The European Union on Monday accused Apple of abusing its dominant Apple Pay market position to prevent other companies from competing in contactless payment technologies. “Apple has built a closed ecosystem around its devices and its operating system, iOS. And Apple controls the gates to this ecosystem, setting the rules of the game for anyone …
U.S. President Joe Biden has strong bipartisan support in Congress for his latest $33 billion aid request for Ukraine, in addition to the $13.6 billion in economic, humanitarian and military assistance already sent earlier this year. In recent visits to Ukraine and Poland, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress was working quickly to pass Biden’s …
Read more “Conservatives, Progressives Raise Concerns About Biden Approach to Ukraine”
A U.S. diplomat said Monday the United States could reopen its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, soon. Chargé d’affaires Kristina Kvien said during a press conference in Kyiv that the U.S. will still wait for a determination by security professionals before any reopening. “When they tell us we can go back, we will go back,” she …
Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has announced it is cancelling the performances directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin who have spoken out against Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. Late Sunday, Russia’s top theatre announced that instead of the three performances of “Nureev,” a ballet directed by Serebrennikov, the audiences this week will see a production of …
Read more “Russia’s Bolshoi Scraps Performances by Critical Directors “
Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over “unforgivable” comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism — including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust. It was a steep decline in the ties between …
Read more “Israel Lashes Out at Russia Over Lavrov’s Nazism Remarks”
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 4:30 a.m.: Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Finland is planning to apply for NATO membership on May 12, Reuters said. The decision to join will come in two steps on that …
Ukrainian officials said they expect more civilians will be able to evacuate from the besieged city of Mariupol on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message late Sunday that more than 100 civilians were able to leave Sunday, and that they were due to arrive Monday in Zaporizhzhia, about 200 kilometers away. With …
Read more “Ukraine Expects Further Evacuation of Ukrainian Civilians from Mariupol Steel Plant ”
Qantas announced Monday it will launch the world’s first non-stop commercial flights from Sydney to London and New York by the end of 2025, finally conquering the “tyranny of distance.” After five years of planning, the airline said it was ordering 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to operate the “Project Sunrise” flights to cities including London …
Read more “Qantas Launches Non-Stop Sydney-London, NY Flights by End of 2025”
Elena Trofimchuk fled Ukraine to Romania more than a month ago. She now sees Bucharest’s North Railway Station as a second home. She doesn’t live there, but it’s where she spends most of her day welcoming fellow Ukrainian refugees escaping from Russia’s war and helping them sort out tickets, accommodation and onward destinations. The 26-year-old …
Read more “Look for the Orange Vest: Ukrainians in Romania Help Others”
Germany says it’s making progress on weaning itself off Russian fossil fuels and expects to be fully independent of Russian crude oil imports by late summer. Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said Sunday that Europe’s largest economy has reduced the share of Russian energy imports to 12% for oil, 8% for coal and 35% …
Read more “Germany: Quitting Russian Oil by Late Summer Is ‘Realistic’”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking elected official to visit Ukraine’s president in Kyiv. She led a U.S. congressional delegation that promised more support for Ukraine and unwavering solidarity in its fight against Russian aggression. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
Harrison Jozefowicz quit his job as a Chicago police officer and headed overseas soon after Russia invaded Ukraine. An Army veteran, he said he couldn’t help but join American volunteers seeking to help Ukrainians in their fight. Jozefowicz now heads a group called Task Force Yankee, which he said has placed more than 190 volunteers …
Read more “Combat Death Puts Spotlight on Americans Fighting in Ukraine”
Citizens and trade unions in cities around Europe were taking to the streets on Sunday for May Day marches, and to put out protest messages to their governments, notably in France where the holiday to honor workers was being used as a rallying cry against newly reelected President Emmanuel Macron. May Day is a time …
Read more “May Day Rallies in Europe Honor Workers, Protest Governments “
Germany said Sunday it has made progress in sharply reducing its reliance on Russian energy, a strategic shift Europe’s biggest economy has embarked on since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian supplies now make up 12 percent of Germany’s oil imports compared to 35 percent previously, the economy ministry said in a statement. Coal from Russia has …
Police fired tear gas to push back black-clad anarchists who ransacked business premises in Paris on Sunday during May Day protests against the policies of newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron. Thousands of people joined May Day marches across France, calling for salary increases and for Macron to drop his plan to raise the retirement age. …
Read more “Violence Erupts in May Day Protests in Paris, Marchers Criticize Re-Elected Macron”
Greece lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday for foreign and domestic flights, its civil aviation authority said, ahead of the summer tourism season that officials hope will see revenues bouncing back from the pandemic slump. To fly in or out of the country, travelers were previously required to show either a vaccination certificate, a certificate saying …
Read more “Greece Lifts COVID Curbs for Travelers ahead of Key Summer Season “
Turkish riot police detained dozens of protesters trying to reach Istanbul’s main Taksim Square for May Day demonstrations against economic hardship caused by raging inflation. The Istanbul governor’s office had allowed May Day celebrations to be held in another district and deemed gatherings in all other locations as unauthorized and illegal. A Reuters journalist saw …
Read more “Turkish Police Detain Dozens in May Day Demonstrations “
Russian “cyber soldiers” have launched a new offensive against foreign leaders, targeting social media platforms with a large-scale disinformation campaign that seeks to legitimize the invasion of Ukraine, according to research funded by the U.K. Paid operatives working from a factory in St. Petersburg use the Telegram messaging app to recruit and coordinate supporters who …
Learning to identify and defuse explosives is something Anastasiia Minchukova never thought she would have to do as an English teacher in Ukraine. Yet there she was wearing a face shield, armed with a landmine detector and venturing into a field dotted with danger warnings. Russia’s war in Ukraine took Minchukova, 20, and five other …
Read more “‘A Huge Demand’: Ukrainian Women Train to Clear Landmines”
Prices for Russian credit default swaps — insurance contracts that protect an investor against a default — plunged sharply overnight after Moscow used its precious foreign currency reserves to make a last-minute debt payment Friday. The cost for a five-year credit default swap on Russian debt was $5.84 million to protect $10 million in debt. …
Read more “Despite Payment, Investors Brace for Russia to Default”