Category: Євросоюз

Paris’ pioneering Velib bicycle hire service, which has been copied from London to Seattle, has ground to a virtual standstill after the new concession holder failed to install revamped docking stations on schedule. In May 2017, Paris awarded a new contract to the French-Spanish Smovengo consortium to operate its bike-sharing scheme from 2018 to 2032, replacing outdoor advertising group JCDecaux, which had run it since 2007. Under the 700 million euro ($838 million) contract, about half of the new bikes should have become available at the start of 2018, but fewer than 100 out of a planned 1,400 stations opened …

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January 27 is the day the international community observes Holocaust Remembrance Day by recalling the horrors committed during World War II by Nazi Germany and the bravery of those who risked their lives to save persecuted Jews and others from Nazi death camps. Tatiana Vorozhko and Kostiantyn Golubchyk of VOA’s Ukrainian Service tell the amazing story of a Jewish boy who was saved by a Ukrainian family and later grew up to be a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed concerns about Donald Trump’s mental fitness, saying the U.S. president acts in what he sees as the best interests of his country.   A new book by journalist Michael Wolff quotes prominent Trump advisers as questioning the president’s competence.   Asked in an interview whether she thought concerns about Trump’s mental state were serious, May said: “No.”   She said that “when I deal with President Trump what I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States.”   In the …

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Turkey’s president and the Bulgarian prime minister have unveiled the historic Iron Church in Istanbul after a seven-year restoration project.   In Sunday’s opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the 120-year-old Sveti Stefan Church remains the “single example” of a church built on an iron skeleton.   The cross-shaped Bulgarian church was built on the banks of Istanbul’s Golden Horn in 1898 with 500-tons of prefabricated iron components shipped from Austria. Its restoration since 2011 cost an estimated $3.5 million. Erdogan said the church contributes to the “beauty and wealth of Istanbul” and is the latest example of …

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel embarked Sunday on talks with the center-left Social Democrats on forming a new government, with leaders stressing the need for speed as they attempt to break an impasse more than three months after the country’s election.   Merkel’s conservative Union bloc and the Social Democrats have run Germany together for the past four years. But the Social Democrats vowed to go into opposition after a disastrous election result Sept. 24, and only reluctantly reconsidered after Merkel’s attempt to build a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November.   The effort to form a government has …

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In January 2018, Kosovo women who were raped by Serbian forces during the 1998-99 armed conflict will begin receiving recognition and compensation for their suffering. For nearly two decades, the women hesitated to tell their stories for fear of being marginalized, stigmatized and shunned. VOA’s Edlira Bllaca and Keida Kostreci report that the trauma is part of the women’s daily lives, and few perpetrators have been convicted for their crimes. Keida Kostreci narrates. …

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The number of refugees and migrants arriving in Italy may have dropped, but it doesn’t feel that way in the picturesque town of Ventimiglia, near the French border. As winter bites, hundreds live in grim conditions as they wait for their chance to make it into France, and some have paid for their efforts with their lives. John Owens reports from Ventimiglia. …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May will announce changes to her ministerial Cabinet Monday, but her foreign, finance, interior and Brexit ministers will keep their jobs, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. The Sunday Times said the reshuffle was aimed at bringing younger women and non-white lawmakers into the Cabinet in attempt to appeal to voters who dealt May a setback in an election last year. May is also expected to announce a new first secretary of state, effectively her No. 2, after long-standing ally Damian Green was forced to resign from the post last month, the newspaper said. May, who became …

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Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling barring opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running in the March presidential election. The high court upheld the Central Election Commission’s decision banning Navalny from running because of his conviction on criminal charges.   Navalny and his followers say those charges were politically motivated. Navalny has called for demonstrations across Russia on January 28 to protest the country’s upcoming presidential vote.   Polls say that incumbent President Vladimir Putin will likely win another six-year term when the election is held on March 18. Navalny contends that Putin, who has spent the last 17 years …

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Ex-Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili is vowing to fight the Georgian government if Ukrainian officials move to extradite him to Georgia in light of his conviction by a Tbilisi court Friday. The court tried and convicted Saakashvili in absentia of abusing his pardon powers while in office. Georgia’s prosecutor says Saakashvili, who was in office from 2004-2013, tried to cover up evidence in the 2006 murder of Sandro Girgvliani. The 28-year-old banker was found dead outside of Tbilisi with multiple injuries after he was seen arguing in a bar with high-ranking Interior Ministry officials. In 2008 Saakashvili pardoned four Georgian law …

