Category: World

Since the Turkish Health Ministry recently confirmed the country’s first coronavirus case, people have been flocking to pharmacies, grocery stores, and other outlets to prepare for a potential nationwide pandemic. VOA’s Umut Colak in Istanbul, in collaboration with Murat Karabulut in Ankara, filed this report on the shortage of supplies like face masks and sanitizers, …

Read more “Coronavirus Fears in Turkey Lead to Empty Store Shelves, Soaring Prices”

European Union interior ministers on Friday were trying to coordinate their response to the novel coronavirus as cases spread throughout the 27-nation bloc and countries took individual measures to slow the disease down.      With Italy at the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak, some of its neighbors, like Austria and Slovenia, have begun taking steps …

Read more “EU Seeks Unified Action Against Virus as Case Count Mounts”

The Trump administration will be suspending travel from 26 European countries for 30 days, beginning Friday at midnight, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Vice President Mike Pence said Americans returning from Europe would Why was Britain left out of the ban?U.S. President Donald Trump said in a speech Wednesday that he excluded Britain from …

Read more “US Imposes Travel Ban on 26 European Countries to Combat Coronavirus”

Speculation about the political future of Russian President Vladimir Putin became somewhat clearer this week.  He threw his weight behind proposals to amend Russia’s current constitutional cap on presidential term limits  — a move that would allow him to stay in power beyond the end of his current term in 2024. Charles Maynes reports. …

French airlines expect to lose business as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend travel from Europe to the United States for a month because of the coronavirus outbreak. Transatlantic flights are among the most profitable parts of  Air France-KLM’s business.Air France alone serves more than 20 American cities and operates more than …

Read more “French Travel Industry Blasts Trump’s Travel Ban on Europeans”

“Lemon trees, like Italians, seem to be happiest when they are touching one another,” wrote British novelist D.H. Lawrence in his travelogue, “Sea and Sardinia.” The lemon trees are still touching, but now the unspoken rule for people is non toccare (no touching).This month, many Italians started pulling off mesh and plastic covers from their …

Read more “Reporter’s Notebook: Italians Deal With ‘Non Toccare’ – No Touching”

German authorities are formally placing parts of the far-right Alternative for Germany party under surveillance after classifying it as extremist, the country’s domestic intelligence agency said Thursday.Thomas Haldenwang, head of the BfV intelligence agency, said that after more than a year of examination his office has concluded that a radical faction within Alternative for Germany, …

Read more “German Intel Deems Part of far-Right AfD Party ‘Extremist’”

The European Central Bank deploying new stimulus measures to cushion the economic pain inflicted by the virus outbreak, but avoided cutting interest rates in a situation where economists say monetary policy can do little more than limit the damage.The central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro decided Thursday to buy up to …

Read more “European Central Bank Deploys Stimulus to Ease Virus Damage”

The World Health Organization Wednesday declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, with 114 countries confirming cases, while the United States announced a European travel ban and the National Basketball Association said its games are on hold for now.“In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the …

Read more “Worst is Yet to Come WHO Warns, After Declaring Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic”

The World Health Organization Wednesday declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, with 114 countries confirming cases, while the United States announced a European travel ban and the National Basketball Association said its games are on hold for now.“In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the …

Read more “WHO Declares Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic”

The president of France and the king of Spain paid homage Wednesday to victims of terrorism in a special ceremony prompted by attacks that hit both their countries and changed Europe’s security posture.France’s Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia led a ceremony on Trocadero plaza overlooking the Eiffel Tower with survivors of …

Read more “France, Spain Honor Hundreds of Terrorism Victims, Vow Unity”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has included pro-Kremlin social-media users, Russia’s communications regulator, and an Iranian state body tackling cybercrime on its list of press freedom’s 20 “worst digital predators” that it says represent a “clear danger for freedom of opinion and expression.”The Paris-based media freedom watchdog unveiled the list ahead of the World Day Against …

Read more “Watchdog: Press Freedom in Russia, Iran Under Attack From ‘Digital Predators’”

The conviction of the only man ever found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing has been referred for an appeal to Scotland’s High Court, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission said on Wednesday.Pam Am flight 103 was blown up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988 en route from London to New …

