An economic forum, known as “Gaidar” opened on Thursday in Moscow to address Russia’s economic woes. With “Russia and the World: Looking into the future” as the theme, the 2016 Gaidar Forum has become one of the most influential platforms since it was opened in 2010. It is an annual event held in mid-January by the Russian Presidency. Addressing the forum, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the Russian government is anticipating the worst, […]
Europe
French Alps avalanche hits school group, three dead
The northeastern French ski resort of Les Deux Alpes was on Wednesday night (January 13) in shock after three people died in an avalanche late in the afternoon, and after the judicial authority announced an investigation was being opened to determine responsibilities, as the killed and injured skiers were on a closed slope. The avalanche hit a school group of 19 teenagers and one of their teachers from a high school in Lyon, and other […]
Paris square lights up in France’s tricolor, one year after Charlie attacks
The Place de la Republique, a square in Paris, was lit up in the colors of the French flag on Sunday night (January 10) to commemorate victims of Islamist militant attacks last year. Hundreds of people, including Parisians and sympathizers from around France and other countries trooped to the square for the event. It capped a week of commemoration events, one year after two brothers shot editorial staff members of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. France […]
International agencies start to transfer aids to besieged areas in Syria
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday that they started to transfer relief materials to some 60,000 residents of three besieged towns in Syria. Loaded with foods, medicines, blankets and other aid materials, 49 trucks arrived in the town of Madaya, which located in Damascus suburbs, and towns of Foua and Kefraya, both of which are near Turkey. Data shows about 40,000 residents in Madaya, and other 20,000 in Foua and Kefraya, […]
Merkel says Europe is vulnerable in refugee crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday (January 11) that Europe was “vulnerable” in the refugee crisis because it was not yet in control of the situation to the extent that it would like to be. “Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have,” […]
Denmark to send 120 soldiers to fight IS in Iraq’s Anbar Province
In February, Denmark will send 120 soldiers to the west Iraqi province of Anbar to fight Islamic State (IS), along with their peers from other 30-plus countries. At the Hoeveltes Military Base, these soldiers have been getting together for training. And in a few weeks, this class will be fighting in a war zone — Anbar Province, 158 kilometers outside Baghdad and is actually inside IS-controled area. It is not far from the key city […]
Greek conservatives elect new leader to challenge PM Alexis Tsipras
Greek conservatives elected Kyriakos Mitsotakis as their new leader on Sunday (January 10), hoping he can revive their fortunes and challenge leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, still popular despite opting for austerity. The conservative New Democracy party seeks to recover from its heavy election defeat in September, when Greeks re-elected Tsipras’ Syriza party amid capital controls on bank deposits and a harsh third bailout with the country’s foreign lenders. Mitsotakis, a 47-year reformist lawmaker and […]
British astronaut records message in space for Queen Elizabeth
Britain’s first astronaut in 24 years sent a message from space to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Monday (January 4), saying he hoped his mission would inspire others to change the world. Former Apache military helicopter Tim Peake, 43, thanked the Queen for her message of best wishes which he received in December. He described looking down on the British Isles from space as incredible and said he hoped to demonstrate the strength of international collaboration. […]
Sandbags dropped in northern England to boost flood defense
Emergency services boosted river defenses in England’s Croston village on Tuesday (December 29) after warnings of more rain raised concerns it would be hit by further flooding. The village in Lancashire has been severely battered by heavy rain in recent weeks, leaving many homes without power. Severe flood warnings were issued for Croston because of the gap in its flood defenses, the Environment Agency said. A Chinook helicopter carrying sandbags was flown into the area […]
Cameron says sees “pathway” to EU reform deal
Prime Minister David Cameron said early on Friday morning he could see a pathway to a deal to keep Britain in the European Union after speaking at a EU summit dinner in Brussels. “What I would say is there’s a pathway through this to a deal in February. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but what I sensed tonight in the room, that there’s a lot of goodwill, there is momentum, people […]
Final climate draft unveiled
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented a landmark global climate accord on Saturday, a “historic” measure for transforming the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turn the tide on global warming. At the tail end of the hottest year on record and after four years of fraught U.N. talks often pitting the interests of rich nations against poor, imperiled island states against rising economic powerhouses, Fabius urged officials from nearly 200 nations to support […]
Ban Ki-moon calls for final push for climate agreement based on ‘global vision’
PARIS, Dec. 12 (PNA/Xinhua) — Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on negotiators and ministers to reach a final outcome the Paris climate talks. “As secretary general of the United Nations, I’m urging the negotiators to make their decision, based on global vision,” he said, adding that “this is not the moment of talking about national perspectives.” “A low-carbon economy will help implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted […]





