Author: Worldman

Berlin — Germany has arrested a U.S. citizen suspected of offering intelligence on the U.S. military to China that he had acquired while working for troops stationed in Germany, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Thursday. The man, identified only as Martin D. under German privacy law, is accused of having declared himself …

Read more “Germany arrests US citizen suspected of offering military intel to China”

The British government said on Thursday it had imposed its biggest sanctions package in 18 months against Russia, targeting people involved in the Ukraine war, African mercenary groups and a nerve agent attack on British soil. The foreign ministry said it had sanctioned 56 entities and individuals, aiming to hurt Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war …

Read more “Britain hits Russia with new wave of sanctions”

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines said Thursday its coast guard will acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France, with plans to deploy some of them in disputed areas of the South China Sea. The deal is the “largest so far single purchase” in Manila’s ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, with deliveries set to start …

Read more “Philippine coast guard to acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France”

CHICAGO — For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday. “It’s this relentless nature of the warming that …

Read more “European climate agency says this will likely be the hottest year on record — again”

Ukrainian officials reported damage to residential buildings Thursday after overnight Russian drone attacks, while South Korea’s president said he would not rule out sending weapons to Ukrainian forces. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the Russian attack damaged houses and apartment buildings in five districts in the Ukrainian capital. Serhii Popko, head of …

Read more “South Korean president does not rule out sending weapons to Ukraine”

Moscow — Russia plans to significantly tighten the rules governing the income received by those deemed “foreign agents” and of those who speak negatively about Russia after leaving the country, the speaker of the Russian parliament said on Thursday. Russian law requires any person or organization receiving support from outside Russia or who is under foreign …

Read more “Russia to curb income of ‘foreign agents’ and those who leave, lawmaker says”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the first world leaders to congratulate newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump. On the streets of Ukraine’s capital, many Ukrainians say they fear that Trump may fulfill a campaign promise to end the war by forcing them into a settlement that will favor Moscow. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports …

Read more “Trump’s victory brings uncertainty, but also hope in Ukraine”

London — U.S. allies in Europe have congratulated President-elect Donald Trump following his comprehensive victory in Tuesday’s presidential election, despite deep concerns across the continent over what his second term may mean for transatlantic relations. In Britain, the so-called “special relationship” with America has long been treasured. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer got off to …

Read more “European leaders congratulate Trump amid fears about future transatlantic ties”

America’s allies in Europe have congratulated Donald Trump following his comprehensive victory in Tuesday’s presidential election — despite widespread concern about what his second term may mean for transatlantic relations. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday was quick to welcome Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential election victory. The Turkish leader is eager to resume the close ties he had with the White House during Trump’s first term in office. Under U.S. President Joe Biden, relations between Ankara and Washington had become frosty. Dorian Jones reports …

Read more “Erdogan welcomes second Trump term”

PARIS — A century of straw polls at the iconic Harry’s Bar in Paris have accurately called almost every U.S. election. This November was no different. The tallies displayed on the bar’s window on a chilly Wednesday morning were another reminder of Donald Trump’s decisive victory — with uncertain consequences for France and Europe. Even as …

Read more “Fear, joy and calls for a strong Europe: France reacts to Trump win”

France is looking at a second Trump presidency with a mix of trepidation, stoicism and — in some cases— joy. Even as President Emmanuel Macron rushed to congratulate Donald Trump for his win, French businesses worry about threatened tariffs and critics fear a similar tilt to the right could usher France’s far-right National Rally party …

Read more “Fear, joy and calls for a strong Europe: France reacts to Trump win”

Over 160,000 Ukrainians fled their home country and came to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia since the Russian invasion. Physicians were among the 50 thousand or so refugees who came to Latvia. Vladislavs Andrejevs spoke with some of them in Riga. Anna Rice narrates his story. (Camera: Vladislavs Andrejevs ; Produced by Yuriy Zakrevskiy) …

Read more “Ukrainian physicians find homes – and jobs – in Latvia ”

The FBI said more than 50 election sites across five battleground states received hoax bomb emails on Election Day in the U.S., and the emails in four of these states came from a Russian domain. None of the threats sent to polling sites in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona were deemed credible, and while …

Read more “ Russia paints doomsday portrayal of US elections “

Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it shot down 38 of the 63 aerial drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks. The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted the drones over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Zhytomyr and Zaporizhzhia regions. Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, said on Telegram that Russia’s attack damaged …

Read more “Ukraine reports destroying 38 Russian drones”

berlin — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition faces a make-or-break moment on Wednesday as leaders of the three parties convene to forge compromises between their differing visions on rescuing the economy from decline. Relations between Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and free-market Free Democrats (FDP) have sunk to new lows over the past week …

Read more “Germany’s awkward coalition faces make-or-break moment”

In Turkey, listeners of Acik Radyo are protesting after regulators revoked the Istanbul-based station’s license. For nearly 30 years, Acik sought to bridge the country’s divides. Analysts say the action against it is part of a wider government media crackdown. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

NOVI SAD, Serbia — Protesters threw flares and red paint Tuesday on the City Hall building in the Serbian city of Novi Sad in rage over last week’s collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station that killed 14 people. Police responded by firing tear gas canisters.  The protesters surrounded the building in central Novi …

Read more “Police fire tear gas at protests of deadly canopy collapse in Serbia”

MALMO, Sweden — A Swedish court sentenced a far-right politician Tuesday to four months in jail for two counts of “incitement against an ethnic group” after making hateful comments at political rallies two years ago.  The Danish-Swedish 42-year-old man, who was not named but has been identified by Swedish media as Rasmus Paludan, founder and head …

Read more “Swedish court sentences far-right politician for insulting Muslims”

LONDON — Russia is “flagrantly violating” its agreements with the OPEC oil cartel by concealing the true amount of oil it is producing and selling, according to a new report that says the profits are funding Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The investigation by the Ukrainian Center for Defense Reforms asserts that Russia is breaching an OPEC …

Read more “Report: Russia deceives OPEC on oil sales to fund Ukraine war”

Russia is “flagrantly violating” its agreements with the oil cartel OPEC by concealing the true amount of oil it is producing and selling, according to a new report that says the profits are funding Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Henry Ridgwell reports. …

London — Two new cases of the mpox variant clade 1b detected in the U.K. are the first locally transmitted cases in Europe and the first outside Africa, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed late Monday that the two new cases were household contacts of Britain’s first case identified …

Read more “WHO: 2 UK mpox cases first local transmissions in Europe”

SEDAVI, Spain — Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise.  He never came back.  One week after catastrophic flooding devastated eastern Spain, Maria Murgui still holds out hope that her father is alive and among the unknown number of the missing.  “He was like many people in …

Read more “A week after Spain’s floods, families hopeful missing loved ones are alive”

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — An Iranian official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd died before Tehran could execute him — directly contradicting the country’s earlier announcement he had been put to death. The comment by Asghar Jahangir came after Germany shut down all three Iranian consulates in the country over Sharmahd’s death, leaving only …

Read more “Iran claims Iranian-German prisoner died before he could be executed”