European governments rush to impose harsh measures to halt a massive increase in coronavirus infections across the continent. The partial lockdowns and other regulations impact millions of people from East to West.
Authorities in Belarus have authorized police to use lethal force if necessary against anti-government protesters, prompting more European Union sanctions. The move comes after officials confirmed that at least 713 people were detained since Sunday during mass protests against the reelection of the country’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in a disputed vote.
China and Russia were among 15 countries elected to the UN Human Rights Council on October 13, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and the United States over their abysmal human rights records.
Protesters overturned statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in Portland, Ore., ahead of Monday’s federal Columbus Day holiday.
In a major policy shift, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged world leaders to stop “using lockdowns as your primary control method” against the coronavirus amid fears they lead to as many as 100 million deaths.
The European Union has told the Palestinian Authority that it cannot have extra EU funding while Ramallah refuses to accept its own tax money collected by Israel, the Jerusalem Post reports. Anticipating Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced in May that he would cease all cooperation with Israel.
France and Germany said on Wednesday they would propose European Union sanctions against Russian individuals after receiving no credible answers from Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.
Officials in the former Soviet nation of Kyrgyzstan say they have annulled the results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections after violent protests in the capital Bishkek killed at least one person.
Germany’s government has condemned the latest anti-Semitic attack that overshadowed the 30th-anniversary commemoration of the reunification of Germany.
The United Nations has confirmed the names of most of the candidates running for seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council in elections tentatively set for next week, and the expected return of the likes of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will draw attention once again to the justification given by the Trump administration in 2018 for its decision to withdraw.
The European Central Bank (ECB) says it moves towards issuing a digital version of the euro currency that critics fear could replace banknotes.
Armenia says it is ready to discuss a ceasefire in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in recent days has killed dozens and left scores wounded. The announcement comes amid international calls to end the most significant escalation in years.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to speak to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday to “take stock” of negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade deal and to “discuss next steps,” a British government spokesman said.
The European Union said Thursday it will take legal action against the British government for violating the terms of their Brexit agreement.
The European Union is considering the possible high-risk deployment of EU military observers to Libya in the event a ceasefire holds in the war-torn North African country, Politico reports. Libya has been the scene of a years-long civil war between Tripoli’s UN-backed Government of National Accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, and rebel General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
The European Union’s executive has rejected a demand by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to dismiss its top rule of law official for comments about Hungary’s ‘ailing democracy.’
The Trump administration may close its embassy in Iraq if the government does not take steps to protect it from attacks by Iranian-backed militants.
There is mounting concern about the plight of persecuted Christian refugees in Hungary despite government pledges to help them.
Authorities in Belarus have admitted detaining hundreds of people in a weekend of massive protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko across the country.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene an international conference early next year to launch “a genuine peace process” between Israel and the Palestinians.