In a historic move, the Council of Europe exiled Russia from the continent’s premier human rights body over Russian military operations in Ukraine. According to a statement issued by the 47-nation Council of Europe’s committee of ministers, “the Russian Federation will no longer be a member of the Council of Europe as of today.” Russia
A number of COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in France on Monday, removing the need for face masks in most settings and letting people who aren’t vaccinated back into public venues like restaurants and sports stadiums, and other public places. Earlier this month, the French government announced the move in response to the improvement in hospital
People around the globe are showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine with a creative way to send them funds: by booking Airbnb that they never plan to check in. In just past 7 days, people have booked well over 434,000 nights in Ukrainian cities via Airbnb. In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Volodymyr Bondarenko,
A well-respected epidemiologist who was considered the architect of Sweden’s pandemic approach, which avoided lockdowns but caused the Scandinavian country to earn one of the highest total deaths per capita due to COVID-19, joins the World Health Organization. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Swedish Public Health Agency said Anders Tegnell would begin working with
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting through eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine at a time when Russia is intensifying its war against the former Soviet republic. Antony blinken was in the Polish city of Rzeszow on Saturday for discussions with top Polish officials. He was scheduled to visit a border
A draft decree seen by Reuters on Tuesday shows that Italy plans to set aside nearly four billion euros ($4.5 billion) by 2030 to promote chip manufacturing on its own soil and support innovative technologies. An effort is underway by the government to persuade Intel to invest billions of euros in a new chipmaking plant
Lebanon’s interior minister said Wednesday that the government had thwarted attempts by Islamic State group members to carry out three attacks near the capital Beirut that were likely to cause many civilian casualties. Bassam Mawlawi said that the would-be attackers, among whom two have already been detained, are all Palestinians who had recruited young men
Western sanctions are limiting Moscow’s access to financial markets and high-tech goods in case it attacks Ukraine, a top EU official said on Saturday. EU sanctions may be in place before Russia attacks the country, the official said. In the midst of rising tensions over Russia’s intentions toward Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s
Increased costs in energy, housing, and transportation have squeezed household budgets in the U.K., causing inflation to rise at its fastest pace in almost 30 years. The U.S. consumer price index rose 7.5% last month, the highest rate in 40 years, while the eurozone’s 19 countries saw their prices rise a record 5.1% last month.
German hospital data released on Thursday shows that most COVID-19 patients in intensive care are not vaccinated. Germany’s intensive care association DIVI found that 62% of its ICU patients without known vaccine status had not been immunized against the Coronavirus. Germany has about a quarter of its population without vaccinations. The report said nearly 10%
NATO has announced Tuesday that its 30 member nations will hold a virtual meeting this week to assess the situation in Ukraine and progress in negotiations with Russia. In an extraordinary meeting on Friday, the alliance’s members will commence a week of intense diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between the former Cold War foes and
Because of the recent emergence of COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant, Universal Orlando is reintroducing its mask requirements as of Christmas Eve. There have been four times as many Coronavirus cases daily in Florida in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC reports a 12% increase in
