Travels News
The number of pubs in England and Wales has plunged to its lowest ever level, according to analysis published on Monday which blames the coronavirus pandemic and soaring costs. In the first half of this year, pub numbers dropped below 40,000 — a fall of more than 7,000 since 10 years ago. A total of …
Read more “Pub Numbers in England, Wales Hit Record Lows, Study Shows”
Germany and Ireland on Sunday told Britain there was no legal or political justification for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to override parts of the Brexit deal governing trade with Northern Ireland. The British parliament is considering a new law which would unilaterally change customs arrangements between Britain and Northern Ireland that were initially agreed …
Read more “Germany, Ireland Tell UK: No Justification for Breaking Brexit Deal”
Viktoria Miroshnichenko has just reopened her toy store in Kramatorsk, a city near the front line in eastern Ukraine, despite the daily sound of bombing roaring in the distance. “It’s a bit scary but we’re getting used to it,” she said from behind the counter of a shop selling soft toys, bicycles and scooters for …
Read more “Life Resumes Near Ukraine Front Line Despite War Threat”
A large chunk of an Alpine glacier broke loose Sunday afternoon and roared down a mountainside in Italy, sending ice, snow and rock slamming into hikers on a popular trail on the peak and killing at least six and injuring eight, authorities said. There could be about 10 people missing, Civil Protection official Gianpaolo Bottacin …
Read more “Glacier Chunk in Italian Alps Detaches, Killing at Least 6 Hikers”
Peter Brook, one of the world’s most innovative theater directors who perfected the art of staging powerful drama in bizarre venues, has died aged 97, his publisher said Sunday. The British director used the world as his stage mounting productions ranging from challenging versions of Shakespeare through international opera to Hindu epic poems. Brook put …
Read more “Visionary British Theater Director Peter Brook Dies Aged 97”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday pledged further military support to Ukraine, including armored vehicles and drones, while meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Making the first ever visit to Ukraine by an Australian premier, Albanese said at a news conference in Kyiv that his country would give Ukraine “a hundred million dollars …
Read more “Australian PM Pledges Military Aid on Kyiv Visit”
Georgians staged a new mass rally Sunday demanding that the government resign over its failure to formally secure candidacy for membership of the European Union. The Black Sea nation has been in the grip of mass protests since EU leaders decided in late June to defer Tbilisi’s application for membership, pending sweeping political reforms. The …
Read more “Georgians Hold Mass Rally for EU, Urge Government to Quit”
Blasts Sunday in a Russian city bordering Ukraine have killed at least three people, Russian officials said. Dozens of residential buildings were damaged in the explosions in Belgorod. Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas has called for a military response to the blasts. “The death of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Belgorod,” Klishas posted …
Read more “Russia Says Blasts in Russian Border City Kill 3 ”
Voters in Scotland remain evenly split over supporting independence from the rest of Britain, a poll published by the Sunday Times showed, days after the Scottish government set out plans for a referendum on the subject next year. Last week, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for a second independence referendum to be held …
Read more “Scottish Voters Remain Split Over Independence After Fresh Referendum Bid “
As Russia’s military continues to pound Ukraine with missiles and other lethal weapons, Western nations have responded in part by targeting Russia’s defense industry with sanctions. The latest round came on Tuesday, when the United States issued new sanctions on some arms makers and executives at the heart of what it dubbed Russian President Vladimir …
Read more “Report: Dozens of Russian Weapons Tycoons Have Faced No Western Sanctions”
Ukrainian-born Karina Lipsman is running for a seat in the US House. VOA’s Yurii Mamon has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Kostiantyn Golubchyk …
The leader of an extremist Norwegian anti-Islamic group was in a spectacular car chase and collision Saturday, minutes after burning a Quran on the outskirts of Oslo. Norwegian police said they arrested two people, including the driver of a car accused of deliberately ramming the SUV of Lars Thorsen, leader of the radical group “Stop …
Read more “Norwegian Anti-Islam Extremist in Car Crash After Burning Quran”
London Saturday celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first Pride parade, marking half a century of progress in the fight for equality and tolerance but with warnings that more still needs to be done. Several hundred people took part in the first march July 1, 1972, just five years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the …
Read more “London Pride Parade Marks 50 Years, Looks Back on Progress”
Several dozen Romanian and Bulgarian firefighters took up their posts in Greece on Saturday, the first members of a European force being deployed to the country to provide backup in case of major wildfires during the summer. More than 200 firefighters and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Romania, Norway and Finland will be on …
Read more “Foreign Firefighters Arrive in Greece for Summer Wildfire Season”
The World Health Organization’s Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the past two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent. And African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, …
Read more “Monkeypox Cases Triple in Europe, WHO Says; Africa Concerned”
The United States announced details Friday of $820 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, including new surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar. The latest aid package is designed to help Ukraine counter Russia’s use of long-range missiles and follows calls by Ukrainian officials for Western countries to send more advanced weapons systems that can …
Read more “US Announces $820 Million Military Aid Package for Ukraine”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed full control over a major oil and natural gas project partly owned by Shell and two Japanese companies to a newly created Russian firm, a bold move amid spiraling tensions with the West over Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Putin’s decree late Thursday orders the creation of a new …
Read more “Russia Seizes Control of Partly Foreign-Owned Energy Project”
WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange has appealed to the High Court in London to block his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges, his brother said on Friday, the latest step in his legal battle that has dragged on for more than a decade. Assange, 50, is wanted by U.S. authorities on 18 counts, …
Read more “Wikileaks’ Assange Lodges Appeal Against US Extradition”
As Ukrainians seek refuge in any way they can – inside and outside Ukraine – many take their pets with them wherever they go. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. …
Indonesia’s president ended a trip to Ukraine and Russia saying he hoped for progress reintegrating global food and fertilizer supply lines disrupted by the conflict, and he offered to be a diplomatic bridge between the two nations. President Joko Widodo, who is the G-20 president this year, was speaking at a news conference alongside his …
Read more “Indonesia Leader Targets Food Crisis During Russia-Ukraine Peace Mission”
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner went on trial Friday in a court on the outskirts of Moscow to hear drug charges that could see her serve up to 10 years in a Russian jail. Griner, 31, was formally told at this first hearing that she was charged with intentionally importing narcotics into Russia. She spoke …
Read more “US Basketball Star Griner Goes on Trial in Russia on Drug Charges”
Elon Musk’s deployment of thousands of Starlink satellite internet terminals to Ukraine has been a major help for the country in its fight against Russia. VOA’s Russia Service has the story. …
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations, is visiting Ukraine and Russia for meetings with the leaders of the two warring nations after attending the Group of Seven summit in Germany. Widodo has sought to maintain a neutral position since the start …
Read more “Explainer: Why Indonesia’s Leader is Visiting Kyiv, Moscow”
Early morning Russian missile strikes in Ukraine’s Odesa region Friday killed at least 17 people. Dozens of people were injured in the strikes. At least one of the targeted sites was a residential building. Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday it had retreated from Ukraine’s Snake Island, which had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since …