washington — Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has held multiple calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should be investigated by the Pentagon and law enforcement agencies on national security grounds, two senior Democratic senators said in a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. Musk, who has been appointed to a senior government role by …
Since 2015, advocates for human rights in Russia have gathered in London every November to present the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards, which honor individuals who have shown great courage in fighting for human rights and opposing corruption. Past honorees have included the likes of Boris Nemtsov, Jamal Khashoggi and Maria Ressa. VOA’s Amy Kellogg has …
Read more “London awards ceremony honors victims of Russian oppression”
Top Republican members of the House of Representatives say lawmakers have begun discussions about Russia’s war in Ukraine in an effort to carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to quickly end the conflict there. Lawmakers told VOA’s Ukrainian Service that they are optimistic that Trump can achieve his goal. Republican Representative Mike Waltz, who …
Read more “Republican lawmakers optimistic Trump can end Russia-Ukraine war”
washington — North Korean defectors say Pyongyang has likely kept the deployment of that nation’s soldiers to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine as a secret from its own people, including the soldiers’ own families, but the news will undoubtedly leak out, causing anxiety and pain. Western intelligence officials estimate that as many as 10,000 North …
Read more “Families of North Korean soldiers in Russia face fear, anxiety “
A German government spokesperson said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz held direct talks via telephone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which he demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and that Russia show a willingness to negotiate a just and lasting peace. A statement from German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz condemned …
Read more “Germany’s Scholz speaks with Putin, demands Russia withdraw from Ukraine”
GENEVA — Ukraine is heading into its third, most challenging winter since the war started nearly 1,000 days ago because “systematic attacks” by Russia have damaged and destroyed most of the country’s energy infrastructure, a senior U.N. official warned. “I am told that by now, 65% of Ukraine’s own energy production capacities has been destroyed,” Matthias …
Read more “Ukrainians face harsh winter as Russian attacks destroy energy infrastructure”
The Hague, Netherlands — The Dutch government needs “more time” to flesh out a strategy to fight anti-Semitism after last week’s violence between Israeli football fans and locals, the justice minister has said. “Because of the terrible events of November 7 and 8 and because I want to promote a fruitful debate in parliament, I have …
Read more “Dutch government says needs ‘more time’ for strategy on anti-Semitism “
Valencia, Spain — The head of Spain’s eastern Valencia region admitted Friday to “mistakes” in handing the country’s deadliest flood in decades that killed 216 people there. “I’m not going to deny mistakes,” Carlos Mazon told the regional parliament in an address, adding he was “not going to shirk any responsibility.” As the head of the …
Read more “Spanish regional leader admits ‘mistakes’ in handling deadly floods “
Kyiv, Ukraine — A massive Russian attack that set apartments alight and knocked out heating to thousands in Ukraine’s southern port city Odesa killed one person and wounded 10 others, authorities said Friday. The Thursday night strikes on the Black Sea city damaged residential buildings, the heating system, churches and educational institutions, according to Odesa Mayor …
Read more “1 dead, thousands without heat after Russian strike on Ukraine port city”
ROME — The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights — albeit staged — for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote “a more conscious tourism.” But some visitors to the monument Thursday, as well as housing activists, were skeptical about the …
Read more “A criticized Airbnb deal will let users play gladiator in Rome’s Colosseum”
washington — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on his early November election victory. President Joe Biden has not hosted Erdogan at the White House though the two have met on sidelines of international summits and spoken by phone. Speaking to journalists accompanying his return …
Read more “Can Trump’s return to White House be an opportunity for enhancing US-Turkey ties?”
Italy’s flagship policy of holding migrants in detention centers in Albania for processing has hit a legal roadblock – as judges in Rome referred the case to the European Union’s Court of Justice, which could take months or years to make a ruling. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Various human rights groups accuse Russia of committing crimes that amount to crimes against humanity in Africa. Several reports also have exposed Russia’s illegal export of gold worth more than $2.5 billion from Africa to sponsor its war in Ukraine. …
Amnesty International reported that French-manufactured military technology incorporated into armored personnel carriers (APCs) made by the United Arab Emirates is being used in Sudan’s civil war, a likely violation of a United Nations arms embargo. In a report posted online Thursday, the human rights organization said it first became aware of the armored vehicles’ presence …
Read more “French military tech used in Sudan, rights group reports”
Washington — The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Thursday announced that it is suing the social media company X, accusing it of spreading disinformation. After Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, discovered that it was the target of a disinformation campaign this past summer, the Paris-based group filed 10 reports of policy violations with X, …
MOSCOW — A Russian man went on trial Thursday on charges of high treason for a video he allegedly sent to Ukraine’s security services, the latest in a growing series of espionage cases involving the conflict. The Volgograd District Court began hearing a new case against Nikita Zhuravel, who is currently serving a 3½-year sentence for …
Read more “Trial begins for Russian accused of sending military video to Ukraine”
On the first day of 2025, Ukraine’s contract with Russian state-owned Gazprom will expire, shutting down a major Russian natural gas pathway to Europe. Although the Kremlin says it is ready to continue the transit deal, urging Europeans to persuade Ukraine to extend the contract, Kyiv has said it won’t budge. Russian natural gas supplies …
Read more “Is Europe ready for year-end cutoff of Russian gas via Ukraine?”
Russia’s military reported capturing a village in east Ukraine on Thursday, with forces closing in on the town of Kurakhove. The Russian Defense Ministry said the army captured the village of Voznesenka in the Donetsk region. The town had a population of about 20,000 before the war began in 2022, Agence France-Presse reported. Russia also …
Read more “Russian forces capture village in eastern Ukraine”
Brussels — The European Commission on Thursday fined Meta Platforms $840.24 million over abusive practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace, it said in a statement, confirming an earlier report by Reuters. “The European Commission has fined Meta … for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook …
Read more “EU fines Meta $840 million over abusive practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace”
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a one-year delay on implementing the bloc’s landmark anti-deforestation rules, while also voting to loosen some requirements of the controversial law. The move triggered an outcry from environmental groups, which had hailed the law as an unprecedented breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and combat climate change. Parliament …
Read more “EU parliament loosens delayed anti-deforestation rules”
ANKARA, turkey — Turkey was offered partner country status by the BRICS group of nations, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said, as Ankara continues what it calls its efforts to balance its Eastern and Western ties. Turkey, a NATO member, has in recent months voiced interest in joining the BRICS group of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, …
Read more “BRICS offered Turkey partner country status, Turkish trade minister says”
GENEVA — Families in a tiny Swiss village were packing up Wednesday after authorities issued an evacuation order with a weekend deadline because of the threat of a possible rockslide from an Alpine mountainside overhead. Authorities in charge of the eastern village of Brienz said in a statement Tuesday that they analyzed the potential danger with …
Read more “Swiss villagers pack up for evacuation over fears of another rockslide”
Russian exiles plan a march Sunday in Berlin demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the prosecution of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, and the release of all political prisoners. Ricardo Marquina reports. Narrator: Elizabeth Cherneff. …
Ukrainian overnight drone attacks have set several non-residential buildings on fire in Russia’s Kaluga and Bryansk regions, regional governors said on Sunday. “Emergency services and firefighters are on the site,” Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border region of Bryansk, wrote on the Telegram messaging app, without providing further detail. The defense ministry said its …
Read more “Ukraine drone attacks spark fires in Russia’s Bryansk, Kaluga regions”