WORLD

The call for sanctions was made late on Monday after von der Leyen discussed the ongoing crisis with the Prime Ministers of Belarus’ immediate neighbors – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. “I am calling on Member States to finally approve the extended sanctions regime on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this …

The situation began changing as relations between the EU and Belarus deteriorated after the 2020 presidential elections followed by mass protests. The result of the election was rejected by the EU, with some of Belarus’ immediate EU neighbors actively supporting Belarusian opposition. New EU sanctions came after a commercial flight …

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) even incentivized soldiers to compete against each other to take photos of residents “with prizes for the most pictures collected by each unit,” according to the Washington Post. Soldiers were reportedly offered rewards such as a night off if they managed to take the most pictures. …

Politicians from Germany’s likely coalition government have drafted a law extending the country’s Covid-19 measures into next year, Bild reported on Monday. According to the report, the law will also contain harsh penalties for anyone caught forging so-called ‘vaccine passports’, including fines or up to two years’ imprisonment. Germany’s current …

Aerial footage from the frontier showed smoke rising from dozens of campfires and tents popping up in the forest, as lines of Polish police and what looked like the military gathered on the other side. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said more than 12,000 soldiers had been deployed to the …

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) revealed the Polish outbreaks on Monday, saying that five were documented in the eastern part of the country alone. Four of the instances were at turkey-fattening facilities, and one at a chicken broiler farm. Meanwhile in western Poland, another outbreak was discovered at …

Multiple news reports on Monday told the same story: Britain’s hospitals are seeing “14 times more coronavirus patients than this time last year,” and the country faces a “difficult winter,” as people gather indoors, where the virus is more likely to spread. The source of the “14 times” figure is Amanda …

Speaking to the press on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that CIA boss William Burns talked directly with Putin. This is unusual for the Russian leader, who typically delegates discussions with other foreign officials, generally preferring only to speak directly to heads of state. “They discussed bilateral relations and …

The marathon Mafia trial was held over the weekend and saw 91 defendants tried in a specially converted court room in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme. A total of 70 mobsters were convicted in the trial, one of the country’s largest ever. The charges against those on trial included …

Waiting to announce his decision on running for president until after the 2022 midterm elections is “probably appropriate,” Trump told Fox News this week. “I think a lot of people will be very happy, frankly, with the decision, and probably will announce that after the midterms,” the former president said, …