Deadly Fight Erupts Between Azerbaijan, Armenia
Fresh fighting erupted Thursday on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, dashing hopes of an end to the worst clashes between the neighbors in years.
World News
Pro-Western Party Wins Troubled Vote In North Macedonia
A pro-Western party in North Macedonia is trying to form a coalition government after it claimed victory in somewhat historic but troubled elections. The Balkan nation’s first national vote under a new state name faced a suspected hacking attack impacting the publishing of results.
Tensions Reignite Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over Nile Dam
New images captured in the last week by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite suggest that Ethiopia may have started filling its massive Nile River dam, as tensions over the project continue.
EU, India move closer to free trade deal
India and the European Union have vowed to deepen trade ties on Wednesday, with the two sides agreeing to set up a high-level ministerial dialogue on trade and investment.
Trump signs law authorizing China sanctions over Hong Kong crackdown
President Trump signed legislation Tuesday sanctioning Chinese officials and entities for China’s “repressive actions” against the people of Hong Kong, and issued an executive order ending the territory’s preferential treatment by the U.S.
U.S. plans to restrict Mexico, Canada border crossings until late August
The Trump administration is planning to extend restrictions barring non-essential travel across the Mexican and Canadian borders until at least late August as coronavirus cases and deaths continue to spike in the U.S. and Mexico, according to three people familiar with the plans.
Two More Explosions at Sensitive Sites in Iran
Iran saw two further explosions at sensitive sites Sunday, with fire at a petrochemical plant in the Khuzestan province and a blast in a building believed to hold gas cylinders in Tehran, Fox News reported. These incidents were the latest in a series of sometimes deadly, mysterious explosions that have been taking place at military or infrastructural sites since June 26.
EU states have yet to agree on coronavirus economic stimulus package
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a further summit of European Union member states may be required if Friday’s planned meeting fails to produce agreement on an economic stimulus package to help the bloc recover financially from COVID-19, the Washington Times reports.
France: ‘Over Eight Billion To Coronavirus-Fighting Health Workers’
The French government and unions have signed an agreement to give over eight billion euros in pay rises for the nation’s troubled health workers. France’s recently appointed Prime Minister Jean Castex said the move was overdue amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic in the European Union member state.
Saudi-Led Coalition Intercepts Ballistic Rockets, Drones Launched by Yemen’s Houthis
The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic rockets and seven drones laden with explosives launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis towards the kingdom.
Trump says U.S.-China relationship is ‘severely damaged,’ phase 2 trade deal not a priority
President Donald Trump said Friday that he isn’t thinking about a possible next stage of the U.S. trade deal with China, adding that the relationship between the two nations has been “severely damaged” by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: ‘I know how they treat whistleblowers’
Hong Kong scientist Dr. Li-Meng Yan was stepping into uncharted territory. Hours before she boarded an April 28 Cathay Pacific flight to the United States, the respected doctor who specialized in virology and immunology at the Hong Kong School of Public Health had plotted her escape, packing her bag and sneaking past the censors and video cameras on campus.
Netherlands will eliminate gender from ID cards
The gender field will soon no longer appear in the Identification cards (IDs) of citizens, the government of the Netherlands has announced.
Poland’s President Narrowly Re-Elected But Legal Challenges Expected
Poland’s incumbent conservative President Andrzej Duda has narrowly beaten his liberal challenger Rafal Trzaskowski in Sunday’s razor-blade tight presidential election. The National Electoral Commission said Duda won with 51.2 percent of the vote.
Bulgarians continue protests against government corruption
Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Sofia and at least 10 other Bulgarian towns for the fourth day Sunday in demonstrations against government corruption, VOA reports. During a march to Parliament in Sofia, more than 3,000 protestors called for the conservative government to resign with shouts of “Mafia!” The protests were triggered in support of socialist President Rumen Radev’s, after prosecutors and heavily armed police raided presidential offices on Thursday, VOA reported.
More explosions in Iran
Further explosions were reported Thursday night at yet another sensitive site in Iran, the Jerusalem Post reports. The latest in a series of blasts at industrial and infrastructural areas in Iran, Thursday’s explosions reportedly took place at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) missile depot west of Tehran.
Anti-migration Hungary Reimposes Coronavirus Measures on Selected Foreigners
Hungary’s fiercely anti-migration government warned Sunday it would reimpose far-reaching coronavirus restrictions on people arriving from nations with a moderate or high number of coronavirus infections. The measures include mandatory two-week quarantines or bans and other limitations.
Poland Voters Elect President As Country Seeks Direction
People in Poland went to the polls Sunday in what commentators called a razor-blade-close presidential election runoff amid a coronavirus pandemic. Voters were deciding whether to give another chance to the current conservative President Andrzej Duda, or to make the liberal mayor of Warsaw the next head-of-state.
Sober Ceremony Marks 25th Anniversary of Srebrenica Massacre
Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorated over the weekend the 25th anniversary of Europe’s worst atrocity since World War Two. Some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were shot end killed by invading Serb forces in and around the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in one of the darkest episodes of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Pompeo warns of potential restriction of Chinese TikTok app; US users may be ceding info to ‘Chinese Communists’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the Trump administration is considering restricting United States’ users’ access to the Chinese social media application TikTok over concerns it is potentially being used by the Beijing government as a means to surveil and propagandize people.