Many buildings in the town of Novoluganske, in eastern Ukraine, have been abandoned for years. The wooden boards on the doors and windows are rotted by weather, and nearby factories are rusted and shuttered. You would never know that violent incidents in the region have increased by more than 1,000% in the past three days. …
Read more “Reporter’s Notebook: On Tour with the Ukrainian Military”
Rescue teams in Greece searched a burning ferry Saturday for 12 people believed to be missing after it caught fire in the Ionian Sea while enroute to Italy. After working all night to try to extinguish the blaze that broke out Friday, firefighting vessels surrounded the Euroferry Olympia, which was carrying more than 290 passengers …
Read more “Greek Rescuers Search Burning Ferry for 12 Missing People”
Crews cleared fallen trees and worked to restore power to about 400,000 people in Britain as Western Europe cleaned up Saturday after one of the most damaging storms in years. At least 12 people were killed, many by falling trees, in Ireland, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Named Storm Eunice by the British and …
Read more “Western Europe Cleans Up After Storm Leaves at Least 12 Dead”
As Ukraine braces for a possible attack from Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he wanted to convene a meeting of world powers to secure new security guarantees for his country as the current global system is no longer fit for the purpose. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy also called on NATO …
Read more “Ukraine’s President Wants New Security Guarantees at Munich Conference”
Shelling and mortar fire picked up tempo overnight Saturday in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with the heavy bombardment spurring fears a major military clash is in the offing. The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk republic Saturday issued a mobilization order for able-bodied males to present themselves to “military commissars” to sign up with …
Read more “Shelling, Mortar Fire Intensify in Ukraine’s Donbas as War Clouds Gather”
President Joe Biden says he is “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, but that diplomacy is still on the table until that happens. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov …
China’s deepening ties with Russia will come with heavy geopolitical and economic consequences should the Ukraine crisis escalate, analysts say. While the two powers have recently intensified their so-called comprehensive strategic partnership, Beijing has not offered its full support for Moscow’s military encirclement of its neighbor. And there have been signs Beijing is worried that …
Read more “Why a Russian Invasion of Ukraine Would Hurt China, Too “
Eight years after an uprising in Ukraine that led to the fall of the Russian-backed government, activists gather to mark that victory, saying they are now preparing for what may be their country’s next great struggle. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Kyiv. Camera: Yan Boechat. …
Nine passengers were missing after a blaze engulfed a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy early Friday, and firefighters battled to rescue people trapped on the ship, authorities said. A total of 240 passengers and 51 crew were on board the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia when the fire broke out, and rescue vessels took most to …
Read more “3 Trapped, 9 Missing After Flames Engulf Greece-Italy Ferry “
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 Chief Calls for Diplomacy on Ukraine U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia, Ukraine and the West on Monday to de-escalate tensions, saying “there is no alternative to diplomacy” …
The military government of Mali says France’s decision to withdraw troops is a violation of bilateral accords. At the same time, the government says it wants French forces to leave Mali immediately. During an address from Elysee Palace Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the withdrawal of French and European forces from Mali would take …
Read more “Mali Demands French, European Troops Leave Country Immediately”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday of Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, that it is “high time to seriously de-escalate.” “I still think it will not happen,” he told Western leaders gathered in Germany for the Munich Security Conference about a possible Russian invasion of its southwestern neighbor. “But if it did, it would be catastrophic.” …
Read more “UN Chief Urges ‘Serious De-escalation’ on Ukraine”
Western leaders and Russia maintained a withering war of words Friday in the weeks-long standoff over Ukraine and amid Kremlin threats to retaliate militarily unless NATO agrees to withdraw the small level of forces it has stationed in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe, now members of the Western alliance. A leader of the …
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called for a de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis in a telephone conversation Friday with his Russian counterpart, according to the Pentagon. “Austin called for de-escalation, the return of Russian forces surrounding Ukraine to their home bases, and a diplomatic resolution,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement. …
Millions of Britons were urged to cancel travel plans and stay indoors Friday amid fears of high winds and flying debris as the second major storm this week prompted a rare “red” weather warning across southern England. Storm Eunice is likely to cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions, with gusts that may exceed 145 kph …
Read more “UK Warns People to Stay Home as it Braces for 145 KPH Winds”
One of the many unsettling questions raised by the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is what an armed conflict in Eastern Europe would do to the energy supply of the countries of the European Union, which have become increasingly reliant on Russian natural gas for electricity generation, industrial applications, and commercial and residential …
Read more “Prospect of War in Ukraine Raises Questions About Europe’s Natural Gas Supply “
The gold medalist said she felt empty. The silver medalist pledged never to skate again. The favorite left in tears without saying a word. After one of the most dramatic nights in their sport’s history, Russia’s trio of teenage figure skating stars each enter an uncertain future. Her Olympics and life turned upside down by …
Read more “‘I Hate This Sport!’: Rage, Teen Tears and Olympic Collapse”
The United States and its Western allies are bracing for the possibility that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have a ripple effect in cyberspace, even if Western entities are not initially the intended target. “I am absolutely concerned,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the virtual Munich Cyber Security Conference on Thursday when …
Read more “US, Allies Warn Possible Russian Cyberattacks Could Reverberate Globally “
U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen — known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended — has died at age 101. Halvorsen died Wednesday following a brief illness in his home state of Utah, surrounded by most of his children, James Stewart, the director of …
Read more “‘Candy Bomber’ Who Dropped Sweets During Berlin Airlift Dies “
The crisis in Ukraine has united most Republicans and Democrats in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement that the United States must stand strong against the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But a small group within the Republican Party — heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump’s stance toward Russia — has criticized President …
Read more “Fringes of Right and Left Warn Against US Involvement in Ukraine”
Tanzanian political figures are applauding after President Samia Suluhu Hassan met in Brussels Wednesday with opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Lissu has lived in Belgium since a 2017 assassination attempt. He returned to Tanzania in 2020 to run for president but fled the country again after protests against his election loss and what he said were …
Read more “Applause in Tanzania After President Meets Exiled Opposition Leader in Belgium”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the U.N. Security Council that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine within days that intelligence information said could be preceded by a fabricated excuse involving a bogus or real chemical weapons assault. Blinken voiced the Biden administration’s concerns Thursday after making a last-minute change to his travel plans …
Read more “Blinken Addresses UN on Concerns of Russian Attack on Ukraine”
Police officers who beat and insulted journalists covering a protest this week will be removed from their positions, Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry has said. The Interior Ministry press secretary told VOA’s Azerbaijan Service on Thursday that officers involved in the incident will be removed “due to impolite behavior especially against Fatima Movlamli.” Movlamli, a reporter for …
Read more “Azerbaijan Says It Will Remove Police Officers Over Media Harassment”
Who says you have to be born in Italy to make excellent pizza? Ibrahim Songne, a West African now living in northern Italy, has successfully challenged that assumption. VOA’s Betty Ayoub has the story. …