Category: Світ

Masks Rules Get Tighter in Europe in Winter’s COVID-19 Wave

To mask or not to mask is a question Italy settled early in the COVID-19 outbreak with a vigorous “yes.” Now the onetime epicenter of the pandemic in Europe hopes even stricter mask rules will help it beat the latest infection surge. Other countries are taking similar action as the more transmissible — yet, apparently, …

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‘Be Afraid’: Ukraine Hit by Cyberattack, Russia Moves More Troops

Ukraine was hit by a massive cyberattack warning its citizens to “be afraid and expect the worst”, and Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on its neighbor’s frontier, released TV pictures on Friday of more forces deploying in a drill. The developments came after no breakthrough was reached at meetings between Russia and …

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Dutch King Won’t Use Carriage Criticized for Colonial Image

The Dutch king ruled out Thursday using, for now at least, the royal family’s Golden Carriage, one side of which bears a painting that critics say glorifies the Netherlands’ colonial past, including its role in the global slave trade. The announcement was an acknowledgement of the heated debate about the carriage as the Netherlands reckons …

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Dictators Face Democratic Backlash, Says Human Rights Watch

Autocratic leaders are facing a democratic backlash from their people in several countries around the world, according to the organization Human Rights Watch in its annual global report, which was published Thursday. The report said that in the past 12 months there have been a series of military coups and crackdowns on opposition figures.  In …

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Western Diplomats Warn of Impending Disaster in Sahel

Western diplomats fear the spread of extremist groups and persistent economic and social problems in Western Africa and the Sahel are nearing a tipping point that could have disastrous consequences for the region and beyond.  The officials from both Europe and the United States warned Thursday that international efforts have so far failed to counter …

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German Court Convicts Former Syrian Intelligence Officer of Crimes Against Humanity

In a landmark ruling, a German Court Thursday convicted a former Syrian intelligence officer of crimes against humanity for his role in state-sponsored torture and murder under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. The regional court in the western city of Koblenz found 58-year-old Anwar Raslan guilty of overseeing the murder of 27 people at the …

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Queen Elizabeth Strips Prince Andrew of Military Titles, Charities

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has stripped her son, Prince Andrew, of his military affiliations and royal patronages as the controversy over allegations he had sex with an underage girl continued to swirl. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” Buckingham Palace said …

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Turkish Court Hands Life Sentence to Award-Winning Journalist

When a gunfight erupted during clashes in Diyarbakir in October 2014, video journalist Rojhat Dogru was at the center of the action. At one point, a little too close. Hit by a bullet, Dogru was rushed to a hospital, where he uploaded footage to the Iraq-based Gali Kurdistan TV while being treated. The coverage won …

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Russia-Ukraine Tensions on Agenda for OSCE Talks

Efforts to de-escalate tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border shift Thursday to Vienna and a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Permanent Council. The session follows a bilateral meeting between Russia and the United States in Geneva on Monday and talks Wednesday in Brussels between Russia and NATO. U.S. State Department spokesperson …

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Europeans Feel Excluded From US-Russia Security Talks 

As the United States and Russia met for talks in Geneva this week, the future security of Europe was at stake. But absent from the negotiating table was the European Union, to the clear frustration of the bloc’s officials. “On this dialogue, there are not two actors alone. It’s not just U.S. and Russia. If …

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Europeans Feel Excluded From Talks on Own Security

As the United States and Russia met for talks in Geneva this week, the future security of Europe was at stake. But the European Union was not present – and bloc officials have voiced growing frustration, as Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

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Sex Abuse Case Against Prince Andrew to Move Forward 

A civil lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by a woman who says she was sexually abused by Britain’s Prince Andrew when she was 17 will move forward, following a judge’s ruling Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said lawyers for Prince Andrew failed to challenge the constitutionality of the case brought by Virginia Giuffre …

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Aside from Kyiv, No One in Rush for Ukraine to Join NATO

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted during a NATO summit he attended in June that Western leaders had confirmed his country “will become a member of the Alliance.”  The Ukrainian leader’s tweet, seen by some Western diplomats as ill-timed and intended to goad Russia, drew a predictably furious response from Kremlin officials. They have long warned …

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UK’s Johnson Apologizes for Attending Lockdown Party

Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Wednesday for attending a garden party during Britain’s coronavirus lockdown in 2020, saying there are things his government “did not get right.” Johnson is facing a tide of anger from public and politicians over claims he and his staff flouted pandemic restrictions by socializing when it was banned. Some members of his …

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IAE: Russia Undermining European Gas Supply Amid Ukraine Standoff

Russia is contributing to an undersupply of natural gas to Europe, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol said on Wednesday, noting it comes amid a standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.  The Paris-based IEA, energy watchdog for developed countries, warned that the high energy prices and consumer pain wrought …

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Erdogan Sticks with Economic Policy as Turkey’s Inflation Rises, Currency Sinks

Turkey’s economy had a difficult year, with its currency depreciating and inflation skyrocketing. Experts warn that unless President Recep Tayyip Erdogan changes course and reverses his controversial monetary strategy, the situation could worsen.  Last week, the country’s official Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) reported inflation increased to 36% last month, the highest figure in Turkey for …

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Russia, US Spar Again Over Ukraine, Security Issues

The Kremlin said Tuesday it has little optimism about a breakthrough on talks with the United States this week about its European security concerns, while Washington said Moscow’s massive troop buildup along the Ukraine border is at the root of current tensions.  After a day of talks with U.S. diplomats Monday in Geneva, Moscow said …

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WHO Warns Half of Europe Could Become Infected with Omicron in Coming Weeks

Europe could see half of its population infected with the omicron variant over the coming weeks, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. “At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with omicron in the next six to eight weeks,” …

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Russia’s Putin Says Western Leaders Broke Promises, But Did They?

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his senior aides have repeatedly claimed that Western powers broke promises they made not to expand NATO as the Soviet Union collapsed. In his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow in December, Putin accused NATO of deceiving Russia by giving assurances in the 1990s that it would not expand “an …

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EU Parliament President Sassoli has Died – Spokesperson

European Parliament President David Sassoli died on Tuesday in hospital in Italy where he was admitted on Dec. 26, his spokesperson and office said.  Sassoli, 65, died at 1.15 a.m. his spokesperson, Roberto Cuillo, said on Twitter.   Sassoli, an Italian socialist and former journalist from Florence, had been hospitalized last month due to a “serious complication” …

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US, Russia Hold ‘Frank and Forthright’ First Day of Talks Amid Ukraine Tensions

The U.S. and Russia have launched “frank and forthright” discussions aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two powers as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to station an estimated 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, the White House said Monday. “There are two paths for Russia to take at this point, for President Putin to take,” …

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Undocumented Afghan Refugees in Turkey Struggle to Access COVID Treatments, Vaccines

Undocumented Afghan migrants who fled to Turkey to escape the Taliban say they are unable to get treatment and vaccines for the coronavirus. While officially registered refugees qualify for health care in Turkey, it is believed that thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants are in the country. The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August …

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Undocumented Afghan Refugees in Turkey Struggle to Access COVID-19 Treatments, Vaccines

Undocumented Afghan migrants who have fled to Turkey to escape the Taliban say they are unable to access treatment and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. While officially registered refugees do quality for health care in Turkey, it’s believed there are thousands of unregistered Afghan migrants in the country. Henry Ridgwell reports. …

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Putin: No More Color Revolutions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he will not allow governments allied with Moscow to be toppled in so-called “color revolutions,” a reference to the series of popular uprisings that have shaken former Soviet republics.  “We will not allow the boat to be rocked,” Putin said. During an online meeting with leaders of a Russian-led …

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Spain PM Calls for Europe to Treat COVID-19 as More ‘Endemic’ Illness

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday he plans to ask European officials to consider treating COVID-19 more like an endemic illness — a regularly occurring milder disease like the flu — and move away from the detailed tracking system that the pandemic has required. In an interview with Spain’s Cadena SER radio, Sanchez said …

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US, Russia Begin Talks Amid Ukraine Tensions

Diplomats from the United States and Russia met Monday in Geneva, beginning a series of high-level talks this week regarding Moscow’s massive troop buildup along its Ukraine border, and Russian demands for Western security guarantees.  A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the meeting began just before 9 a.m. local time, while stressing that the U.S. …

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