Category: Світ

Russian Gas Supplies to Europe Under Scrutiny 

With the arrival of winter in Europe and energy prices soaring, tensions are running high over the provision of gas from Russia — especially through the Yamal-Europe pipeline that runs through Poland and Belarus.  But the Yamal pipeline is just one part of a complex gas infrastructure network shaped not only by energy needs but also …

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Russian Court Orders Prominent Rights Group to Shut Down 

Russia’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Memorial, the country’s most prominent human rights organizations, must shut down.  Prosecutors had accused Memorial of failing to properly mark its publications under its designation as a foreign agent.They also said the group denigrated the former Soviet Union and rehabilitated “Nazi criminals.”  Memorial rejected the accusations as being politically …

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The Euro: How It Started 20 Years Ago

As Europe rang in the New Year 20 years ago, 12 of its nations said goodbye to their deutschmarks, French francs, liras and pesetas as they welcomed the euro single currency.  On January 1, 2002, euro notes and coins became a reality for some 300 million people from Athens to Dublin, three years after the …

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US, Russia to Hold Security Talks in January 

The United States and Russia will hold talks in January about nuclear arms control and tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border.  A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told reporters the two sides would meet January 10, followed by Russia-NATO talks on January 12 and a meeting on January 13 with Russia, the United …

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COVID Outbreaks Lead to Soccer Match Postponements in England 

The English Premier League (EPL) is postponing several football (soccer) games as a record number of players have tested positive for COVID-19.  According to the league, more than 100 players and staff tested positive over the past week, leading to the postponement of 15 games.  “The League can today confirm that between Monday 20 December …

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Omicron Variant Causing Flight Cancellations Worldwide 

Holiday travelers continued to experience widespread flight cancellations as the omicron variant causes airline staff to call in sick. According to FlightAware, which tracks delays and cancellations, there have been 2,395 total flight cancellations around the world Monday with 869 of those impacting flights “within, into, or out of the United States.”  Some 6,342 flights …

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Russia Lays Down More Conditions for Peace Talks 

The announcement by Russia’s Defense Ministry Saturday that 10,000 troops deployed along the border with Ukraine are to return to their permanent bases isn’t easing the alarm of Western officials, who see the risks mounting of Russian military action.   Russian President Vladimir Putin last week indicated his country’s willingness to sit down for talks …

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Polish President Vetoes Media Bill that Targeted US Company 

Poland’s president on Monday said he has decided to veto a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share in TVN, a Polish TV network.  President Andrzej Duda noted that the bill was unpopular with many Poles and would have dealt a blow to Poland’s reputation as a …

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NATO Chief Seeks NATO-Russia Council Meeting in January

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has sought a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council next month and contacted Moscow to secure its attendance, an alliance spokesman said Sunday. Stoltenberg has on several occasions in recent months offered to resume dialogue with Moscow through this body, set up in 2002 but currently inactive because of the conflict in …

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Putin to Mull Options if West Doesn’t Meet Security Demands 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would ponder various options if the West fails to meet Moscow’s demands for security guarantees, amid heightened tensions involving a massive deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine.  Moscow earlier this month submitted draft security documents demanding an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and military cooperation with countries such …

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France Sees Over 100,000 Daily Virus Infections for 1st Time 

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the French government’s efforts to stave off a new lockdown.  More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have …

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Sting in the Tail: Europe Looks Back on Year of COVID Struggles

As 2021 nears its end, hopes that the coronavirus pandemic might be ending are rapidly fading – as the new omicron variant sweeps across the world. Henry Ridgwell looks back on a tumultuous year in Europe as populations and policymakers struggled to return to normality. Producer: Barry Unger …

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Queen Elizabeth Speaks of Family and Loss at Christmas

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth spoke of the loss of her husband, Prince Philip, on Saturday, remembering the “mischievous twinkle” in his eyes in an unusually personal Christmas message to the nation. The 95-year-old monarch said that while Christmas was a time of happiness for many, it could be hard for those who had lost loved ones, …

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La Palma volcano eruption declared over after three months of destruction

