Author: Worldman

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 “

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 …

Read more “Pope following Vatican’s spiritual retreat from afar as he recovers from pneumonia in hospital  “

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 …

Read more “Russia, Ukraine report clashes in Sumy”

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 …

Read more “Flight cancellations at Germany’s Hamburg Airport affect more than 40,000 passengers after strike “

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 …

Read more “Iran, Russia, China to hold joint military exercises”

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”

KYIV, UKRAINE — Russia said Saturday its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region, in a fresh setback for Kyiv ahead of talks to try to end the war.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday named a high-level delegation including ministers to meet U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, …

Read more “Russia claims advances in Kursk; Zelenskyy says he’s ‘committed’ to talks”

ROME — Pope Francis is responding well to the treatment for double pneumonia and has shown a “gradual, slight improvement” in recent days, the Vatican said Saturday. But his doctors have decided to keep his prognosis as guarded, meaning that he’s not out of danger yet.  The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had …

Read more “Pope Francis responds well to treatment for double pneumonia”

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND — Swiss police said Saturday they had solved a kidnapping involving two dogs and a demand for ransom of 1 million Swiss francs (about $1.135 million).  Zurich police said that two Bolonka dogs were stolen from the home of a 59-year-old man in Schlieren near Zurich last week, while the dog owner was away.  …

Read more “Swiss police rescue 2 dogs stolen for more than $1 million ransom”

BELGRADE, SERBIA — Female students Saturday marked International Women’s Day in Serbia by leading the daily street protests against corruption and sending a message decrying widespread violence against women in the Balkan country. University students in Serbia are behind almost-daily rallies that started after a concrete canopy crashed down in November at a railway station in …

Read more “Female students lead protests against corruption in Serbia”

ROME — Pope Francis entered his fourth week in the hospital with double pneumonia, increasingly handing off his day-to-day duties to cardinals as questions swirl about the near- and long-term future of his papacy. On Saturday, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, took Francis’ place to celebrate Mass for a group. On Sunday, another …

Read more “In his own words: Pope’s views on resigning changed over time”

ISTANBUL — Thousands of women demonstrated in the streets of Turkish cities Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, protesting inequality and violence against women. On the Asian side of Istanbul, a rally in Kadikoy saw members of dozens of women’s groups listen to speeches, dance and sing in the spring sunshine. The colorful protest was overseen …

Read more “Protests in Turkey demand protection from domestic violence”

KYIV, UKRAINE — At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s eastern city of Dobropillia overnight, Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Saturday. Another three civilians were killed in a drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the ministry added. The ministry said …

Read more “Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 11, Kyiv says”

LONDON — “One and one, please, love,” a regular said, leaning on the counter at a pie and mash shop in London’s East End. In seconds, one piping-hot beef pie appeared with a single scoop of mashed potatoes at the G Kelly shop, topped off with parsley sauce known as liquor. Londoners have been eating this …

Read more “UK pie and mash fans seek protected status for Cockney classic”

ATHENS, GREECE — Clashes broke out in Greece’s two largest cities Friday, as protesters hurled gasoline bombs and flares outside Parliament during a censure motion debate against the government over its handling of a deadly rail disaster two years ago. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at the violent protesters and used water cannons when …

Read more “Protesters hurl bombs near Greek Parliament amid rail disaster motion debate”

Just as discoveries of fossil fuel reserves helped to shape the 20th century, the race for critical minerals is shaping the 21st. These minerals are seen as strategically crucial for modern economies, including those used in construction, energy and manufacturing — particularly for semiconductors and other technology applications. Where mineral resources are located and extracted …

Read more “Greenland and Afghanistan: Frontiers in race for critical minerals”