Category: World

Tbilisi, Georgia — The acting leader of Abkhazia has won a presidential election in the breakaway Georgian region, state media said Sunday, months after his predecessor was driven from office following protests over an investment deal with Russia. Acting President Badra Gunba took almost 55% of the vote in Saturday’s election in the Russia-backed territory, ahead …

Read more “Abkhazia’s acting leader wins presidential election, state media say”

Warsaw — Polish cybersecurity services have detected unauthorized access to the Polish Space Agency’s (POLSA) IT infrastructure, Minister for Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski said Sunday. “In connection with the incident, the systems under attack were secured … Intensive operational activities are also underway to identify who is behind the cyberattack,” Gawkowski wrote on social media platform X, …

Read more “Cyberattack detected at Polish space agency, minister says”

LONDON — Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday as he prepared to host a summit of European leaders to discuss ending the war. The summit has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding by U.S. President Donald Trump …

Read more “UK, France and Ukraine agree to work on ceasefire plan for Russia’s war in Ukraine”

Rome — Pope Francis is in a “stable” condition in the hospital but the clinical picture remains complex, the Vatican said Sunday, as the 88-year-old issued a statement thanking well-wishers for their support. The head of the Catholic Church was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which later developed into pneumonia in …

Read more “Pope’s condition stable but complex”

European leaders met in London Sunday to discuss the Ukraine-Russia war. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome after being asked to leave the White House following a heated exchange with President Donald Trump Friday. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

The need to end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The United States imposing tariffs on other countries, and the downsizing of the U.S. federal government. Those are some of the topics that President Donald Trump is expected to highlight when he delivers the first address of this second term in office to …

Read more “Ukraine, Gaza expected to feature in Trump’s address to Congress”

The state of Russia’s three-year war against Ukraine remained deeply unsettled Sunday, with the U.S. saying it does not know whether peace is possible while European leaders met in London to voice their ongoing support for Kyiv’s forces. The new developments came two days after Friday’s explosive Washington meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and …

Read more “Russia-Ukraine war remains deeply unsettled “

LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a warm welcome in London, a day after the Ukrainian leader’s clash with U.S. President Donald Trump.  The two countries also unveiled a $2.84 billion loan agreement to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, to be paid back with the profits of immobilized sovereign …

Read more “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy gets warm welcome from UK’s Starmer”

ISTANBUL — Outlawed Kurdish militants Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan asking the group to disband and end more than four decades of armed struggle.   President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who backed the peace process initiated by a close nationalist ally, warned that Turkey would pursue …

Read more “Kurdish militants declare ceasefire with Turkey”

NIS, SERBIA — Tens of thousands of people in Serbia gathered Saturday for a huge student-led rally that vowed to turn the troubled, populist-run Balkan country into a free nation of justice and rule of law, with many proclaiming “We deserve better.”  University students in the Balkan country that has been ruled firmly by a right-wing, …

Read more “Serbian students demand ‘better future’ in anti-corruption rally”

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital Saturday in the latest antigovernment demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the European Union country last year.  Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flag and chanting slogans such as “Down …

Read more “Tens of thousands protest government before Romania’s election”

ROME — Pope Francis had coffee and was reading newspapers Saturday after an alarming setback in his two-week recovery from double pneumonia: Doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted. Doctors said it would take a day or two to …

Read more “Pope has coffee, rests after setback in recovery”

The public spat Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House has triggered European solidarity for Ukraine. Barring Hungary, major European powers led by Germany and France have thrown their weight behind Kyiv, calling it the victim of Russian aggression, while promising sustained support to the war-torn …

Read more “VOA Mandarin: As Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy disintegrate, will China benefit?”

MOSCOW — Moscow on Saturday said it seized two more villages in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv officials said Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 19. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured Sudne and Burlatske in the south of the eastern Donetsk region. They lie near the town of Velyka Novossilka, which was seized …

Read more “Russia says it seized two new villages in eastern Ukraine”

Following the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the Kremlin sent new instructions to state-run media to cover developments between Moscow and Washington in a positive tone, but instead of praising U.S. President Donald Trump personally follow the line that “the United States were wise to respond to Russia’s outstretched hand.” Click here for …

Read more “VOA Russian: Kremlin media change tune after US-Russia talks”

European leaders across much of the continent vowed to stand by Ukraine after a White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned into a heated exchange Friday, with Trump calling Zelenskyy “disrespectful.” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it has become clear that “the free world needs …

Read more “European leaders stand by Ukraine after heated exchange between Trump, Zelenskyy”

WASHINGTON — On the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Chinese state media. “China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value,” Xi said, according to the official …

Read more “Russia and China’s relationship may not be as strong as it seems, report says”

Pope Francis had a setback Friday during his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been for the last two weeks. The Vatican said an “isolated breathing incident” caused the 88-year-old pontiff to inhale his own vomit, which required noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Francis was conscious during the episode and was able to cooperate and …

Read more “Pope Francis has new medical setback”

Georgians broadly supported Maidan protests in Ukraine seeking closer integration with Europe, elimination of corruption and malign foreign influence. Those goals resonate with Georgia’s current opposition. …

NATO’s newest rapid-response force is testing its strength in Romania, just kilometers from the Ukrainian border. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze has more on the drills and NATO’s evolving defense strategy. Camera: Daniil Batushchak …

PARIS — French police said at least three people were killed when a tropical storm packing fierce winds and torrential rains thumped the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday.  Residents were ordered to stay at home as Tropical Cyclone Garance brought heavy rain and winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), causing floods, …

Read more “Cyclone Garance hits island of Reunion; police report 3 deaths”

WASHINGTON — The issue of Ukraine’s next presidential election has emerged as a possible element in the peace deal between Russia and Ukraine that the United States is negotiating. Ukrainian leaders and elections experts argue, however, that holding elections anytime soon would endanger lives and Ukraine’s sovereignty. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected in April 2019, …

Read more “Perspectives, challenges of Ukraine’s next election”

New Delhi  — India and the European Union agreed to wrap up a free trade deal by the end of this year, the two sides announced Friday following talks in the Indian capital between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. While negotiations between India and the EU have dragged on …

Read more “India, EU, pledge to push free trade agreement, elevate strategic ties  “

After several incidents involving damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, including the latest one that Sweden began investigating Friday, NATO launched a program to monitor these vital underwater communication and energy pipelines. VOA’s Vladislavs Andrejevs embedded with a NATO minehunter and has this report from the Gulf of Finland, narrated by Anna Rice.  …

Read more “NATO continues to patrol Baltic Sea after cable damage incidents ”