For many in the U.K., the pandemic may as well be over. Mask requirements have been dropped. Free mass testing is a thing of the past. And for the first time since spring 2020, people can go abroad for holidays without ordering tests or filling out lengthy forms. That sense of freedom is widespread even …
Read more “Living With COVID: Experts Divided on UK Plan as Cases Soar”
Polls opened across France on Sunday for the first round of the country’s presidential election, where up to 48 million eligible voters will be choosing between 12 candidates. President Emmanuel Macron is seeking a second five-year term, with a strong challenge from the far right. Polls opened at 8 a.m. Sunday and close at 7 …
Read more “Polls Open In 1st Round Of France’s Presidential Election”
NATO is working on plans for a permanent military presence on its border in an effort to battle future Russian aggression, Britain’s The Telegraph newspaper reported, citing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. NATO was “in the midst of a very fundamental transformation” that will reflect “the long-term consequences” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions, Stoltenberg said …
Read more “NATO Plans Permanent Military Presence at Border, Report Says”
The United States has sharply increased the number of Ukrainians admitted to the country at the Mexican border as more refugees fleeing the Russian invasion follow the same circuitous route. A government recreation center in the Mexican border city of grew to about 1,000 refugees on Thursday, according to city officials. A canopy under which …
Read more “US Speeds Entry for Ukrainians as More Reach Mexico Border”
The devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has commanded newspaper front pages and nightly news broadcasts since the war began in February. But the effects of the conflict extend far beyond the borders of Ukraine and already are being felt in Yemen, the country mired in what experts see as one of the most …
Read more “Ukraine War Worsens Already-Dire Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen”
From the market stall outside Paris that she’s run for 40 years, Yvette Robert can see firsthand how soaring prices are weighing on France’s presidential election and turning the first round of voting Sunday into a nail-biter for incumbent President Emmanuel Macron. Shoppers, increasingly worried about how to make ends meet, are buying ever-smaller quantities …
Read more “In France, a Nail-Biting Election as Macron’s Rival Surges”
There is a body in the basement of the abandoned yellow home at the end of the street near the railroad tracks. The man is young, pale, a dried trickle of blood by his mouth, shot to death and left in the dark, and no one knows why the Russians brought him there, to a …
Read more “War Crimes Watch: A Devastating Walk Through Bucha’s Horror”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians that have stunned the world, and he renewed his plea for countries to send more weapons ahead of an expected surge in fighting in the country’s east. He made the comments in an interview with The …
Read more “AP Interview: Zelenskyy Seeks Peace Despite Atrocities”
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Saturday joined the stream of European leaders showing their support for Ukraine by traveling to the nation’s capital for face-to-face meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Johnson’s surprise visit included a pledge of new military assistance, including 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. …
Read more “European Leaders Stream Into Ukraine to Show Solidarity”
The discovery of civilian bodies in Ukrainian towns has “permanently polluted” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reputation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday. “What Putin has done in places like Bucha and Irpin is war crimes that have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his government,” Johnson …
Read more “Putin Reputation ‘Permanently Polluted’ After Bucha Killings, UK’s Johnson Says”
United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths is calling for localized cease-fires in war-torn Ukraine to allow humanitarian aid into areas under siege and to allow trapped civilians to leave. Griffiths this week discussed a possible humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Griffiths, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief …
Read more “UN Official Calls for Localized Cease-Fires in Ukraine”
Residents of eastern Ukraine were jolted by the sound of air raid sirens Saturday. The region’s governor is warning civilians to evacuate immediately as Russia increases shelling in the area. Governor Serhiy Haidai told a public television station that Russia is “amassing an offensive” on the third of the population that remains in Ukraine’s Luhansk …
Read more “Eastern Ukraine Governor Warns of Russian ‘Offensive,’ Urges Residents to Evacuate”
