NEW YORK — A public memorial service bursting with choral music and the Berklee College of Music’s Nebulous String Quartet, with Stevie Wonder and the Rev. Al Sharpton also on the bill, celebrated the life and legacy of Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack. Flack’s songs “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing …
NEW YORK — Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health or business. “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” will address “everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us,” according to …
Read more “Former US first lady Michelle Obama and her brother to launch podcast”
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the United States hopes to resolve the pause in aid to Ukraine during talks Tuesday with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Rubio said the U.S. is in a listening mode and aims to understand what concessions Ukraine might be willing to make. “The …
Read more “Rubio in Saudi Arabia for US-Ukraine talks, hopes to resolve Ukraine aid pause”
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Monday what he called “increasingly uninhibited Russian attempts at destabilization” in Moldova as his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu visited Paris. Sandu was sworn in for a second term in December, after Russia was accused of interfering in elections in the former Soviet republic that borders Ukraine. “We have decided to …
Read more “Macron slams ‘Russian attempts at destabilization’ in Moldova”
LONDON — Britain is seeking to finalize a deal on handing sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that he was “inclined” to support the deal. However, critics say the agreement could threaten the security of a joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the islands amid fears of China’s …
Read more “British plan to cede Chagos Islands sovereignty prompts concerns over China threat”
ATHENS — A far-right Greek lawmaker attacked four paintings in an exhibition at the country’s National Gallery on Monday, the gallery said, after he had described one as offensive because of its distorted depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The lawmaker, named by the gallery as Nikolaos Papadopoulos, from the ultra-religious Niki party, was temporarily …
Read more “Greek lawmaker attacks paintings he said were offensive to Christians”
Russia said Monday it was expelling two British diplomats based at the embassy in Moscow over spying allegations that the U.K. called “malicious and baseless.” Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement quoted by the state news agency RIA Novosti that the two diplomats had provided false personal data while seeking permission to …
Read more “Russia expels 2 British diplomats from embassy in Moscow over espionage claims”
London — An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said. At least 32 casualties were brought ashore, but their condition was not immediately clear. Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said …
The Titans Cup, an all-Ukrainian wheelchair basketball tournament, was held last month in western Ukraine for the first time in nearly 10 years, bringing together teams from across the country. Holding such an event during wartime is a milestone for Ukrainian adaptive sports. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. VOA footage and video editing by Yuriy Dankevych. …
Read more “Ukrainian wheelchair basketball tournament back from nearly 10-year hiatus”
Berlin — A one-day strike by workers at 13 German airports, including the Frankfurt and Munich hubs and all the country’s other main destinations, caused the cancelation of most flights on Monday. The 24-hour walkout, which started at midnight on Sunday, involves public-sector employees at the airports as well as ground and security staff. At Frankfurt …
Read more “One-day strike at 13 German airports, including main hubs, brings most flights to halt “
Artificial intelligence companies train their AI models using the works of writers, artists and creatives who typically aren’t credited or compensated. Instead of fighting AI, some tech companies are encouraging creators to take advantage of it. Tina Trinh reports. …
Rome — Pope Francis is participating in the Vatican’s weeklong spiritual retreat from a Rome hospital as he continued his recovery on Monday from double pneumonia and looks ahead to the 12th anniversary of his election amid questions about what the future of his papacy might look like. Francis followed the opening of the retreat by …
Russian and Ukrainian officials reported fighting in Ukraine’s Sumy region, with Russian advances in the area creating the potential for cutting off supply lines to Ukraine’s military. The officials said clashes were taking place in the Novenke area. Sumy is located across the border from Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched an offensive in …
Paris — France is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine worth more than $211 million from the interest earned on frozen Russian assets, its defense minister said in an interview published Sunday. Sebastien Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, in the interview with the Tribune Dimanche newspaper, described the suspension of U.S. …
Read more “France readying more than $200 million in military aid for Ukraine, minister says”
Billionaire industrialist and senior White House adviser Elon Musk vowed Sunday to maintain Ukraine’s access to his Starlink satellite network, after a fierce online clash with Poland’s outspoken foreign minister. The United States has suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a disastrous Feb. 28 meeting between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian …
Read more “After Poland spat, Musk vows Ukraine can keep Starlink”
The documentary film Porcelain War highlights the struggle of Ukrainian artists and ordinary citizens fighting to save their country and culture in the face of Russian aggression. The movie won the 2024 Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize for documentaries and was nominated for an Oscar this year. Elena Wolf has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …
Read more “‘Porcelain War’ documentary spotlights Ukrainian artists’ fight for country”
Even as U.S.-led peace negotiations to end Russia’s war on Ukraine recently faced setbacks, talks between Washington and Kyiv are set to take place this week in Saudi Arabia. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has details. …
BUCHAREST — Romania’s central election authority on Sunday barred far-right pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu from running in May’s presidential election re-run. The rejection of his candidacy, which was condemned by far-right party leaders as undemocratic, can be challenged at the constitutional court. Dozens of supporters of the populist Georgescu gathered outside the election bureau shouting “Freedom” …
Read more “Romanian far-right candidate barred from May presidential vote “
Vatican City, Holy See — Pope Francis, who is responding well to treatment for pneumonia, thanked his doctors and health care workers Sunday as he missed delivering a fourth straight Angelus prayer in person. The 88-year-old, in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14, issued a written Angelus in which he thanked those who volunteer to help …
Read more “Ailing pope thanks doctors as condition improves”
Berlin — Flight cancellations at Hamburg Airport after a surprise strike by workers affected more than 40,000 passengers on Sunday, a day before a planned wider protest across Germany amid new contract negotiations. Only 10 of more than 280 scheduled flights went as planned early Sunday, the airport said. Many service desks sat empty as would-be …
State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday for U.S.-Ukraine talks as President Donald Trump pushes to broker a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war. While in Jeddah, Rubio will also meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to discuss ways to advance shared …
Read more “Rubio heads to Saudi Arabia for US-Ukraine talks, then Canada for G7”
KYIV — Russian special forces walked kilometers inside of a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow moves to recapture parts of its border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive. Ukraine launched a daring cross-border incursion into Kursk in …
Read more “Russia uses a gas pipeline to strike at Ukrainian troops from the rear in Kursk “
TEHRAN, IRAN — The navies of Iran, Russia and China will hold military drills off the coast of Iran this week in a bid to boost cooperation, Iranian media reported Sunday. The three countries, which share a common desire to counter what they characterize as American hegemony, have held similar exercises in the region in recent …
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ROME — Pope Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia Sunday after doctors reported some positive news: After more than three weeks in the hospital, the 88-year-old pope is responding well to treatment and has shown a “gradual, slight improvement” in recent days. In the early Sunday update, the Vatican said Francis was resting after a …
Read more “Pope rests as Vatican marks another Holy Year event without him”