Read more “Scottish Court to Hear Posthumous Appeal of Libyan Lockerbie Bomber”

Australia’s High Court opened a two-day hearing Wednesday on Cardinal George Pell’s last-ditch appeal of his convictions on sexually assaulting two teenage choirboys.The 78-year-old Pell was convicted in December 2018 on charges that he molested the boys in Melbourne’s St. Patrick Cathedral in 1996 while serving as archbishop of the Melbourne diocese.  He was sentenced …

Read more “Australia’s High Court Hears Appeal of Cardinal Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse”

Russian leader Vladimir Putin threw his weight behind proposals to amend Russia’s current constitutional cap on presidential term limits — a move that opens the door to Putin, 67, staying in power far beyond the end of his current and, in theory, final term in 2024.Under the proposed changes, which Putin insisted would need backing …

Read more “Russia’s Putin Hints at New Path to Staying in Power”

Italian streets are empty after the government extends a clampdown across the entire country in a bid to slow Europe’s worst outbreak of the coronavirus. Elsewhere, Lebanon records its first casualty from the virus while guests at a Canary Islands hotel celebrate the end of a two-week lockdown. VOA’s Mariama Diallo has more. …

As thousands of migrants continue to mass on the Turkey-Greece border, there were few signs of a breakthrough in emergency talks between Turkey and the European Union Monday.  Meanwhile five EU member states, Germany, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Portugal, agreed to take in unaccompanied migrant children who are stuck in Greece, though the numbers are unclear.Ankara …

Read more “Amid Stalemate Over Greece-Turkey Border Crisis, EU Takes In Migrant Children”

As thousands of migrants continue to mass on the Turkey-Greece border, there were few signs of a breakthrough in emergency talks between Ankara and Brussels Monday. Turkey is hosting around four million migrants, many of them escaping the war in Syria. But critics say accuse Turkey of weaponizing the migrants to blackmail Europe. Henry Ridgwell …

Read more “Amid Stalemate Over Greece-Turkey Border Crisis, EU Takes in Some Migrant Children”

The United States has offered to sell Turkey its Patriot missile defense system if Ankara promises not to operate a rival Russian system, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, in what he called a significant softening in Washington’s position.Two Turkish officials told Reuters that Turkey was evaluating the U.S. offer but that Ankara had not changed …

Read more “Turkey Says US Offering Patriot Missiles If S-400 Not Operated”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is standing by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, despite escalating tensions between them over Syria.Erdogan confirmed Tuesday his commitment to activate Russia’s S-400 missile system, claiming Washington’s “position regarding the S-400 has toned down significantly.”In a telephone press briefing Tuesday with James Jeffrey, U.S. special representative for Syria engagement, U.S. …

Read more “Erdogan Stands by Russia Despite Syrian Tensions”

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he agrees with a proposed constitutional amendment allowing him to seek another term in office, but only if it is approved by the Constitutional Court.”In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition — if the constitutional court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not …

Read more “Putin Agrees With Proposed Constitutional Change Allowing Him to Run For Reelection”

U.S. President Donald Trump will not be coming to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations on May 9, the Kremlin said Tuesday. Russia has repeatedly invited Trump to visit Moscow on the 75th anniversary of victory in World War II — the nation’s most important holiday. Trump said last year he appreciated the invitation, but wasn’t sure …

Read more “Kremlin: Trump not Coming to Moscow for Victory Day”

The death toll from coronavirus in Italy is mounting as nearly a quarter of the country’s population starts the week under travel and other restrictions. In the United States, the number of cases is surging – spreading to 34 states – with 22 people having died from the illness.  In China, a different picture, with …

Read more “COVID-19 Slowing in China, But Soaring in Italy as Countries Enact Measures to Limit Virus Spread”

The European Union outlined Monday a new partnership with Africa that seeks to build a more equal relationship between the two sides.    The strategy is still in the bare-bones stage. Many details still need filling in, including financial ones. European Union officials said they will be looking for feedback from African counterparts in the run-up to …

Read more “EU Outlines New Africa Strategy  “