Month: July 2022

More than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported across 78 countries, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. He released the information during opening remarks at his regular COVID-19 update, saying there have been five monkeypox deaths while 10% of cases are admitted to the hospital. Tedros said the outbreak can be …

In a small studio in Paris, Russian journalist Denis Kataev prepares his evening news show that he hopes will play its part in countering the Kremlin narrative about the invasion of Ukraine. Kataev works for Russian channel Dozhd (Rain), which for over a decade from its Moscow base was the country’s most prominent independent broadcast …

The contest to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister is down to two candidates. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, policy towards China has become a key issue on the campaign trail. …

A European court on Wednesday dismissed a challenge by Russia’s state-owned broadcaster RT France against a ban imposed by the European Union. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg said the EU had the ability to suspend RT France’s operations and that the EU’s actions did not call into question the freedom of expression. Kremlin …

Britain and the European Union have extended sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.K. Foreign Office said on its website Tuesday that the sanctions, which included travel bans and asset freezes, were imposed on 42 new people and entities, including several governors of Russian regions and the Kremlin-installed prime minister …

Russia said Tuesday it will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 to build its own orbiting outpost. The country’s space chief made the announcement during a meeting with President Vladmir Putin. Yuri Borisov, CEO of state space agency Roscosmos, said during the meeting that Russia plans to fulfill a promise to its …

European Union energy ministers approved a plan Tuesday to reduce natural gas use by 15% in order to cut dependence on Russian supplies. The agreement involves voluntary reductions between August and March, and will allow member states to stockpile supplies ahead of the coming winter months. In case of emergency, the EU could make the …

In late June, HBO premiered a new documentary called Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes, which features newly recovered documents about the events of 1986. VOA Ukrainian interviewed the documentary director James Jones on the details of his work. Khrystyna Shevchenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice …

The trial of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner resumed Tuesday in a Russian courtroom.  Griner is facing drug possession charges in connection to her February arrest at a Moscow airport. She acknowledged at an earlier trial session that she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil, but did not have criminal intent.  U.S. officials have …