worldwide news
A Spanish charity boat with 363 rescued migrants aboard is appealing to be allowed to dock at a port so it can let passengers disembark after several days in the Mediterranean Sea. Gerard Canals, head of the Open Arms mission, on Saturday also expressed concern that food could run out. He said there was about 30 …
Read more “Charity Boat With 363 Rescued Migrants Aboard Needs a Port”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that the United States is willing and able to provide Belarus with 100% of its oil and gas, taking a slap at Russia which recently cut off supplies.Pompeo is the first secretary of state to visit Belarus in 26 years and arrived in Minsk amid new tensions …
Read more “Pompeo Says US Can Supply Belarus With 100% of Oil, Gas”
The World Health Organization warns travel bans to limit the spread of the new coronavirus from China could backfire and lead to a worsening of the epidemic worldwide. Latest reports put the number of confirmed cases at nearly 12,000, including 259 deaths, with most of the cases and all of the deaths occurring in China. A …
Read more “Curbs on Travelers from China to Limit Spread of Coronavirus Could Backfire: WHO”
The car of an RFE/RL Ukrainian service correspondent in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was set on fire overnight on January 29-30 — an arson attack that Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko said could have been ordered by someone. Halyna Tereshchuk, who has been working for RFE/RL since 2000, said she suspected the attack was linked to her professional …
France announced its sixth case of the new coronavirus this week and repatriated a planeload of its citizens from the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan. But back at home, Chinese and others in the wider East Asian community there say they are becoming targets for discrimination.Just as fast as the coronavirus is spreading, so too …
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate and peers from other African nations on Friday made an urgent appeal for the world to pay more attention to the continent that stands to suffer the most from global warming despite contributing to it the least.The Fridays For Future movement and activist Greta Thunberg held a news conference with …
Read more “Climate Activists From African Nations Make Urgent Appeal”
The Italian government declared a state of emergency Friday and closed all air traffic to and from China. The move came after confirmation that two Chinese tourists tested positive for the coronavirus. The couple are being treated in isolation in a Rome hospital specializing in infectious diseases. A special cabinet meeting held by the Italian government …
Read more “Italy Stops Planes To and From China Over Coronavirus”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Friday that the Trump administration would not waver in its support for Ukraine and denied charges at the heart of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Pompeo met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and denied allegations that vital military aid and a White House visit were conditioned on …
Read more “Pompeo Pledges Ongoing Support for Ukraine During Kyiv Visit”
Russian authorities Thursday pardoned and released an American-Israeli citizen jailed on drug charges, in a gesture timed with a visit by embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Moscow intended to focus on a new U.S.-backed peace plan for the Middle East.Naama Issachar, 27, a native of New Jersey who had moved to Israel, was …
Read more “Russia Pardons US-Israeli National Jailed on Drug Charges”
An hour’s train ride from the European Union’s headquarters, where the bloc’s British lawmakers and staffers packed up to leave, businesswoman Meriela Masson pondered Brexit during a quick smoke outside her Paris office.Parisian businesswoman Meriela Masson says she hasn’t had time to think of Brexit. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)”Unfortunately, I don’t have time to think of it,” …
Read more “With a Shrug and Some Sorrow, Europeans Bid Farewell to EU Member Britain”
The border was drawn in 1921, splitting communities and sometimes property, as the British government sought to create a home for the majority Protestant population of Northern Ireland at a time when the largely Catholic Republic of Ireland won its independence.Today, that 310-mile (500-kilometer) frontier is largely invisible. The only way motorists know they have …
A man who tried to steal an original copy of the 1215 Magna Carta, considered to be one of the most important documents in the history of democracy, from an English cathedral was found guilty Thursday of criminal damage and attempted theft.Mark Royden, 47, had denied smashing a glass box housing the priceless manuscript in …
