Category: News

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London — King Charles III and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, have both left a private London hospital following unrelated medical treatments that have made the health of the royal family headlines news in the United Kingdom. The 75-year-old monarch was admitted to the London Clinic on Friday for treatment of an enlarged prostate, which …

Read more “King Charles Discharged From London Hospital After Prostate Procedure “

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Skopje, North Macedonia — North Macedonia’s parliament Sunday approved a caretaker government with a mandate to organize a general election in May.  The government of the small Balkan country of 1.8 million people will be headed by the country’s first-ever ethnic Albanian prime minister, current parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi, 61.  The 120-member parliament approved the caretaker …

Read more “North Macedonia Approves Caretaker Cabinet With First Ethnic Albanian Premier”

Tehran, Iran — The trial of a Swedish EU diplomat wrapped up in Tehran on Sunday, with Iranian prosecutors seeking the maximum penalty for the man accused of spying for Iran’s arch-foe, Israel.     The prosecutor said that 33-year-old Johan Floderus — who works for the European Union diplomatic service — was charged with “very extensive …

Read more “Iran Wraps Trial of Swedish EU Diplomat, Awaiting Defense”

Ukrainian officials say they uncovered a massive defense procurement scheme that saw tens of millions of dollars spent for weapons that never materialized. The discovery follows the downing of a Russian military plane said to have been carrying Ukrainian POWs. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has this story. …

Madrid — Spanish opposition parties demonstrated in Madrid on Sunday in a last gasp effort to stop an amnesty for Catalan separatists over their role in a 2007 secession bid.    About 45,000 people heeded the call by the Popular Party to gather in the capital’s central Plaza de Espana, according to police estimates.    The …

Read more “Spanish Opposition Protests Catalan a
Amnesty Law “

MELBOURNE, Australia — Jannik Sinner rallied from two sets down to take the Australian Open final from Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday and clinch his first Grand Slam title. The 22-year-old Sinner was playing in a major final for the first time and got there by ending Novak Djokovic’s long domination of …

Read more “Sinner Rallies From 2 Sets Down to Win the Australian Open Final  “

Istanbul — Two masked assailants attacked a church in Istanbul during Sunday services, killing one person, Turkish officials said. According to a statement posted on X by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the armed assailants attacked the Santa Maria Church in the Sariyer district at 11:40 a.m. local time. He did not specify what kind of weapons …

Read more “2 Masked Assailants Attack a Church in Istanbul, Kill 1 Person”

Paris — Two climate activists hurled soup Sunday at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris and shouted slogans advocating for a sustainable food system. This came amid protests by French farmers against several issues, including low wages. In a video posted on social media, two women with the words “FOOD …

Read more “Climate Activists Throw Soup at Glass p
Protecting Mona Lisa in Paris as Farmers’ Protests Continue “

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Helsinki, Finland — Finns headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new president, an office whose importance has grown on increased tensions with neighboring Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. While the president’s powers are limited, the head of state — who also acts as supreme commander of Finland’s armed forces — helps direct foreign …

Read more “Finland Electing President Amid Tensions with Russia”

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Danish report on Thursday said adoptions of children from South Korea to Denmark in the 1970s and 1980s was “characterized by systematic illegal behavior” in the Asian country. These violations, the report said, made it “possible to change information about a child’s background and adopt a child without the knowledge of the …

Read more “Danish Report Underscores ‘Systematic Illegal Behavior’ in South Korean Adoptions”

HELSINKI, FINLAND — Finland elects a new president on Sunday to lead the country in its new role within NATO after it broke with decades of non-alignment to join the Western defense alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country’s admission to NATO last year drew threats of “counter measures” from its vast …

Read more “Finns Choose New President for NATO Era With Russia in Mind”

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OSWIECIM, Poland — A group of survivors of Nazi death camps marked the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp during World War II in a modest ceremony Saturday in southern Poland. About 20 survivors from various camps set up by Nazi Germany around Europe laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the …

Read more “Nazi Death Camp Survivors Mark Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation”

PARIS — French farmers vowed Saturday to continue protesting, maintaining traffic barricades on some of the country’s major roads a day after the government announced a series of measures that they say do not fully address their demands. The farmers’ movement, seeking better payment for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports has …

Read more “French Farmers to Keep Protesting Despite Government’s Concessions Offer”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Aryna Sabalenka continued to be an irrepressible force at the Australian Open as she powered to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen on Saturday to successfully defend her title and add a second Grand Slam trophy to her cabinet.  The Belarusian second seed has barely put a foot wrong …

Read more “Sabalenka Overpowers Zheng to Retain Australian Open Crown”

london — Two British museums are returning looted gold and silver artifacts to Ghana under a long-term loan arrangement as U.K. institutions face increasing demands to hand over treasures acquired at a time when the British Empire ruled over people around the globe. The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, together with …

Read more “2 UK Museums Return Gold, Silver Artifacts to Ghana “

CHISINAU, moldova — The chief negotiator for Moldova’s Russian-backed separatist Transniestria region said Friday that his team would no longer attend talks on the country’s future in areas under government control because he feared arrest.  Transniestria split from Moldova before the 1991 collapse of Soviet rule and fought a brief war against the newly independent country, …

Read more “Moldova Separatist Negotiator, Fearing Arrest, Won’t Meet in Government-Held Areas”

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday formally informed Congress of its intention to proceed with the $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, taking a major step toward completing a long-delayed process that tested ties with Ankara. The State Department sent the notification to advance the sale of 40 Lockheed Martin …

Read more “US Advances Fighter Jet Sale to Turkey, Greece”

berlin — Analysts say new draft regulations announced by the European Union this week are likely to hit Chinese exports when approved and further strain relations between Beijing and Brussels. The regulations, unveiled Wednesday, are intended to protect the bloc’s economy and keep sensitive technology from falling into the hands of geopolitical rivals. A statement accompanying …

Read more “Analysts See New EU Rules Hurting China Exports, Further Straining Ties “