Category: Євросоюз

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Burkina Faso late Monday – the first stop of a three-day Africa tour aimed to reinvigorate what observers see as France’s fading influence on the continent. Lisa Bryant has more on Macron’s trip that also takes him to Ivory Coast for an EU-Africa summit and to English-speaking Ghana. Security, jobs, the environment and migration are among key themes of President Emmanuel Macron’s trip to the three West African countries – with an overall focus on youth. On Tuesday morning, he’s expected to outline his Africa policy in a much- anticipated speech before 800 students …

READ MORE

Ramzan Kadyrov, the outspoken leader of Russia’s Chechnya republic, said he was ready to step down, leaving it for the Kremlin to choose his successor. Kadyrov, a 41-year-old father of 12 whose interests vary from thoroughbred horses to wrestling and boxing, has been accused by human rights bodies of arbitrary arrests and torture of opponents, zero tolerance of sexual minorities and tough political declarations that have embarrassed the Kremlin. A former Islamist rebel who had led Chechnya since 2007, he was endorsed by President Vladimir Putin in March last year to carry on in the job, while being warned that …

READ MORE

Thousands have protested in Romania’s capital and other major cities Sunday against planned changes to the justice system they say will allow high-level corruption to go unpunished and a tax overhaul that could lead to lower wages.   Protesters briefly scuffled with mounted police in Bucharest, and they blew whistles and called the ruling Social Democratic Party “the red plague,” in reference to its Communist Party roots and one of the party’s colors.   Thousands took to the streets in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara, Iasi, Brasov, Sibiu and Constanta to vent their anger at the left-wing government. In Bucharest, …

READ MORE

Leaders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party agreed on Sunday to pursue a “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats (SPD) to break the political deadlock in Europe’s biggest economy. Merkel, whose fourth term was plunged into doubt a week ago when three-way coalition talks with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens collapsed, was handed a political lifeline by the SPD on Friday. Under intense pressure to preserve stability and avoid new elections, the SPD reversed its position and agreed to talk to Merkel, raising the prospect of a new grand coalition, which has ruled for the past four …

READ MORE

Pope Francis is to arrive Monday in Myanmar in an effort to draw global attention to the Rohingya refugee crisis. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church is to visit Bangladesh on Thursday. The pontiff’s schedule does not include a visit to a refugee camp, but he is expected to meet with a small group of Rohingya in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital. “I am coming to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a message of reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace,” Pope Francis told Vatican Radio, “My visit is meant to confirm the Catholic community of Myanmar in its worship of God …

READ MORE

The pope has led a minute of silence in St. Peter’s Square for the victims of the deadly attack on a mosque in Egypt. Francis said following the traditional Angelus greeting on Sunday that the victims “were praying in that moment. We also pray in silence for them.” The pope said the attack on Friday “brought great pain,” adding that he continued to pray for the dead and the wounded “and for the whole of that community, that has been so hard hit.” The pope previously expressed in a telegram his “strong condemnation” of the attack, which killed 305 people …

READ MORE

Iranian state television has aired more allegations against a detained Iranian-British woman, something her husband said Sunday appeared timed to further pressure London as it considers making a $530 million payment to Tehran. The case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has gained momentum in recent weeks as British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson faces tremendous criticism at home over his handling of it.   Zaghari-Ratcliffe, already serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the “soft toppling” of Iran’s government while traveling there with her toddler daughter, also faces new charges that could add 16 years to her prison term.   On Thursday, …

READ MORE

In February 1986, Natan Sharansky, a Soviet political prisoner, crossed the Glienicke Bridge linking East and West Berlin under American diplomatic escort, thus ending nine years of Gulag-style labor camps in Siberia and dark, cold cells in Moscow. “Thirteen years after I asked to be deprived of Soviet citizenship, I was finally deprived of Soviet citizenship,” he said. Sharansky emigrated to Israel, took up several ministerial positions in the Israeli government, including deputy prime minister.  In an interview with VOA on the sidelines of events marking the centennial of the Bolshevik Revolution, Sharansky recalls his battles with the KGB and …

READ MORE

The far-right Alternative for Germany party sees Chancellor Angela Merkel’s struggle to form a new government as proof of its growing power to upend the country’s political order, a top party official told AFP. Parliamentary group leader Alexander Gauland said in an interview that the current turmoil showed that the four-year-old AfD had succeeded in its primary goal in September’s general election. “It’s all downhill for Merkel now, and that is partly our achievement,” Gauland said, sipping a glass of rose at a lakeside Italian restaurant in Potsdam. “Her time is up — we want her to leave the political …

READ MORE

The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Europe that if it threatened Tehran, the Guards would increase the range of missiles to above 2,000 kilometers, the Fars news agency reported Saturday. France has called for an “uncompromising” dialogue with Iran about its ballistic missile program and a possible negotiation over the issue separate from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is defensive and not negotiable. “If we have kept the range of our missiles to 2,000 kilometers, it’s not due to lack of technology. … We are following a strategic doctrine,” …