Scientists declared the eruption on Spain’s La Palma officially over on Saturday, allowing islanders to breathe a sigh of relief nearly 100 days after the Cumbre Vieja volcano began to spew out lava, rock and ash and upended the lives of thousands. After bursting into action on Sept. 19, the volcano suddenly went quiet on …

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Berlin and Kremlin Envoys to Meet About Ukraine, Says Source

Senior German and Russian government officials have agreed to a rare in-person meeting next month in an effort to ease political tensions over Ukraine, a German government source said Saturday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s foreign policy adviser Jens Ploetner and Russia’s Ukraine negotiator Dmitry Kozak agreed to meet after a lengthy phone conversation Thursday, the …

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Shun Polarization, Try Dialogue to Heal Divided World, Pope Says at Christmas

Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Saturday decried increasing polarization in personal and international relationships, saying only dialog can resolve conflicts ranging from family feuds to threats of war. In his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message, he called on individuals and world leaders to talk to each other rather …

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Paris’ Notre-Dame Rector Offers Hope to Virus-Weary Worshippers

Worshippers in face masks filed into Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois Church across from the Louvre Museum on Friday for Christmas Eve Mass and were greeted by the rector of the closed Notre-Dame Cathedral.  It was the second year that holiday services were held under the shadow of the coronavirus.  Everyone was masked, and members of the congregation sprayed …

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More Than a Dozen Dead in Greece Migrant Boat Accidents

At least three people died when a migrant boat sank in the Aegean Sea on Friday, just hours after similar sinking claimed 11 lives, Greece’s coast guard said. The latest tragedy, the third since Wednesday, came amid high smuggler activity not seen in Greek waters in months. The coast guard said it found three bodies …

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Ukraine Lawmaker Says Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of Former President Poroshenko

The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office has asked a court to arrest former President Petro Poroshenko on suspicion of high treason and financing pro-Russian separatists, a lawmaker from Poroshenko’s faction in parliament said Friday. “On Christmas Eve, the prosecutor general office confirmed the information … that the prosecutor general had approved a motion to arrest Poroshenko …

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Pope Celebrates Christmas Eve Mass, Urges Focus on Poor

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.  A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle as the Sistine Chapel choir sang “Noel,” kicking off …

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Europe Fears Poland-Belarus Migrant Crisis Will Continue in 2022

The year 2021 saw a new migrant crisis on Europe’s borders – as thousands of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa travelled to Belarus and tried to cross the border into Poland and the European Union. Henry Ridgwell reports. Camera: Henry Ridgwell …

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Russia Says Molotov Cocktail Thrown at Consulate in Ukraine, Protests to Ukraine Authorities

The Russian foreign ministry said Friday that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the Russian consulate in Ukraine’s Lviv and that it had formally protested over the attack, which it called “an act of terrorism.” Russia’s foreign ministry summoned a Ukrainian official and demanded apologies from Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian police in Lviv said they …

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Satellite Images Show Russia Still Building Up Forces Near Ukraine

New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking. Reuters could not independently verify the latest images from U.S.-based Maxar Technologies. The Kremlin …

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White House Vows Diplomacy as Russia’s Putin Ratchets Up Rhetoric 

The White House said Thursday that Washington is keeping a keen eye on Moscow and remains committed to diplomacy during upcoming high-level talks. This comes amid increasingly heated rhetoric from Russia’s leader, who on Thursday accused U.S. and NATO allies of undermining his country as he continues to mass troops near Russia’s border with Ukraine. …

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AP Exclusive: Polish Opposition Senator Hacked With Spyware 

Polish Senator Krzysztof Brejza’s mobile phone was hacked with sophisticated spyware nearly three dozen times in 2019 when he was running the opposition’s campaign against the right-wing populist government in parliamentary elections, an internet watchdog found. Text messages stolen from Brejza’s phone — then doctored in a smear campaign — were aired by state-controlled TV …

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West Condemns ‘Deployment’ of Russian Mercenaries in Mali 

More than a dozen Western powers on Thursday expressed anger that Russian mercenaries working for the controversial Wagner Group have started to deploy in Mali, accusing Moscow of providing material backing for the fighters.  The powers involved in the fight against an insurgency in Mali, including Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, said they …

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