Worldwide news. The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a “plurality of worlds”
In its latest report, U.S.-based democracy monitor Freedom House warns of a “stunning democratic breakdown” across Central Europe, the Balkans, and Eurasia as many leaders in the region attempt to do away with any remaining checks on their power. “A growing number of leaders in Central and Eastern Europe have dropped even the pretense …
Read more “Freedom House Warns of Democratic Breakdown in Central, Eastern Europe “
Researchers with Switzerland-based blood-screening company Quotient say they have developed a COVID-19 antibody test that will quickly and accurately determine whether test subjects have developed antibodies that would make them immune to the virus.In an interview with French news agency Agence France-Presse, Quotient Chief Executive Officer Franz Walt said the test has been shown to …
Read more “Swiss Company Says it Developed Fast, Accurate Virus Antibody Test”
Britain’s death toll from the coronavirus has topped 32,000, according to an updated official count released Tuesday, pushing the country past Italy to become the second-most impacted after the United States.The new toll, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and regional health bodies, has not yet been incorporated into the government’s daily figures, which …
The head of Germany’s disease control institute said Tuesday the rate of new COVID-19 infections in that country continues to drop but says a second – or even third wave of infections is likely.Robert Koch Institute President Lothar Wieler spoke with reporters in a virtual briefing in Berlin saying in the last few days, only …
Read more “Germany Reports Continued Drop in New COVID-19 Cases”
Europe’s tourism sector has lost out on weeks of revenue because of the coronavirus lockdown. Now that countries are planning to gradually reopen, potential tourists are facing different rules and safety guidelines across the continent. Jan Nak is newly retired and was planning to camp around Portugal for the month of May with his wife. …
Read more “Varying COVID Guidelines Complicate Reopening of European Tourism Sector “
The Vatican says internal migrants should have the same legal protections as refugees and says their children should have the right to birth certificates, education and being reunited with their parents if separated. The Vatican on Tuesday published a booklet of pastoral guidelines to care for internally displaced people — migrants who are forced to flee …
Read more “Vatican Urges Internal Migrants Get Same Rights as Refugees “
Greece has lodged a stiff demarche with Turkey claiming Turkish officials ordered fighter jets to buzz a military helicopter carrying Greece’s defense minister over the Aegean sea. Turkey denies the accusation, saying Greece — in the words of Turkish officials — is over dramatizing what Ankara says are routine flights in the region. The government in Athens is …
Read more “Greek Forces on Alert Following ‘Provocations’ from Turkey “
With the number of coronavirus infections continuing to rise in Turkey, the country is – like many others – anxiously awaiting a vaccine. Until one comes, many Turks are turning to an old tradition: perfume. From Istanbul, Dorian Jones reports. …
With Turkey battling COVID-19, Turks are turning to a traditional custom to contain the virus: sweet smelling cologne. With its high alcoholic content, cologne is widely accepted as useful in killing the coronavirus on people’s hands. From major producers to local chemists, all are working to keep up with the surge in demand. Ziya Melih Sezer, 89 years old, is perhaps Istanbul’s oldest chemist. His profession keeps …
Read more “Coping with COVID, Turkey Turns to Fragrant Tradition “
An alliance of world leaders held a virtual summit Monday with the goal of raising billions of dollars to fund research into a vaccine for the coronavirus as well as develop new treatments and better testing. The European Commission organized and hosted the event from its headquarters in Brussels, as leaders called in from all over …
Read more “Global Leaders Pledge Millions to Virtual Summit on COVID “
Officials in Iceland say schools, hair salons, dental and other small businesses across the nation are reopening Monday after six weeks of lockdown and a steady drop in new COVID-19 cases.With a total population of around 360,000 residents, Iceland has confirmed 1,799 cases of the coronavirus, and just 10 deaths. The number of new COVID-19 …
Read more “Iceland Prepares to Reopen Schools, Some Businesses”
Goodbye lockdown, hello smartphone. As governments race to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections, attention is turning to how officials will ensure users’ privacy. The debate is especially urgent in Europe, which has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the world, with nearly 140,000 people killed by COVID-19. The use of monitoring …
