France

French virus surge threatens nationwide back-to-school plan

11:15 pm August 30, 2020

Paris: Not all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the country’s education minister acknowledged Sunday, as a persistent rise in coronavirus infections jeopardises the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million schoolchildren back into class this week. Like many governments around the world, France and Britain want to reopen schools starting Tuesday to reduce the […]

French minister: Not all classrooms can reopen

8:26 pm August 30, 2020

Paris: Not all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the education minister acknowledged Sunday, amid a persistent rise in coronavirus infections that is threatening the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million school children back in class. “It’s being decided by a day-by-day analysis based on the health situation of each territory,” Education Minister Jean-Michel […]

Top French military officer arrested; reported Russia ties

7:21 pm August 30, 2020

Paris: A senior French army officer based abroad has been arrested and handed preliminary treason charges for sharing highly sensitive intelligence with a foreign power, authorities said Sunday. Europe-1 radio reported that the lieutenant colonel is accused of passing “ultra-sensitive” information to Russian secret services. It reported that the officer served on a NATO base […]

Turkey vows to expand anti-PKK operations in northern Iraq

Turkey marks 1922 victory over Greece amid Med tensions

2:23 pm August 30, 2020

Ankara: Turkey marked the 98th anniversary of the decisive War of Independence battle against Greek forces Sunday as the threat of a new conflict with Athens looms in the eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey’s struggle for independence and future continues today as well,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a message to commemorate Victory Day. “It is absolutely not a coincidence that […]

China warns Norway against granting Nobel Peace Prize to Hong Kong democracy activists

7:28 pm August 28, 2020

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a rare visit to Norway, warned Oslo against granting the Nobel Peace Prize to Hong Kong pro-democracy activists much on the lines of awarding the prize to China’s human rights activist Liu Xiaobo and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in the past, causing strains in bilateral ties. […]