Новости за 12.11.2020

The European Union's executive Commission launched its first strategy to protect the rights of LGBT people on Thursday, a challenge to right-wing governments in Poland and Hungary that have become increasingly homophobic in the past year.

Around 100,000 Armenian civilians have fled their villages, homes and even their loved ones in the wake of a Moscow-backed truce that called for Armenia to hand over control of some areas it holds around the Nagorno-Karabakh region. FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago filed this report.

Lebanon's coronavirus infections crossed the 100,000 mark on Thursday, as the country prepared to enter a new two-week lockdown in a country where hospital capacity has been saturated. The health ministry said the number of people who have tested positive with Covid-19 had reached 100,703, including 775 deaths. Lebanon, with a population of around six million, is recording some 11,000 coronavirus infections on average each week, the ministry added in a statement Thursday. In a bid to stem the... Читать дальше...

North Macedonia will go to a major tournament for the first time in their history after a Goran Pandev goal gave the Balkan nation a 1-0 win away to Georgia in their Euro 2020 qualifying play-off final on Thursday. Pandev scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute in Tbilisi, allowing the country who sit 65th in FIFA's world rankings to secure their place in the finals of the postponed European Championship, which is now set to go ahead in June and July next year. They will go into Group... Читать дальше...

Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci said Thursday the coronavirus vaccine "cavalry" was on its way, bringing fresh hope as the world registered more than 10,000 deaths in just 24 hours, a record. The world-leading expert on infectious diseases said that after this week's much-trumpeted news that a vaccine developed by US drug giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech was 90 percent effective, another is "literally on the threshold of being announced." "The cavalry is coming, but don't put your... Читать дальше...

England were on Thursday granted permission to host next week's Nations League match against Iceland at Wembley after the UK Government issued a travel exemption for their opponents. It had been feared England would not be able to stage Wednesday's game because of coronavirus issues surrounding Iceland's match against Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday. Denmark has been subject of a travel ban since November 7 due to concerns over a new strain of Covid-19, putting the Wembley encounter in doubt as... Читать дальше...

Georgia coach Levan Maisashvili said Thursday that success for his side in the forthcoming Autumn Nations Cup would be about far more than raw results. The Lelos, starved of elite opposition outside of World Cups, face the daunting task of starting the new tournament against Six Nations champions England at Twickenham on Saturday before facing Wales and Ireland on successive weekends. "It's difficult to say what will be success, we cannot measure from wins or losses because we are starting against... Читать дальше...

Max Verstappen said Thursday that he would rather his head fall off than be teased by his father for using neck padding to survive the brutal G-forces expected at the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix this weekend. Red Bull's Dutch tyro said he had no intention of giving his father Jos any excuse to poke fun at him by giving in to the forces awaiting him on turn eight, which will generate up to 5G of load for around six seconds. That's enough to be a major concern to most drivers and their teams,... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis spoke with Joe Biden by telephone Thursday to offer "blessings and congratulations" to the US president-elect on his victory, the Democrat's transition team said in a statement. Former vice president Biden, 77, is only the second Catholic elected to the US presidency, after John F Kennedy in 1960. "The president-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness' leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common... Читать дальше...

Lewis Hamilton on Thursday said he wants his next Formula One contract with Mercedes to give him a greater role in the brand's "push for change". After making clear that he wanted to continue racing next year, but "nothing was set in stone", he said he was keen to be involved in helping Mercedes deliver a "green future" with their cars and to increase equality and diversity. "I'm always looking to see how we can improve," said Hamilton, who could claim a record-equalling seventh world title at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. Читать дальше...

Eleven days after hinting that he may retire, an enigmatic Lewis Hamilton on Thursday declared he was planning to carry on leading Mercedes' assault on the Formula One record books next year. But, he added, almost teasingly, that "nothing is set in stone". Hamilton was speaking on the eve of opening practice for this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix in which he can draw level with Michael Schumacher as a seven-time world champion. While sending a clear message that he loves his job, his sport and his team... Читать дальше...

Over half of French people have broken regulations governing the country's second coronavirus lockdown, a survey showed Thursday, as the government urged the population to play by the rules. The Ifop survey, which comes half-way through the new confinement period, confirmed that the French are taking the second nationwide shutdown far less seriously than the first in March-April. It showed that 60 percent had flouted the rules at least once, either by giving a false reason for going out on their... Читать дальше...

