Author: Fworld
Ukrainians stay in front-line town despite danger, hardships
09/04/2024
It has been two years since the town of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has enjoyed electricity, gas and sewage service. Once a bustling community of over 12,000 people, only about 800 remain today. Anna Kosstutschenko visited Siversk and talked to residents. Video editor: Pavel Suhodolskiy …
Vatican’s top diplomat visits Vietnam, looks to normalize relations
09/04/2024
HANOI, Vietnam — The Vatican’s top diplomat began a six-day visit to Vietnam on Tuesday as a part of efforts to normalize relations with the communist nation. Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s foreign minister, met his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son and expressed the Vatican’s “gratitude” for the progress that has been made to improve ties. …
China’s Xi meets with Russian FM Lavrov in show of support against Western democracies
09/04/2024
Beijing — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday in a sign of mutual support and shared opposition to Western democracies amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “We would like to express our highest appreciation and admiration for the successes that you have achieved over the years and, above all, over the …
Is action on climate change a human right? A European court to rule for the first time
09/04/2024
STRASBOURG, France — Europe’s highest human rights court will rule Tuesday on a group of landmark climate change cases aimed at forcing countries to meet international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The European Court of Human Rights will hand down decisions in a trio of cases brought by a French mayor, six Portuguese youngsters and …
Cameron to try to rally US support for Ukraine aid
09/04/2024
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Russians stage rare protest after unprecedented floods engulf Ural region
09/04/2024
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Russia’s Lavrov visits Beijing to discuss Ukraine war, Asia-Pacific situation
09/04/2024
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Spain to scrap ‘golden visas’ granting non-EU property buyers residency
08/04/2024
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Sweden expels Chinese journalist, calling her threat to national security, report says
08/04/2024
Copenhagen, Denmark — Sweden has expelled a Chinese journalist, saying the reporter was a threat to national security, Swedish media reported on Monday. The journalist, an unnamed, 57-year-old woman, was arrested by the Swedish security service in October and expelled by the government in Stockholm last week, Swedish broadcaster SVT reported. She is banned from returning. …
Swapping of the Guard: French, British troops mark Entente Cordiale
08/04/2024
Paris — French and British troops on Monday swapped roles to take part in the changing of the guard ceremonies outside the palaces of the other country’s head of state, in an unprecedented move to celebrate 120 years since the Entente Cordiale. Signed in 1904, the Entente Cordiale accord cemented an improvement in relations after the …
Ukraine reports downing 17 Russian drones
08/04/2024
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Top UN court opening hearings in case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s Gaza conflict
08/04/2024
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Preliminary hearings are opening Monday at the United Nations’ top court in a case that seeks an end to German military and other aid to Israel, based on claims that Berlin is enabling acts of genocide and breaches of international humanitarian law in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Nicaragua argues that by …
Ukraine denies Russian claim it struck Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
08/04/2024
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Despite Google Earth, people still buy globes. What’s the appeal?
07/04/2024
London — Find a globe in your local library or classroom and try this: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface. You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of — or …
Russia’s Lavrov to visit China to discuss Ukraine war
07/04/2024
Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit China on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine and the deepening partnership between Moscow and Beijing. Talks between Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who extended the invitation to the Russian minister, will include bilateral cooperation as well as “hot topics,” such as …
Record flood waters rise in Russia’s Urals, forcing thousands to flee
07/04/2024
Moscow — Flood waters were rising in two cities in Russia’s Ural mountains on Sunday after Europe’s third longest river burst through a dam, flooding at least 6,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee with just their pets and a few belongings. A string of Russian regions in the Ural Mountains and Siberia, alongside …
Russia and West join forces to tackle trade in ‘blood diamonds’
07/04/2024
UNITED NATIONS — The United States and its Western allies are feuding with Russia over its diamond production, but they joined forces Wednesday to keep supporting the Kimberley Process, which aims to eliminate the trade in “blood diamonds” that helped fuel devastating conflicts in Africa. At a U.N. General Assembly meeting, its 193 member nations adopted …
Will Moscow concert hall attack spur harsher era under Putin?
07/04/2024
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‘Show must go on’ for Iranian journalist stabbed in London
07/04/2024
LONDON — A journalist for an independent Iranian media outlet in London stabbed outside his home last week has returned to work, saying “the show must go on.” Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International, needed hospital treatment for leg wounds suffered in the March 29 attack. The 36-year-old said the stabbing was a “warning shot.” …
Travel disrupted in UK, power outages in Ireland due to storm
07/04/2024
london — Airline passengers in parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland faced travel disruptions Saturday due to flight cancellations as a storm swept across both countries and left thousands of Irish homes with power outages. The disruption caused by Storm Kathleen, named by the Irish Meteorological Service and the 11th named storm of the 2023-24 …
Russia evacuates more than 4,400 people after dam bursts
07/04/2024
Moscow, Russia — Russia said Saturday it had evacuated 4,500 people in the Orenburg region, in the southern Urals near Kazakhstan, because of flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The press …
Copenhagen’s hippie oasis wants to rebuild without illegal hashish market
07/04/2024
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The now-aging hippies who took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen more than 50 years ago and turned it into a freewheeling community known as Christiania want to boot out criminals who control the community’s lucrative market for hashish by ripping up the cobblestone street where it openly changes hands. Over the …
Challenger to Hungary’s Orban announces new political alternative
06/04/2024
BUDAPEST, Hungary — A rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban mobilized tens of thousands of supporters in Hungary’s capital Saturday, outlining a plan to unite the country and bring an end to the populist leader’s 14-year hold on power. At the center of the demonstration, the latest in a recent series of protests against …
Germany’s Scholz warns of rise of right-wing populists ahead of EU elections
06/04/2024
BUCHAREST, Romania — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of threats posed by right-wing populists Saturday as he addressed a gathering of center-left European parties ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June. Scholz arrived in Romania’s capital Bucharest for a conference of the Party of European Socialists, part of the Socialists and Democrats group, the …
US, Europe, Issue Strictest Rules Yet on AI
06/04/2024
washington — In recent weeks, the United States, Britain and the European Union have issued the strictest regulations yet on the use and development of artificial intelligence, setting a precedent for other countries. This month, the United States and the U.K. signed a memorandum of understanding allowing for the two countries to partner in the development …
Descendants of enslaved, enslavers ‘break silence’ around France’s past
06/04/2024
NANTES, France — Dieudonne Boutrin is a descendant of people enslaved in the Caribbean. Pierre Guillon de Prince’s ancestors, from Nantes, were ship-owners transporting those enslaved. Although contrasting, their families’ histories are linked. They met in 2021 in Nantes, which was France’s largest port for transatlantic slavery, and have since been working together to raise awareness …