Mario Draghi has formally accepted the role of Italy’s next prime minister and will be sworn in on Saturday. Mr Draghi, the ex-head of the European Central Bank, has named his cabinet after meeting the Italian president. He has secured the support of almost all the main political parties, following the collapse of the previous […]
Coronavirus pandemic The EU was late to authorise Covid-19 vaccines and “still not where we want to be”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. She also acknowledged the EU had been overconfident about production targets being met amid delays at factories. The Commission chief has come under fire for the EU’s slow […]
George Floyd death The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has won Sweden’s Olof Palme human rights prize for 2020. Organisers said the movement was honoured for promoting “peaceful civil disobedience against police brutality and racial violence” across the globe. They noted that about 20 million people had taken part in Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests […]
EU-UK post-Brexit trade deal The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised the EU’s announcement of export controls on vaccines produced within the bloc, saying such measures risked prolonging the pandemic. The EU introduced the measure amid a row with vaccine manufacturers over delivery shortfalls. But WHO vice-head Mariangela Simao said it was a “very worrying […]
A controversial near-total ban on abortion in Poland has taken effect, the government announced, with enforcement from midnight on Wednesday. A court ruling allowing the prohibition prompted huge protests when it was issued in October. Abortion is now allowed only in cases of rape or incest or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the […]
Russian anti-Putin campaigner Alexei Navalny has denounced his detention as “blatantly illegal” in an appeal hearing via video link. A judge heard, and then rejected, his appeal against detention for 30 days. He was arrested on 17 January for not complying with a suspended sentence. He had only just arrived from Berlin, where he spent […]
Coronavirus pandemic The head of AstraZeneca has defended its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the EU, amid tension with member states over delays in supply. Pascal Soriot told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his team was working “24/7 to fix the very many issues of production of the vaccine”. He said production was “basically two months […]
By Anthony Deutsch 3 MIN READ AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands braced on Tuesday for a fourth consecutive night of coronavirus anti-lockdown riots, with some shops boarding their windows and sending staff home early for safety. riots broke out across the country Dutch police detained more than 180 people on Monday night, when roaming groups […]
Russia has accused Western countries of encouraging rallies in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Tens of thousands defied a heavy police presence to join the rallies on Saturday. More than 3,500 were detained, monitors say. But President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman the next day claimed only “a few” people had turned out. European Union foreign […]
Russian police have detained more than 3,000 people in a crackdown on protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, monitors say. Tens of thousands of people defied a heavy police presence to join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years. In Moscow, riot police were seen beating and dragging […]
