Travels News. Throughout history, people have transported new information through oral means. Having developed in China over centuries, newspapers became established in Europe during the early modern period. In the 20th century, radio and television became an important means of transmitting news. Whilst in the 21st, the internet has also begun to play a similar role
The Polish town of Przewodow, just five kilometers from the Ukrainian border, drew the world’s attention this week when an errant missile strike raised fears that NATO could be drawn into a war with Russia. Western analysts now believe the blast that killed two Polish men was from a Ukrainian missile fired in self-defense against a …
Read more “In Polish Town Hit by Missile, Relief Is Mixed With Anger at Russia”
An explosion at a five-story apartment building in eastern Russia has killed at least nine people, four of them children, officials said Saturday. The blast on the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin was apparently caused by a gas cylinder hooked up to a cooking stove, according to Russian news agencies. Emergency workers are continuing to …
In its intelligence update Saturday, Britain’s defense ministry said that on Wednesday, Russia held its “largest ever debt issuance in a single day.” The issuance, the ministry said, “is a key mechanism to sustain defense spending, which has increased significantly since the invasion of Ukraine.” The issuance raised $13.6 billion, according to the update posted …
Read more “Russia Raises $13 Billion for 2023 Defense Spending”
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been taken to the Russian region of Mordovia, notorious since Soviet times for its penal colonies, to serve a nine-year sentence on drugs charges. Here are excerpts from a Reuters interview with Olga Romanova, a representative of the prison rights group Russia Behind Bars, on the conditions Griner can …
Read more “Russian Prison Activist Paints Picture of Life Facing Griner”
The founder of one of Russia’s leading independent news websites has been recognized for her “extraordinary and sustained” efforts to protect press freedom. Galina Timchenko, co-founder of independent media outlet Meduza, was presented with the Gwen Ifill award at an event in New York City on Thursday. The award is presented by the board of …
Read more “Russia’s Independent Journalists on ‘Brink of Survival’, Awardee Says”
Sweden is committed to NATO’s globe-spanning 360-degree approach to confronting both today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, and that includes both Russia and China, the top Swedish military official told an audience in Washington this week. “As of today, we see no alarming Russian movements along our borders,” Micael Byden, the supreme commander of Swedish armed forces, …
Read more “Swedish Military Chief Pledges Support for NATO Efforts”
The U.N. top trade official said Friday a shipment of Russian fertilizer is scheduled to leave a Norwegian port Monday bound for Malawi, helping to ease a backlog of 300,000 tons of the agricultural products currently in European ports. Speaking at a news briefing in Geneva, U.N. Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan …
Read more “UN: Shipment of Russian Fertilizer Bound for Malawi”
Russian forces continue to barrage Ukraine in multiple parts of the country — from the capital city Kyiv in the north to Odesa in the south — and target the country’s energy facilities. Amid freezing temperatures, about 10 million people have been left without power and heat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday in his …
Russia said on Friday it hoped to clinch a prisoner swap with the United States to return convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” in an exchange that would likely include U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner. Amid the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia and the United …
Read more “Russia Warms to Prisoner Swap for WNBA’s Griner, Arms Trader Bout”
Ukrainian officials reported fresh missile strikes Thursday in multiple parts of the country, with targets including gas facilities. The focus of the strikes, by drones as well as missiles, continues to be energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian military said in statement, adding that the attacks stretched from Kyiv to Odesa in the south. Ukraine says it …
Read more “Millions Without Power After Russian Airstrikes, Zelenskyy Says”
Under rainy skies on Thursday afternoon, Ukrainian-controlled Kherson’s central square was bustling with humanitarian aid distribution and displays of patriotic celebration tinged with uncertainty about the future. Last week, Russia pulled its troops out of a pocket on the west bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, which included Kherson, the only regional capital it …
Read more “In Newly Liberated Kherson, Ukrainians Celebrate but Worry About What’s Next”
A court in the Netherlands convicted three men of mass murder Thursday for their roles in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing 298. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Strikes have been held in France and Spain for higher wages and better working conditions, while discontent in Belgium and Greece over soaring energy prices has drawn thousands into the streets. And that’s only over the past week. As fallout from the war in Ukraine hits European energy supplies, jobs and pocketbooks, public discontent grows. …
Read more “As Ukraine War Hits Pocketbooks, European Discontent Grows”
Dutch judges on Thursday convicted three men of murder for their role in the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, and sentenced them to life in prison. A fourth man was acquitted. MH17 was a passenger flight that was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 …
Read more “Dutch Court Sentences 3 to Life in Prison for 2014 Downing of MH17”
As the Kremlin escalates its war on Ukraine and tightens its clampdown on any domestic opposition to the invasion, the world of Russian arts and culture, historically opposed to violence and war, descends into pessimism. Marcus Harton narrates this report from VOA’s Moscow bureau. …
When Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the country’s journalists found themselves on the front lines. The dedication of Ukrainian journalists to keep reporting under such trying times is being recognized Thursday, when Sevgil Musaieva, editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, is honored with an International Press Freedom Award. Known for its investigative …
Read more “Lack of News a Big Challenge in Occupied Cities, Ukrainian Journalist Says”
Sevgil Musaieva, editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, discusses her work …
Qatar’s Supreme Committee said it has apologized after a Danish film crew was threatened by security staff live on air as they broadcast in the capital Doha ahead of the World Cup. TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was speaking as part of a live broadcast when he was approached by security staff that had appeared on …
Read more “Qatar Authorities Apologize for Threatening Danish Film Crew at World Cup”
The top U.S. general on Wednesday said Ukraine’s chances of any near-term, outright military victory were not high, cautioning that Russia still had significant combat power inside Ukraine despite suffering battlefield setbacks since its invasion in February. Ukraine has vowed to keep the pressure on Russian forces until it reclaims control of all occupied territory. …
Read more “Ukraine Military Victory Unlikely Soon, Top US General Says”
NATO and G-7 leaders met for an emergency meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss the explosion in eastern Poland. There were concerns the incident marked a significant escalation in Moscow’s war on Ukraine. However, both Poland and NATO say the explosion was not caused by Russian attack. …
Britain faces major security threats from the trio of Russia, China and Iran, which all use coercion, intimidation and violence to pursue their interests, the U.K.’s domestic intelligence spy chief said Wednesday. Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, added to mounting warnings from British authorities about Russia’s aggression and China’s growing assertiveness. He also singled out …
Read more “MI5 Spy Chief: Russia, China, Iran Top Threat List to UK “
The political and diplomatic fallout is growing after Sunday’s bombing in Istanbul. Turkey blames Kurdish militants backed by the United States for the attack, which comes months before elections. Mourners have not stopped laying flowers at the scene of Sunday’s fatal bomb attack on Istanbul’s most famous shopping street. While the country comes to terms …
Read more “Political Repercussions Grow over Turkey Bombing”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he believes an agreement allowing for Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea will remain in place beyond its Saturday expiration. Erdogan told reporters at the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, that there were ongoing talks about extending the deal, and that he planned to speak with Russian …
Read more “Turkish President Sees Extension of Ukraine Grain Deal”
Poland is increasing the readiness of some of its military units, government officials said Tuesday, after unconfirmed reports that stray Russian missiles killed two people near the country’s border with Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, was reportedly considering whether to call urgent consultations …