Month: December 2024

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — Ivory Coast announced on Tuesday that French troops will leave the country after a decadeslong military presence. It is the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said the pullout would begin in January. France has had as many as 600 troops in …

Read more “Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, latest African country to do so”

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries. The expansion, made possible when Austria and other members dropped their objections to the former communist countries joining, officially took place at midnight …

Read more “Romania, Bulgaria join borderless Schengen zone”

Even as Russia stops gas deliveries to Moldova, along with all gas transit to the EU through Ukraine, on Jan. 1, Moscow continues to meddle in the domestic politics of Moldova, which remains stubbornly pro-European. VOA Russian speaks to experts who predict that the Russian pressure will only increase ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections …

Read more “VOA Russian: Kremlin spin masters struggle to break Moldova”

LONDON — Revelers in the United Kingdom may have to wring themselves out as they ring in the New Year. A storm system bringing high winds, heavy rain, the possibility of snow and the threat of flooding washed out plans Tuesday for several fireworks displays — in some cases more than 24 hours before the stroke …

Read more “Wind, rain, threat of floods play spoiler for UK New Year’s festivities”

TBILISI, GEORGIA — Tens of thousands of pro-Europe demonstrators rallied outside Georgia’s parliament Tuesday night to celebrate the New Year, continuing month-long protests against the government.  The Black Sea nation has been in the grip of an unprecedented constitutional crisis since the ruling Georgian Dream Party — widely perceived as increasingly repressive — claimed victory in …

Read more “Georgians ring in New Year with mass pro-EU rally”

France said Tuesday it had carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militant positions in Syria. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a post on X that the strikes happened Sunday, but did not specify where in Syria they took place. The French action follows several rounds of U.S. strikes against Islamic State targets in …

Read more “France strikes Islamic State targets in Syria “

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — On a frigid morning in Moldova’s capital, 39-year-old postal worker Petru Murzin braces for a difficult winter as he fears a looming energy shortage could leave many Moldovans with “no heating, no light.” His concerns aren’t unfounded. On January 1, Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom is set to halt gas supplies to the …

Read more “Moldovans brace for ‘no heating, no light’ when Russia halts gas supplies”

Russian officials said Tuesday that debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone fell on an oil facility in the Smolensk region, causing a fire.  The Russian defense ministry said it shot down a total of 68 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 10 over Smolensk.  Intercepts also took place over the Bryansk, Crimea, Krasnodar, Tver, Rostov, Kursk and …

Read more “Russia says debris from Ukrainian drone sparks fire in Smolensk region”

BELGRADE, Serbia — A court in Serbia on Monday convicted the parents of a teenage boy who last year shot dead nine pupils and a school guard and wounded six more people in a school in central Belgrade.  The Higher Court in Belgrade sentenced Vladimir Kecmanovic, father of the boy, to 14 years, six months in …

Read more “Serbian court convicts parents of teen who fatally shot 10 at Belgrade school”

Paris — French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation. Bayrou, recently appointed prime minister, also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from “a few dozen to a few …

Read more “French prime minister unveils recovery plan for cyclone-devastated Mayotte”

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — King Charles III announced awards for actors Stephen Fry and Carey Mulligan, as well as victims of Britain’s Post Office scandal in the country’s traditional New Year Honours on Tuesday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined U.K. television icon and writer Fry, 67, and former England football manager Gareth Southgate in being knighted …

Read more “Four UK Post Office scandal victims recognized in honors list”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a rule change that will allow companies to retain foreign workers on H-1B visas whom they consider “talented.”  Click here to see the full story in Spanish.  …

ATHENS, GREECE — Greece announced plans on Monday to enhance parental oversight of mobile devices in 2025 through a government-operated app that will help get digital age verification and browsing controls.  Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister of digital governance, said the Kids Wallet app, due to launch in March, was aimed at safeguarding children under the age …

Read more “Losing your kids to doom scrolling? Greece is building government app for that”

KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine and Russia carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Monday, with the two sides bringing home a combined total of more than 300 former captives. Kyiv brought home 189 former captives, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Defense Ministry said, while the Russian ministry said 150 Russian servicemen were returning …

Read more “Scores of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners head back home after swap”

LONDON — Finnish authorities have discovered anchor drag marks running for several kilometers across the Baltic seabed as they probe the recent severing of important power and internet cables.  “With the underwater operations, we have been able to identify the dragging track at the seabed from the beginning to the end,” said Detective Chief Inspector Sami …

Read more “Finland discovers anchor ‘dragging track’ amid suspicions of Russian subsea sabotage”

Berlin — The German government on Monday sought to downplay efforts by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to get involved in the country’s general election campaign by again endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party. Musk caused uproar over the weekend after backing the AfD in an opinion piece in a major newspaper, leading to …

Read more “German government seeks to downplay Musk’s backing of far-right party ahead of general election “

The United States Monday announced nearly $2.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine as part of a surge of assistance in the waning days of the Biden administration.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the aid includes air defense munitions, counter-drone munitions, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, anti-tank …

Read more “US announces $2.5 billion in new Ukraine aid “

OSLO, NORWAY — Finnish police said on Sunday they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometers along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor.  The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police …

Read more “Finland finds drag marks on Baltic seabed after cable damage”

As harsh winter weather descends on Ukraine, UNICEF and other aid organizations are helping communities in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region prepare for the cold season. Many locals have lost jobs and reliable income sources because of the war and cannot afford heating. Among them is the Malakey family, whose two children have disabilities. Anna Kosstutschenko has …

Read more “In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, aid workers risk lives to keep residents warm”

ZAGREB — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for reelection in the Adriatic Sea state, but is unlikely to get an outright majority in the first round of voting Sunday. President Zoran Milanović, who is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative …

Read more “Croatia holds presidential election with incumbent NATO, EU critic favored “