EU foreign ministers will look to agree sanctions on key sectors of the Belarus economy Monday to punish the authorities after the forced landing of an airliner, diplomats said.Ministers meeting in Luxembourg are set to discuss broad-ranging measures designed to hit the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko “in the wallet”, a European diplomat told AFP …
Read more “EU to Hit Key Belarus Sectors After Plane Diversion”
The U.N. refugee agency, which just released its 2020 Global Trends report, said the number of people forcibly displaced last year by wars, violence, persecution and human rights violations hit a record high of 82.4 million, 4% more than in 2019.This is the ninth consecutive year that forced displacement figures have continued to rise. Even …
Read more “UN: Forced Displacement from Conflicts Soaring Despite Pandemic”
Cybersecurity experts have been poring over the transcripts from Wednesday’s news conferences in Geneva to determine whether the U.S.-Russia summit will produce real progress in halting a wave of high-profile ransomware attacks. For most, the answer is: It’s too soon to tell. In the run-up to the meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, …
U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a meeting this week that Turkey would take a lead role in securing Kabul’s airport as the United States withdraws troops from Afghanistan, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. The two leaders, however, could not resolve the long-standing issue of Turkey’s purchase …
Read more “US Says Biden, Erdogan Agreed on Afghanistan, But S-400 Issue Unresolved”
During their summit in Geneva on June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden raised the issue of Kremlin pressure against RFE/RL’s Russian-language services in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States has accused Russia of attempting to drive RFE/RL out of the country by listing it as a “foreign agent” media organization and imposing fines …
Read more “At Summit With Putin, Biden Raises RFE/RL’s ‘Foreign Agent’ Designation “
U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, remained tensely civil and cautiously polite before their much-anticipated summit in an eighteenth-century mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva. The press corps less so as American reporters and TV camerapersons were forced to jostle for space with obdurate Russian rivals.For some European newspapers, that …
In an effort to escape the insecurity and war in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans make a difficult journey to Turkey illegally each year. VOA’s Lima Niazi brings us the story of two friends whose journey through Turkey and Europe ended, back in Afghanistan. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.Camera: Lima Niazi Produced by: Lima Niazi …
The United Nations warns accelerating climate change is causing a dramatic intensification of global drought disasters, which are threatening agricultural production, the world’s safe water supply and other essential aspects of human development. The U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has launched a “Special Report on Drought 2021.” U.N. researchers say drought has affected more people …
Read more “Climate-Related Drought Disasters Threaten Development, UN Warns”
Spain’s Rafael Nadal will not play at Wimbledon or at the Tokyo Olympics, saying Thursday he has decided to skip the two tournaments after “listening” to his body.Nadal, who reached the French Open semifinals this month but lost to Novak Djokovic, won the title at Wimbledon twice. He also won the Olympic gold medal in …
Read more “Rafael Nadal Pulls Out of Wimbledon, Tokyo Olympics”
Britain on Thursday said it had agreed on a truce with the United States over a 17-year long tariffs dispute involving European planemaker Airbus and US rival Boeing. It comes in the wake of a similar deal between the European Union and U.S. announced Tuesday. The dispute, the longest-running in the history of …
French forces in Mali have captured a man they describe as a “high-ranking fighter of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara” (EIGS), the French military said Wednesday. Dadi Ould Chouaib, also known as Abou Dardar, was arrested June 11 in the flashpoint “tri-border” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, the site of frequent …
Read more “France Arrests ‘High-Ranking’ Islamic State Fighter in Mali”
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ended their summit with positive assessments of their meeting, but clear differences remain. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report from Geneva. Producer: Kimberlyn Weeks …
As the U.S. continues its withdrawal in Afghanistan, the commander in the region says help from NATO allies will be essential in keeping the pressure on terror groups. Help has arrived with the deployment of Britain’s newest aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb made a stop on the carrier as the …
Read more “As US Withdraws From Afghanistan, CENTCOM Head Says NATO Assistance Essential”
Germany on Wednesday withdrew a platoon of its forces from Lithuania amid charges of serious misconduct.Allegations include sexual harassment, racially charged comments and “extremist” behavior.”Particularly in Lithuania, where we stand side-by-side with our NATO partners for common values, such behavior by individuals isn’t just completely inexcusable, it’s absolutely shameful to us all,” Defense Ministry spokesperson …
Read more “Germany Pulls Military Unit From Lithuania Amid Racism, Harassment Allegations “
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have ended their summit in Geneva, with Biden describing it as “good” and “positive.” But he further described the summit in a realistic tone, saying the next several months would serve as a “test” of whether relations between the two countries can improve. …
Read more “Biden Strikes Realistic Tone After Meeting With Putin”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny got what he deserved when he was sentenced to prison. Putin, speaking at a news conference in Geneva after his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, said, without mentioning Navalny’s name, “He deliberately moved [back to Russia] to be arrested.” Navalny, Putin’s most prominent political …
Read more “Putin: Jailed Opposition Leader Navalny Got What He Deserved”
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have ended their summit in Geneva, chosen as a location for the talks for its history of political neutrality. In a press conference after the summit, Putin, speaking through an interpreter, described the meeting as “constructive” and said there were “no hostilities,” calling the U.S. leader a “constructive person, well balanced and experienced, …
Read more “Putin Characterizes Summit with Biden as ‘Constructive’”
“There is no king in Catalonia!” cried the protesters as they burned pictures of King Felipe VI. As the monarch visited Barcelona Wednesday, the strength of feeling was apparent among separatists who want to rid the turbulent region of any trace of Spain. Despite the bitter divisions in Catalonia over the issue of …
Read more “Spain’s Leaders to Pardon Catalan Separatists, Despite Protests”
Did a small gesture by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo really cause Coca-Cola to lose $4 billion?It’s hard to say. In a Monday press conference ahead of Portugal’s Tuesday match with Hungary in the Euro 2020 tournament, the Portuguese striker sat down at the microphone and moved two bottles of Coca-Cola away from him and lifted …
Read more “Did Soccer Superstar Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola Snub Cost Company $4 Billion?”
As U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in their highly anticipated summit Wednesday in Geneva, what does success look like for a meeting that both sides have downplayed from the start? Both sides have highlighted opportunities for cooperation but neither expected much improvement in tense relations between Moscow and Washington. …
Read more “What Does Success Look Like in Biden-Putin Summit?”
The European Union (EU) Wednesday announced it is recommending that member nations lift COVID-19 restrictions on tourists from the United States, potentially making it easier for U.S. tourists to travel to Europe.Nonessential travel from the U.S. and other nations had been banned in the EU as a precaution to avoid the spread of the virus …
Read more “EU Recommends Member States Lift US Tourism Restrictions “
Iran’s reported desire to purchase a Russian advanced satellite system is not “particularly concerning” to U.S. security in the region, according to the commander who oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East. In an interview with VOA, Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Russia’s Kanopus-V satellite is not effective at targeting. “You really can’t …
Turkey’s Sea of Marmara is battling an explosion of sea algae, dubbed sea snot, which is now threatening an ecological disaster. As Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul, the mucus-like substance is fast becoming politically toxic as well. …
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun their highly anticipated summit in Geneva, the Swiss capital chosen as a location for the summit for its history of political neutrality. The leaders thanked each other during the brief, and chaotic press opportunity at the beginning of their meeting where American and Russian media jostled each …