washington — Civil liberties declined globally for the 18th consecutive year in 2023, with conflict and flawed elections the biggest factors, a new report has found. Political rights and civil liberties deteriorated for more than one-fifth of the population, the non-profit group Freedom House found. And only one-fifth of the 210 countries and territories the …
Read more “Freedom House: Civil Liberties Decline Globally for 18th Year”
France is poised to become the first country to inscribe the freedom for women to have abortions in its constitution. Lawmakers from the Senate and lower house will meet at Versailles Palace on March 4 for a final vote on the measure. Lisa Bryant reports. …
A lunar landing more than 50 years in the making is a partial success. Plus, the U.S. says Russia may launch a nuclear weapon into orbit. The Kremlin calls it spin. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
Turkey and Italy are seeking to expand their influence in Africa, economically and diplomatically. Analysts say both nations see opportunities as French influence on the continent declines, creating common ground for cooperation between Rome and Ankara. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
WASHINGTON — U.S. security officials are bracing for an onslaught of fast-paced influence operations, from a wide range of adversaries, aimed at impacting the country’s coming presidential election. FBI Director Christopher Wray issued the latest warning about attempts to meddle with American voters as they decide whom to support when they go to the polls come …
Read more “Artificial Intelligence Is Game Changer for Election Interference, FBI Warns”
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BRUSSELS — The European Union took a major step in ending its standoff with member state Poland on Thursday by announcing it will begin releasing billions of euros to it that were frozen over the previous government’s policies that the bloc said amounted to widespread backsliding on fundamental democratic principles. The move is an important reward …
Read more “EU Moves to End Standoff With Poland Over Anti-EU Policies, Begins to Release Funds”
Paris — The organizers of the Paris Olympics took possession of the newly built athletes’ village on Thursday on schedule, reinforcing growing confidence that they will be ready for the Games. At an inauguration ceremony in northern Paris, chief organizer Tony Estanguet received a symbolic key for the complex in front of VIPs including President Emmanuel …
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OSLO, Norway — One person died and five were injured when a helicopter crash-landed in the ocean off western Norway, police said on Thursday, leading to a temporary halt in transport to and from the country’s offshore oil and gas platforms. The Sikorsky S-92 aircraft operated by Bristow Norway was on a search and rescue training …
Srinagar, Indian administered Kashmir — The blanket of snow covering one of the prominent cricket grounds at the Magam neighborhood of Budgam district on the Indian side of Kashmir has melted. The ground is set to host a monthlong local cricket tournament from March 3. Hundreds of youths from various parts of the valley will compete …
Read more “Cricket Tournaments in Indian-Administered Kashmir Boost Local Economy”
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The eyes of free press advocates and U.S. intelligence officials are on London, where the High Court is set to rule on the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Washington wants him extradited to face 18 charges tied to the hacking and theft of classified material. VOA’s Jeff Seldin reports. …
paris — France’s Senate on Wednesday adopted a bill to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the constitution, clearing a key hurdle for legislation promised by President Emmanuel Macron in response to a rollback in abortion rights in the United States. Wednesday’s vote came after the lower house, the National Assembly, overwhelmingly approved the …
Read more “French Senate Approves Bill to Make Abortion a Constitutional Right”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political allies want to regain control of Istanbul in hotly contested local elections in March, and opposition media are warning about tactics they are using, including artificial intelligence and deepfake videos in ads. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
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Verbovets, Ukraine — Verbovets lies a few kilometers from the Hungarian border, one of the few areas of Ukraine yet to be targeted by Russian missiles. Despite its distance from the war, Verbovets — like many of the villages in Ukraine’s remote Zakarpattia region — is largely empty. Houses are boarded up, businesses permanently closed, gardens …
Read more “Politics, War Drive Depopulation in Ukraine’s Ethnic Hungarian Villages”
The Ukrainian region of Zakarpattia is home to around 75-thousand ethnic Hungarians – but many have fled to Hungary and other parts of Europe to escape the war with Russia and the military draft in Ukraine after Budapest made it easier for them to obtain a Hungarian passport. As Henry Ridgwell reports, these ethnic Hungarians …
Read more “In Ukraine’s Ethnic Hungarian Villages, Politics and War Drive Depopulation”
London — Prince Harry was not improperly stripped of his publicly funded security detail during visits to Britain after he gave up his status as a working member of the royal family and moved to the U.S., a London judge ruled Wednesday. Justice Peter Lane said in the High Court that the decision to provide security …
Vatican City — Pope Francis, who has been suffering from the flu, was brought to a hospital in central Rome after the papal audience on Wednesday, arriving at the Gemelli Hospital on Tiber Island in a small white Fiat 500 and leaving again under escort in the same car after a short period. The Vatican had …
Read more “Pope Francis Taken Briefly to Rome Hospital After Weekly Audience “
NEW YORK — Leap year. It’s a delight for the calendar and math nerds among us. So how did it all begin and why? Have a look at some of the numbers, history and lore behind the (not quite) every four-year phenom that adds a 29th day to February. By the numbers The math is mind-boggling …
Read more “What Might Happen Without a Leap Day? More Than You Think”
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Washington — The discovery of a North Korean missile in Ukraine that had more than 200 components from U.S. and European companies revealed loopholes that North Korea uses to evade sanctions, said analysts. North Korea is operating its arms factories at full capacity to supply Russia with weapons needed to fight Ukraine, said South Korean Defense …
Read more “North Korean Missiles Used by Russia Against Ukraine Are Products of Sanction Loopholes”