Europe

ROME (AP) — A U.N. epidemiologist who publicly denounced the World Health Organization’s withdrawal of a report on Italy’s coronavirus response has resigned, citing the “unsustainable situation” he faced at the agency as a whistleblower.

Francesco Zambon said Thursday his resignation was effective March 31. He declined further comment other than to say it was “humanly and professionally” impossible for him to continue on his job.

LONDON (AP) — Prince William insisted Thursday that his family is not racist as he became the first British royal to speak out about accusations of bigotry made by Prince Harry and Meghan, his brother and sister-in-law.

William made the comments in response to questions shouted at him by reporters during a visit to an East London school. While members of the royal family often ignore such queries, William used the opportunity to address the explosive allegations that have rocked the monarchy.

YEKATERINBURG, March 11. /TASS/: The crews of the latest ‘Terminator’ tank support combat vehicles and upgraded T-72B3M main battle tanks practiced inter-operability at a proving ground near Chelyabinsk, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

The exercise was held as part of an experiment to learn to operate the latest ‘Terminator’ tank support combat vehicles in combat formations of the Central Military District’s Guards armored division, the press office specified.

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/: Two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers made a scheduled flight over the Sea of Japan and the northwestern Pacific Ocean, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers of long-range aviation performed a scheduled flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The crews of Su-35S fighters of Russia’s Aerospace Force escorted the bombers," the ministry said in a statement.

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 cases rose by 9,270 in the past day, reaching 4,360,823, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Thursday.

In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.21%.

The lowest growth rates were registered in the past day in the Tuva Republic (0.04%), the Sakhalin Region (0.05%), the Magadan Region, the Republic of Adygeya (0.06%).

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/: A militant who plotted a terror attack was eliminated in a counter-terror operation in Makhachkala in the North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan, the National Anti-Terror Committee’s information center told TASS on Thursday.

MOSCOW, March 11./TASS/: Contacts with the new US administration are maintained on a regular basis through diplomatic channels, but numerous crucial disagreements are seen at this level, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"Of course, working contacts [with the US administration] are maintained through diplomatic channels. They are not easy. However, they continue. And this is the main thing," the spokesman stressed.

Peskov specified that the difficulty was in the existence of "numerous crucial disagreements".

GENEVA, March 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations human rights experts said they were looking into allegations that Venezuelan police forces had killed 200 people this year and investigators raised concerns about possible summary executions.

UN investigators said that authorities have failed to release death certificates, charged fees for autopsies, and delivered bodies in a closed casket “with the instruction that it not be opened”.

11 Mar 2021; MEMO: Lawyer Nick Kaufman has stated in an article published by Hebrew newspaper Haaretz that it is in Israel's best interests to communicate to Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), that she should not send court notification letters regarding the opening of an investigation into war crimes before the formation of a

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday urged countries to step up trials in their national courts against suspected war criminals in Syria as the conflict marks its 10th anniversary.

Attempts to refer atrocities in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague for prosecution have failed, Michelle Bachelet said.

Only one person has been convicted in a foreign court for crimes against humanity or war crimes in a conflict that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, many of them civilians.