Read more “European Virus Tracing Apps Highlight Battle for Privacy”
A watchdog group is calling on democratic nations to prevent the election of Russia, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, saying their abysmal human rights records disqualify them from membership. U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 24, 2019.The U.N. General Assembly …
Read more “Activists Decry Bid by Russia, Cuba, Saudi Arabia to Join UN Rights Body “
Russia has seen a record rise in coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to government figures reported Sunday. The daily rise of 10,633 new cases is the highest since the beginning of the outbreak in the country and brings the total of cases to almost 135,000. On Sunday, 58 more people in Russia …
Read more “Russia Reports Record Daily Rise of New Coronavirus Cases”
While millions of people took advantage of easing coronavirus lockdowns to enjoy spring weather, some of the world’s most populous countries reported worrisome new peaks in infections Sunday, including India, which saw its biggest single-day jump yet.Second in population only to China, India reported more than 2,600 new infections. In Russia, new cases exceeded 10,000 …
Read more “As Lockdowns Ease, Some Countries Report new Infection Peaks”
European leaders are establishing an international medical organization to mount a united battle against the coronavirus.In their announcement in The Independent, a British newspaper, they said they are following in the footsteps of “Louis Pasteur, one of the world’s greatest scientists and a mastermind behind vaccines and breakthroughs which have saved millions of lives spanning …
With the coronavirus having closed nightclubs across the world, comedians are still managing to get the laughs from people on a pandemic lockdowns all over the world. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports on Hollywood’s Laugh Factory and The Stand comedy club in Edinburgh. And she looks at a Japanese comedian who stormed the world with …
Read more “Comedians Manage to Get Laughs During Pandemic Lockdowns”
Spaniards spent time outside near their homes Saturday as Spain is starting to reopen after weeks of lockdown triggered by one of Europe’s most deadly coronavirus outbreaks.Parks and gardens are still closed in the capital Madrid, and law enforcement personnel are still keeping people from entering many open spaces for leisure or exercise. Prime …
Read more “Spain Begins 4-Phase Easing of COVID Restrictions”
An earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete Saturday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the afternoon temblor, centered in the Mediterranean Sea. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center reported the quake was of a 6.0 magnitude at a depth of 10 kilometers. The U.S. Geological Survey said the …
Former rebel fighter-turned-president Ramzan Kadyrov has made it clear that independent journalism will not be tolerated in Chechnya: a message that appears to come with the Kremlin’s blessing.Irritated at criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kadyrov in mid-April threatened Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s few remaining independent media outlets that still covers Chechnya, …
Read more “In Chechnya, Message to Press Is Clear: Journalists Are Not Welcome or Safe”
A Pakistan journalist living in exile in Sweden who has been missing since March has been found dead, police said Friday.”His body was found on April 23 in the Fyris river outside Uppsala,” police spokesman Jonas Eronen told AFP.Sajid Hussain, from the troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, was working part-time as a professor in Uppsala, …
Read more “Missing Pakistan Journalist Found Dead in Sweden”
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Friday the country will have the capacity to test 12,000 people for COVID-19 by the middle of the month.Speaking at her regular coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said Scotland had exceeded its target for testing, and currently has the capacity to conduct 8,350 tests per day in its labs.Testing …
The establishment of one-man rule in the heart of Europe has enraged civil libertarians and Hungary’s opposition leaders, who accuse Viktor Orbán of manipulating the coronavirus pandemic to establish what’s effectively an elective dictatorship. Pressure is mounting on the European Union to take action against Hungary for passing sweeping emergency measures that will allow populist leader Orbán to rule by decree indefinitely. Orbán …
Russia’s top diplomat on Thursday angrily dismissed media reports alleging a Russian plot to poison the mayor of Prague and another official in the Czech capital. Prague’s mayor Zdenek Hrib and Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov smile after unveiling a sign renaming the square where the Russian Embassy is located in Prague, …
Read more “Top Russian Diplomat Dismisses Czech Claims of Poison Plot “