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Two U.S. senators have called for a criminal investigation of a former British spy who authored a salacious report about Donald Trump when he was a businessman, a report known as the Steele Dossier. The letter, released on Friday by Republicans Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, adds to the turmoil that has plagued the Trump administration and will likely deepen the bipartisan rancor in Congress over both the dossier and also interactions between Trump associates and Russian officials.  In their letter, the two called on the Justice Department to investigate Christopher Steele for what they alleged were false statements Steele …

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of two senior Turkish officials who have made or are making trips to European Union countries in what analysts say is a diplomatic offensive to reset relations with the 28-member bloc. The EU is Turkey’s No. 1 import and export partner. Relations between Ankara and the EU, however, have been strained in part over human rights in Turkey, a controversial referendum last year to extend his powers, refugee migration and Turkey’s quest for visa-free travel for its citizens across the EU. Erdogan met Friday in France with counterpart Emmanuel Macron for talks on …

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The Italian Riviera, like its French counterpart, is known for its resorts, glamour and beauty. But away from the tourists, hundreds of migrants and refugees willingly endure grim conditions and risk their lives, making repeated attempts to cross the border. …

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Officials say Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall are expecting their second child. Buckingham Palace said Friday the queen and the royal family are “very pleased” with the news. The pregnancy comes just over a year after Tindall suffered a miscarriage shortly before Christmas in 2016. She is an Olympic silver medal winner in equestrian events and the daughter of Princess Anne. Her husband is a former England rugby player. They have a three-year-old daughter named Mia. …

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As a winter wind whips through the underpass and the sound of vehicles thunders above, residents of this makeshift camp pull blankets close to their faces, trying to ward off the cold. The underpass is in Ventimiglia, a picturesque town in the Italian Riviera that has become a launching point for African and South Asian migrants hoping to cross into France and begin new lives. The Italian Riviera, like its French counterpart, is known for its resorts, glamour and beauty. But away from the tourists, hundreds willingly endure grim conditions and risk their lives, making repeated attempts to cross the …

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Somali State Minister for Defense Mohamed Ali Haga has confirmed to VOA Somali for the first time that the Turkish government has recently supplied weapons to the Somali army. In an interview with VOA Somali, Haga said the Turkish government has equipped a company-sized Somali army unit which graduated from the Turkish military training camp in Mogadishu two weeks ago. Haga said just over 400 soldiers were supplied with small weapons and machine guns allowed under a partial UN embargo on Somalia. Somalia cannot import certain heavy weaponry. Turkish media report that the weapons exported to Somalia are the MPT-76, …

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Nearly 30 civilians, including children, have been killed by airstrikes in the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, outside the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Britain-based watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which closely monitors the Syrian civil war, said most of the airstrikes were carried out by Russian jets. There was no immediate confirmation by the Russian military, which is providing air support to government forces fighting rebels. A government forces base, the only one in the region, was surrounded by rebels earlier this week. Syrian state television said “army units had launched an assault to break the siege.” Rami Abdel …

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Ankara has slammed the conviction in the U.S. of a Turkish banker for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. “This is the scandalous verdict of a scandalous case,” Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalin told reporters at the presidential palace. “Unjust and unfortunate,” said the Turkish foreign ministry in a statement, adding, “the evidence was fake and open to political exploitation.” Mahir Unal, the spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AKP, pointed the finger directly at Washington. “The purpose of the case in United States is interference in the internal affairs of Turkey. This case is a violation of international law and a legal disaster. It …

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A political storm is brewing ahead of Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s May 19 wedding over whether to crack down on homeless people and beggars in the well-to-do English town of Windsor. Homeless charities are reacting angrily to borough councilor Simon Dudley’s call for police to clear the streets so the town makes a favorable impression on visitors drawn to see what they can of the royal nuptials. They reject his assertion that the homeless in Windsor are living on the streets by choice, a view expressed in a letter Dudley sent to police and to Conservative Prime Minister Theresa …

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French President Emmanuel Macron will head to China next week to strengthen commercial ties with the world’s second-largest economy. It will be Macron’s first state visit to China since he won election last year. According to the Elysee, Macron will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 9 after visiting the ancient imperial capital of Xi’an. Talks also will focus on North Korea, the fight against terror financing and international efforts against climate change. Macron’s office on Thursday said a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the three-day visit but they have yet to be …

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