EU lawmakers on Thursday condemned the crackdown on media freedom in military-ruled Myanmar and called for the release of “every unfairly detained journalist.” Since the military seized power in February last year, it has forced at least 12 media outlets to shut down and arrested about 142 journalists, 57 of whom remain detained. Most of …
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Sweden’s domestic security agency said Thursday that its initial investigation into explosions last week along two Russian natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “has strengthened the suspicions of serious sabotage” as the cause. Separately, a Swedish prosecutor said that “seizures have been made at the crime scene and these will now be investigated,” although …
Read more “Sweden: ‘Serious Sabotage’ Suspected in Baltic Sea Pipeline Explosions”
The Ukrainian city of Bucha was the scene of one of the worst massacres in Russia’s war against its neighbor, with hundreds of bodies discovered in mass graves back in April. Now, against many expectations, a robust reconstruction effort is making it possible for children to return to school. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from …
Read more “After Russian Atrocities, Ukraine’s Bucha Inches Toward Normalcy”
Drought that stretched across three continents this summer — drying out large parts of Europe, the United States and China — was made 20 times more likely by climate change, according to a new study. Drought dried up major rivers, destroyed crops, sparked wildfire, threatened aquatic species and led to water restrictions in Europe. It …
Read more “Study: Climate Change Made Summer Drought 20 Times More Likely”
Greece’s coast guard said Thursday at least 16 people were dead after two boats carrying migrants sank in separate incidents. Authorities said one boat carrying about 40 people went down near the eastern island of Lesbos, near Turkey. Fifteen bodies were recovered and five people were rescued, with a search ongoing for the rest of …
Read more “At Least 16 Dead After Migrant Boats Sink in Greek Waters “
Amid unconfirmed reports that a train operated by Russia’s nuclear division was spotted heading toward Ukraine, the White House says that it has no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Nuclear weapons experts tell VOA if Russia is moving nuclear weapons toward the Ukrainian border, the United States will know. …
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Greece is warning it is ready to use all its diplomatic and military might to defend its sovereignty against what it calls hostile plans by its historic foe Turkey. The direct warning follows a controversial energy deal Turkey recently signed with an element of Libya’s divided government. But the tensions that have been building up …
For the first time in 20 years, a Russian cosmonaut rocketed from the U.S. on Wednesday, launching to the International Space Station alongside NASA and Japanese astronauts despite tensions over the war in Ukraine. Their SpaceX flight was delayed by Hurricane Ian, which ripped across the state last week. “I hope with this launch we …
Read more “Russian Launches to Space From US, 1st Time in 20 Years”
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Wednesday to formalize Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions, a move widely condemned as illegal and one that comes as Ukrainian forces advance in a counteroffensive to take back areas under Russian control. The Russian measure, approved earlier this week by the country’s parliament, claims Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, …
Read more “Putin Finalizes Annexation Claim Rejected by Ukraine, West”
OPEC+ looks set for deep oil output cuts when it meets on Wednesday, curbing supply in an already tight market despite pressure from the United States and other consuming countries to pump more. The potential OPEC+ cut could spur a recovery in oil prices that have dropped to about $90 from $120 three months ago …
Enzymes found in the saliva of wax worms can degrade one of the most common forms of plastic waste, according to research published Tuesday that could open up new ways of dealing with plastic pollution. Humans produce some 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year despite international drives to reduce single-use plastics and …
Read more “Plastic-Gobbling Enzymes in Worm Spit May Help Ease Pollution”
Plans are finally in motion for a railway that runs from China to Europe through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, after being on the table for two decades. Some Central Asian residents remain skeptical of the project, while others anticipate it will be an economic boon for the region. The deal, reached in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during the …
Read more “Despite Skepticism, China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Deal Chugs Forward”
The impending November midterm elections, in which control of both houses of the United States Congress is being closely contested, could have significant consequences for the largest foreign policy challenge currently facing the Biden administration: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February, the U.S. and its …
Read more “Future Ukraine Aid May Hinge on Control of Congress in 2023”
Millions of Ukrainian schoolchildren are returning to the classroom despite air sirens that are still interrupting lessons. With more than 2,000 school buildings around the country destroyed, educators are working hard to rebuild and bring normality to children’s lives. VOA Eastern Europe Chief Myroslava Gongadze visited the village of Bohdanivka near Kyiv where Russian occupiers …
Read more “Devastated by Russian Assault, Ukraine’s Schools Come Back to Life”
Turkish journalists groups on Tuesday protested a draft law the government says is aimed at combating fake news and disinformation but which critics denounce as yet another attempt to stifle freedom of expression. Parliament was set to debate a 40-article piece of legislation that amends multiple laws governing press, advertising and social media. The most …
Read more “Turkish Journalist Groups Slam Bill to Fight Disinformation”
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has won the prestigious Nansen Award from the U.N. refugee agency, for providing a haven for more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution in Syria. Angela Merkel welcomed the desperate people at the height of the Syrian conflict in 2015 and 2016, when other countries …
Read more “Angela Merkel Wins UNHCR Nansen Award for Protecting Syrian Refugees”
Afghanistan’s National Institute of Music has performed its first concert in its new home of Lisbon, Portugal. Members of the exiled school are determined to keep Afghan music alive even though they can’t play in their homeland. VOA’s Farkhunda Paimani and Munaza Shaheed attended the concert in Lisbon and filed this report narrated by Amy …
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A Russian court on Monday set October 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession. Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted August 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis …
Read more “Russian Court Sets Brittney Griner Appeal Date for October 25”
Albanian authorities Monday denied the country’s police system was hacked after local media reported that data on people being investigated for crimes was released from an Iranian hacking group. Albanian media reported a leaked file with a list of suspected people, from allegedly the police database, who are being probed on different crimes. Ervin Karamuco, …
Read more “Albania Denies Police System Was Attacked by Iranian Hackers”
Prominent Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak faces a criminal investigation over a story that police suspect was “fake,” state news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source in law enforcement. Sobchak, whose late father was the mayor of St. Petersburg in the 1990s and worked closely with Vladimir Putin, hosts a YouTube channel with …
Read more “Russian Journalist Sobchak Faces Investigation, TASS Reports”
U.N. economists warn the monetary and fiscal policies of advanced economies risk plunging the world into a recession worse than the financial crisis of 2008. UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has issued its annual Trade and Development Report 2022. The authors of the report warn the world is teetering on the …
Read more “UN Report: Fiscal Policies of Advanced Economies Risk Global Recession”
Ukrainian forces made further gains Monday in the Kherson region in the country’s south, adding to their gains in the east in recent days as they push a counteroffensive against Russia. Russia-installed officials in Kherson said Ukraine’s military had recaptured some settlements in Kherson. The region is one of four that Russia illegally annexed last …
Reformists who ran on fighting corruption and clientelism in public office appeared set to win an important race in Bosnia’s elections Sunday that could give them greater sway over the direction of the country which has never fully recovered from its 1992-95 sectarian war and remains divided along ethnic lines. The first preliminary results released …
Read more “Reformists Gain in Bosnia Elections, Though Change Unlikely”
Greece wants to have a constructive dialogue with Turkey based on international law but its Aegean neighbor must halt its unprecedented escalation of provocations, the Greek foreign minister said Sunday. The two countries — North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies but historic foes — have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where …
Read more “Greece Says It’s Open to Talks with Turkey Once Provocations End”