новини

The International Organization for Migration reports efforts are ongoing to rescue around 200 migrants, from Somalia and Ethiopia, who have been kidnapped in Libya and are being held for ransom. News of the kidnappings and illegal detentions in Libya first surfaced in a video, which appeared on Facebook on June 9. The International Organization for Migration says families of the missing men and women have received ransom demands based on short video clips depicting scenes of active torture. IOM spokesman Joel Millman told VOA the source of the video is not known, but there is little doubt as to its …

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Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl died at his home in Ludwigshafen in the former West Germany. He was 87 years old. Kohl was renowned for his role in reunifying Germany after the opening of the Berllin Wall and for recording the longest tenure of any Democratically-elected chancellor in German history. Kohl served for 16 years, from 1982-1998, and oversaw the end of the Cold War. Kohl also led the unification of communist East Germany with the West in 1990. Kohl was recognizable because of his abnormally large frame. The former chancellor stood 1.9 meters tall and weighed over 130 kilograms …

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French President Emmanuel Macron promoted his pro-European views in a series of meetings Friday with leaders of The Netherlands, Spain and Estonia in Paris, as Brexit negotiations are set to start next week. Macron met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas and had a working lunch with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Estonia will lead the work of the 28 EU member states for six months starting from July. Defense and security issues, migration and climate change are among France’s priorities for a European summit scheduled next week. In a joint statement in the …

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China’s recent detention of Wu Xiaohui, head of the massive insurance conglomerate Anbang Insurance company, is seen by some as a crucial turning point in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on wealthy corrupt business people, or “big crocodiles” as they are called here. But that turning point is not without its risks, analysts note, given that Wu is said to have powerful political backers and millions of policy holders. Until recently, Anbang Insurance company was on a global buying spree. The company claims to have nearly $300 billion in assets and was behind some of China’s most high-profile overseas acquisitions …

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The United States has expressed concern about a disaster relief center Russia is operating in Serbia, which some Western groups and military analysts see as a subtly disguised military base set up by the Kremlin to spy on U.S. interests in the Balkans. The U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee, discussed “the so-called humanitarian center” in Serbia this week with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Yee said the United States was concerned about the Russian base in Niš, close to Serbia’s border with Kosovo, “not so much for what it is now, but …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government said on Thursday it would launch her policy program next week, a sign of confidence she will strike a deal to stay in power after days of political uncertainty since losing her majority. Conservative Party sources say May wants to show her government is up and running but her loss of authority in last week’s election will make it harder to handle a hectic agenda – Brexit talks with the EU, tackling a slowing economy, a political crisis in Ireland, and a devastating fire in London. The pound rose after the Bank of England …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual marathon call-in show, Direct Line, is usually a carefully crafted production designed to show how the Kremlin’s top guy cares about ordinary people’s concerns and quickly responds to resolve issues that local officials ignore. The nationwide show has state television reporters in far-flung parts of the country set up with citizens to ask Putin obviously scripted questions. Other questions are chosen from callers, sent in recorded messages or come from the selected audience.   Most questions this year, like every year, were fairly bland, pandering, or focused on specific and recurring issues such as fixing …

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Greece’s European lenders agreed Thursday to release another $9.5 billion of a desperately needed bailout installment, while holding out the hope of debt relief. All sides reached a deal in Luxembourg Thursday after months of often bitter negotiations. The European Union’s top economy official, France’s Pierre Moscovici, said Greece has respected its commitments for economic reforms and that it is now time for its creditors to “take their’s.” Bankruptcy looming The Greek people need to see the “light at the end of the tunnel of austerity,” Moscovici said. Greece has implemented more tough spending cuts and tax hikes in exchange …

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French President Emmanuel Macron laid out his vision for a digital future on Thursday, saying he wants France to undergo a revolution so that it becomes a country that “thinks and moves like a startup.” Speaking at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, Macron repeated he wanted to reform labor laws to give more decision-making powers to companies and lower corporate tax. The state should act as an enabler — not a constraint — for innovators and entrepreneurs, he said. The French president said he would limit the wealth tax to cover just property in order to help businesses, and …

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