even a joint statement. Instead, European officials released a statement that analysts say is the clearest sign yet that the relationship between the two …
Read more “Analysts See Shift in EU’s Approach Toward Dealing With China “
The United States is working with the European Union (EU) and countries across the world on how to “safely reopen international travel” after months of COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine measures. Draft recommendations and media reports that have emerged from the EU about reopening borders suggest Americans may be prevented from traveling to Europe because of …
Read more “US Working With EU to Reopen International Travel”
A Hague-based special prosecutor indicted Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and nine others Wednesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Kosovo’s 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.In a press release Wednesday, the Special Prosecutor’s Office alleged that the 10 people charged were “criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders” during the war, which involved …
Read more “Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Indicted for War Crimes”
Russia has held its long awaited celebrations to mark the end of World War Two, with the Kremlin dismissing concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to hold a grand military parade on Red Square. As Charles Maynes reports from Moscow, it’s not the only sign of Moscow opening up. …