A man from India-administered Kashmir says he was deceived into working for the Russian military and recounts the ordeal he went through with several others from his homeland. Muheet Ul Islam has more for VOA from Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir. Videographer: Wasim Nabi …
STOCKHOLM — Swedish authorities said on Tuesday that Iran hacked into a text messaging service last year and sent thousands of messages urging Swedes to take revenge against Koran burners. In 2023, individuals in Sweden on several occasions set fire to Islam’s holy book in public, prompting outrage in the Muslim world and raising fears …
Read more “Sweden accuses Iran of hacking messaging service after Koran burnings “
Berlin — Germany’s leading economic institutes have downgraded their forecast for 2024 and now see Europe’s largest economy shrinking by 0.1%, people familiar with the figures from the autumn joint economic forecast told Reuters on Tuesday. Germany’s economy was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year with a 0.3% contraction. Even with …
Read more “German economy expected to contract again in 2024, say sources “
…
ROME — Pope Francis has called for the liberation of Myanmar’s detained former leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and offered the Vatican as a safe haven, the pontiff said in a recent conversation with Jesuits in Asia. “I asked for the Ms Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and received her son in Rome. …
Read more “Pope asks for liberation of Myanmar’s detained ex-leader Suu Kyi”
LONDON — A goal to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and cut fossil fuel use is within reach, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Tuesday, but will require a huge push to unlock bottlenecks such as permitting and grid connections. The report comes as leaders from government and business come together …
Read more “Climate goal to triple global renewable energy by 2030 within reach, IEA says”
…
…
Pentagon — The U.S. military is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine this week valued at up to $375 million, the largest aid sent to Kyiv since May. According to several U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the package ahead of the announcement, the aid for …
Read more “$375 million US military aid package for Ukraine expected as soon as Wednesday”
paris — After more than two months without a functioning government, France’s new cabinet got to work Monday. How long it will remain in office is unclear. French politics have been in limbo since inconclusive snap legislative elections in late June and early July. The elections saw a leftist coalition win the most votes and the …
Read more “France’s new government gets to work amid anger on left, right “
geneva — United Nations investigators are accusing the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko of instilling “a pervasive climate of fear by quashing all avenues of dissent” by systematically oppressing its perceived political opponents. “Measures of repression and intimidation aimed at suppressing dissent continue unabated in Belarus, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential election scheduled in …
Read more “Climate of fear permeates repressive Belarusian society”
Moscow — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair. The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS in an apparently trouble-free descent. In the last stage of the landing, …
Read more “Soyuz capsule with 2 Russians, 1 American from ISS returns to Earth”
Brussels, Belgium — Eurozone business activity declined for the first time in seven months in September, as France lost steam after the end of the Paris Olympic Games, a key survey said Monday. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) — a key gauge of the overall health of the economy — dropped to 48.9 in September, down …
Read more “Eurozone business activity slumps after Olympics boost “
Brussels — The European Commission launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday against China’s investigation into EU dairy products, initiated after the European Union placed import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. This is the first time the European Union has taken such action at the start of an investigation, rather than wait …
Read more “EU challenges China’s dairy product probe at WTO “
…
…
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis canceled his scheduled appointments for Monday due to a mild flu, the Vatican said in a statement. The Vatican said the 87-year-old pontiff made the decision as a precautionary measure in view of his planned four-day trip to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week. It gave no further details. Francis is …
Read more “Pope Francis cancels meetings due to mild flu, Vatican says”
Mexico City — France has sent a group of special anti-riot police that’s been banned for 65 years to the French Caribbean island of Martinique, where protesters have gathered despite the government barring demonstrations in parts of the island. The force arrived this weekend after the local representative of France’s central government in its overseas territory …
…
ZHENGZHOU, China — On a film set that resembles the medieval castle of a Chinese lord, Zhu Jian is busy disrupting the world’s second-largest movie industry. The 69-year-old actor is playing the patriarch of a wealthy family celebrating his birthday with a lavish banquet. But unbeknownst to either of them, the servant in the scene is …
Read more “Micro dramas shake up China’s film industry, aim for Hollywood”
Cognac, France — Frustrated cognac producers in southwestern France are growing increasingly anxious over the looming threat of Chinese tariffs on European brandy, a move industry representatives worry could force French liquor from the Chinese market. Some 800 protesters riding on tractors and carrying signs gathered in France’s southwestern town of Cognac this week demanding a …
Read more “Angry French cognac makers see red over Chinese tariffs threat”
Geneva — Switzerland, known for natural beauty like pristine lakes and majestic Alpine peaks, ranks among the world’s richest countries whose plant and animal life is under the greatest threat. Environmentalists were seeking better protections for the country’s biodiversity in a nationwide vote that culminated Sunday. Final official results showed more than 63% of voters casting …
Read more “In Switzerland, voters reject plan to better protect country’s biodiversity”
Tirana, Albania — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday his country would transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Muslims, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Speaking at the United Nations, Rama pointed out that Albania, a tiny Western Balkan country, saved Jewish refugees from the Nazis during World …
Read more “PM Rama says Albania to grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana”
Scranton, Pennsylvania — Under extraordinarily tight security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday visited the Pennsylvania ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces. His visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant kicked off a busy week in the United States to …
Read more “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition factory to thank workers”