Turkey is supplying weapons to Ukraine as Kyiv works to resolve its ammunition shortage. A Turkish weapons manufacturer is teaming with the U.S. to open a munitions factory, while another Turkish firm is set to open a drone factory in Ukraine. From Istanbul, Dorian Jones reports. …
Washington — When the parents of Karim Sadiq and Taj Maluk fled a wrecked Afghanistan torn apart by the 1979 Soviet invasion and infighting warlords, they didn’t imagine their children — Karim and Taj — would return to reunite the war-torn nation through cricket. Taj Maluk became the first coach of the Afghan national team. Fans …
Read more “From refugee camps to World Cup glory: Inspiring journey of Afghanistan cricket”
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Washington — China’s military appears to be intensifying its efforts to recruit current and former Western fighter pilots, employing new and more intricate tactics to snare Western expertise. The United States and some of its closest intelligence partners issued a new warning Wednesday, cautioning the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is using private companies, including corporate headhunters, …
Read more “US, allies warn China aggressively ‘headhunting’ Western fighter pilots”
The Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on June 6, 2023, flooding hundreds of square kilometers and damaging homes, infrastructure and the environment. Ukraine blames Russian forces, which occupied the dam. Russia denies the accusation. A year later, the impact of the collapse is ongoing. Lesia Bakalets has the story. Videographer: Vladyslav Smilianets …
Brussels — McDonald’s MCD.N does not have the right to use the term “Big Mac” for poultry products in Europe after not using it for them for five consecutive years, the region’s second top court said on Wednesday, a partial win for Irish rival Supermac’s in a long-running trademark dispute. The Luxembourg-based General Court’s ruling centered …
Read more “No more chicken Big Macs – EU court rules against McDonald’s in trademark case”
US President Joe Biden is in France to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landing and to underscore the need for a strong transatlantic alliance in the face of Russian aggression. He’ll also take part in a formal state visit hosted by France’s president, and will meet face-to-face with Ukraine’s president, who has been …
Read more “Biden, with France visit, looks to past and future of global conflicts”
Portsmouth, United Kingdom — King Charles III on Wednesday led commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary for the World War II D-Day landings, joining British veterans, other senior royals and political leaders. The 75-year-old monarch, who only recently resumed public engagements as he battles cancer, spoke at a remembrance event in Portsmouth, on England’s south coast, …
Brussels, Belgium — Voters in the European Union are set to elect lawmakers starting Thursday for the bloc’s parliament, in a major democratic exercise that’s also likely to be overshadowed by online disinformation. Experts have warned that artificial intelligence could supercharge the spread of fake news that could disrupt the election in the EU and many …
Read more “European Union braces for foreign disinformation as voters head to polls “
The White House; Paris — U.S. President Joe Biden landed Wednesday in France to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion — and plans to use the occasion to underscore the need for a strong transatlantic alliance in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Biden will meet Ukraine’s president, and with surviving American veterans of …
Read more “Biden, with France visit, looks to past and future of global conflicts “
FLORENCE — An Italian court re-convicted Amanda Knox of slander on Wednesday, even after she was exonerated in the brutal 2007 murder of her British roommate while the two were exchange students in Italy. The court found that Knox had wrongly accused an innocent man, the Congolese owner of the bar where she worked part time, …
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JUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia became the latest European Union country to recognize an independent Palestinian state after its parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday, dismissing a call for a referendum on the issue by the largest opposition party. The government last week decided to recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state …
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On May 31, U.S. troops concluded first joint exercises practicing the reinforcement of Northern Finland in case of an attack from Russia. Both Norway and Finland have recently signed new defense pacts with the U.S. military giving access to bases in the far north of their territories. In this report for VOA, Henry Wilkins speaks …
Read more “Three-way exercise aims to reassure Finland amid Russian threat”
Washington — In late May, the Faktor Druk printing plant in Kharkiv was hit during a missile attack. Serhii Polituchyi, CEO of Faktor Druk Corp., which owns the plant, rushed to the scene, arriving before firefighters, and watched as the building was engulfed in flames. Seven of his employees were killed and 21 wounded. According to …
Read more “Russians target Ukrainian publishing industry, libraries, books, archives”
PARIS — A multinational operation by Interpol and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation cracked down on attempts in Moldova to sabotage one of the international police agency’s key tools, the Red Notice system, officials said Tuesday. Four people were detained in the eastern European country. The joint sting, which also involved cooperation with French and …
Read more “Interpol, FBI break up scheme in Moldova to get asylum for wanted criminals”
Recent violence between soldiers and migrants at the Polish-Belarusian border has prompted the Polish government to increase security and reintroduce a 200-meter buffer zone this week. Poland sees the latest migrant influx from Belarus as a hybrid warfare tactic. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze visited the region and has this report. VOA footage …
Read more “Poland renews 200-meter buffer zone on Belarus border to block influx of migrants”
Washington — There are new warnings about potential attacks aimed at disrupting the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Paris, including the potential for more terror plots like the one disrupted last week by French officials. A report released Tuesday by the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future states that despite a high likelihood of cyberattacks, the greatest risk …
Read more “Terror attacks headline threats to upcoming Paris Olympics”
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday pilgrims can expect average high temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) during the Hajj, which last year saw thousands of cases of heat stress. “The expected climate for Hajj this year will witness an increase in average temperatures of 1½ to 2 degrees above normal in Mecca …
Read more “Saudi Arabia warns of above-average heat during Hajj”
Los Angeles — How does it feel for Mick Jagger to be back on tour singing, dancing and strutting across stadium concert stages at 80 years old? “Like being on stage at 78,” the Rolling Stones frontman, who has thrilled audiences for more than six decades, said a day after playing a packed show outside Boston. …
Read more “Mick Jagger, strutting at 80, teases new album and more touring”
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