The world is shocked at what has been discovered in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after Russian forces retreated. As residents and authorities investigate the devastation, they are finding mass graves, burned out vehicles and destroyed buildings amid the widespread loss of life. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports on the atrocities in Bucha, which Ukrainian officials …
Read more “Ukrainian Authorities in Bucha Exhuming Multiple Mass Graves”
Spain is awaiting the publication in coming days of a new law banning the intimidation or harassment of women entering abortion clinics. The law comes into force when it is published in the Government Gazette, possibly next week, after the Spanish Senate on Wednesday endorsed a law passed earlier by parliament. The Senate gave its …
Read more “Spain Bans Harassment of Women Entering Abortion Clinics”
Civilian evacuations moved forward Saturday in patches of battle-scarred eastern Ukraine a day after a missile strike killed at least 52 people at a train station where thousands were waiting to leave the increasingly vulnerable region before an expected Russian onslaught. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded a tough global response to Friday’s train station attack …
Read more “More Civilians Flee East Ukraine After Deadly Station Strike”
YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcasts from Russia’s lower house of parliament, drawing an angry response from officials who said the world’s most popular streaming service could face restrictions in response. On Saturday, a message on YouTube said the Duma channel had been “terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service.” YouTube, owned …
Read more “YouTube Blocks Russian Parliament Channel, Drawing Ire From Officials”
Their government still unrecognized by any country in the world, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have found a way to beat international isolation: opening diplomatic ties with neighboring countries and others, with an eye to gaining formal recognition. In recent months, at least four countries — China, Pakistan, Russia and Turkmenistan — have accredited Taliban-appointed diplomats, even …
Read more “Russia Latest Country to Establish Diplomatic Ties With Taliban”
More than 50 civilians have been killed and dozens wounded in a missile strike on a railway station in Ukraine, which Kyiv blamed on Russian forces. Henry Ridgwell’s report contains graphic images that may be disturbing to some viewers. Cameras: Henry Ridgwell, Oleksiy Merkulov, Serhiy Horbatenko. …
About 30 Sudanese citizens living in Europe demonstrated Friday outside the International Criminal Court in The Hague, demanding that Sudanese officials surrender more individuals accused of committing atrocities in Darfur. The ICC’s trial of suspected Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb got underway this week, with Kushayb pleading not guilty to 31 counts of war crimes …
Read more “Darfur Protesters Outside ICC Trial Demand Bashir’s Handover”
Ukraine has recaptured the northern city of Chernihiv from Russian forces. But after a rocket attack in the east killed dozens of people Friday, residents are wary, saying they are expecting they could be attacked again. VOA’s Heather Murdock has more from Chernihiv, Ukraine. …
Russia has declared 45 Polish embassy and consulate staff “persona non grata” in retaliation for Warsaw’s expulsion of 45 Russian diplomats from Poland, Moscow’s foreign ministry said Friday. Poland said in March that the 45 Russian diplomats were suspected of working for Russian intelligence. …
As Turkish military dive teams this week safely defused their third floating naval mine in Turkish waters since March 26, some maritime experts said the explosives still pose a threat to Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait. On March 19, Russia’s FSB intelligence service said 420 naval mines were drifting freely in the Black Sea after breaking loose …
Read more “Amid Russia-Ukraine War, Turkey Worries About Floating Mines in Black Sea”
Belarusian journalist Catarina Andreeva, who is serving a two-year prison sentence for covering protests against authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, has now been charged with high treason just ahead of her release. Andreeva’s husband, Ihor Ilyash, wrote on Facebook on April 7 that it remains unclear what the charge is based on, adding that the investigations …
Read more “Jailed Belarusian Journalist Charged With Treason 5 Months Before Her Release”
Ukrainian state railway officials say more than 30 people were killed and 100 were wounded Friday in a Russian rocket attack on a railway station in east Ukraine that was being used to evacuate civilians, as the region readies for another major Russian offensive. Two rockets are said to have struck the station in Kramatorsk. …