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Pope Francis has revealed in an interview published Sunday that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from carrying out his duties. Speaking to the Spanish newspaper ABC, Francis said he gave the note to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who then was the Vatican secretary …
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European Union negotiators reached a political deal on Sunday to overhaul the bloc’s carbon market, cutting planet-heating emissions faster and imposing new CO2 costs on fuels used in road transport and buildings from 2027. The EU carbon market requires around 10,000 power plants and factories to buy CO2 permits when they pollute — a system central …
Read more “EU Strikes Deal to Boost Carbon Market, Europe’s Biggest Climate Policy “
DUBAI, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Qatar reiterated on Sunday that the country denies any involvement in a corruption case being investigated by Belgian authorities involving people linked to the European Parliament. Belgian authorities have charged four people linked to the European Parliament over allegations World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to …
Read more “Qatar Reiterates Denial Its Government Involved in EU Corruption Case “
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February brought large-scale land warfare back to Europe, plunging the world into a dangerous new era of conflict and nuclear brinkmanship. The West responded with huge supplies of arms for Ukraine and harsh sanctions on Russia. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Russia is sending opera singers to its frontline troops in Ukraine to raise the morale of Russian soldiers. Russia announced the formation of the creative brigades last week, which will also include actors and circus performers. In the British Defense Ministry intelligence update Sunday on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agency said that while “Fragile …
Read more “UK: Opera Unlikely to Raise Russian Soldiers’ Morale in Ukraine”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz Saturday inaugurated Germany’s first liquefied natural gas terminal, declaring that the speed with which it was put into service is a signal that Europe’s biggest economy will remain strong. The top three officials in the government — Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner — attended the inauguration in …
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A U.S. company that helped build a huge aquarium in Berlin says it is sending a team to investigate the rupture of the tank, which sent a wave of debris, water and tropical fish crashing through the hotel lobby it was in and onto the street outside. Reynolds Polymer Technology, which says it manufactured and …
Read more “US Team to Assist with Probe into Shattered Berlin Aquarium”
The French soccer team has not been overly troubled by the virus that has hit several players in the past few days, coach Didier Deschamps said, as the squad prepares to finish off their World Cup campaign in Sunday’s final against Argentina. Defenders Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Raphael Varane, midfielder Adrien Rabiot and forward Kingsley …
Read more “Virus-Hit France Focusing on Finishing Against Argentina in World Cup”
A woman injured in a crush outside a London concert venue has died, police said Saturday. London resident Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of eight people hospitalized after being caught in mayhem outside the O2 Brixton Academy Thursday night, where Nigerian singer Asake was due to perform. The Metropolitan Police force said she died Saturday …
Read more “Woman Injured in London Concert Crowd Crush Dies in Hospital”
The leaders of Hungary, Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan finalized an agreement Saturday on an undersea electricity connector that could become a new power source for the European Union amid a crunch on energy supplies caused by the war in Ukraine. The agreement involves a cable running beneath the Black Sea that would link Azerbaijan to …
Read more “Deal Reached For New Non-Russian Power Source for Europe”
In what may have been Luka Modric’s final World Cup match, Josko Gvardiol made a play to be Croatia’s next go-to guy. Modric has been the man in the middle for Croatia for more than a decade, leading the team to the World Cup final four years ago and the semifinals of this year’s tournament. …
Read more “Gvardiol Shines at World Cup as Croatia Wins 3rd-Place Match”
Pope Francis marked his 86th birthday on Saturday by rewarding three people involved in charity work, including a homeless man who gives other street dwellers part of the alms he receives. The pope gave the three the Mother Teresa Prize as recognition of their different forms of charity. The nun, who died in 1997, worked …
Read more “Pope Marks 86th Birthday Giving Awards for Charity”
The broadcast licenses of six Moldovan television stations have been suspended. Moldova’s Commission for Exceptional Situations said the suspensions were issued because the TV stations were spreading misinformation and were attempting to manipulate public opinion. The commission, founded after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, announced the suspensions of First in Moldova, RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV …
Read more “Moldova Suspends TV Licenses on Misinformation Charges”
Britain’s Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update Saturday that “In recent days, there has been an uptick in Russia’s campaign of long-range strikes against Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure.” The ministry tweeted, “The waves of strikes have largely consisted of air and maritime launched cruise missiles, but have almost certainly also included Iranian-provided uncrewed aerial …
Read more “Russia Using Iranian Drones in Ukraine, Britain Says”
VOA Russian White House correspondent Mykhailo Komadovsky spoke with John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, on Dec. 16, 2022, about the latest on U.S. support for Ukraine, White House opposition to ending support for Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen, and Russia-Iran ties. The following transcript has been edited for …
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In a one-on-one interview with VOA’s Russian White House correspondent Mykhailo Komadovsky, NSC spokesperson discusses U.S. support for Ukraine and Saudi Arabia, ties between Russia and Iran …
In 2012, actress Chulpan Khamatova was campaigning for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Now based in Latvia, she speaks out against Putin and his war on Ukraine. Anna Rice narrates this story from VOA’s Russian Service. …
Rising domestic demand is forcing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to cut back or halt natural gas exports to China, prompting a shakeup of regional energy markets and a rethinking of trade relationships across Central Asia. Meanwhile, American experts have been urging the West to invest in the region’s energy infrastructure, arguing that this kind of support …
Read more “Central Asia Balances Domestic Demand with Foreign Exports”
A massive aquarium in Berlin has burst, spilling 1,500 tropical fish and a million liters of water into the complex surrounding the structure and into the street. About 100 emergency workers responded to the scene early Friday at the DomAquaree building . Officials say they do not know what caused the Aqua Dom to collapse. …
Ten people, including five children aged 3 to 15 years, were killed in a fire that broke out Friday morning at a residential building in Vaulx-en-Velin, near the French city of Lyon, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Darmanin said the cause of the fire was not yet known. “There are several scenarios and a probe will …
Six Chinese diplomatic personnel left Britain this week for their alleged roles in assaulting protesters at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester in October. British parliamentarians and rights defenders welcomed Wednesday’s development, even as they criticized 10 Downing Street for not acting sooner. “Six Chinese Consulate officials, including the consul general, are being removed from the …
Russian and NASA engineers were assessing a coolant leak on Thursday from a Soyuz crew capsule docked with the International Space Station that could have been caused by a micrometeorite strike. Dramatic NASA TV images showed white particles resembling snowflakes streaming out of the rear of the vessel for hours. The coolant leak forced the …
Read more “Tiny Meteorite May Have Caused Leak From Soyuz Capsule”
The International Criminal Court on Thursday confirmed the convictions of Dominic Ongwen, a former Ugandan child soldier who rose to be a commander in the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army, and upheld his 25-year sentence for rape, murder and child abduction. “The appeals chamber rejects all the defense grounds of appeal and unanimously confirms the convictions,” …
Read more “ICC Confirms Upholds 25-year Sentence for Ugandan LRA Commander”
The European Parliament voted Thursday to suspend all work on legislation linked to Qatar after allegations of corruption involving a parliament vice president rocked the assembly. Prosecutors suspect the vice president, Eva Kaili, and three other people took bribes from World Cup host Qatar in its alleged bid to influence European Union policymaking. At a …
Read more “European Parliament Suspends Work With Qatar in Response to Criminal Probe”