Category: Світ

Scotland’s First Minister says she believes the country needs to extend its COVID 19-related lockdown, despite British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s desire to lift restrictions next week.In her regular briefing Thursday in Edinburgh, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her government’s assessment of the evidence leads her to conclude the lockdown there must be extended.Her decision …

Belarusian authorities have stripped two Russian journalists of accreditation after their reports about the growing coronavirus outbreak in the country.   The Foreign Ministry in Minsk did not give a reason for the move against journalist Aleksei Kruchinin and cameraman Sergei Panasyuk, who work for Russia’s Channel One television company.   But a Belarusian state …

Moscow is now in its second month of quarantine as the confirmed number of coronavirus infections in the capital – and across Russia – continues to rise.  The government faces criticism over the effectiveness of the country’s health system. The added uncertainty over how the battered Russian economy will recover from the lockdown is another …

French student Marion Nivard starting writing last year to a World War II veteran in Britain, thanking him for taking part in the Normandy invasion that freed her country from the Nazis. As VE Day approached, Nivard and her classmates in the Normandy region thought of 94-year-old Bill Ridgewell and other vets living in isolation because …

Russia has announced plans for a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions after the so-called non-working period ends Monday.Officials announced the decision after discussions with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, despite a stream of more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases a day in recent days. Russia now reports the world’s seventh-highest number of infections, about 166,000 …

As its coronavirus death rate ebbs, Spain is at last easing one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. But analysts fear its political polarization will hamper its ability climb back from what is expected to be the deepest economic recession since the 1936-39 civil war.Unlike some other European countries, where parties have made visible efforts to …

Germany’s recent decision to ban the political activities of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has sparked a debate among experts, with some believing the move was necessary while others arguing it would have little impact on Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.German authorities last week declared the Iranian-backed group a “Shiite terrorist organization,” outlawing its activity on German …

In the battle against COVID-19, Russia – like other nations – adopted new measures to reduce and control the movement of citizens. The measures, unimaginable just a few months ago, pose a challenge for those who defend individual liberties. In a report narrated by Jon Spier, Ricardo Marquina in Moscow looks at how some fear …

Soccer players in Spain returned to their team’s training camps Wednesday for the first time since the country entered a lockdown nearly two months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.Players for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and other clubs started preparing for the return to training this week. They were all expected to be tested …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Wednesday the German soccer league Bundesliga can resume playing later this month, ending a two-month pause prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.Merkel made the announcement as one of a range of containment measures being relaxed, following a meeting with the country’s 16 state governors Wednesday. Pressure to relax the rules had …

In its latest report, U.S.-based democracy monitor Freedom House warns of a “stunning democratic breakdown” across Central Europe, the Balkans, and Eurasia as many leaders in the region attempt to do away with any remaining checks on their power.    “A growing number of leaders in Central and Eastern Europe have dropped even the pretense …

Spain, among the coronavirus pandemic’s worst-hit nations, is gradually relaxing what were some of Europe’s strictest isolation measures that forced millions to stay indoors. In this report narrated by Jonathan Spier, Alfonso Beato in Barcelona tells us that millions are now heading outdoors to enjoy the sunshine – and resume their sports activities for which …

Britain’s death toll from the coronavirus has topped 32,000, according to an updated official count released Tuesday, pushing the country past Italy to become the second-most impacted after the United States.The new toll, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and regional health bodies, has not yet been incorporated into the government’s daily figures, which …

Researchers with Switzerland-based blood-screening company Quotient say they have developed a COVID-19 antibody test that will quickly and accurately determine whether test subjects have developed antibodies that would make them immune to the virus.In an interview with French news agency Agence France-Presse, Quotient Chief Executive Officer Franz Walt said the test has been shown to …

The head of Germany’s disease control institute said Tuesday the rate of new COVID-19 infections in that country continues to drop but says a second – or even third wave of infections is likely.Robert Koch Institute President Lothar Wieler spoke with reporters in a virtual briefing in Berlin saying in the last few days, only …

Europe’s tourism sector has lost out on weeks of revenue because of the coronavirus lockdown. Now that countries are planning to gradually reopen, potential tourists are facing different rules and safety guidelines across the continent. Jan Nak is newly retired and was planning to camp around Portugal for the month of May with his wife. …

The Vatican says internal migrants should have the same legal protections as refugees and says their children should have the right to birth certificates, education and being reunited with their parents if separated. The Vatican on Tuesday published a booklet of pastoral guidelines to care for internally displaced people — migrants who are forced to flee …

Greece has lodged a stiff demarche with Turkey claiming Turkish officials ordered fighter jets to buzz a military helicopter carrying Greece’s defense minister over the Aegean sea. Turkey denies the accusation, saying Greece — in the words of Turkish officials — is over dramatizing what Ankara says are routine flights in the region. The government in Athens is …

With the number of coronavirus infections continuing to rise in Turkey, the country is – like many others – anxiously awaiting a vaccine. Until one comes, many Turks are turning to an old tradition: perfume. From Istanbul, Dorian Jones reports. …

With Turkey battling COVID-19, Turks are turning to a traditional custom to contain the virus: sweet smelling cologne.  With its high alcoholic content, cologne is widely accepted as useful in killing the coronavirus on people’s hands. From major producers to local chemists, all are working to keep up with the surge in demand. Ziya Melih Sezer, 89 years old, is perhaps Istanbul’s oldest chemist. His profession keeps …

As the coronavirus scythed through nursing homes, cutting a deadly path, Valerie Martin vowed to herself that the story would be different in the home she runs in France.  The action she took to stop the virus from infecting and killing the vulnerable older adults in her care was both drastic and effective: Martin and …

Officials in Iceland say schools, hair salons, dental and other small businesses across the nation are reopening Monday after six weeks of lockdown and a steady drop in new COVID-19 cases.With a total population of around 360,000 residents, Iceland has confirmed 1,799 cases of the coronavirus, and just 10 deaths. The number of new COVID-19 …

Goodbye lockdown, hello smartphone. As governments race to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections, attention is turning to how officials will ensure users’ privacy. The debate is especially urgent in Europe, which has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the world, with nearly 140,000 people killed by COVID-19. The use of monitoring …

A watchdog group is calling on democratic nations to prevent the election of Russia, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, saying their abysmal human rights records disqualify them from membership.   U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 24, 2019.The U.N. General Assembly …

Russia has seen a record rise in coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to government figures reported Sunday.  The daily rise of 10,633 new cases is the highest since the beginning of the outbreak in the country and brings the total of cases to almost 135,000. On Sunday, 58 more people in Russia …

While millions of people took advantage of easing coronavirus lockdowns to enjoy spring weather, some of the world’s most populous countries reported worrisome new peaks in infections Sunday, including India, which saw its biggest single-day jump yet.Second in population only to China, India reported more than 2,600 new infections. In Russia, new cases exceeded 10,000 …