The European Union's health agency on Thursday said countries should step up tests on mink farms, after a potentially "problematic" variant of the coronavirus was discovered in animals in Denmark. "Infection prevention and control measures for mink farm workers and visitors" could help stop any spread, alongside increased testing of the animals themselves, said the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), which is mainly responsible for the 27 EU countries plus Britain. Mink are one of the few... Читать дальше...

Young Europeans are drinking less alcohol and also smoking less -- but are increasingly dabbling with cannabis, a continent-wide study showed Thursday. "Smoking and drinking among 15–16-year-old school students are showing signs of decline, but there are concerns over potentially risky cannabis use and the challenges posed by new addictive behaviour," according to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). ESPAD interviewed close on 100,000 15- and 16-year-olds across... Читать дальше...

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones insisted Thursday that his side are well aware of what's at stake as they bid to end a losing streak in their Autumn Nations Cup opener against Ireland. The Welsh will help kick-off the new tournament in Dublin on Friday on a run of five straight defeats. That sequence include last month's Six Nations defeat by Scotland in Llanelli -- their first loss on home soil to the Scots in 18 years. The fall-out from that match saw Wales defence coach Byron Hayward leave his post this week. Читать дальше...

Russia brokered a ceasefire deal on Monday that secured territorial advances for Azerbaijan in the ethnic Armenian breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. But some analysts say that Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia all benefit from the agreement while protests have sprung up in Armenia accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of betraying the national interest.

More than half of the French have broken the rules governing the second coronavirus lockdown, a survey showed Thursday, mid-way through the new confinement period, and as figures confirmed France now has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Europe.

People across Iran were shocked and horrified by a video posted on October 28 showing four young people in an SUV chasing down a wild goat, which eventually collapsed and died of exhaustion. Desert “safaris”, where people entertain themselves by riding around in all-terrain vehicles in the desert, have become increasingly popular in Iran. However, this incident highlights the negative impact of this booming industry on the environment, says our Observer.

Almost two weeks into a second lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told a news conference Thursday that it would "not be reasonable" to plan large events over the holiday season this year.

The Football Association has asked the government to allow England's UEFA Nations League match against Iceland on November 18 to be played at Wembley. The game looked set to be held in another country, most likely Germany, as the Icelandic team are not currently allowed into the country due to coronavirus travel restrictions. They play in Copenhagen on Sunday against Denmark -- a country subject to enhanced travel restrictions due to a new strain of Covid-19. "We have asked government to consider... Читать дальше...

Aid agencies are unable to bring food and health supplies to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, the UN warned on Thursday in the latest sign that the fighting there is intensifying. Analysts say that federal forces are facing a tough opponent in the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and that the conflict threatens to further destabilise other parts of Ethiopia.

The all-female W Series is linking up with Formula 1 next season to stage eight races on grand prix weekends, organisers announced on Thursday. The locations and dates of the rounds will be announced in due course. The W Series was launched in 2019, with drivers using identical 1.8-litre Formula 3 cars, but the 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last two races of 2020 season, in the United States and Mexico, had been scheduled to feature on the F1 support-race bill. Читать дальше...

Croatia defender Domagoj Vida was informed that he tested positive for Covid-19 after playing the first half of a friendly with Turkey in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Croatian football federation (HNS) said. All the Croatia squad and staff members tested negative on Monday but additional testing was carried out on Wednesday morning ahead of Saturday's Nations League match with Sweden, HNS said. The Croatia team's medical service received initial information on "one potentially positive result" during half-time of the Turkey match. Читать дальше...

Donald Trump is still refusing to concede the US presidential election, even though the results say Joe Biden is the clear winner. That means the Biden transition team is blocked from moving into federal office space or receiving government money to hire staff. If the president continues to dig in his heels, it could mean anything but a peaceful transfer of power. We take a closer look.

On Nov. 13, 1970, a young air force officer from the coastal hills of Syria launched a bloodless coup. It was the latest in a succession of military takeovers since independence from France in 1946, and there was no reason to think it would be the last.