Nobel-winning author Handke declared ‘persona non grata’ in Sarajevo
The Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Wednesday declared Nobel Prize-winning Austrian author Peter Handke “persona non grata” over his support for late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and denial of the 1995 genocide in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
EU trumpets Green Deal as its ‘man on the moon moment’
The European Union’s new executive launched a Green Deal policy package to tackle climate change on Wednesday, trumpeting it as the bloc’s “man on the moon moment” – but fossil fuel-reliant eastern European states looked set to stall the initiative.
Factbox: What is von der Leyen’s ‘European Green Deal’?
Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European Union’s executive Commission, laid out the details of her “European Green Deal” on Wednesday, coinciding with a U.N. summit on the climate.
UK PM Johnson heads for Brexit election win in tightening race
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks on course to win Thursday’s election though the race has tightened markedly and he can no longer be sure of a majority, according to opinion polls published on the eve of the vote.
Chile former interior minister to face censure vote in Congress over rights abuses
Chile’s Senate began to vote Wednesday on whether to strip a former interior minister of his right to hold public office over allegations he failed to prevent abuses by security forces during days of violent protests.
Italian police seize documents from SIAS offices over Savona bridge collapse
Italian tax police said on Wednesday they seized documents from units of motorway operator SIAS, following the collapse last month of a bridge after a massive landslide caused by heavy rains in the northwestern region of Liguria.
Iran dismisses Macron’s call for release of two jailed French nationals: IRNA
Iran dismissed as interference in its state matters French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for the release of two French nationals jailed in the Islamic Republic since June, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday.
U.N. head demands bolder climate action or ‘we are doomed’
U.N. chief Antonio Guterres exhorted major world economies on Wednesday to signal more ambitious commitments to cut greenhouse emissions as climate talks in Madrid hit an intense phase.
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time’s Person of the Year
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2019, NBC’s Today show announced on Wednesday.
France’s prime minister defies unions with pension overhaul
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defied striking workers on Wednesday with plans for a long-anticipated overhaul of France’s byzantine pension system that he said would be fairer and encourage people to work longer.
