France and Germany have armed Russia with nearly $300 million worth of military equipment that is “likely being used in Ukraine,” according to an exclusive report, based on European Commission data, in The Telegraph, a British newspaper. The hardware was sent, the newspaper reports, despite a European Union-wide embargo on arms to Russia that was …
Read more “Report: Russia Likely Using French, German Military Gear in Ukraine”
Russia’s deputy military commander said Moscow’s goal is to control Donbas and southern Ukraine, which would give Russia access the separatist Moldovan enclave of Transnistria and block Kyiv’s access to the Black Sea. But U.S. officials vow to help Ukraine defend itself, as VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
France goes to the polls Sunday for the final round of voting in the presidential election — with far-right leader Marine Le Pen just a few points behind incumbent Emmanuel Macron. As Henry Ridgwell reports, a Le Pen victory would have big implications for European security at a critical time, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …
Read more “French Elections: Le Pen’s Late Surge Rattles Europe Amid Russian Security Threat”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday seized on remarks by a Russian general as evidence that Moscow would invade other countries if it succeeded in Ukraine. The general had said Russia aimed to capture all of southern and eastern Ukraine and link it to a breakaway province in neighboring Moldova. “This only confirms what I …
Read more “Russia Might Want to Invade Other Countries, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Warns “
The French military has accused Russian mercenaries of creating a mass grave and falsely blaming it on the French. The French Army says it has drone video, seen by news agencies Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, of Russian mercenaries burying bodies near Gossi, Mali, where the French army withdrew from a military base this week. …
Read more “France Blames Russian Mercenaries in Mali for False Claims About Mass Graves”
The long-running trial of Turkish activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala nears its end as he and seven other defendants delivered their final defense statements on Friday. In the trial, known as the Gezi Park trial, Kavala and 15 other defendants face many accusations, including attempting to overthrow the government and organizing the 2013 Gezi Park …
Rights activists in Azerbaijan are accusing the government of manufacturing false charges to arrest critics who have been returned to the country after failing to gain asylum in Germany. Samir Ashurov was detained on April 19 on charges of assault with a knife, just weeks after he was deported from Germany back to his native …
Read more “Azeri Asylum-Seekers Face Charges After Repatriation From Germany “
India and Britain have agreed to boost economic as well as defense ties that could eventually help New Delhi move away from its dependance on Russian arms. Following talks in New Delhi between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, who is on a two-day visit to India, the two …
Read more “Britain and India Enhance Security, Economic Ties”
A Greek prosecutor said on Thursday she had begun an investigation into an allegation by a journalist that his smartphone had been infected by surveillance software in an operation by the country’s intelligence service. A spokesman for Greece’s EYP intelligence service told Reuters it had no comment on Greek media reports detailing the assertion by …
Read more “Greek Prosecutor to Probe Alleged Bugging of Journalist’s Phone”
French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen made final appeals Friday to undecided voters weighing fears of what a Le Pen presidency could bring against their anger at Macron’s record. According to the latest surveys for Sunday’s run-off, fear may win the day over loathing: Macron the centrist, pro-European incumbent leads his …
Read more “Macron Tells Voters: Now Choose the France You Want”
Pope Francis cleared his schedule Friday after knee pain flared up again and required medical checks, the Vatican said. “The pope has slowed down his activities today due to medical checks that were necessary today. That’s why the agenda is empty today,” spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters. One event canceled was a scheduled meeting with …
Read more “Pope Francis Clears Friday Schedule to Deal With Knee Pain”
The Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine – near war-ravaged Donetsk – has become a new target of Russian aggression. Apart from locals, over 135,000 internally displaced Ukrainians now live there. Yaroslava Movchan met with several families from eastern Ukraine who have found refuge in the city of Dnipro. Anna Rice narrates her story. VOA footage by …
Read more “Ukraine’s Dnipro Home to Thousands Displaced by War”
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Friday there is growing evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, with the majority of violations attributable to Russian forces. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has been gathering and documenting evidence of hundreds of alleged unlawful killings of civilians in Bucha, and in towns …
Read more “UN Rights Office Cites Growing Evidence of War Crimes in Ukraine”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol “liberated,” after nearly two months of fighting, even though Russian forces have not been able to penetrate the city’s massive Azovstal steel plant that remains in the hands of Ukrainian fighters and civilians. Rather than storming the plant, Putin has instead ordered …
A Russian tanker impounded by Greece this week and reportedly carrying Iranian oil will be released amid confusion about sanctions on its owners. “The coast guard has been ordered by the anti-money laundering authority to release the vessel,” a Greek government official said, without providing further details. On Tuesday, Greek authorities impounded the 115,500-deadweight tonnage …
Read more “Greece to Release Russian Tanker Amid Confusion Over Sanctions”
Onstage, they dance through hoops and perform acrobatics with smiles on their faces. Off it, they hold anguished phone calls with family back in Ukraine. Dancers Anna and Olga have found a sense of calm performing in a circus near New York, but they are still living the war they fled thousands of miles away. …
Read more “From War to Circus: Ukrainian Dancers Find Comfort on US Stage”
US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine that includes heavy artillery, tactical vehicles and armed drones. He said the weapons will support the country’s needs amid Russia’s pivot to refocus the war on the Donbas region. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
The British government is facing strong backlash from opposition parties and human rights groups after announcing plans earlier this month to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda for processing, in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats. The British government says the prospect of being sent to Rwanda will deter migrants …
Read more “British Plan to Send Migrants to Rwanda Draws Backlash “
Britain plans to send asylum-seekers thousands of miles away to Rwanda for processing, in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the policy has triggered a backlash in Britain. …
Turkey has one of the worst records in Europe when it comes to the number of women murdered, or femicides. One of the most prominent groups challenging this phenomenon is called the “We Will Stop Femicide Platform.” But a court case could soon shut the group down, prompting outrage and protests across Turkey. For VOA, …
Read more “Case Against Turkish Women’s Rights Group Provokes Outrage”
Tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow are rising over the contested Alexander Nevsky Russian church property in Jerusalem’s Old City. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently sent a personal letter to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett demanding Israel immediately hand over control of the church. The issue is one of the latest flashpoints in the increasingly contentious …
Read more “Russia Demands Return of Jerusalem Church as Tensions Rise”
British lawmakers on Thursday ordered a parliamentary investigation into Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly lying about whether he broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic. The move, approved by cries of “aye” and without a formal vote in the House of Commons, means Parliament’s Committee of Privileges will investigate whether Johnson …
Read more “UK Lawmakers OK Probe Into PM Boris Johnson’s Alleged Lies”
Explosions, death, displacement, and fear. The Russian invasion of Ukraine will have long-term consequences for Ukrainians and especially for the many children that have been uprooted from their when their families had to flee the fighting. VOA’s Celia Mendoza has more from a refugee center in Poland. …
France decides on its next president April 24, when incumbent Emmanuel Macron faces his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in runoff elections — just as they did five years ago. For the past two decades, the small town of Chateaudun, southwest of Paris, has voted in line with the rest of the country. So which …
Read more “Ahead of French Presidential Runoff, Bellwether Town Mulls Options”