Britain Hosts Global COVID-19 Vaccine Summit

British Prime Minister Prime Minister Boris Johnson Thursday opened the Global Vaccine Summit, a virtual gathering of more that 50 countries, to raise funds for the U.N.-backed public-private health alliance known as GAVI, with the goal of ensuring vaccines are available to all.The summit hopes to raise more than $7.5 billion for the development and …

Protests Over George Floyd’s Death Expose Raw Race Relations Worldwide

Images of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of African-American George Floyd, who then died, have sparked protests from Amsterdam to Nairobi, but they also expose deeper grievances among demonstrators over strained race relations in their own countries.   With violent clashes between protesters and authorities raging in the United States, anti-police-brutality activists …

Top Swedish Scientist Defends Country’s ‘Soft’ COVID Approach

Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Wednesday defended his country’s controversial “soft” COVID-19 strategy, in which Sweden never totally shut down, but admitted the country could have done some things better.Unlike its European neighbors and much of the rest of the world, Sweden relied on its citizens’ sense of civic duty.  Authorities advised people to practice social distancing, …

Scientist Defends Sweden’s Hotly Debated Virus Strategy

Sweden’s chief epidemiologist on Wednesday defended his country’s controversial coronavirus strategy, which avoided a lockdown but resulted in one of the highest per capita COVID-19 death rates in the world. Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency denied that “the Swedish strategy was wrong and should be changed. That’s not the case.”   “We still …

Italy Opens Borders Ahead of Neighbors, Beckoning Tourists

Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport sprang back to life Wednesday as Italy opened regional and international borders in the final phase of easing its long coronavirus lockdown, but it was still an open question how other nations would accept Italian visitors. Families and loved ones separated by the global pandemic could finally reunite but normalcy …

Germany to Lift COVID Travel Warning June 15

The German government announced Wednesday it will lift its COVID-related travel warning for European countries on June 15 but that it will still advise against travel to some areas where quarantine rules remain in effect.Following a Cabinet meeting in Berlin, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters that the warning would be replaced with more conventional …

French Police Disperse Crowd Marking 2016 Death of Black Man

French police fired tear gas early on Wednesday to disperse protesters marking the 2016 death of a black man in a police operation that some have likened to the death of George Floyd in the United States. Reuters reporters saw police use tear gas after some of the protesters started fires and set up barricades around the Avenue de Clichy in northern Paris, which …

France Releases Contact-Tracing StopCovid App

French citizens are among the first to be able to download the government-sponsored StopCovid app as the government begins coronavirus contact tracing through cell phones.The release of the public health StopCovid app Tuesday coincides with phase three of the government’s re-opening plan, during which restaurants, high schools and universities once again welcome students and patrons.The …

World Outrage Grows at Floyd’s Death; EU ‘Shocked, Appalled’

World outrage at George Floyd’s death in the U.S. was growing Tuesday as the European Union’s top diplomat said the bloc was “shocked and appalled” by it and thousands marched in Australia’s largest city. In France, protests were planned for the evening in Paris and across the country after calls from the family of a …

Hungarian League Reprimands Soccer Player for George Floyd Shirt

The Hungarian soccer federation has issued a written reprimand to a player of African origin who showed his undershirt with the words “Justice for George Floyd” after scoring a goal. Tokmac Nguen was born in a refugee camp in Kenya to parents from South Sudan and grew up in Norway. He scored for Ferencvaros in …

US Race Solidarity Protests Erupt in Cities Worldwide

Protests have erupted in cities around the world in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the United States. The protests follow the death in Minnesota of George Floyd, a 46-year old black man, last week in police custody.  In central London, demonstrations turned violent Sunday as police tried to clear a road junction outside Parliament. …

US Race Solidarity Protests Erupt in Cities Across the World

Protests have erupted in cities across the world in solidarity with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ demonstrations in the United States. The protests follow the death in police custody of George Floyd, a 46-year old black man, in Minneapolis last week. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, many protestors outside the U.S. say they see racial …

COVID Pandemic Adds to Pressure on Hungarian Media

When the coronavirus pandemic came to Hungary in March, media freedom in the country was already on life support. The consolidation of news organizations into the hands of a few government allies, and financial pressure placed on independent outlets, had led to a degree of media control described by Reporters Without Borders as “unprecedented” in …

Armenian PM, Family Test Positive for Coronavirus

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Monday he and his family tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.In a videotaped statement posted on his Facebook account, Pashinyan said he had not developed any symptoms, but he had taken the test as a precaution before a planned visit to military positions in the …

Protesters Worldwide Voice Support for US Demonstrators

The shocking on-camera death of African American George Floyd is drawing attention around the globe.Anti-U.S. protests deploring the man’s death erupted in Western capitals on Sunday and newspaper headlines heaped scorn on American police over the incident last week in Minneapolis.Floyd, a black man, died after white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee on …

Pope: Pull Together, Avoid Pessimism in This Coronavirus Era 

Pope Francis is cautioning against pessimism as many people emerge from coronavirus lockdowns to lament that nothing will ever be the same.  During Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Pentecost Sunday, Francis noted a tendency to say “nothing will return as before.” That kind of thinking, Francis said, guarantees that “the one thing that certainly …

Greece Blocks British, American, Italian Travelers from Vacationing in June 

Greece may be a top vacation destination, but for the British, Americans and Italians dreaming of getting away, the country will be off limits for some time. The government in Athens has left them off a list of 29 countries from which Greece will start accepting visitors, as it scrambles to mitigate the damage that …

Turkey Opens Mosques for Friday Prayers with Strict Social Distancing Measures

Turkey joins other countries in relaxing its strict lockdown measure because of the coronavirus pandemic by letting people go to mosques across the country to perform Friday prayers. Although this lifting of restrictions did not allow people older than 65 to participate in the Friday prayers, many of them nonetheless were seen at mosques. VOA’s …

Britain, France, Germany Regret US Decision to End Waivers for Iran Civilian Nuclear Projects

Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement Saturday in which they expressed “regret” about the United States decision to end sanctions waivers for Iranian civilian nuclear projects intended to prevent weapons development.  “We deeply regret the decision by the United States to end the three exemptions for key nuclear projects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan …

Report: 13 Suspects Charged with People Trafficking in France

France has charged 13 suspects with people trafficking in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants last year, AFP reports citing a judicial source Saturday.Six of the suspects, arrested by French police on Tuesday in the Paris region, were also charged with manslaughter after an alleged key smuggler was caught in Germany.On Wednesday, Belgian …

Three Wounded in Shootout in Kyiv Suburb; 20 Detained

Dozens of people, some armed with what appeared to be hunting rifles, clashed in broad daylight on Friday in a residential suburb outside the capital Kyiv, and at least three people were wounded, according to officials.The violence, captured in amateur footage taken from surrounding apartment blocks and posted online, occurred in the morning in Brovary.Unidentified …