Month: August 2021

Britain and the United States imposed sanctions Friday on men they said were Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the poisoning one year ago of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.The two countries targeted seven Russians with sanctions and issued a joint statement warning Russia about chemical weapons.Washington separately imposed sanctions on another two men and four Russian …

Read more “Britain, US Sanction Russian Intelligence Agents Over Navalny Poisoning”

For Italy’s journalists, covering the mafia has always been dangerous. There have been attacks recently against some reporters and almost two dozen are currently under police protection because of threats. VOA’s Iacopo Luzi has more.    …

Afghan refugees in Turkey say they made the dangerous journey to escape living again under Taliban rule. VOA’s Arif Aslan reports from eastern Turkey, where some of the Afghans he spoke with arrived over the past few days as the Taliban were taking over the Afghan capital. Sirwan Kajjo narrates his report.Camera: Arif Aslan. …

Russia, once a thorn in China’s side, is backing Beijing in its disputes with third countries, including a maritime sovereignty flap in Southeast Asia, to counter Washington’s influence in Asia, scholars believe.With the world’s second strongest military, after the United States, Russia holds occasional military exercises with China – with at least four events publicized …

Read more “Why Russia Backs China in Disputes with Third Countries”

Thursday, the United States plans to ship 35,100 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Kosovo through COVAX, the United Nations vaccine-sharing mechanism, a White House official told VOA.The doses are part of the purchase of half a billion Pfizer doses secured by the Biden administration earlier this year.Kosovo is experiencing another spike in infection, largely due …

Read more “US Ships Pfizer Vaccine to Kosovo Amid Delta Variant Surge”

Pope Francis says people who get the coronavirus vaccine would be committing “an act of love” towards their fellow men and women. The pontiff made the personal appeal in a filmed public service message that was released Wednesday online and on television.  “Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to …

Read more “Pope Francis Makes Urgent Appeal on Behalf of COVID-19 Vaccination”

One of Malta’s wealthiest businessmen, Yorgen Fenech, has been indicted for the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, prosecutors said in court documents filed on Wednesday. No date for the trial has yet been set. Fenech has been under arrest since November 2019, accused of complicity to murder. He has since been undergoing a pre-trial compilation …

Read more “Top Businessman to Face Trial for Malta Journalist’s Murder “

The interior ministers from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, comprising the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, held a conference call Wednesday to discuss how to coordinate safe and legal migration routes for Afghans fleeing the Taliban.British officials said most of the focus was on the immediate security and logistical challenges of extracting Afghan …

Read more “Europe Braces for Fleeing Afghans, But Fearful, Reluctant to Accept Many”

Britain and the United States say they will work with other nations to develop a coordinated strategy for Afghanistan, and that when it comes to the Taliban’s pledges for how it will operate, the group’s actions are ultimately what matter”We will judge this regime based on the choices it makes, and by its actions rather …

Read more “US, UK Say Taliban Will Be Judged by Actions Not Words “

Pope Francis issued an appeal on Wednesday urging people to get inoculated against COVID-19, saying the vaccines could bring an end to the pandemic, but needed to be taken by everyone. “Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19,” the pope said in a video …

Read more “Pope Francis Urges Everyone to Get COVID-19 Vaccines for the Good of All”

America’s NATO allies are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan following the U.S military withdrawal from the country, and the collapse of the Afghan government. Many European officials have voiced fears that the Taliban takeover will increase the risk of terrorism and cause a renewed influx of refugees. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.Camera: Henry …

Read more “Frustration and Fear Among US Allies Scrambling to Leave Afghanistan”

America’s NATO allies are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan amid the U.S. military withdrawal from the country and the collapse of the Afghan government. Many European officials have voiced fears that the Taliban takeover will increase the risk of terrorism and renew an influx of refugees into Europe.  Britain and other NATO allies …

Read more “Frustration, Fear Among US Allies Scrambling to Leave Afghanistan”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that Afghanistan’s leadership was responsible for the rapid collapse of the Afghan military but noted the alliance should learns lessons on how it conducts military training. “This failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today,” Stoltenberg said after a NATO meeting to discuss the security …

