The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) demanded Monday a two-month moratorium on COVID-19 “booster shots” to reduce vaccine inequality. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned wealthy nations for stockpiling vaccines as poorer countries struggle to administer coronavirus jabs to their people.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Afghanistan during a phone call and agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination on Afghan issues, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West not to interfere in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul, amid signs that China and Russia are increasing their footprint there. The authoritarian leader said Western nations “must stop the irresponsible policy of imposing foreign values from abroad.”
Western allies of the United States struggle to respond to the Islamist Taliban group’s return to power in Afghanistan amid reports of killings and thousands fleeing the country. They also expressed concerns about the situation at a just-concluded virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the NATO military alliance.
Much of Europe endured record temperatures as soaring heat, dubbed the Lucifer anti-cyclone, moved in amid ongoing wildfires in several countries.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that the takeover of Afghanistan by the Islamist Taliban group went more quickly than anticipated. Still, he defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the war-torn country. “American troops should not die in a war that Afghans are not willing to fight for themselves,” he told the nation in televised remarks from the White House.
Turkish authorities struggled to save lives as floods at the Black Sea coast killed dozens of people. The death toll from severe floods and mudslides along the Black Sea coast has climbed to at least 51, the country’s emergency and disaster agency said.
Russia and China are holding massive military exercises in north-central China involving more than 10,000 troops amid shared concerns over the instability in Afghanistan and tensions with the West, officials confirmed.
Apocalyptic scenes ranging from droughts to massive fires and floods are making life difficult for millions of people worldwide. For example, thousands have fled wildfires in Greece where, after a small break, another heatwave with temperatures of over 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit) was on its way — with the potential to worsen the situation.
Lyubov Sobol, a prominent ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has left Russia days, Russian media reported late Sunday.
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has condemned U.S. President Joe Biden for calling him an “authoritarian tug.”
Greece is among the worst affected countries by deadly wildfires raging through the Balkans, Italy, and the southeastern Mediterranean. Fires rampaged through some of Greece’s last remaining forests for yet another day Saturday, after thousands fled by land and by sea.
The head of a group helping people fleeing Belarus has been found dead near his home in neighboring Ukraine, officials said Monday. Vitaly Shishov’s body was found hanged in a park in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv a day after he failed to return from a jog, according to police.
Poland says it has granted a humanitarian visa to a sprinter from Belarus who refused her team’s order to fly home early from the Olympics. The offer to Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was due to lead to asylum in the European Union nation amid growing political and social turmoil in Belarus.
The autocratic president of Belarus says he is ready to invite Russian troops into his nation if required for the security of both Belarus and Russia. Alexander Lukashenko’s comments were due to raise tensions with the international community.
A Belarusian Olympic athlete who criticized her nation’s authoritarian leadership and coaches wants asylum in a European Union nation, Worthy News learned Sunday.
Pro-Life doctors and Christian groups are under pressure after the European Parliament passed a resolution saying that abortion is a “human right” and condemned opponents.
Christians expressed concerns Thursday about new religious legislation in Azerbaijan that bars churches from naming leaders without state approval.
Tunisia plunged into the worst social unrest in years Monday, with the main political parties accusing the president of staging a coup.
Russian anti-aircraft artillery systems in Syria intercepted a number of missiles launched by Israel in airstrikes this week in an area southeast of Aleppo, according to a Russian military official.