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ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — Ivory Coast officially took control of the last remaining French military base in the country Thursday as most French forces departed from countries across West Africa. Some 80 French troops will stay in the country to advise and train the Ivorian military, Tene Birahima Ouattara, the Ivorian defense and state minister, said …
Read more “Ivory Coast takes control of last remaining French base”
BRUSSELS — The European Commission said Thursday it had approved 920 million-euro of German state aid, or $960 million, to Infineon Technologies for the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Dresden. The measure will allow Infineon to complete the MEGAFAB-DD project, which will be able to produce a wide range of different types of …
Read more “EU approves $960 million in German aid for Infineon chips plant”
BEIJING — China has been “doing its best” to push for negotiations with the European Union over its tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, a commerce ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, almost four months after the punitive import curbs took effect. The bloc voted to increase the tariffs to as much as 45.3% in October after the …
Read more “China says it’s ‘doing its best’ to push for tariff negotiations with EU”
Tens of thousands of people remained without power Thursday in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa as a result of several days of Russian aerial attacks. Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that crews were working to restore electricity service, and had brought 40,000 customers back online, with another 49,000 still without power. Russian …
Read more “Crews in Ukraine’s Odesa region work to restore power after Russian attacks”
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has praised the recent U.S.-Russia talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. “This is a good initiative; it is also beneficial for Kazakhstan,” he said. “We will try to support it as much as possible.” Tokayev’s comments are the first official response from Central Asia to the talks, which sparked …
Read more “VOA Uzbek: Kazakh officials voice support for US-Russia talks”
Thousands of residents in Ukraine’s city of Odesa were without electricity or heating after Russia launched a massive drone attack for the second night in a row. In his address to the nation on Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said repair work was underway after 80,000 people lost power and the same number lost …
U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments this week claiming Ukraine was responsible for starting the three-year conflict with Russia and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” drew criticism from congressional Democrats and pushback from some members of the Republican Party. “Clearly, Vladimir Putin is responsible for this war,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told …
Read more “Trump’s comments on Ukraine draw mixed reaction from US lawmakers”
President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated a claim that the United States has spent $350 billion on Ukraine’s war — a figure that far eclipses the amount recorded by the Department of Defense and the interagency oversight group that tracks U.S. appropriations to Ukraine. Since Russia’s illegal invasion in February 2022, the U.S. Congress has …
Read more “US figures do not support Trump claims on Ukraine spending”
VOA Russian talked to experts after the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on how to end the Ukraine war. They warned that this is only the beginning of negotiations that may last for some time and take several turns. Exiled independent Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin compared the first meeting to “not even a warm-up …
Read more “VOA Russian: Experts say US-Russia talks start of long process”
Many Ukrainians are dealing with the reality of starting over after losing their homes in the war with Russia. One project helps them find new homes and jobs while assisting in the development of small villages. Lesia Bakalets reports from the Kyiv region. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets. …
President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia visited Kyiv Wednesday, a day after U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic moves come as Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart lash out at each other over the war’s origins and plans to end it. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
GENEVA — The World Trade Organization said on Wednesday that discussions on trade tensions were “constructive,” after China accused the United States of imposing “tariff shocks” that could upend the global trading system. China condemned tariffs launched or threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump at a WTO meeting on Tuesday. Washington dismissed China’s comments as hypocritical. …
Read more “WTO holds ‘constructive’ talks after China condemns Trump tariffs”
LONDON — Russia’s tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border three years ago this month, triggering the worst conflict on European soil since World War II. Ukraine has resisted the full-scale invasion largely thanks to the support of the United States and Europe. But on the frozen front lines, the war grinds on — and Russia’s forces …
Read more “Europe frozen out of peace talks as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters fourth year”
WASHINGTON — A German study shows that the cancer detection rate improves by almost 18% when doctors get help from artificial intelligence. For the study, radiologists — doctors who analyze the results of mammograms and other diagnostic tests — used artificial intelligence to examine the mammograms of more than 460,000 German women between the ages of …
Read more “Does AI detect breast cancer better than doctors can?”
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in the hospital Wednesday and reported he was “alert and responsive” and full of good humor, despite his diagnosis of pneumonia and a complicated bronchial infection that has sidelined the 88-year-old pontiff for six days. Meloni said she wanted to bring get-well wishes to the pope on behalf …
Read more “Italian Premier Meloni visits Pope Francis in hospital, says he’s ‘alert and responsive’”
VIENNA — Austria arrested a 14-year-old on Feb. 10 on suspicion of planning a militant attack on a Vienna train station, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday, calling the suspect an Islamic State supporter who became radicalized online. The announcement follows a knife attack in the southern town of Villach on Saturday in which a 23-year-old Syrian …
Read more “Austria arrests teen over foiled plot to attack Vienna station”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia said Wednesday the United States understands the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, as he visited the country for talks with Ukrainian officials. Gen. Keith Kellogg told reporters in Kyiv that he was in Ukraine “to listen,” hear the concerns of Ukrainian leaders and return to …
Read more “US envoy in Ukraine for talks following US-Russia meeting”
STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other young activists cannot sue the state in a Swedish court over what they say is insufficient action against climate change. Activists filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 with a district court claiming the state violates their rights as laid out …
Read more “Swedish Supreme Court: Activists can’t sue over climate action”
Russia shot down 21 Ukrainian drones late Tuesday, but a drone attack on an oil pumping station in southern Russia reduced oil supplies for Kazakhstan and the global market, Russian officials said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said one of their drones struck and knocked out a North Korean self-propelled howitzer on the eastern front. “In Luhansk …
The Trump administration on Tuesday hailed talks in Saudi Arabia that included U.S. and Russian officials but no Ukrainians. The White House said this parallel-track diplomacy — speaking separately with the warring partners — is a key first step in ending the three-year conflict that has rocked Europe. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports …
Read more “US, Russia begin talks on Ukraine — without Ukraine”
WASHINGTON — A Yazidi woman who survived rape and enslavement by Islamic State and was rescued from Gaza last October in a U.S.-led operation arrived in Germany on Tuesday, February 18. Fawzia Amin Saydo, 21, was kidnapped by IS militants from her hometown of Sinjar, northern Iraq, in August 2014, just a month before her 11th …
Read more “Yazidi woman enslaved by Islamic State relocates to Germany months after rescue”
U.S.-based supporters of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked one year since his sudden and unexplained death in an arctic prison with vigils and protests in many U.S. cities, including Washington, New York and Los Angeles. VOA Russian correspondents spoke to Navalny supporters who urged the U.S. authorities to demand a release of Russian …
Germany is set to hold an election on Sunday, with voter frustrations over migration and the cost of living at the forefront of a bitter campaign. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the lead candidate to be Germany’s next chancellor has accused Washington of interfering in the election. …
A British couple detained in Iran last month has been charged with spying, Iran’s state media reported Tuesday. Britain’s Foreign Office has identified the couple as Craig and Lindsay Foreman. “The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country,” reported Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency. Iran has accused …