Month: March 2024

Geneva — The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will not boycott this year’s Paris Olympics, its president said on Thursday, despite restrictions on athletes imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine. “We will never take the path of boycotting [the Games]. We will always support our athletes,” Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the …

Read more “Russian Olympic Chief: Russia Will Not Boycott Paris Games”

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london — Britain’s government outlined plans on Wednesday to stop foreign states from owning newspapers, potentially giving ministers the power to block Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI’s bid to buy The Daily Telegraph.  The battle over one of Britain’s most famous newspapers has raised questions about the independence of the media and the role of foreign investors …

Read more “UK Outlines Plan to Ban Foreign States From Owning Newspapers”

VIENNA — Austria has declared two diplomats from the Russian embassy personae non grata for actions “incompatible with their diplomatic status,” ordering them to leave the country within a week, Austria’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.  The move brings to 11 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020 in four separate rounds. It …

Read more “Austria Expels 2 Russian Diplomats, Says Actions ‘Incompatible With Status’”

amsterdam — Dutch politician Geert Wilders said on Wednesday he was ready to forgo the job of prime minister in an effort to facilitate the formation of a new right-wing government, nearly four months after an election in which his party won the most votes.  Wilders has been in talks with potential allies since the November …

Read more “Dutch Politician Wilders Says He Is Ready to Forgo Job of Prime Minister”

vilnius, lithuania — Lithuania blamed Moscow on Wednesday for an overnight attack by a hammer-wielding assailant on an exiled top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny outside the aide’s home in Vilnius.  President Gitanas Nauseda said the attack on Leonid Volkov was clearly planned and tied to other provocations against Lithuania, which is a …

Read more “Lithuania Blames Russia for Hammer Attack on Exiled Navalny Aide”

Washington — The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled sanctions Wednesday against three individuals for undermining the “peace and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina” by helping to organize an “unconstitutional” celebration of Bosnian Serb identity. Bosnia has long been governed by a dysfunctional administrative system created under an agreement known as the Dayton pact that divides the country …

Read more “US Sanctions 3 for Organizing Bosnian Serb ‘National Day’”

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Vilnius, Lithuania — Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday after being attacked outside his home in Lithuania, local police told AFP. Volkov, 43, is one of Russia’s most prominent opposition figures and was a close confidant of Navalny, working as the late leader’s …

Read more “Navalny Ally Volkov Hospitalized After Attack in Lithuania”

Russia has relaunched its spy operations against the West since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to analysts. Henry Ridgwell has more from London. …

pentagon — The United States is providing a new round of military aid for Ukraine valued at up to $300 million, the first such announcement since late December, in what defense officials have called an “ad hoc” package made possible through U.S. Army procurement savings. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced the 55th presidential drawdown authority …

Read more “US Providing $300 Million in New Ukraine Military Aid”

Turkey’s new naval agreement with Somalia places the Turkish navy in a strategically vital region, underlining Ankara’s growing naval ambitions. However, analysts warn that the agreement threatens to escalate current tensions with Somalia’s neighbor Ethiopia. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

Gaborone — Scores of people from communities living near wildlife in Botswana marched Tuesday against an anti-hunting bill presented to Britain’s House of Commons. The protesters delivered a petition to the British High Commission as Botswana prepares to send a delegation to the U.K. to lobby against the bill. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, which …

Read more “Botswana Communities March Against UK’s Anti-hunting Bill”

Washington — President Joe Biden is hosting Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, and prime minister, Donald Tusk at a joint meeting at the White House Tuesday, amid anxiety over an impasse in the U.S. Congress on additional funding to support Poland’s neighbor Ukraine in its fight against Moscow’s invasion. The meeting comes as the administration is preparing …

Read more “Biden Meets Polish Leaders Amid Anxiety on US Support for Neighboring Ukraine “

TIRANA, Albania — A senior U.S. official on Tuesday said he would be visiting Kosovo in the next days to put “back on track” talks on normalizing ties between Kosovo and Serbia, after tensions escalated over Kosovo’s decision to ban the use of the Serbian dinar. Deputy Assistant Secretary Gabriel Escobar said he would discuss with …

Read more “Senior US Official Travels to Kosovo to Revive Kosovo-Serbia Talks After Tensions Over Currency “

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The trial began Tuesday in Norway for a man accused of aggravated terrorism for the deadly shooting at an LGBTQ+ festival in Oslo’s nightlife district.  Two people were killed and nine seriously wounded in the shooting at three locations, chiefly outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar, on June 25, 2022.  Prosecutor …

Read more “Trial Begins in Deadly Shooting at LGBTQ+ Festival in Norway”

Taipei, Taiwan — China has launched a new push to repair relations with the EU in recent weeks, deploying its special envoy on Eurasian affairs on a “shuttle diplomacy” tour through several European countries while calling on Brussels to prioritize the common interests rather than differences between the two sides. At a press conference during China’s …

Read more “China Renews Diplomatic Push to Repair Strained Ties with EU”

Ukrainian front-line forces are suffering from a worrying shortage of ammunition. Repeated delays in aid from Western allies, particularly from the United States, has drastically reduced the number of Ukrainian artillery attacks against Russian positions. In some places, the number of shells fired has been reduced tenfold. Yan Boechat has the story from Ukraine’s Donbas …

Read more “On Ukraine’s Front Lines, Ammunition Dwindling”

A group of media and research organizations are investigating reported war crimes committed by Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In some cases, the teams use unique technologies to look for evidence. Evgeny Maslov has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Vladimir Badikov. …

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Bucharest, Romania — Internet personality Andrew Tate was arrested for 24 hours in Romania on a British warrant, his PR representative said on Tuesday, and the Bucharest Court of Appeals was set to decide on whether to extradite him. Tate and his brother Tristan were detained on allegations of sexual aggression dating back to 2012-15, which …

Read more “Internet Personality Tate Brought to Romanian Court on UK Arrest Warrant”