новини

The six other nations of the Group of Seven (G-7) agreed to affirm their commitment to the Paris climate agreement, while awaiting a decision by the Trump administration as to whether the U.S. will stay in the pact. “The United States is evaluating its policy with regard to the climate, so the six other G-7 countries will reaffirm their commitment [to the global Paris accord] while taking note” of the U.S. position, AFP quoted a French official as saying.   U.S. officials have said President Trump, who referred to man-made global warming as a “hoax” during his successful presidential campaign …

READ MORE

Sur, a central district in Diyarbakir that was destroyed in the monthslong clashes in 2015 between Turkish security forces and the youth branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is finally being rebuilt. But some families are refusing to leave their homes, saying a state-sponsored subsidy is too low. Power and water to the district have been cut, meaning families have no electricity and must carry water for their needs. At night, the streets of Ali Pasa and Lalebey neighborhoods in Sur are mostly dark because of the power outage, with a few street lamps as the only light source. …

READ MORE

U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to talk about North Korea and counterterrorism at his first summit with leaders of the world’s industrialized democracies. But his counterparts had other ideas, especially regarding climate change. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman reports from the G-7 summit in Taormina, Italy. …

READ MORE

A picture of a smiling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flanked by EU President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker adorned much of Turkey’s pro-government media this week. “Erdogan got his picture of his handshake in Brussels, which is really only what he wanted,” said political science professor Cengiz Aktar, “because he is looking for legitimacy in his new position as strongman of Turkey.” Erdogan’s narrow referendum victory extending his presidential powers remains mired in vote-rigging allegations. EU leaders, unlike U.S. President Donald Trump, had refrained from endorsing his success. During the referendum campaign, Turkey’s relations with the …

READ MORE

He was quiet and withdrawn, a college dropout who liked soccer — and, some say, showed alarming signs of being radicalized years before he walked into a pop concert at Britain’s Manchester Arena and detonated a powerful bomb, killing himself and 22 others. While some claim Salman Abedi had been banned from the mosque he attended for statements glorifying terrorism and his angry rhetoric even prompted an acquaintance to report him to the authorities, others deny that account, saying he never showed any worrying or erratic behavior. The son of Libyan parents who immigrated to Britain in the early 1990s, …

READ MORE

The U.N. Children’s Fund is urging G-7 leaders meeting in Taormina, Sicily to adopt an action plan to keep refugee and migrant children safe, following the deaths of at least 200 refugee and migrants children this year. UNICEF reports the refugees and migrants children, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died along Mediterranean Sea routes from North Africa to Italy. Data from early 2017 shows a growing number of refugees and migrants are taking the perilous central Mediterranean route to reach Europe. According to UNICEF, more than 45,000 people, including some 5,500 unaccompanied and separated children, have arrived in Italy by sea. …

READ MORE

The United States takes “full responsibility” for the leaking of sensitive information in the aftermath of the suicide bombing in Manchester Monday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. On his first official trip to London Friday, Tillerson said the U.S. “regrets” that information was leaked after British officials complained about it appearing in various U.S. publications. “The president has been very strong in his condemnation and has called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those who are found to have been responsible for leaking any of this information to the public,” Tillerson said. The leaks led Britain to briefly …

READ MORE

Climate change was among the most contentious agenda items Friday at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Sicily, but both American and British government officials are publicly denying any major discord.   The leaders had a “very good discussion” about climate issues, British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters, adding there was “no doubt around the table” — which included U.S. President Donald Trump — about how important the issue is.   Trump “is taking in what he learned from world leaders today” to make his decision on whether to honor Washington’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions under …

READ MORE

Leaders of the world’s rich nations braced for contentious talks with Donald Trump at a G-7 summit in Sicily Friday after the U.S. president lambasted NATO allies for not spending more on defense and accused Germany of “very bad” trade policies. Trump’s confrontational remarks in Brussels, on the eve of the two-day summit in the Mediterranean resort town of Taormina, cast a pall over a meeting at which America’s partners had hoped to coax him into softening his stances on trade and climate change. The summit will kick off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theater perched on a …

READ MORE

President Donald Trump says he is deeply troubled by leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester bombing investigation in Britain and promises an investigation. Leaked details about the probe, including the bomber’s name and police pictures of the evidence, have incensed British investigators. They briefly suspended sharing information with the U.S. Thursday. “I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter,” Trump said in Brussels Thursday. “If appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Watch: May on Pressing Trump About Manchester Intel Leaks Sharing …

READ MORE

Under a sunny spring sky, NATO on Thursday moved into brand new, shiny headquarters projecting a modern, forward-looking image that counters the characterization that U.S. President Donald Trump and other critics of the alliance have previously made of the organization. Amid the anxiety felt by some European leaders about the future, some see Thursday’s NATO summit — where discussions were driven largely by the latest spate of terrorist attacks in Europe — as a possibility for a new direction for the alliance. The sprawling, giant, steel-and-glass complex’s wings are meant to resemble interlocking fingers. It drew the admiration of U.S. President …

READ MORE