News

European Commission Warns Against Rapprochement With Russia
16Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
News, Europe, Russia

European Commission Warns Against Rapprochement With Russia

Anyone who seeks rapprochement with Russia must be careful, the European Commission warns.   The poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny "does not stand alone", but fits in "a pattern," said President Ursula von der Leyen. The committee chairman does not see anything in strengthening the ties with the big neighbour, as the French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, regularly suggests. She points to the pattern of ruthless aggression against Kremlin opponents "in Georgia, Ukraine, Syria and Salisbury" and attempts to "manipulate elections around the world. This pattern is not changing. And no pipeline will change that," warned Von der Leyen with reference to the gas pipeline on which Russia works together with European countries. In order to make a fist on t...
Read More
Navalny Shares Photo From Hospital: I Can Breathe Again
15Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
News

Navalny Shares Photo From Hospital: I Can Breathe Again

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny shared a cheerful photo from the hospital in Berlin. He sits up in bed, surrounded by family members.   Navalny writes that he can breathe without support again. "Hello, Navalny here, I miss you all," the politician wrote on Instagram. "There is not much I can do, but yesterday I was able to breathe on my own all day long". The hospital had already announced that things were going better for the Kremlin critic, who could also leave his bed again for short periods. Russian President Vladimir Putin's well-known opponent ended up in a Russian hospital in August. He had suddenly become very ill on board a domestic flight and was eventually transferred to Germany for further treatment. There, researchers found that Navalny has been poisoned w...
Read More
Almost A Thousand New Corona Infections in Germany
14Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Germany, Europe, News

Almost A Thousand New Corona Infections in Germany

The number of corona infections in Germany increased by 927 on Sunday to 260,355.   The number of cases in the past 7 days is, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), at over 9,000. The death toll has increased to 9,350. The increase of 927 is significantly lower than at the end of last week. 1,900 new cases were reported on Thursday and over 1,400 on Friday.
Read More
President Alexandr Lukashenko Has Limited Support From the Government of Russia
11Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Belarus, News, Russia

President Alexandr Lukashenko Has Limited Support From the Government of Russia

The controversial Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko has limited support from the government of Russia.   "I see that Putin supports him, but not overly actively", Tichanovskaja (38), who has fled under pressure to Lithuania. She is currently in Poland, where she takes part, among other things, in an economic forum. Lukashenko is in Russia on Monday for a "work meeting" with the Russian president, the Kremlin confirmed Friday. Putin has a wait-and-see attitude, Tichanovskaya sees. "He has not sent any soldiers, he is on the sidelines and observes," said the politician, who once again called on Moscow to respect its country's sovereignty. Putin has previously pledged aid to the neighbouring country. He has a police force on hand in case the massive protests against Lukashenk...
Read More
Uber Wants to Drive Half of its Journeys Electrically by 2025
9Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
News

Uber Wants to Drive Half of its Journeys Electrically by 2025

Uber aims to be an emission-free mobility platform by 2040. In addition, the services in Amsterdam must be provided for 100 percent by 2025 by vehicles that do not emit harmful substances.   In Brussels and other European capitals, Uber wants to drive at least half of the kilometres emission-free by 2025. The technology company behind the well-known taxi app presents itself as a mobility platform. By 2040, all Uber journeys must be in zero-emission vehicles and through public transportation and other clean solutions. According to Uber, by 2025, at least half of all kilometres travelled in seven capital cities will be driven by emission-free vehicles. In addition to Amsterdam, it concerns Brussels, Berlin, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris. Amsterdam must be a forerunner in the pla...
Read More
US House of Representatives Investigates CEO of the Postal Service
8Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
US, News

US House of Representatives Investigates CEO of the Postal Service

The monitoring committee of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US parliament, is investigating Louis DeJoy, the boss of the USPS state postal service, The Washington Post reports.   The Democrats, who are in the majority in the House of Representatives, want DeJoy to be immediately suspended after allegations of campaign money fraud. The Washington Post previously reported that DeJoy had asked his former employees for donations for friendly Republican politicians. Employees who donated were subsequently reimbursed for that money in the form of bonuses. Such campaign finance practices are prohibited by federal law in the United States. Chuck Schumer, Democrats in the Senate group chairman, already called on the North Carolina prosecutor on Monday to investigate D...
Read More
California Governor Declares A State of Emergency Over Wildfires
7Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
US, News

California Governor Declares A State of Emergency Over Wildfires

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five areas on Sunday (local time) over wildfires.   These include Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego, the governor's office said in a statement. Numerous wildfires have ravaged the US state of California for three weeks. Eight people died and about 3,300 buildings destroyed. Since Friday evening, a major fire has been raging in the area around Fresno that has already destroyed more than 18,000 hectares of nature. The US authorities evacuated at least 200 campers stranded by the wildfires by air. According to the local fire service, 20 to 30 people were injured, some seriously. As far as is known, there have been no deaths. Injured people are transferred to Fresno Yosemite International Airport,...
Read More
The Second Survivor Removed From the Sea From Disaster Freighter Japan
4Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Japan, News

The Second Survivor Removed From the Sea From Disaster Freighter Japan

Japanese rescue workers have rescued a second crew member from a cargo ship that sank in a severe storm this week.   It concerns a 30-year-old Filipino who floated on a life raft on the sea a few kilometres from the remote Japanese island of Kodakarajima. Earlier, a 45-year-old officer was rescued from the Philippines. The cargo ship Gulf Livestock 1 had more than 40 people on board and 6,000 cows. The crew sent a distress signal when the ship ran into trouble some 115 miles west of Amami Ōshima Island. That happened on Wednesday when Typhoon Maysak crossed the area. The Japanese coast guard set out with three boats, five planes and divers to search for survivors. Most of the crew are from the Philippines, but there were also New Zealanders and Australians onboard.
Read More
Beijing Receives First International Flight in Five Months
3Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
China, News

Beijing Receives First International Flight in Five Months

An international passenger flight landed in Beijing on Thursday for the first time in more than five months.   Airport workers in protective suits greeted passengers who had left the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on an Air China plane. The international airport of the Chinese capital was closed since March 23 due to the corona pandemic. Flights were diverted to other cities. With strict security measures, passengers from Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Canada are now welcome again. According to the Chinese authorities, the virus is sufficiently under control in these countries. During a trial period, up to five hundred passengers are allowed to travel on direct international flights to Beijing daily, according to state television. Anyone boardin...
Read More
Taiwan Passports Overhauled to Avoid Confusion
2Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Taiwan, News

Taiwan Passports Overhauled to Avoid Confusion

Taiwan will adopt the design of passports to prevent citizens from being mistaken for Chinese people abroad. The island state is formally called the Republic of China, and that is also stated on the travel documents.   According to the authorities, residents sometimes have difficulty entering certain countries. The new passport, due to be issued in January, features the word "Taiwan" much more prominently. The big English words "Republic of China" are being deleted. These can confuse because communist China has a similar official name: People's Republic of China. The Taiwanese parliament also approved a proposal to change the name of the national airline earlier this year. It has the name China Airlines and is therefore sometimes mistaken for a Chinese organization. The Chinese na...
Read More