Category: News

phnom penh, cambodia — The Swedish government will phase out bilateral development cooperation with Cambodia by the end of this year, raising concerns among civil society groups likely to see their budgets shrink. In 2023, the Swedish government provided about $17 million to civil society groups in Cambodia focusing on strengthening human rights, democracy and the …

Read more “Sweden Phasing Out Development Aid to Cambodia, Spurring Anxiety “

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Can the United States make a return to the surface of the moon? NASA and a private U.S. spaceflight company hope so. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …

Tirana, Albania — Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed on Thursday what he called an “extraordinary partnership” between Washington and Tirana, showing support to his country’s Balkan ally. During his first visit to Albania, Blinken met Prime Minister Edi Rama and young Albanians, as Washington welcomes the country’s firm support for Ukraine and its …

Read more “Blinken Hails ‘Extraordinary Partnership’ With Albania”

Istanbul/Washington — Journalists in Turkey are welcoming a recent Constitutional Court ruling that revoked bans on online access to hundreds of news articles. Last week, the court published a ruling that lifted the bans, stating that the restrictions are unconstitutional and violate freedom of expression. Lower courts had blocked the stories, citing Article 9 of Law …

Read more “Journalists in Turkey Welcome Ruling Restoring Online Access to Banned News Articles”

White House — With former President Donald Trump doubling down on remarks that, if elected, he would not defend NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets, and a foreign military funding package stalled in Congress, a stark divide is emerging on how two American presidents and their constituents view America’s role in the world. Biden, …

Read more “Trump-Biden Spat on NATO Highlights Divide on America’s Role in the World”

Washington — The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it disrupted a Russian intelligence hacking network. “For the second time in two months, we’ve disrupted state-sponsored hackers from launching cyber-attacks behind the cover of compromised U.S. routers,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. The Justice Department said that a January 2024 court-authorized …

Read more “US Justice Department Says It Disrupted Russian Intelligence Hacking Network”

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN — China and Russia have doubled down on their “no-limits partnership” in recent weeks, with leaders from both countries vowing to maintain “close personal interaction” and the Chinese ambassador to Russia revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to visit China this year.  During a Feb. 8 call, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin celebrated …

Read more “China, Russia Double Down on Ties Despite Complications in Trade Relations”

Berlin — German automaker Volkswagen said Wednesday several of its models had been refused entry into the United States, after it emerged that a Chinese-made component may have breached labor laws. “We are working to rectify a delay in delivering certain Volkswagen Group vehicles from ports to dealers due to a customs issue,” Volkswagen said in …

Read more “Volkswagen Cars Blocked By US Customs Over Part From China”

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Albania and then to Germany this week for the Munich Security Conference. Among issues he will likely face in Europe is the stalling of military aid to Ukraine in the U.S. House and former President Donald Trump’s comments threatening to abandon some NATO allies if he …

Read more “Blinken Heads to Munich Security Conference Amid US Foreign Aid Showdown”

Journalists covering conflicts around the world have unique access to the scenes of war crimes, but there are few mechanisms to use that content as evidence in a court of law. The Reckoning Project aims to change that. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. …

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosted a virtual meeting with allies on Wednesday to discuss support for Ukraine as the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion nears. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …

ROME — Pope Francis urged Catholics to forgo worldly trappings and focus on essentials as he opened the season of Lent with a traditional Ash Wednesday Mass on one of Rome’s historic seven hills. He criticized people’s tendency to lay bare their lives on social media, deploring “a world in which everything, including our emotions and …

Read more “Pope Urges Catholics to Swap Social Media for Reflection as Lent Begins”

Turkish security forces are detaining hundreds of people in the aftermath of an Islamic State attack on an Istanbul church. Authorities are warning of further attacks against Jews and Christians. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

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Cairo — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Edrogan and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, united their efforts Wednesday in Cairo, calling for a halt to Israel’s looming offensive on a southern Gaza city in its war against Hamas. Erdogan’s visit comes as ties between Ankara and Cairo are back on track after years of tensions and …

Read more “Leaders of Turkey, Egypt Work to Stop Israel’s Looming Offensive in Gaza’s Rafah”

PARIS — A Paris appeals court ruled Wednesday that former President Nicolas Sarkozy was guilty of illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 reelection bid, confirming a previous ruling by a lower court, but his lawyer said he would take his case to France’s highest court.   Sarkozy was handed a one-year prison sentence, half of …

Read more “France’s Sarkozy Found Guilty Again Over Campaign Funds”

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