Category: Світ

The British government announced Wednesday that it would spend an additional $2.4 billion on preparing to leave the European Union, bringing the total spent so far on Brexit readiness to more than $10 billion.  The extra investment comes as a coalition of opposition lawmakers attempts this week to pass legislation blocking a so-called no-deal Brexit, warning …

A Dutch woman hailed by the king as one of the country’s national heroes for saving hundreds of Jews from the Nazis has died.Diet Eman was 99 and lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Eman was born in The Netherlands and joined the Dutch underground after the Nazi invasion in 1940.She provided safe housing and forged identity …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday lashed out at pressure on some countries — including his own — not to acquire missiles with nuclear warheads.”Some (countries) have missiles with nuclear warheads in their hands but I shouldn’t have it. I do not accept this,” he said in a speech in the eastern city of …

The Polish government came under pressure Wednesday to clarify whether it has purchased sophisticated and potentially illegal phone surveillance technology that has been used to stifle dissent in other countries.Opposition lawmakers asked Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki whether the special services bought Pegasus, the spyware produced by NSO Group, an Israeli company. The Israeli firm’s software …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping Wednesday in a nation consistently ranked as the world’s most peaceful.    The size and standards of the vice president’s security detail also required adjustments. The guards protecting Pence got backup from a police force that only allows …

The lawyer for American rapper A$AP Rocky says his client won’t appeal his assault conviction for a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.Slobodan Jovicic told Sweden’s TT news agency Wednesday that the rapper doesn’t have the energy to appeal.   A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, had pleaded self-defense and said he had …

Russia’s natural resources and environment minister said on Wednesday he supported allowing private oil and gas companies to work on the Arctic shelf.Speaking to reporters at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, the minister, Dmitry Kobylkin, said he supported “any decision linked to an increase in investment in projects related …

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has unveiled measures to tackle domestic violence, following a spate of murders of women that have sparked public outrage. More than 100 women have been killed so far this year in France by their spouses, partners or ex-partners.  VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports domestic violence and murder of women is a …

Vienna has held off Melbourne to retain the top spot on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index for 2019, further strengthening its reputation as the world’s most pleasant city, while the ‘gilets jaunes’ protests hurt Paris’ score.The Austrian capital, which attracts tourists for its classical music scene and imperial history but also has abundant …

A pro-European opposition coalition in Poland announced unexpectedly on Tuesday that its candidate for prime minister as the country heads toward an October election will be a deputy parliamentary speaker, rather than the main opposition leader.The candidacy of Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska was announced by Grzegorz Schetyna, the leader of Civic Platform, which is the dominant party …

The new U.S. Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, said on Tuesday a priority in his new role is restarting a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.”The first (step) is getting the parties back to the table,” Palmer, who was appointed last week, told a regional political conference in Slovenia.He said he expected the …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought on Tuesday to reestablish friendlier ties with the incoming leaders of the European Union and mark an end to troubled relations since President Donald Trump took office, a senior U.S. diplomat said.Framed as a “reset” in the relationship, Washington’s envoy to Brussels told reporters that Pompeo’s meetings with …

Russian investigators said Tuesday they have dropped charges against five protesters who were arrested and charged with rioting connected to recent anti-government rallies. Separately, two protesters who accepted a plea bargain were given jail sentences in an expedited trial.FILE – Vyacheslav Abanichev and Alisa Abanicheva, parents of Sergei Abanichev, hold a poster saying “Free My …

A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced a blogger to five years in a penal colony for a tweet calling for attacks on the children of police, a ruling his lawyer said was unprecedented.Vladislav Sinitsa, 30, posted the tweet in the wake of a police crackdown against protesters who have called for free elections.”It’s an act …

The eco-minded Prince Harry announced a massive travel sustainability initiative Tuesday in partnership with key service providers that’s aimed at bettering the practices of the global industry amid an ever-increasing number of travelers.    The Duke of Sussex unveiled Travalyst at a news conference in Amsterdam, a city hit hard by over-tourism. He was joined …

An environmental spat between France and Brazil, rolling in questions about integrity, colonialism and Bic pens, shows signs of deepening with calls by dozens of French lawmakers and environmental groups to slap trade sanctions on Brazilian beef and soybeans. In a petition published Sunday in France’s weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, the group also called on …

Almost 200 people were rescued attempting to make the dangerous crossing from North Africa to Spain on Monday, the coastguard said.The rescues come amid a debate in Spain over the role that charity boats should play in assisting government efforts after a Spanish non-governmental organization ship was at the center of a standoff with European …

VOA’s Georgian News Service contributed to this report.Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has resigned after a little more than a year on the job. Bakhtadze announced his decision Monday, saying he had fulfilled the mandate he was given. “The purpose and main mandate of my nomination for the post of prime minister of Georgia in 2018 was …

A political storm is brewing between Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as Erdogan continues to publically blast  the opposition mayor with criticism.”The mayor of Istanbul rubs shoulders with those who have links with terrorism in Diyarbakır,” said Erdogan on Sunday at a rally of supporters in Trabzon, an electoral stronghold.”Those who …

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday urged members of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to back a new coalition with the opposition Democratic Party (PD), saying the planned government could transform Italy.Conte has held a round of talks with both 5-Star and PD leaders looking to stitch together a new administration after his previous government collapsed …

Lithuania said on Monday it had lodged an official protest to the Chinese embassy after some of its diplomats became involved in disruptions at a pro-Hong Kong demonstration in the capital Vilnius last month.Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Chinese diplomats acted “in violation of public order” at the Aug. 23 event, which …

Regional government elections in Germany Sunday, in which the anti-immigrant, nationalist far-right AfD party surged in support, are testimony to a widening rift between the country’s prosperous West and its struggling former Communist East, say analysts.Thirty years after German reunification — and an investment by Berlin of more than 2 trillion euros in the east …

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says that its ambassador to Egypt has died. He was 68.   The ministry said Sergei Kirpichenko died suddenly Monday morning in a hospital in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It did not name the cause of death.   A career diplomat, Kirpichenko was Russia’s ambassador in Egypt since 2011 and also served …

Britain is bracing for an explosive week of political battles which could prove crucial in Britain’s proposed exit from the European Union – and in determining the fate of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson.There have been protests across the country in recent days against Johnson’s decision to prorogue, or suspend parliament, set to take effect …

Britain is bracing for an explosive week of political battles this week which could prove crucial in Britain’s proposed exit from the European Union. Lawmakers return from summer break Tuesday, when they will try to seize control of Parliament to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a deal. There have been protests across the country …

Wall Street stock futures weakened in early trade on Monday, setting a dour tone for Asian markets after tit-for-tat tariffs between the United States and China took effect, reinforcing investors’ gloomy expectations for global growth prospects.The E-mini futures for U.S. S&P500 ESc1 fell as much as 1.06% in early trade and last stood down 0.68% …