Month: July 2023

The BBC said Sunday that it has suspended a leading presenter who is alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. As senior British politicians urged a rapid investigation, the broadcaster said it was working to establish the facts of “a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances.” The U.K.’s publicly funded national broadcaster was scrambling to head off a worsening crisis after The Sun newspaper reported allegations that the male presenter gave a youth $45,000 starting in 2020 when the young person was 17. Neither the star nor the youth was identified. Amid speculation on social media about …

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U.S. President Joe Biden departed Sunday on a five-day trip to Europe, heading first to Britain. He then travels to Lithuania for a NATO summit in Vilnius, before making a final stop in Finland to meet with Nordic leaders. In London, Biden will have meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles to discuss various bilateral issues and climate financing for developing nations. Just a month ago, in Washington, Biden and Sunak agreed to an “Atlantic Declaration” and committed to collaborating on advanced technologies, clean energy, and critical minerals. Biden hosted Sunak at the White House. At the …

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Two controversial laws signed by the Bosnian Serb president, which Washington says undermine the peace deal that ended Bosnia’s 1990s war, entered into force on Sunday. Kremlin ally President Milorad Dodik had on Friday signed legislation into law that effectively allow the Bosnian Serb entity to bypass or ignore decisions made by the top international envoy to Bosnia. The latter, currently German diplomat Christian Schmidt, oversees the civilian aspects of the Dayton peace deal that ended the 1992-1995 war. The international envoy has important executive powers notably to sack elected officials and impose laws. A second piece of legislation signed …

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Two weeks ahead of Spain’s election, the conservative People’s Party (PP) opened up its lead over the ruling Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) but would still need the help of the far-right Vox party to govern, according to an opinion poll published by a newspaper on Sunday.    A poll carried out by Ipsos for La Vanguardia newspaper between July 3 and July 6 interviewed 2,000 people and showed the opposition PP with 35% of the votes and the PSOE on 28%.   The far-left Sumar party would win 13%, just ahead of Vox with 12.6%, the poll found ahead of the election …

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NEZUK, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA — A solemn peace march started on Saturday through the forests in eastern Bosnia in memory of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since World War II. The annual 100-kilometer march retraces a route taken by thousands of men and boys from the Bosniak ethnic group, made up primarily of Muslims, who were slaughtered as they tried to flee Srebrenica after it was captured by Bosnian Serb forces late in the 1992-95 war. The march is part of several events preceding the commemorations on the actual date of the massacre on July 11. Nearly 4,000 people …

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PARIS – About 2,000 people defied a ban Saturday to join a memorial rally in central Paris for a young Black man who died in police custody, while marches took place throughout France to denounce police brutality, as tensions remain high after days of rioting engulfed the country. Nationwide, around 5,900 people took to the streets, according to the interior ministry. Seven years after the death of Adama Traore, his sister had planned to lead an annual commemorative march north of Paris in Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise. But fearful of reigniting recent unrest sparked by the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel …

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STOCKHOLM – Surrounded by emotional fans from around the globe, Elton John hailed them as his “lifeblood” as he gave his final farewell concert in Stockholm after more than 50 years of live performances. “You know how much I like to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys, and you’ve been absolutely magnificent,” he told the delighted audience at the arena in the Swedish capital. Wearing a tailcoat accented with rhinestones and a red pair of his trademark large glasses, the 76-year-old pop superstar sat down at the piano shortly after 8 p.m. local time to cheers …

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