The United States and Russia are calling for restraint as fighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan has left about 155 troops dead. VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on the escalation of decades-old bloodshed between the two former Soviet republics. …
The annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is taking place on September 15 and 16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and will bring together countries including Russia, China and Iran. It will be Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first international trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began. …
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide last week was the lowest reported in the pandemic since March 2020, marking what could be a turning point in the years-long global outbreak. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world has …
Read more “WHO: COVID End ‘in Sight,’ Deaths at Lowest Since March 2020”
As Russia faces further isolation from the West after its invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet in Uzbekistan, a gathering that should indicate the strength of the cooperation between the two countries. Marcus Harton narrates this report from the VOA Moscow Bureau. …
Belarusian journalist Dzyanis Ivashyn has been sentenced to 13 years and one month in prison on a high treason charge. The Hrodna regional court in the country’s west also ruled on September 14 that Ivashyn must pay a fine and compensation to nine unspecified victims. Ivashyn’s trial started in mid-August behind closed doors. Ivashyn was …
Read more “Belarusian Journalist Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence on Treason Charge”
Sweden’s Social Democrat prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, accepted defeat on Wednesday after a close-fought election, handing the four-party right-wing opposition bloc victory and first go at forming a new government. A handful of votes remain to be counted, but Andersson, who became Sweden’s first woman prime minister last year said the results showed the right …
Read more “Swedish PM Andersson Concedes Election, Right Bloc Prepares for Power”
Armenia and Azerbaijan, two long-time adversaries, accused each other Wednesday of instigating new hostilities across their disputed border. Armenia’s Defense Ministry contended that Azerbaijani forces launched combat drones in the direction of the Armenian resort town of Jermuk overnight and renewed shelling with artillery and mortars in the morning, again targeting Jermuk, along with the …
Read more “Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade Blame Over Fresh Fighting”
Russia has spent at least $300 million to sway both politics and policy in more than two dozen countries since 2014, according to a newly declassified review by U.S. intelligence agencies that warns the Kremlin is not done with plans to pay for influence. The money, funneled to political parties and candidates across at least …
Read more “Report: Democracies at Risk From Russian Money, Meddling”
Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II is taken from Buckingham Palace to London’s Westminster Hall where she will lie in state at parliament. King Charles III walks behind the carriage carrying the queen’s coffin. His sons, William and Harry, and his siblings, Anne, Andrew and Edward join him. Large crowds are seen along the route, with tens …
Read more “In Photos: Solemn Procession of Queen Elizabeth’s Coffin to Westminster Hall”
The United States said Wednesday it is setting up fund in Switzerland to manage $3.5 billion of Afghan reserves to be used to help stabilize Afghanistan’s economy. A board of trustees will manage the Afghan Fund. The U.S. Treasury said the fund will “protect, preserve and make targeted disbursements” of the Afghan money. The funds …
Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II was being taken Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to London’s Westminster Hall where she will lie in state at parliament. King Charles III walked behind the carriage carrying the queen’s coffin. Joining him were his sons, William and Harry, and his siblings, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Large crowds gathered along the …
Read more “Queen Elizabeth to Lie in State at Britain’s Parliament ”
From the world’s second-smallest state, Monaco, to the most populous country, India, representatives from more than 20 governments and international organizations on Monday condemned the Taliban’s policies of shutting down secondary schools and denying other fundamental rights to Afghan girls and women. Even Pakistan, the purported benefactor of the Taliban, voiced concern at a United …
Read more “Russia Offers Excuses for Taliban Closing Schools for Girls”
Armenia and Azerbaijan reported nearly 100 troop deaths Tuesday in their worst fighting since a 2020 war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The last wave of fighting over Azerbaijan’s tense Armenian-populated enclave ended in a fragile truce brokered by Russia. But on Tuesday, the defense ministry in Baku said, “50 Azerbaijani servicemen died as …
Read more “Nearly 100 Killed in Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Clashes”
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth is flown to London from the Scottish capital of Edinburgh after lying in St. Giles’ Cathedral. In London, her coffin will be driven to Buckingham Palace, her official home. …
As Africa reflects on the legacy of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Kenyans remember how a princess visiting the country in 1952 left a queen. Analysts note how Elizabeth helped steer the end of Britain’s empire and exploitative colonial rule. But while relations were repaired and improved under the monarch, colonialism left lasting wounds, as Juma …
The European Union wants to enact tougher rules for media groups seeking to acquire smaller rivals on whether their deals ensure media pluralism and safeguard editorial independence, according to draft EU rules seen by Reuters. The Media Freedom Act (MFA), which the European Commission will present later this week, comes during concerns about media freedom …
Read more “EU Wants to Assess Media Mergers for Media Pluralism, Editorial Independence”
In addition to fighting on the front lines, Ukrainians are fighting on the economic battlefront. Businesses are trying to survive, and with a bit of help, succeed. A new online platform helps them do just that. Lesia Bakalets has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Andre Sergunin. …
Britain’s King Charles III Leads Queen Elizabeth’s Coffin Through Edinburgh …
Fresh clashes broke out Tuesday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with each side reporting casualties and blaming the other for the violence. Armenia said Azerbaijani forces attacked several points near the border, killing 49 Armenian soldiers. Azerbaijan said Armenian forces fired on its positions, leaving an unspecified number of casualties. The two countries have had a …
Members of the public paid their respects Tuesday to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, with many waiting overnight for a final opportunity to file past the queen’s coffin before it is flown to London. Princess Anne is due to accompany the coffin on the flight back to London later Tuesday. …
Read more “Mourners Pay Final Respects to Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh Cathedral ”
Ukraine claimed Monday it had recaptured several more villages in the northeastern part of the country, pushing some Russian forces back to the border between the two nations. After months of only incremental territorial gains and losses by Kyiv’s and Moscow’s forces, Ukrainian leaders exulted in the sudden advance since the beginning of September in …
Read more “Ukraine Says It Pushed Back Russian Forces, Reclaimed Territory”
Near final results in Sweden’s election Sunday show that a bloc of right-wing parties was expected to defeat a left-wing bloc headed by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. The conservative group includes a populist anti-immigration party that made its best showing. However, the result was so close that the election authority said it would not be …
Read more “Swedish Conservatives Close to Election Win Amid Crime Fears “
Experts say Ukraine has dealt its opponent a major operational defeat with a surprise counteroffensive in the country’s northeast, sending shockwaves through the invading Russian army. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine looks at the likely impact of the Ukrainian military gains on the war. …
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Monday recommended a COVID-19 booster designed to combat the currently circulating Omicron BA.4/5 subvariants, days after endorsing a pair of boosters tailored to target the older BA.1 Omicron variant. The latest recommendation is for a so-called bivalent vaccine developed by Pfizer PFE.N and BioNTech 22UAy.DE, which targets BA.4/5 as …
Read more “EU Regulator Backs Pfizer’s Omicron-Adapted Vaccine Booster”