Russia on Thursday launched weeklong war games involving forces from China and other nations in a show of growing defense cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as they both face tensions with the U.S. The maneuvers are also intended to demonstrate that Moscow has sufficient military might for massive drills even as its troops are engaged …
The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to attend the funeral service of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who died earlier this week, because of his work schedule. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Thursday that while Gorbachev will not be honored with a full state funeral, the …
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U.N. nuclear inspectors expect to begin their work Thursday at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, assessing safety and security matters amid international concern that fighting in the area could endanger the facility. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters there has been “increased military activity, including this morning,” near the plant. “But …
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The death of the Soviet Union’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, whose reforms led to the disintegration of the former communist giant in 1991, is seen by many in China as a reminder to avoid the same fate as its neighbor. Gorbachev, who died Tuesday at 91, is lauded in China for normalizing Sino-Soviet relations, paving …
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When Caroline Muscat filed Freedom of Information requests in Malta to access public contracts and payments to the director of a prominent media company, the agencies in Malta told her the information “does not exist.” Muscat, founder and editor of a small independent news website called The Shift, appealed. After investigating, the Data Protection Commission …
Read more “News Outlet in Malta Battles 40 Lawsuits Over Records Request “
As soon as he arrived with a small motorcade in rural Eureka, Illinois — population 5,400 — he was the center of attention. “It looks like everyone in this small town is a photographer!” former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev exclaimed through his translator amid the crowd of cameras. He wasn’t the biggest name to visit …
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As the world marks the passing of former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, VOA’s Kane Farabaugh shares the thoughts of international journalists and his own memories of what it was like to report on the international statesman. …
Mikhail Gorbachev could have been celebrated for involuntarily opening a path toward Ukraine’s independence, but his support for Crimea’s annexation and silence in the face of Russia’s invasion have stained his reputation there. Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, triggered its demise in 1991, which led to the formation of 15 new independent …
Read more “To Ukrainians, Gorbachev Remains an ‘Imperialist’”
An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, mediated over the weekend by the European Union and the U.S., settled a dispute over identity documents, but tensions over the matter, as well as license plates for ethnic Serbs in the north of Kosovo, are a reminder of the fragile stability in the region. Citizens can now move …
Read more “Kosovo-Serbia Tensions Are Reminder of Fragile Security, Unresolved Issues “