Europe

Italy’s Catholic church orders child sex abuse study

by Clément MELKI Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) — The new head of Italy’s Catholic Church announced Friday a study into clerical child sex abuse over the last 20 years, but survivors said it fell short of an independent inquiry. Pope Francis had called for a transparent annual audit of efforts to protect minors, as he seeks to restore trust in the Catholic Church following a global scandal. “It’s our duty, faced with so […]

Putin ready to help overcome food crisis if West lifts sanctions

Moscow is ready to make a “significant contribution” to averting a looming food crisis if the West lifts sanctions over Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday. Russia was slapped with unprecedented sanctions after Putin ordered troops into neighbouring Ukraine on February 24. The sanctions and military action have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both Russia and Ukraine. The two countries produce 30 percent of the […]

EU working on joint purchase of monkeypox vaccines

The EU is working on centralising purchases of vaccines and treatments for monkeypox, with details to be agreed in the “coming days,” the European Commission told AFP on Thursday. The push, through the commission’s Health Emergency and Preparedness Authority (HERA), comes as the EU’s disease agency said the number of monkeypox cases in humans worldwide in the current spread had reached 219. Former EU member Britain has the highest number of cases, at 71, followed […]

Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘genocide’ in Donbas region

Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of carrying out “an obvious policy of genocide” in his country’s eastern Donbas region. Moscow’s offensive in Donbas could end up leaving the region “uninhabited,” he said, accusing the Russians of wanting to reduce its cities to ashes. “All this, including the deportation of our people and the mass killings of civilians, is an obvious policy of genocide pursued by Russia,” he said […]

UK readies for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee

by Phil HAZLEWOOD Britain brings out the bunting next week for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, with four days of public events to mark her 70 years on the throne. Across the country, red, white and blue Union Jack are being hung for street parties, picnics and barbecues over four days from Thursday to Sunday. With two public holidays and the weekend, retailers and the hospitality sector in particular are hoping for a sales boost, […]

More than 200 cases of monkeypox worldwide: EU disease agency

The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide has reached 219 outside of countries where it is endemic, according to an update released by the European Union’s disease agency. More than a dozen countries where monkeypox is unusual, mostly in Europe, have reported at least one confirmed case, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in an epidemiological note released Wednesday night. “This is the first time that chains of transmission are […]

Zelensky rebukes West as Russia closes in on key Ukraine city

  by Charlotte Plantive with David Stout in Mykolaiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — Fierce battles raged in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, with Russian troops on the verge of encircling a key industrial city, as President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a bitter rebuke of the West for not doing enough to help Kyiv win the war. Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday described fighting outside of the industrial city of Severodonetsk, a key military goal […]

Putin fast-tracks Russian citizenship for residents of southern Ukraine

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree simplifying a procedure to obtain a Russian passport for residents of the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The southern region of Kherson is under the full control of Russian troops, while the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia is partially controlled by Moscow. Moscow and pro-Moscow officials have said both regions could become part of Russia. The official order published Wednesday came […]

WHO says monkeypox outbreak can still be contained

  The monkeypox outbreak that has been reported in 16 countries and several regions of the world can still be contained and the overall risk of transmission is low, the UN health agency said on Tuesday (24 May). “What we know from this virus and these modes of transmission, this outbreak can still be contained, it is the objective of the World Health Organization and Member States to contain this outbreak and to stop it,” […]

British retailer Marks and Spencer exits Russia

British clothing-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer on Wednesday announced a full exit from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. After halting product shipments to Russia at the start of March, Marks and Spencer said it had decided “to fully exit” its Russian franchise run by Turkish conglomerate Fiba Group. The exit, plus disruption to M&S operations in Ukraine run also by franchisee Fiba, is costing the British company £31 million ($39 million, 36 million […]

Russia intensifies Donbas offensive as war enters fourth month

by Charlotte Plantive with Dmitry Zaks in Severodonetsk and Patrick Fort in Kharkiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) —  Russian forces on Tuesday stepped up their offensive on the last pocket of resistance around Lugansk in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, as the conflict entered its fourth month. Since Moscow’s invasion in late February, Western support has helped Ukraine hold off its neighbor’s advances in many areas — including the capital Kyiv — but Russia […]

War crimes verdict looms as Russian offensive intensifies

    by Charlotte Plantive with Dmitry Zaks in Severodonetsk and Patrick Fort in Kharkiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — With a verdict due Monday in the conflict’s first war crimes trial, Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine is only intensifying, with the city of Severodonetsk under “round-the-clock” bombardment as Russian troops attempt its encirclement. The trial in Kyiv — seen as a public test of the Ukrainian judicial system’s independence — comes as […]