Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Wednesday of violating a cease-fire agreement that ended two days of warfare this month – the second such violation in five days. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said that at about 6 p.m. (1400 GMT), Armenian units had started firing at Azerbaijani positions in the Kalbajar region, wounding one serviceman, …
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The youth league of South Africa’s ruling ANC party has endorsed Russia’s referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine, which are designed to pave the way for Moscow to annex the territories. The endorsement came after members of the group accepted invitations from Moscow to act as international observers of the Kremlin-orchestrated votes. The Ukrainian Association …
Read more “Ukrainians in South Africa Slam ANC Youth League for Endorsing Russian Referendums”
Russia has approved a provisional agreement with the Taliban government to supply oil products, gas and wheat to war-torn Afghanistan, both sides said Wednesday. The Russian Sputnik news agency quoted Zamir Kabulov, the special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, as confirming the deal hours after Taliban authorities reported details of the document. “Yes, [the deal is …
Read more “Russia ‘Tentatively’ Approves Oil, Grain Exports for Afghanistan”
Ukraine urged its backers Wednesday to make clear to Russia that “its attempts of annexation, blackmail and ultimatums” will only bring more support to the Ukrainian side in the conflict that began with the February invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. “Ukraine calls on the EU, NATO and the Group of Seven to immediately and …
Read more “Ukraine Calls for Isolation of Russia, More Military Aid for Ukrainian Forces ”
The U.N. human rights office is calling for the release of Russians arrested for protesting President Vladimir Putin’s draft to build up Russia’s fighting capacity in Ukraine. Nearly 2,400 demonstrators reportedly have been arrested in various locations across Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s declaration last Wednesday of a partial mobilization of troops to join the …
Read more “UN Calls for Release of Russian Draft Protesters”
The U.S. State Department expressed concern Wednesday that Americans with dual citizenship with Russia could be conscripted by Moscow to help fight its war against Ukraine. “Russia may refuse to acknowledge dual nationals’ U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, prevent their departure from Russia, and conscript dual nationals for military service,” the …
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday that all indications are that leaks from two Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “are the result of a deliberate act.” “We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase …
Read more “Pipeline Leaks Appear to Be Result of Deliberate Act ”
Ukrainian war veterans who lost limbs in the war are undergoing a unique form of therapy that involves help from some four-legged friends. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. Camera: Yuriy Dankevych …
Dutch prosecutors said Monday that a 30-year-old man suspected of involvement in the slaying of crime reporter Peter R. De Vries has been arrested by authorities in Poland. De Vries, one of the Netherlands’ best-known journalists who also campaigned to solve cold cases, was gunned down in Amsterdam on July 6 last year. He died …
Read more “Suspect Detained in Poland in Dutch Reporter’s Slaying”
King Charles III’s new monogram was revealed Tuesday as the official period of mourning for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, came to a close. The emblem, known as the king’s cypher, will appear on government buildings, state documents and some post boxes in the coming months and years. It features the initial C intertwined with …
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Russia claimed Tuesday that early vote counting in what Western allies say are sham referendums showed Ukrainians in four regions overwhelmingly supporting joining Russia. State news agency RIA Novosti said that with about a fifth of the vote counted from the five days of balloting in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, more than 97% of …
Read more “Russia: Ukrainians Widely Support Annexation in Four Regions; West Calls Vote ‘Sham’ ”
About 98,000 Russians have crossed into Kazakhstan in the week since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine, Kazakh officials said Tuesday, as men seeking to avoid the call-up continued to flee by land and air into neighboring countries. Kazakhstan and Georgia, both part of the former Soviet Union, …
Read more “Officials Say 98,000 Russians Enter Kazakhstan After Reservists Call-up”
A sprawling disinformation network originating in Russia sought to use hundreds of fake social media accounts and dozens of sham news websites to spread Kremlin talking points about the invasion of Ukraine, Meta revealed Tuesday. The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it identified and disabled the operation before it was able to gain …
Read more “Meta Disables Russian Propaganda Network Targeting Europe”
A Spanish court on Tuesday formally ordered Colombian superstar Shakira to stand trial on accusations that she failed to pay $14.31 million in income taxes, a court document released on Tuesday showed. The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer, 45, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, rejected in July a deal to settle the case, …
Read more “Spanish Court Formally Sends Shakira to Trial for Tax Fraud”
Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Denmark are investigating leaks in two Russian gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea that the operating company called “unprecedented.” Sweden on Tuesday issued a warning about two leaks discovered in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline shortly after another leak on the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discovered, prompting Denmark …
Read more “Unexplained Leaks Hit Russian Undersea Gas Pipelines in Baltic”
Two suspected Kurdish militants opened fire on police in southern Turkey and later killed themselves by detonating suicide bombs, Turkey’s interior minister said. One police officer was killed in the attack while a second officer and a civilian were wounded. The attack was carried out late on Monday in the Mezitli district in the Mediterranean …
Read more “Kurdish Militants Attack Turkish Police, Kill Themselves”
Ukrainian female fighters who recently met with U.S. State Department officials and members of Congress said they witnessed war crimes committed by Russia during its war on Ukraine. During an interview with VOA, two Ukrainian warriors detailed personal stories and firsthand information on atrocities committed by Russian troops. United Nations investigators have said there is …
Read more “Female Fighters Detail Russian Atrocities in Ukraine”
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Washington in early December for the first state visit of President Joe Biden’s tenure, an occasion marked by pomp and pageantry that is designed to celebrate relations between the United States and its closest allies. The December 1 visit, following the U.S. midterm elections and the Thanksgiving holiday, …
Read more “France’s Macron Lands First State Visit of Biden’s Presidency”
Denmark’s maritime authority said Monday that a gas leak had been observed in a pipeline leading from Russia to Europe underneath the Baltic Sea and that there is a danger to ship traffic. The operator of Nord Stream 2 confirmed that a leak in the pipeline had been detected southeast of the Danish island Bornholm …
Read more “Denmark Reports Leak in Gas Pipeline in Baltic Sea “
President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden, according to a decree signed by the Russian leader on Monday. Snowden is one of 75 foreign nationals listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. The decree was published on an official government website. Snowden, a former contractor with …
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The British pound has resumed a slide against the U.S. dollar that picked up pace last week after the U.K.’s new government outlined plans to cut taxes and boost spending. The pound dipped as low as $1.0349 per U.S. dollar early Monday but then rebounded to $1.0671, down 2.3%. The tax-cut plan has sparked concerns …
Read more “Tax Cut Plans Pull British Pound to 4 Decade Lows “
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has made it clear publicly and privately to Russia to “stop the loose talk about nuclear weapons” in the Ukraine conflict following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that he would use any means to defend Russia. “It’s very important that Moscow hear from us and …
Read more “US Warns Russia of ‘Horrific’ Consequences of Any Nuclear Attack in Ukraine ”
A gunman in Izhevsk, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Udmurtia, has killed at least 15 people, including 11 children, the fourth school shooting in the region in the past 15 months. Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Monday that the gunman has been identified as Artem Kazantsev, a man in his early 30s who was …
Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that he had founded the Wagner Group private military company in 2014, the first public confirmation of a link he has previously denied and sued journalists for reporting. The Wagner Group, staffed by veterans of the Russian armed forces, has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic …
Read more “Russia’s Prigozhin Admits Link to Wagner Mercenaries for First Time “