Read more “Man Convicted of Trying to Steal 1215 Magna Carta from UK Cathedral”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced a delicate balancing act as he began a two-day visit to Ukraine on Thursday, trying to boost U.S. ties with a critical ally that is at the heart of the impeachment trial while not providing fodder for Democrats seeking to oust President Donald Trump.Pompeo’s visit comes as the …
Read more “Pompeo Enters Heart of Impeachment with Ukraine Visit”
In an effort to contain the coronavirus, Wuhan, the Chinese city of about 11 million people, has locked down thousands of foreigners, including African students, most on scholarships. They are now trapped in the city where the virus was first detected and continues to spread.Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Njomo arrived in Wuhan city last September. He applied …
Read more “Kenyan Students Among Foreigners Stuck in Coronavirus-Hit Chinese City”
After three and-a-half years of tortuous negotiations and political chaos, Britain will officially leave the European Union at 11 o’clock in the evening London time Friday. Pro-Brexit supporters are planning celebrations – but there were emotional scenes in Brussels as the last British lawmakers departed this week. As Henry Ridgwell in London reports, January 31st …
Read more “Tears And Cheers As Britain Set For Historic Brexit Day”
Russia and China are waging a “digital war” with fake news and disinformation to undermine democracy in Europe, and the European Union must develop tools to fight back, a top EU official said Thursday.European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who leads efforts to preserve democratic principles across the bloc, said the two countries have “weaponized …
Read more “EU: Russia, China Use ‘Digital War’ to Undermine Democracies”
European countries on Thursday stepped up efforts to contain the virus infecting central China, sending a plane to evacuate hundreds of Europeans from the country and halting even more flights to China. Italian authorities kept some 7,000 people on a cruise ship while they checked for a possible infection.An A380 plane took off from a …
Read more “Europe Evacuation Flight off to China, Cruise Ship Checked”
European diplomats are sounding an upbeat note about coming trade talks with the United States, seemingly unfazed by President Donald Trump’s tough talk and tariff threats aimed at securing new concessions from the European Union.“When we fight, we make headlines,” said Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation in the United States, at a reception …
Read more “EU Envoy Pins Trade Progress With US to Geostrategic Concerns”
Britain’s departure from the European Union was backed by European lawmakers Wednesday, after a debate that mixed warm words of love with hard-headed warnings to the country not to seek too many concessions during upcoming trade talks on a future relationship. The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved Britain’s departure terms from the EU, the …
Read more “Brexit Deal Cleared by EU Parliament; UK Set to Leave Friday”
The pro-independence head of the Catalonian government said on Wednesday he planned to call a snap regional election in a move that could have a major impact on Spain’s national politics.Quim Torra cited distrust in his coalition partner in the regional government and said he wanted to regain unity among separatist parties to move towards …
The United Nations has been hacked.An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says that dozens of servers were “compromised” at offices in Geneva and Vienna.Those include the U.N. human rights office, which has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments …
Read more “Leaked Report Shows United Nations Suffered Hack”
The BBC said on Wednesday it will cut around 450 jobs from its news division as part of an 80 million pound savings drive and modernization program.The corporation said it would reorganize its newsroom along a “story-led” model where staff will be assigned to stories and not attached to individual programs. “We need to reshape …
Read more “Britain’s BBC to Cut 450 Newsroom Jobs in Cost-Cutting Drive”
In a groundbreaking case in France, energy giant Total is being sued for allegedly failing to adequately fight climate change.The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by environmental groups and local authorities who feel it has potential global implications.The legal action against Total will be the first use of a 2017 French law to sue for …
Read more “Energy Giant Total Taken to French Court for Climate Inaction “
An Istanbul court has defied the European Court of Human Rights, ruling in favor of the continued detention of prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala. In December, the European Court demanded the immediate release of Kavala, who is on trial for sedition.Kavala and 15 other civil society activists are accused of supporting anti-government protests in 2013 against …
Read more “Turkish Court Defies Europe, Leaves Philanthropist Behind Bars”