UN Campaign Aims to Protect Displaced Families from Winter Cold

The United Nations refugee agency announced Friday it has launched a global funding campaign to help people forcibly displaced by war and persecution survive the bitterly cold winter ahead. The UNHCR’s campaign aims to raise $700 million this year to help families who are living under perilous conditions in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and across the Middle …

Iranian Exile Who Inspired ‘The Terminal’ Dies in French Airport  

An Iranian who got stuck for 18 years in a Paris airport, inspiring a Steven Spielberg movie starring Tom Hanks, died on Saturday at the terminal, an airport official said.  Mehran Karimi Nasseri died of natural causes just before midday on Saturday in terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle airport outside the French capital, the …

US Lauds Ukraine’s ‘Extraordinary Victory’ in Kherson

The White House hailed as an “extraordinary victory” Ukraine’s liberation of the city of Kherson from Russia forces. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Saturday, “It does look as though the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory in Kherson, where the one regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back …

UK: Russian Withdrawal From Kherson Shows Difficulties Forces Face

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday in its daily update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, announced this week, “is a public recognition of the difficulties faced by Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnipro river.” In the intelligence update posted on Twitter, the ministry said that while the withdrawal …

UK’s Parliament Swells After PM Upheaval

Britain’s House of Lords shares some characteristics with the Chinese National People’s Congress: their signature colors are red, and neither is elected by popular vote. They are also the world’s two largest legislatures. After the rapid-fire departures this year of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss from 10 Downing Street, the House of Lords is set …

Cuisine by Candlelight as Power Cuts Grip Kyiv

The place goes dark at 6 p.m. as scheduled, but customers at this upscale Kyiv restaurant are unfazed, happy to continue their meal and conversations. Guided by her phone’s flashlight, the waitress brings out dishes and distributes candles. She smiles as she waits for the generator to start. The atmosphere in the central Supra restaurant, …

Ukrainian Forces Enter Kherson as Russian Troops Withdraw

Ukrainian forces entered the city of Kherson on Friday as Russian forces retreated in haste. Villagers came out of hiding to welcome the Ukrainian troops and recounted horror stories of Russian soldiers killing civilians and looting homes. According to Serhiy Khlan, deputy for the Kherson Regional Council, the city was almost fully under the control …

Brussels Police Officer Killed, Another Wounded in Stabbing Incident

Officials in Brussels said Friday the suspect in a stabbing attack on two police officers Thursday — killing one, wounding the other — had been on a terrorism watch list. Prosecutors’ spokesperson Eric van der Sypt told a news conference the two officers were attacked in their squad car as they sat at a red …

Paris Peace Forum Convenes, Looks for Solutions to Today’s Crises

A two-day peace forum opened Friday in Paris, aimed at offering a more hopeful note to a year marked by the war in Ukraine, skyrocketing hunger and prices, and the rising destruction from climate change. Latin America is also on the agenda. About 4,000 people including a raft of world leaders, humanitarians and business figures …

Biden Facing Rivalries With Beijing, Moscow During Southeast Asia Trip

Leaving behind a better-than-expected Democratic performance in the November 8 Congressional elections, U.S. President Joe Biden heads to a whirlwind week of diplomacy with Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific leaders amid an intensifying rivalry with China, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and increased provocations from North Korea. Here are the key points he’ll be dealing with during …

Ukraine Chief Prosecutor: No Negotiations With Russia to End War

Ukraine’s prosecutor general says the country is not considering negotiations with Russia to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  In a BBC interview in Kyiv, Andriy Kostin said Moscow must be held responsible for its actions in Ukraine.  Kostin, who wants to set up a special international tribunal, said he wants reparations that …

Russia’s Ukraine Strikes Affecting Health Care, Heating, British Say

“Russian strikes on power generation and transmission are having a disproportionate effect upon civilians in Ukraine, indiscriminately impacting critical functions such as health care and heating,” according to the British Defense Ministry’s daily report on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The continued prioritization of critical national infrastructure over military targets strongly implies Russian intent to strike …

US Air Force Chief of Staff to VOA: ‘We’ve Got to Change’

The U.S. Air Force chief of staff is warning that the U.S. military must “change” if it wants to stay ahead of China and Russia. “Our adversaries have continued to advance their capabilities at the same time we’ve been using some of the same capabilities we’ve been using for the past 30 years,” Gen. C.Q. …

In China, German Embassy Uses Social Media to Promote Free Speech, Democracy

China watchers are applauding the German embassy in Beijing for a subtle dig on social media that drew attention to China’s strict control over political messaging in the days before a high-profile visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On Oct. 11, Patricia Flor, the first woman to lead Germany’s diplomatic mission in Beijing since the …

US Says Russian War in Ukraine Divides APEC Nations Ahead of Summit

Diverging views on Russia’s war in Ukraine are making it hard for the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to agree on a joint communiqué ahead of next week’s meeting of leaders and senior officials in Bangkok, Thailand. “The primary sticking point for this year in APEC that’s been very challenging” has …

US Warns of Daunting Consequences if Ukraine Grain Deal Not Renewed

The United States is working to ensure that U.S. sanctions are not impeding the flow of Russian food and fertilizer to developing countries during talks to renew a U.N.-brokered deal on food shipments from Ukraine that will expire Nov. 19. In an interview this week, the U.S. State Department’s top official on economic affairs, Ramin …

Ukraine Says It Recaptured Dozens of Towns in Kherson Province

Ukrainian forces have recaptured more than 40 towns in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as Russia announced it was pulling its troops from Kherson. “The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place in the framework of the ongoing defense operation is already dozens, 41 settlements were liberated,” Zelenskyy said in his …

Wrong Bank: Dnipro River Separates Villagers From Ukraine’s Advance

Russia ordered its troops to abandon the Dnipro River’s west bank a few hours after Yevgen Gamiy had another lucky escape from incoming fire on its east. The Kremlin’s announced pullback from the city of Kherson and about half of its eponymous region appeared to mark a new low for President Vladimir Putin in the …

Iran Security Officials Arrest Spanish Nationals in Connection with Protests

Human rights groups report Thursday that Iranian security forces have arrested two Spanish nationals in connection with ongoing nationwide protests in the country. The human rights news agency HRANA reports the Spanish nationals are still in detention, though little more is known about them. The most recent arrest was 24-year-old Ana Baneira, who HRANA says …

Many Europeans Blame Belarusians for War in Ukraine

Throughout the war in Ukraine, the nation of Belarus, under the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, has acted as a Russian ally. That relationship has led to problems for many Belarusians outside of the country. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Videographer: Sandzhar Khamidov …

Putin Not Attending G20 Bali Summit  

Indonesia, host of the G-20 summit has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the gathering of the world’s twenty largest economies in person, which starts on November 15 in Bali. Moscow will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Jodi Mahardi, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment …

Ukraine Says It Recaptured Key Town in Strategic Mykolaiv Region

Ukraine Thursday claimed the recapture of its southern town of Snihurivka from Russia, the last remaining town under Russian occupation in the Mykolaiv region and a strategic location leading to the city of Kherson. “Today, on November 10, Snihurivka was liberated by the forces of the 131st Separate Intelligence Battalion. Glory to Ukraine!” a soldier …