WASHINGTON — A Reuters journalist was among 20 reporters briefly detained by Russian authorities Saturday. Authorities made the arrests as the media covered an anti-war demonstration in Moscow. The journalists, most of whom work for Russian media outlets, had been reporting on a group of women demanding the return of their husbands who were mobilized to …
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London — King Charles III’s cancer was caught early and the whole country is hoping for a speedy recovery, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday, as the monarch’s son Prince Harry reportedly flew from the U.S. to visit his father. Buckingham Palace announced Monday evening that the king has begun outpatient treatment for an undisclosed …
Read more “King Charles III’s Cancer Was Caught Early, UK Prime Minister Says”
A reported split between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top general Valerii Zaluzhnyi is raising concern inside Ukraine on the country’s ability to fight Russian aggression, even with continued support from its allies. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Eugene Shynkar. …
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BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm shelved an anti-pesticides proposal Tuesday in yet another concession to farmers after weeks of protests blocked major capitals and economic lifelines across the 27-nation bloc. Although the proposal had languished in EU institutions for the past two years, the move by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was …
Read more “EU Proposes Scrapping Pesticide Proposals Concession to Farmers”
MADRID — Shares in Santander and Lloyds fell after the Financial Times reported that Iran used accounts from two of the U.K.’s biggest banks to covertly move money around the world as part of a vast sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Tehran’s intelligence services. According to documents seen by the Financial Times, Lloyds and Santander U.K. provided …
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london — Germany is debating a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party amid mass protests across the country against far-right extremism. The discussion follows revelations last month that senior AfD politicians attended a secret meeting where the forcible deportation of migrants, including German citizens, was discussed. Details of the meeting, published by the investigative …
Read more “Germany Mulls Far-Right Party Ban as Secret Meeting Evokes Nazi Memories “
Germans took to the streets again over the weekend to protest far-right extremism, after it was revealed that members of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party discussed the forcible transfer of migrants — including German citizens — at a secret meeting. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
A year after a massive earthquake killed more than 56,000 people and displaced 3 million in Turkey and northern Syria, hundreds of thousands of people still live in containers in Turkey, grieving, traumatized and not knowing whether or when they will have new homes. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with videographers Umut Çolak in …
Read more “Turkey Earthquake Survivor: ‘I Wish We Had Just Lost Our Homes’”
Russia is preparing for a presidential poll next month, an election overshadowed by the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – nearing its second anniversary – and a crackdown on political opponents and the media. Marcus Harton narrates this report from VOA’s Moscow bureau. …
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LONDON — Britain’s King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will postpone public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday. Charles, 75, had spent three nights in hospital last month after undergoing a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate, when a separate issue of concern was noted. The palace said …
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BUDAPEST — The U.S. envoy to Budapest along with ambassadors from some other NATO allies including Denmark and Poland attended the Hungarian parliament on Monday in a surprise show of pressure on Budapest to approve Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. The extraordinary meeting of parliament was called by the opposition to vote on ratification on …
Read more “US Envoy Piles Pressure on Orban to Ratify Sweden’s NATO Entry”
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Most people in northwest Syria were already displaced when the magnitude seven-point-eight earthquake struck Feb. 6, 2023, killing thousands in the region and rendering 170,000 people homeless again. A year later, emergency aid has dried up, and some people are sheltering in condemned buildings. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul, with Moawia Atrash in the …
ATHENS — A powerful bomb blast in central Athens has sent shock waves across the country with authorities concerned about what they call a new era of terrorism. Surveillance footage showed the powerful blast exploding in front of the nation’s Labor ministry, shattering its steel-and-glass façade and gutting offices as far up as the sixth floor. …
Read more “Bombing in Greek Capital Triggers Concerns of Terrorism Resurgence”
LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards for “Midnights,” breaking the record for most wins in the category with four. She began her speech by thanking her producer and friend Jack Antonoff and added, “I would love to tell you this is the happiest moment of my life,” she …
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Washington — The U.S. Senate on Sunday unveiled a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill that would also provide aid to Ukraine and Israel following months of negotiations, but the measure faces an uncertain future amid opposition by Donald Trump and hard-line Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said an initial vote on the bill …
Karachi, Pakistan — There’s a scrum of people trying to get photos with the married couple at the Radiance banquet hall, and you can barely hear someone talk above the din of 400 guests tucking into biryani and chicken tikka, music and the drone whirring around the room. The bejeweled bride and her natty groom are …
Read more “Pakistan’s Wedding Season Heats Up in Cool Weather”
Paris — Paris voters Sunday backed a proposal from the capital’s Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to triple parking charges on hefty SUV-style cars, according to official results from city hall. Parisians voted 54.55% in favor of charging cars weighing 1.6 tons or more 18 euros ($19.50) per hour for parking in the city center, or 12 …
Quito, Ecuador — A diplomatic rift between Ecuador and Russia appeared to intensify over the weekend after the European nation decided to ban some imports of bananas from Ecuador. The two countries have been at loggerheads recently after Ecuador decided to transfer some of its old Russian military equipment to the United States, in exchange for …
Read more “Ecuador-Russia Diplomatic Spat Over Military Equipment Threatens Banana Exports”
Tehran, Iran — Iran on Sunday denounced the latest U.S. and U.K. strikes on targets in Yemen saying they “contradict” their declared intention of avoiding a wider Middle East conflict. These attacks are “in clear contradiction with the repeated claims of Washington and London that they do not want the expansion of war and conflict in …
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A new documentary called “Vishniac” tells the story of 20th century Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac, who was born in Russia, escaped the Holocaust, and eventually settled in America. His iconic photographs later helped inform the movie “Schindler’s List.” Anna Nelson has this report, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by: Elena Matusovsky, Natalia Latukhina. …