READ MORE

Thousands of people marched in protests held in countries around the world Saturday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In Paris, hundreds marched after French President Emmanuel Macron announced an initiative to address violence and harassment against women in the country. He said 123 women had been killed by a partner or former partner in France in 2016. Macron said plans included strengthening the law against those who commit violence against women, encouraging women to take action, and increasing education on the issue — starting from nursery school. He said he hoped to erase …

READ MORE

The fugitive leader of Catalonia’s separatist movement has launched his campaign for the upcoming Catalan elections from Belgium, where he awaits extradition. Carles Puigdemont, who wants to be re-elected as regional president, launched “Together for Catalonia” from Bruges on Saturday. Spanish media reports that 90 of the candidates he chose traveled from Catalonia in northeastern Spain to the Belgian city for the launch. Puigdemont and four former members of his government fled to Belgium following a declaration of independence by Catalonia’s parliament on Oct. 27 and a swift crackdown by Spanish authorities, which included firing his government and calling regional …

READ MORE

President Emmanuel Macron has announced an initiative to address violence and harassment against women in France, with plans aimed at erasing the sense of shame that breeds silence among victims and changing France’s sexist culture. In a speech on Saturday marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Macron laid out a plan to encourage women to take action, strengthen laws against offenders and educating citizens on the issue – starting from nursery school. He said that 123 women died of violence against them in France last year. Holding a moment of silence for them, he said: …

READ MORE

The politically fraught trial of a Turkish-Iranian businessman accused of running a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran gets underway next week but is widely expected to start without the main suspect: Reza Zarrab. Zarrab is a 33-year-old multimillionaire of dual Iranian-Turkish citizenship with business interests in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and ties to the governments of Turkey and Iran. He was arrested in Florida in March 2016 while on a family trip to Disney World and later moved to New York to face criminal charges of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions between 2010 and 2015 …

READ MORE

A fire at a luxury hotel in the Georgian Black Sea resort city of Batumi left 11 people dead and 21 others hurt, officials said Saturday.  The fire erupted late Friday evening at the Leogrand Hotel and Casino where participants in the Miss Georgia 2017 beauty pageant were having dinner, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted the Georgian Interior Ministry as saying.   All 20 participants escaped unhurt using a fire escape ladder, it said. At least 100 other guests and employees also escaped.   Eleven people died and 21 were injured, the ministry reported. Those hurt included one Israeli and …

READ MORE

Pope Francis heads to Myanmar and Bangladesh with the international community excoriating Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims as “ethnic cleansing,” but his own church resisting the label and defending Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi as the only hope for democracy. Francis will thus be walking a fraught diplomatic tightrope during the Nov. 27-Dec. 2 visit, which will include separate meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi, the powerful head of Myanmar’s military as well as a small group of Rohingya once Francis arrives in neighboring Bangladesh. Francis has defined his papacy by his frequent denunciations of injustices committed against …

READ MORE

Poles held demonstrations in cities across the country Friday to protest plans by the ruling party to push through laws that would give it greater control over the courts and the national election commission. The protesters rallied under the slogan “Free courts, free elections, free Poland” after lawmakers voted earlier in the day to give preliminary approval to the changes. Protests were also held abroad, including in Chicago, London and Dublin. The ruling Law and Justice party has already pushed through two laws that have given it greater power over the Constitutional Tribunal and ordinary courts. Two other bills on …

READ MORE

Covert attempts by Russia to support Catalonia’s independence bid using disinformation and cyberattacks to support separatists may be part of a long-term strategy to penetrate and gain control not only of Spain’s wealthy northeastern region but also other parts of Europe, Spanish officials tell VOA. Spain and NATO are investigating allegations that thousands of social media trolls or robot accounts were set up in Russia to amplify distorted or “fake news” items aimed at influencing a referendum for independence held October 1 in Catalonia. No direct link has yet been established between the Russian government and the cyberattack, but much …

READ MORE

Syria’s main opposition group selected a new chief negotiator on Friday ahead of a new round of U.N.-backed peace negotiations with the Damascus government set to kick off next week. Nasr Hariri said the opposition was going to Geneva on Nov. 28 to hold direct talks and was ready to discuss “everything on the negotiating table.” The announcement came at a summit in Riyadh where, a day before, the opposition stuck by its demand that President Bashar al-Assad play no role in an interim period, despite speculation that it could soften its stance because of Assad’s battlefield strength. The opposition …

READ MORE

The security minister of the Ukrainian region of Luhansk says he is taking over power from regional chief Igor Plotnitsky, who said earlier in the week that a coup attempt was trying to force him out of office. Security Minister Leonid Pasechnik said Friday that he was taking over after Plotnitsky resigned for health reasons. There was no verification of the claim from Plotnitsky. Both men are part of a pro-Russian rebel group that has ruled Luhansk for several years but has recently been troubled by infighting. “Today, Igor Venediktovich Plotnitsky resigned for health reasons. Multiple war wounds, the effects …

READ MORE