Sweden is holding an election Sunday to elect lawmakers to the 349-seat Riksdag as well as to local offices across the nation of 10 million. Early voting began Aug. 24. Here are some key things to know about the vote. What is at stake? Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is fighting to keep her center-left Social …
Albania has suffered a renewed cyberattack, the country’s interior ministry said Saturday, blaming Iran which Tirana also accused of an earlier assault on its digital systems. “The national police’s computer systems were hit Friday by a cyberattack which, according to initial information, was committed by the same actors who in July attacked the country’s public …
Many Hong Kongers took to social media to mourn Queen Elizabeth II, a woman affectionately nicknamed “boss lady” among older residents in a city that was one of Britain’s last colonies. Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice during her reign, while her son — now King Charles III — was present for the handover to China …
Read more “Queen Elizabeth Remembered in Former Colony Hong Kong”
King Charles III was formally proclaimed as Britain’s monarch and head of the Commonwealth Saturday, in a ceremony that traces its history back several hundred years. Charles became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday. She had been on the throne for 70 years. The royal family announced that …
Read more “King Charles III Formally Proclaimed British Monarch”
King Charles III was proclaimed as Britain’s monarch and head of the Commonwealth Saturday in a ceremony in London, which traces its history back several hundred years. The royal family announced the queen’s funeral would be September 19, at Westminster Abbey in London. Henry Ridgwell reports …
Ukraine announced major advancements in a strategic military counteroffensive against Russian forces, retaking a vital city and causing thousands of Russian soldiers to retreat from territory in northeastern Ukraine that they had held since the start of the war in late February. Ukrainian forces reported Saturday that they had gained control of Izyum and pushed …
Read more “Ukraine Forces Retake Control of Key Russian Stronghold”
Turkey and Greece, both NATO members, have been at loggerheads for decades over territorial and airspace claims in and over the Aegean Sea. As the historic rivals escalate their war of words, analysts warn about the risk of current tension spilling into NATO business at a time when there is a need to focus on …
Read more “Turkey-Greece Tensions Could Disrupt NATO Unity, Experts Warn”
Australia’s political leaders have laid wreaths at the Federal Parliament Saturday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She was Australia’s head of state under the country’s constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth had an affinity with Australia. She visited 16 times during her long reign, traveling to every state and territory. On a tour in 2000, …
Charles, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was publicly proclaimed king Saturday in a ceremony steeped in British pomp and pageantry at London’s St. James’s Palace. He automatically became Britain’s king upon the death of his mother on Thursday. He will now be known as King Charles III. Saturday’s procedure at the Accession …
A global search for alternative sources to Russian energy in light of the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power stations, which proponents say could provide a cheaper, more efficient alternative to older model mega-plants. U.K.-based Rolls-Royce SMR says its small modular reactors, or SMRs, are much cheaper and quicker to …
Read more “Small Nuclear Reactors Emerge as Energy Option, but Risks Loom”
Britain’s former prince of Wales will be formally proclaimed king Saturday at St. James’s Palace in London. Charles automatically became Britain’s king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday. He will be known as King Charles III. Saturday’s procedure at the Accession Council will be the formal proclamation of his sovereignty …
From the national anthem to banknotes and coins, stamps and passports, many aspects of daily life in the U.K. will change with the accession of Charles III to the throne. Currency and stamps The face of the new King Charles III will begin to appear on coins and banknotes in the U.K. and other countries …
Read more “Coins, Anthem: What Will Change With Accession of Charles III?”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions Friday against Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or MOIS, for a cyberattack launched against Albania’s government computer systems in July. In a statement, Blinken said, “In July 2022, cyber attackers determined to be sponsored by the Government of Iran and its MOIS disrupted Albanian government computer …
Britain’s King Charles III has addressed the nation and the Commonwealth — a day after ascending to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, Charles must lead a nation that shares his sense of loss and sadness. …
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with NATO’s secretary-general to discuss Ukraine’s recent military gains and how European countries will get through the coming winter with less Russian gas and oil. VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department. …
Ukraine is bracing for a new wave of Russian cyberattacks likely aimed at freezing its citizens in coming months and crippling its spending power. The attacks, according to an assessment shared Friday by a top Ukrainian cyber official, are expected to include precision cyber strikes, combining virtual efforts against key systems with physical action targeting …
Read more “Ukraine Warns Russian Cyber Onslaught Is Coming “
The U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has raised concerns about the treatment of people with disabilities in China and Ukraine. The two countries are among nine whose records came under review by the 18-member monitoring group during its latest session. The committee said it is deeply concerned about the reported detention …
Read more “UN Raises Concern About Treatment of Disabled in China, Ukraine”
For the Baltic states in northeastern Europe, the dream of increased prosperity through trade and investment from China has run its course, analysts tell VOA. “This was the debate that happened in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania around 2016, that we should get some investment from China, we should attract this ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, …
Condolence messages on the death of Queen Elizabeth have been pouring in from Africa, where the queen made many visits during her 70-year rule. Elizabeth became queen while in Kenya in 1952, and her first overseas tour as monarch was in South Africa. She later helped steer Britain through the end of its …
Read more “Africans Say Goodbye to Queen Who Led Britain into Post-Colonial Era”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address that he and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in an unannounced visit Thursday to Kyiv, talked about a variety of topics, including designating Russia as a terrorist state. “The legal reality must always correspond to the actual reality. And it is a fact that Russia …
Though hundreds of Ukraine’s schools have been destroyed during the war, the new school year has quietly started. And while some things haven’t changed, many Ukrainian schoolchildren are facing new and frightening realities. Lesia Bakalets has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by David Gogokhia. …
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 at her Balmoral residence in Scotland. She was Britain’s longest-serving monarch and this year celebrated 70 years on the throne. Elizabeth was the only monarch most living Britons have ever known: a symbol of her nation, its empire and its Commonwealth. Early life Her …
Read more “Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, World’s Longest-Serving Monarch, Dies at 96”
Editor’s note: VOA’s Sonya Laurence Green happened to be in London during a historic week: Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned, Liz Truss became the new prime minister, and Queen Elizabeth II died after a 70-year reign. Here is her account. I was sitting in a pub in London, on a weeklong visit to the United Kingdom, …
Read more “Reporter’s Notebook: Former Foreign Correspondents and a Historic Week in UK”
Britain’s King Charles III is returning to London on Friday from Balmoral Castle in Scotland where his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died Thursday. Charles, who is 73 and the oldest monarch to ascend the throne, is scheduled to deliver a televised address to a nation in mourning Friday, his first address as head of state. The …