Read more “NATO Blames Afghan Leaders for Collapse of Afghan Military “

Like many countries, France is seeing its COVID-19 cases rise — and nowhere as sharply as its overseas territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Low vaccination rates, fueled by suspicion of Paris, help explain the exploding pandemic in the Caribbean islands.Health workers from mainland France are arriving to the two Caribbean islands to help their overwhelmed …

Read more “France Battles Soaring COVID-19 Cases in Overseas Territories”

Officials in Turkey said Monday the death toll from flooding in the country’s northwestern Black Sea provinces rose to 77 as rescue crews continued to search for dozens of people still reported missing.The flooding began last week after torrential rains, demolishing buildings and bridges and damaging roads and electricity infrastructure.Disaster and emergency officials said more …

Read more “Death Toll in Turkey Floods Hits 77”

With the Taliban seizing control of Afghanistan, Turkey seeks to avert a refugee exodus, with the country already hosting over four million refugees, with about 120,000 of them from Afghanistan, according the United Nations.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pledging to step up diplomatic and security efforts to prevent an Afghan refugee exodus into Turkey. …

Read more “Turkey Steps Up Efforts to Avert Afghan Refugee Exodus”

European leaders said Monday they will press for a unified international approach to dealing with a Taliban government in Afghanistan, as they looked on with dismay at the rapid collapse of two decades of a U.S.-led Western campaign in the country. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron, stressing the need …

Read more “Europe Urges Unity on Taliban, is Quiet on Failed Mission”

Turkey has dropped plans to take over the Kabul airport after NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan but is ready to provide support if the Taliban request it, two Turkish sources said Monday. Turkey, which has 600 troops in Afghanistan, had offered to keep them in Kabul to guard and operate the airport after other NATO members pulled …

Read more “Turkey Drops Kabul Airport Plans, Will Assist if Taliban Ask, Sources Say”

Two new wildfires burned uncontrollably outside the Greek capital, Athens, on Monday, forcing nearby villages to evacuate.An area near the town of Lavrio, southeast of Athens, was the first to ignite, as flames fanned by strong winds decimated mountainside vegetation before spreading to pine trees. Three villages were evacuated, while 91 firefighters, six water-dropping planes …

Read more “Greece Wildfires Continue as New Blazes Break Out Near Athens”

Flooding caused by heavy rains in regions around the Black Sea have left dozens of people dead in Turkey and forced the evacuation of hundreds in southern Russia.The Turkish provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Sinop along the Black Sea suffered torrential rains midweek that led to flooding.Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said the …

Read more “Heavy Rains Lead to Flooding in Turkey, Russia”

The death toll from flooding in Turkey has climbed to at least 44 people, the country’s disaster agency said Saturday.Torrential rains Wednesday triggered flooding in the northern Black Sea region, destroying homes, closing roads, and cutting off electricity to hundreds of villages, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD).Fires Rage in Turkey as …

Read more “Flooding in Turkey Kills at Least 44 People”

A young man who killed five people, including his mother, and then took his own life in Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade had complained online about difficulties meeting women and being “beaten down” by life.Police said Friday that the motive for the shootings was unclear but that there were no immediate …

Read more “Man Kills 5, Himself in UK’s First Mass Shooting in Decade”

The World Health Organization said on Friday it was setting up a new group to trace the origins of the coronavirus, seeking to end what it called “political point scoring” that had hampered investigations.The inability of the WHO to say where and how the virus began spreading has fueled tensions among its members, particularly between …

Read more “WHO Seeks to Take Political Heat Out of Virus Origins Debate”

Book distributors and publishers in Hungary have raised concerns that a decree restricting the sale of LGBTQ-themed books could lead to self-censorship and make such items harder to obtain in smaller towns.The government has ordered shops to sell sealed and wrapped all books aimed at under-18s that are viewed as promoting homosexuality or gender change, …

Read more “Hungarian Booksellers Fear Self-censorship as Decree Curbs Sale of LGBTQ-Themed Books”