Worldwide news. The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a “plurality of worlds”
NEW DELHI — The European Union plans to urge India to lower its high tariffs on cars and wine to boost trade, as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China, a senior official from the bloc said, ahead of a visit by the European Commission president to New Delhi. Echoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat …
Read more “EU will ask India to cut tariffs on cars, wine to boost ties, reduce reliance on China “
PARIS — France’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he wanted “all” European countries to cooperate and start cutting back visas available to nationals of countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants expelled by Paris. Jean-Noel Barrot spoke after an Algerian-born man went on a stabbing rampage in the eastern French city of Mulhouse at the …
Read more “France wants Europe cooperation on visas over expulsion of undocumented migrants”
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday a Russian drone attack killed at least one person and injured two others in the Kyiv region. Kyiv Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram that the attack also damaged five houses and four multi-story residential buildings. Fragments from destroyed drones damaged apartment buildings, a university building, and a theater in the …
Read more “Ukrainian officials say deadly drone attack hits Kyiv region”
The United States and Ukraine have a framework deal in place for a joint fund to reinvest revenue from Ukrainian natural resources, according to officials familiar with the negotiations. The plan would include investing 50% of proceeds from Ukraine’s minerals, oil and gas. The United States would commit to the development of a “stable and …
Three years since the beginning of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s economy has continued to grow because of its rampant defense spending. VOA Russian spoke with the experts who predict the defense-based growth is unsustainable and about to hit the ceiling as both industrial capacities and workforce are at near maximums. Thousands of …
Read more “VOA Russian: Russia’s economy growth is forecast to stall”
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine and the United States have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. …
Read more “Ukraine, US agree on a framework economic deal, Ukrainian officials say”
Despite rising uncertainty over waning U.S. support, growing existential questions and ongoing Russian advances, polls find Ukrainians remain generally optimistic about their future. Lesia Bakalets reports from Kyiv, Ukraine. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianet. …
On Feb. 20, Ivory Coast became the latest African nation to expel French troops, taking control of the last remaining French military base in the country. This followed the departure of French forces from Chad, which had hosted them for nearly 70 years. These moves marked the end of France’s military presence in the Sahel …
Read more “Kremlin disinformation campaigns aim to discredit French military in Sahel, analysts say”
London — Germany’s likely next chancellor has warned that the United States cares little about Europe’s fate and has called for the continent to urgently organize its own defense capabilities, marking a profound shift in approach from Europe’s biggest economy. “I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a …
Read more “German election winner: Europe must defend itself as US ‘does not care’”
ISLAMABAD — When Amir Ali left the narrow alleys of his village in Pakistan’s Punjab province last summer for the plazas of Spain, he thought his dream of a better life was finally coming true. The 21-year-old had failed seven times before to get a visa for countries in Europe and the Middle East. Six months …
Read more “Dying to leave: Why Pakistanis are risking their lives to reach Europe”
Friedrich Merz, who will likely be the next chancellor of Germany after gaining the largest vote share in elections Sunday, has warned that the United States “does not care much” about the fate of Europe — and called for the continent to urgently organize its own defense capability. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the comments mark …
Read more “German election winner: Europe must defend itself as US ‘does not care’”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that the U.K. would increase its defense spending by 2027 to bolster its security against the threat of Russian aggression exhibited by Moscow’s three-year war against Ukraine. Starmer told Parliament that defense spending would increase by $17 billion annually, boosting outlays from 2.3% of the United Kingdom’s economic …
Read more “Starmer to boost UK defense spending against Russian threat”
BERLIN — A trial began Tuesday in Germany for four alleged members of U.S.-designated terror group Hamas who are suspected of organizing weapons caches across Europe. The country’s top prosecutor accuses the men of membership in a foreign terrorist organization. It’s a pilot case for prosecutors, German news agency dpa reported. “For the first time in …
Read more “Trial begins in Germany for 4 alleged Hamas members”
After three years of relentless war, Ukraine is facing a mental health crisis, with hospitals overwhelmed by soldiers suffering from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors say the hidden wounds could linger for decades. Yan Boechat reports from Lviv in western Ukraine. …
The Church of England will seek to bring disciplinary proceedings against 10 clerics including former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, it said on Tuesday, implementing recommendations from an abuse report last year. The CoE, central to 85 million Anglicans worldwide, has been in crisis over safeguarding the vulnerable since the November report, which said ex-leader …
Read more “Church of England eyes disciplining clergy over child abuse scandal “
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who is in critical condition in a hospital battling double pneumonia, rested well throughout the night, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The 88-year-old pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14. “The pope rested well all night,” the Vatican said in a one-sentence statement. On Monday, the Vatican said …
Read more “Pope Francis rested well all night, Vatican says”
BOGOTA, Colombia — An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda. That is, how to spend what’s been pledged so far — and how to raise a lot more to help preserve plant and animal …
Read more “Talks to protect Earth’s biodiversity resume with money topping the agenda”
Multiple regions of Ukraine came under aerial attack from Russian forces overnight, with officials in Kyiv and Sumy saying Tuesday there were injuries and damage to buildings. Mykola Kalashnyk, governor of the Kyiv region, said a 44-year-old woman was hospitalized as a result of the attacks, which also damaged several houses. Officials in Sumy said …
President Donald Trump says he’s nearing a deal with Ukraine and Russia to end the war in Ukraine, after a packed day of meetings at the White House with France’s leader, Emmanuel Macron, where he urged Europe to take a bigger role, and Paris pushed for more assurances from Moscow. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from …
Read more “Trump hosts French leader to discuss Ukraine endgame”
LONDON — More than 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush and Cat Stevens on Tuesday released a silent album to protest proposed changes to Britain’s copyright laws which could allow tech firms to train artificial intelligence models using their work. Creative industries globally are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of AI models that can produce …
Read more “Musicians release silent album to protest UK’s AI copyright changes”
President Donald Trump said Monday he’s nearing a deal with Ukraine and with Russia to end the war in Ukraine after a packed day of meetings at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump urged Europe to take a bigger role in funding, and Paris pushed for more assurances from Moscow. The U.S. …
Read more “Trump hosts French leader to discuss Ukraine endgame”
STATE DEPARTMENT — Three years into Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, China is closely monitoring U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy to end the war, as Beijing calculates its moves to position itself as a strategic partner for Ukraine while maintaining a no‐limits partnership with Russia, according to experts and former officials. This week, British Prime Minister Keir …
Read more “China eyes Trump’s Ukraine strategy, strengthens ties with Russia”
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has ruled the republic since 2007, said he wants to remain in power for life. VOA Russian spoke to regional experts who believe that despite this being illegal according to Russian laws, Kadyrov will resist stepping down in 2026 when his term ends. Oleg Orlov from the Nobel Prize-winning Memorial …
Read more “VOA Russian: Chechen leader Kadyrov wants to rule for life”
VOA Russian spoke to independent analyst Jakub Janovsky who documents Russian military equipment losses in the war with Ukraine. He noted that Russia has lost 136 military planes and 151 helicopters in three years of the war, reducing its aviation fleet so Moscow now relies more on long-range missiles and drones. Janovsky also said Russia …
Read more “VOA Russian: Analyst notes Russia’s military equipment losses in war with Ukraine”