Category: Світ

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% …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States will continue to support Ukraine in the country’s conflict with Russia and its right to full territorial integrity.Washington “stands with the people of Ukraine and most especially since 2014, we have stood strongly for the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Pence said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr …

Germany’s president bowed his head and asked for forgiveness for the suffering his nation inflicted on Poland and the rest of Europe during World War II.”This war was a German crime,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Poland’s leaders, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others Sunday at a ceremony marking the 80th …

A global fund for education in emergencies is seeking $1.8 billion by 2021 to provide schooling for nine million children and youths caught in conflict and other situations of crisis.  The fund, called Education Cannot Wait was set up at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 to provide education for children deprived of this opportunity.The …

Where’s the pope? He’s stuck in a Vatican elevator.Thousands of people who were gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday on-the-dot-of-noon appearance by Pope Francis were watching for the window of the Apostolic Palace to be thrown open so they could listen to the pope’s remarks and receive his blessing. But after seven …

Pope Francis leaves on Wednesday for Africa, where poverty, the environment, foreign exploitation of resources and corruption are expected to be high on his agenda as he visits the continent where Catholicism is growing fast.He will spend most of the Sept. 4-10 trip in Mozambique and Madagascar and briefly visit Mauritius at the end.Fires in …

Dutch Ambassador to Washington Hendrik Jan Jurriaan Schuwer has had ample opportunities to indulge his U.S.-acquired fondness for American country and western music, thanks at least in part to the election of President Donald Trump.It’s “no secret” that Trump’s election surprised most European governments, Schuwer explains in an interview reflecting on his four-year tenure in …