Month: December 2022

The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In a statement, Blinken said those designated as countries of particular concern, which also include North Korea and Myanmar, engaged in or tolerated …

Read more “US Designates Iran, China as Countries of Concern Over Religious Freedom”

VOA White House correspondent Paris Huang spoke with John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, on Friday about protests in China, the Chinese military, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Russian war in Ukraine. The following transcript has been edited for clarity. VOA: We’ll start with the protests happening in China right now, …

Read more “VOA Interview December 2: John Kirby”

Britain’s Prince William capped a three-day visit to Boston by meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday, ahead of announcing his Earthshot Prize environmental award winners at a gala event. The Prince of Wales shook hands with Biden and spoke quietly in the winter cold near the water outside of the John F. Kennedy …

Read more “Prince William, Like His Father, Prioritizes the Environment”

A security organization born in the Cold War to maintain peace in Europe ended a high-level meeting Friday without a final resolution, underlining the existential crisis it is facing amid Russia’s war against Ukraine. The war launched by one member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe against another has created hurdles for …

Read more “European Security Organization Faces Existential Crisis at Meeting”

 Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he is ready for negotiations with the West — provided the West recognizes Russia’s “new territories” taken from Ukraine. The statement from the Kremlin came after what appeared to be a cautious diplomatic overture from the White House. At a news conference Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron, President …

Read more “US, Russia Trade Jabs Over Ukraine”

Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch. UN launches record humanitarian appeal for 2023 The United Nations launched a $51.5 billion appeal Thursday for humanitarian needs in 2023. Needs are the highest they have ever been, …

Read more “UN Weekly Roundup: November 26 – December 2, 2022 ”

The brother of American Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 after being convicted on espionage charges in 2020, says the former U.S. Marine telephoned his parents from Russia early Friday, the first contact in more than a week. In a statement emailed to media outlets, David Whelan said that his brother …

Read more “Detained American in Russia Makes Contact With Family”

First lady Jill Biden, who has broken with precedent by continuing to teach at a community college since moving into the White House, confided to a group of seventh graders this week that she was not always sure she would be able to handle both jobs. Biden, who holds a doctoral degree, made the admission …

Read more “First Ladies Biden, Macron Bond Over Love of Language and Education “

Despite the missile strikes and power cuts that have become a regular occurrence in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv’s 190,000 remaining school children are still expected to attend classes, whether online or in person. “If there is no light, it’s sometimes hard to see when you are writing,” said Yulia, 13, sitting in the front row of …

Read more “Kyiv Schools Adapt to Survive Under Russian Bombardment”

A special court could be set up to prosecute Russian President Vladimir Putin, his ministers and top generals for the crime of aggression, following the invasion of Ukraine. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

The quiet Canadian port city of Halifax is looking forward to a high-tech future after having been chosen as the North American host for NATO’s latest effort to spur the development of cutting-edge technologies seen as crucial to 21st century warfare. The selection was announced at last month’s Halifax International Security Forum, an annual event …

Read more “Halifax: North America’s Next National Security Hub?”

Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who exposed the scale of secret surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA), has sworn an oath of allegiance to Russia and received a Russian passport, TASS reported Friday.  “Yes, he got [a passport], he took the oath,” Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden’s lawyer, told the state news agency TASS.   …

Read more “US Whistleblower Snowden Gets Russian Passport, TASS Reports”

A new law gives Turkey fresh ammunition to censor the media and silence dissent ahead of elections in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to prolong his two decades in office, journalists and activists say. Since 2014, when Erdogan became president, tens of thousands of people, from high-school teens to a former Miss Turkey have …

Read more “Concern Rises as New Turkish Media Law Squeezes Dissent”

Authorities on the Italian island of Ischia prepared Friday to evacuate more than 1,000 people from at-risk areas following warnings of heavy rain, just days after a deadly landslide.   “Intense rainfall is expected,” with a consequent risk of landslides, rapid mudflows, rock falls [and] flooding” from Ischia to Naples and the Vesuvius volcano, said …

Read more “Rain Warning Prompts Evacuations on Italian Island After Landslide”

The British Defense Ministry’s intelligence update Friday on Ukraine said, “Russia’s withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnipro River last month has provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with opportunities to strike additional Russian logistics nodes and lines of communication.” “This threat has highly likely prompted Russian logisticians to relocate supply nodes, including rail transfer …

Read more “Zelenskyy: ‘Ukrainian Rules Will Prevail’”

With Ukraine scrambling to keep communication lines open during the war, an army of engineers from the country’s phone companies has mobilized to help the public and policymakers stay in touch during repeated Russian missile and drone strikes. The engineers, who typically go unseen and unsung in peacetime, often work around the clock to maintain …

Read more “Ukrainian Engineers Scramble to Keep Mobile Phones Working”

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that they would never pressure Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, saying the US and France stand as united as ever with their NATO allies against Moscow’s invasion. VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …

A new European Union proposal for an international tribunal to try Russian aggression in Ukraine has received mixed reviews — prompting a thumbs up from Kyiv and rights advocates but doubts from experts about its feasibility and whether it will receive broad-based acceptance. “Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of …

Read more “EU Calls for Special Russia Aggression Tribunal May Be Tough to Realize”

The Russian-American Science Association’s annual conference was held November 18-20 in Los Angeles, California. The event had a different tone this year because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian …

Authorities in Spain are investigating a series of letter bombs sent to the country’s prime minister, the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid and other sites. Reports say officials also have stepped up security at public and diplomatic buildings. Spain’s interior ministry said Thursday an “envelope with pyrotechnic material” addressed to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was received …

Read more “Spain Investigating Letter Bombs Sent to Prime Minister, Ukraine Embassy”

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to host French leader Emmanuel Macron for talks Thursday at the White House that are expected to cover a range of topics including Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.  U.S. and French officials said Iran’s nuclear program and security in the Sahel region of …

Read more “China, Ukraine Top Agenda as Biden Hosts Macron”