Death Toll in Moscow Concert Hall Attack Rises to 143; 80 Others Still Hospitalized 

moscow — The death toll from last week’s Moscow concert hall attack rose to 143, Russian authorities said Wednesday. About 80 other people wounded in the siege by gunmen remain hospitalized.  The Friday night massacre in Crocus City Hall, a sprawling shopping and entertainment venue on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, was the deadliest extremist attack …

Finalists Named for First Women’s Nonfiction Prize

LONDON — Books about the dizzying impact of the internet and artificial intelligence are among finalists for a new book prize that aims to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing. The shortlisted six books for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, announced on Wednesday, include Canadian author-activist Naomi Klein’s “Doppleganger,” a plunge into online …

Estonian Foreign Minister: ‘If Ukraine Fails, We All Fail’

washington — Ukraine was the focus of a high-level delegation from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Washington this week. In an interview with VOA Georgian Service’s Eka Maghaldadze, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said there should be no Plan B when it comes to Ukraine, because its failure would mean the failure of democracy. The following …

Slovakians Form Human Chain Around Threatened Public Broadcaster

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Protesters in Slovakia formed a human chain around the country’s public television and radio building Wednesday in anger over a takeover plan by the government whose populist, pro-Russia prime minister recently labeled several private media outlets his enemies.  The takeover plan was drafted by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, who represents an ultra-nationalist member …

Central Asians in Russia Face Backlash After IS-K Terror Attack

Washington — Russian media and analysts are reporting a spike in hate crimes and violence against migrants from Central Asia following last week’s terror attack on a Moscow concert hall, which has led to the arrests of seven people of Tajik origin. Responsibility for the attack, which killed at least 139 people and injured nearly 200, …

Blinken to Discuss Ukraine, Gaza With Macron in Paris

Washington — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss support for Ukraine during talks in Paris next week with French President Emmanuel Macron, the State Department announced Wednesday. France is among the major military suppliers to Ukraine, which is facing an onslaught of Russian attacks. President Joe Biden’s request for billions of dollars in new …

Prosecutor Seeks 2-1/2-Year Jail Term for Spain’s Ex-Soccer Chief Rubiales Over Kiss

MADRID — A prosecutor at Spain’s High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for …

Taiwan’s VP-Elect Reaffirms Ties With Europe in Diplomatic Tour

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwanese Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim wrapped up a whirlwind diplomatic tour to Europe last week, triggering Beijing as she made stops in three countries and Brussels and met with dozens of politicians. Analysts and some who attended the meetings say the trip was an example of the type of high-level engagement Hsiao wants …

Chinese Leader to Dutch PM: Restricting Technology Access Won’t Stop China’s Advance

BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping told visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday that attempts to restrict China’s access to technology will not stop the country’s advance.  The Netherlands imposed export licensing requirements in 2023 on the sale of machinery that can make advanced processor chips. The move came after the United States blocked …

France Airlifts 240 People From Chaotic Haiti

Paris — France has evacuated some 240 people from violence-wracked Haiti on French army helicopters, its foreign ministry said Wednesday. “More than 170 French nationals and around 70 people of European and other nationalities in a vulnerable situation” were airlifted out, it said in a statement. They have all been taken to a “navy boat that …

Bus Accident in Eastern Germany Kills at Least 5 People 

Berlin — At least five people were killed Wednesday when a bus headed from Berlin to Switzerland came off a highway in eastern Germany and ended up on its side, authorities said. The accident happened on the A9 highway near Leipzig at about 9:45 a.m. and the road was closed in both directions. It wasn’t immediately …

Ukraine Raises Country’s Spirits with Euro 2024 Qualification

WROCLAW, Poland — Ukraine’s qualification for the Euro 2024 soccer finals has cheered a country suffering hardship in its conflict with Russia and for a few weeks in June and July the tournament will provide a welcome distraction from the harsh reality of war. The team came from behind to defeat Iceland 2-1 in their playoff …

Dutch Hyperloop Center Aims to Advance Futuristic Transport Technology

VEENDAM, Netherlands — A 420-meter, or quarter-mile, white steel tube running alongside a railway line in the windswept northern Netherlands could usher in a new era for the transportation of people and freight. The tube is the heart of the new European Hyperloop Center that opens Tuesday and will be a proving ground in coming years …

Thousands Protest Against Hungary’s Orban After Leaks of Graft Case Tape

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Thousands of people protested in Budapest near parliament on Tuesday demanding the chief prosecutor and Prime Minister Viktor Orban resign after a former government insider accused a senior aide to Orban of trying interfere in a graft case. Protesters marched from the chief prosecutor’s office toward parliament shouting “Resign, resign,” with many carrying …

British Judges Want Guarantee Wikileaks’ Assange Won’t Face Death Penalty

Britain’s high court has ruled the United States must guarantee that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will not get the death penalty if he is extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges. Assange’s lawyers are fighting to allow a full appeal against his extradition on accusations related to Wikileaks’ publishing of stolen military files. For VOA, …

West Reliant on Russian Nuclear Fuel Amid Decarbonization Push

London — A new report and research from a British defense research group has found that many Western nations are still reliant on Russian nuclear fuel to power their reactors, despite efforts to sever economic ties with the Kremlin following its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  “Russia may be able to take advantage of incongruencies …

UK Court: Assange Can’t Be Extradited Until US Rules Out Death Penalty

LONDON — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents.  Two High Court judges said they …