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Ukrainian soldier Andriy Chernytskyi came up with a project to build a kids’ playground in his hometown – but didn’t live to see it come to fruition. The playground is now open. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Sergiy Rybchynski. …
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States is working toward a “fair” and “sustainable” solution to end Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine, but that both Moscow and Kyiv would have to make concessions to achieve peace. Rubio offered his assessment after he and other key U.S. officials met for several …
Read more “Rubio: US looks for ‘fair, sustainable’ end to Russian war on Ukraine”
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a “complex” respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend’s Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted …
Read more “Vatican cancels pope’s weekend engagements as he battles ‘complex’ infection “
ISTANBUL — Turkish police detained 282 suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, militant group in raids over the last five days, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday. The raids came as Turkey continues to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts over militant ties in a crackdown coinciding with hopes for an …
Read more “Turkish police detain 282 suspects in raids targeting PKK militants”
A Russian drone hit an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Dolynska, officials said Tuesday, injuring at least three people. Andriy Raikovych, governor of the Kirovohrad region where the attack took place, said on Telegram that authorities evacuated dozens of people from the building and that those injured included a mother and two …
Read more “Russian drone attack hits central Ukraine apartment building”
Top U.S. and Russian diplomats began meetings Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about relations between their countries and a potential end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both sides have tempered expectations, describing the talks as an initial step that could lay the framework for direct talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. …
Read more “US, Russian officials meet to discuss Ukraine war, bilateral relations”
PARIS — European leaders called for beefing up their defense spending Monday after a Paris summit on Ukraine and the region’s security — amid concerns about an aggressive Russia and declining support from Washington. The emergency meeting comes ahead of U.S.-Russian talks on ending the war in Ukraine — which it appears could leave out the …
Read more “European leaders gather for emergency summit on defense, Ukraine”
London — European leaders held a crisis security meeting Monday in Paris after a blizzard of diplomatic interventions by Washington in recent days that have raised doubts over the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance, the bedrock of European security. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President …
Read more “European leaders hold crisis security talks as US signals transatlantic reset”
European leaders held a crisis meeting Monday in Paris to discuss Ukrainian and European security. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the meeting comes after a blizzard of diplomatic interventions by Washington that have raised doubts over the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance, the bedrock of European security. …
NICOSIA, CYPRUS — A pair of agreements outlining how sizable natural gas deposits inside Cypriot waters will get to market via processing facilities in Egypt are a milestone for energy cooperation, Cyprus’ president said Monday. President Nikos Christodoulides said the cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt is helping to define the regional energy map, calling the agreements …
Read more “Getting Cyprus natural gas to market via Egypt hailed as milestone”
ATHENS — The Greek government’s chief seismologist says the frequency of earthquakes affecting Santorini and nearby islands has eased in recent days, but that the outlook for continued tremors in the coming weeks remains uncertain. “Unfortunately, for now, we must wait. These seismic sequences do not end quickly. They follow their own timeline,” seismologist Costas Papazachos …
Read more “Top Greek scientist: Santorini earthquake outlook remains uncertain”
Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official. The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow’s …
Read more “American arrested in Moscow on drug smuggling charges freed”
Vatican City — Doctors have changed treatment for Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection to tackle a “complex clinical situation” and he will remain in hospital for as long as necessary, the Vatican said on Monday. “The results of the tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, …
Read more “Doctors change pope’s treatment to tackle ‘complex’ situation, Vatican says”
Taipei, Taiwan — China has launched a new round of diplomatic outreach to European countries amid rising tension between the United States and its European allies. While top U.S. officials and European leaders clashed over issues such as values, democracy and Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Chinese foreign minister …
Read more “China aims to improve ties with EU amid transatlantic tension”
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host a group of European leaders for talks Monday focused on the situation in Ukraine amid a shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict and suggestions by U.S. officials that Europe would not have a role in peace talks. Among those expected to attend were leaders from …
Baghdad — A Turkish opposition party delegation arrived in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region Sunday against the backdrop of peace efforts between Ankara and a banned Kurdish separatist movement in Turkey. The delegation led by Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, two senior officials with the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, in Turkey, met …
Read more “Turkish delegation meets with Kurdish leader in Iraq amid peace efforts”
Top U.S. officials headed Sunday to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian diplomats in the coming days on ending Moscow’s three-year war on Ukraine, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed prospects for an immediate breakthrough. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed during an hour-long call last week to the immediate …
Read more “Rubio plays down immediate breakthrough on Russia-Ukraine peace”
London — Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTAs. The prizes are closely watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards on March 3, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season. …
Read more “‘Conclave’ leads the pack, ‘Emilia Perez’ faces test at Britain’s BAFTA film awards”
London — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told a mother who has been on hunger strike for 140 days that he will press the Egyptian government to release her son. In a statement Sunday, Starmer confirmed that he met Laila Soueif and said he will do “all that I can” to secure the release of …
Read more “UK’s Starmer to press Egypt for release of hunger-striking mum’s son”
Rome — Pope Francis had breakfast, read the newspapers and followed Mass on television Sunday after a second night sleeping well at the hospital where the 88-year-old pontiff is being treated for a respiratory tract infection, the Vatican said. Francis’ condition was stable, as he continues his unspecified drug therapy, alternating in the afternoon between reading …
Read more “Pope is stable as he recovers from respiratory infection, Vatican says “
KYIV — Russian troops have sharply stepped up their attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Sunday, as a NATO official predicted Moscow would increase the pace and intensity of its assaults with talks to end the war approaching. The main attacks were concentrated near the imperiled logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Kyiv said, with U.S. …
Read more “Russian troops intensify attacks on Ukrainian forces in east, military says “
VIENNA — Austrian authorities said the man accused of stabbing six passersby in broad daylight, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others, was motivated by “Islamic terrorism.” The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian man, was arrested after the attack in the southern city of Villach on Saturday. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Sunday he felt “anger …
Read more “Austrian official says suspect in fatal stabbing attack had ‘Islamic terror motive’ “
LONDON — When Malcolm Weale saw the tiny, dirt-covered object he’d unearthed in an English field, he knew it was something special. In his hand was a silver penny minted during the reign of Guthrum, a Viking commander who converted to Christianity and ruled eastern England in the ninth century as Athelstan II. For Weale, finding …
Read more “With metal detectors, treasure hunters unearth pieces of British history”
MOSCOW — A year after Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died behind bars, his supporters were set to hold memorial events on Sunday, with some risking reprisals by visiting his grave in Moscow. Remembrance events will take place as Russia’s opposition movement — driven into exile by unprecedented repression — has been plagued by infighting and …
Read more “Navalny supporters risk reprisals with memorial events a year after death”