Category: News

China’s deepening ties with Russia will come with heavy geopolitical and economic consequences should the Ukraine crisis escalate, analysts say. While the two powers have recently intensified their so-called comprehensive strategic partnership, Beijing has not offered its full support for Moscow’s military encirclement of its neighbor. And there have been signs Beijing is worried that …

Read more “Why a Russian Invasion of Ukraine Would Hurt China, Too “

Eight years after an uprising in Ukraine that led to the fall of the Russian-backed government, activists gather to mark that victory, saying they are now preparing for what may be their country’s next great struggle. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Kyiv. Camera: Yan Boechat. …

Nine passengers were missing after a blaze engulfed a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy early Friday, and firefighters battled to rescue people trapped on the ship, authorities said.  A total of 240 passengers and 51 crew were on board the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia when the fire broke out, and rescue vessels took most to …

Read more “3 Trapped, 9 Missing After Flames Engulf Greece-Italy Ferry “

Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch. UN Chief Calls for Diplomacy on Ukraine U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia, Ukraine and the West on Monday to de-escalate tensions, saying “there is no alternative to diplomacy” …

Read more “UN Weekly Roundup Feb. 12-18, 2022”

The military government of Mali says France’s decision to withdraw troops is a violation of bilateral accords.  At the same time, the government says it wants French forces to leave Mali immediately. During an address from Elysee Palace Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the withdrawal of French and European forces from Mali would take …

Read more “Mali Demands French, European Troops Leave Country Immediately”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday of Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, that it is “high time to seriously de-escalate.”  “I still think it will not happen,” he told Western leaders gathered in Germany for the Munich Security Conference about a possible Russian invasion of its southwestern neighbor. “But if it did, it would be catastrophic.”  …

Read more “UN Chief Urges ‘Serious De-escalation’ on Ukraine”

Western leaders and Russia maintained a withering war of words Friday in the weeks-long standoff over Ukraine and amid Kremlin threats to retaliate militarily unless NATO agrees to withdraw the small level of forces it has stationed in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe, now members of the Western alliance.   A leader of the …

Read more “West, Russia Dispute Events in Eastern Ukraine”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called for a de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis in a telephone conversation Friday with his Russian counterpart, according to the Pentagon. “Austin called for de-escalation, the return of Russian forces surrounding Ukraine to their home bases, and a diplomatic resolution,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement. …

Read more “US Defense Chief Calls for De-Escalation of Ukraine Crisis in Call With Russian Counterpart”

Millions of Britons were urged to cancel travel plans and stay indoors Friday amid fears of high winds and flying debris as the second major storm this week prompted a rare “red” weather warning across southern England. Storm Eunice is likely to cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions, with gusts that may exceed 145 kph …

Read more “UK Warns People to Stay Home as it Braces for 145 KPH Winds”

One of the many unsettling questions raised by the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is what an armed conflict in Eastern Europe would do to the energy supply of the countries of the European Union, which have become increasingly reliant on Russian natural gas for electricity generation, industrial applications, and commercial and residential …

Read more “Prospect of War in Ukraine Raises Questions About Europe’s Natural Gas Supply “

The gold medalist said she felt empty. The silver medalist pledged never to skate again. The favorite left in tears without saying a word. After one of the most dramatic nights in their sport’s history, Russia’s trio of teenage figure skating stars each enter an uncertain future. Her Olympics and life turned upside down by …

Read more “‘I Hate This Sport!’: Rage, Teen Tears and Olympic Collapse”

The United States and its Western allies are bracing for the possibility that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have a ripple effect in cyberspace, even if Western entities are not initially the intended target. “I am absolutely concerned,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the virtual Munich Cyber Security Conference on Thursday when …

Read more “US, Allies Warn Possible Russian Cyberattacks Could Reverberate Globally “

U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen — known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended — has died at age 101. Halvorsen died Wednesday following a brief illness in his home state of Utah, surrounded by most of his children, James Stewart, the director of …

Read more “‘Candy Bomber’ Who Dropped Sweets During Berlin Airlift Dies “

The crisis in Ukraine has united most Republicans and Democrats in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement that the United States must stand strong against the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But a small group within the Republican Party — heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump’s stance toward Russia — has criticized President …

Read more “Fringes of Right and Left Warn Against US Involvement in Ukraine”

Tanzanian political figures are applauding after President Samia Suluhu Hassan met in Brussels Wednesday with opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Lissu has lived in Belgium since a 2017 assassination attempt. He returned to Tanzania in 2020 to run for president but fled the country again after protests against his election loss and what he said were …

Read more “Applause in Tanzania After President Meets Exiled Opposition Leader in Belgium”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the U.N. Security Council that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine within days that intelligence information said could be preceded by a fabricated excuse involving a bogus or real chemical weapons assault.  Blinken voiced the Biden administration’s concerns Thursday after making a last-minute change to his travel plans …

Read more “Blinken Addresses UN on Concerns of Russian Attack on Ukraine”

Police officers who beat and insulted journalists covering a protest this week will be removed from their positions, Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry has said. The Interior Ministry press secretary told VOA’s Azerbaijan Service on Thursday that officers involved in the incident will be removed “due to impolite behavior especially against Fatima Movlamli.” Movlamli, a reporter for …

Read more “Azerbaijan Says It Will Remove Police Officers Over Media Harassment”

Who says you have to be born in Italy to make excellent pizza? Ibrahim Songne, a West African now living in northern Italy, has successfully challenged that assumption. VOA’s Betty Ayoub has the story. …

Dozens of African heads of state are in Brussels for a summit of European Union and African Union leaders, beginning Thursday. The coronavirus pandemic, investment and security are high on the agenda, as Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

The Kremlin said Thursday it will take time to withdraw Russian forces that have completed drills near the Ukraine border, while the United States and other Ukrainian allies say there are no concrete signs of a pullback of the Russian military elements that have sparked fears of a new invasion of Ukraine.  A senior U.S. …

Read more “Amid Western Skepticism, Russia Says Troop Withdrawals Will Take Time  “

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris travels Thursday to Munich, where officials say she will focus on consulting with allies about the Russia-Ukraine crisis. While in Germany, where Harris will lead the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference, she is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders …

Read more “Russia-Ukraine Crisis High on Agenda as Harris Heads to Munich”

The top European Union court ruled on Wednesday that the EU can withhold funding from member states that fail to uphold its rule of law principles, giving the bloc a powerful tool to enforce its democratic values.  “The European Union must be able to defend those values, within the limits of its powers,” the European …

Read more “Court: EU Can Withhold Funds From Hungary, Poland for Violating Democratic Values”

NATO’s chief said on Wednesday there was no evidence that Russia was withdrawing forces from the Ukraine border, but he added there was still a chance for a diplomatic solution. NATO leaders and defense ministers were meeting in Brussels for talks. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb has more. …

Russia reiterated Wednesday that it had begun withdrawing some troops from close to the Ukrainian border. But many Western nations said there was little evidence of a pullback – and fear an invasion of Ukraine was still imminent. Henry Ridgwell reports. …