Month: November 2022

British health authorities have recorded 50 cases of diphtheria this year among recently arrived asylum seekers, including one man who died after falling sick at a crowded migrant center. The U.K. Health Protection Agency said Monday that the infected people likely caught the disease in their countries of origin or during their journeys to the …

An exhibition in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir gives viewers an in-depth look at local periodicals and other publications that are more than a century old. VOA’s Mahmut Bozarslan has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Videographer: Mahmut Bozarslan …

Cameroon and Serbia battled to a 3-3 draw Monday in a goal-filled match at the men’s World Cup in Qatar as they tried to keep alive hopes of advancing past the group stage. The scoring outburst came after neither side netted a goal in its first game of the tournament, with Serbia falling 2-0 to …

Austrian railway workers are staging a one-day strike Monday. All train traffic has ground to a halt in what the railway workers’ union says in a warning strike called because of a pay dispute.  Reports say a million passengers have been impacted by the stoppage.   The strike is also affecting freight lines, regional lines, and …

Thousands of Kurds protested on Sunday in the Syrian city of Qamishli against days of deadly Turkish cross-border strikes targeting Kurdish groups in the country’s northeast. Turkey announced last Sunday it had carried out airstrikes against semi-autonomous Kurdish zones in north and northeastern Syria, and across the border in Iraq. It has also threatened a …

Britain’s government intends to make $1.2 billion of public funding available for home insulation projects from early next year, widening access to assistance that was previously only available to poorer households. The government said the proposed scheme would run from early 2023 until March 2026 and would help meet a recent target to reduce energy …

According to military monitors, Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, is allowing up to 10,000 newly mobilized Russian troops to train in his country and sending Moscow at least 211 pieces of heavy military equipment, including trucks and tanks. Critics, such as exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, talk to VOA about how Lukashenko is trying to …

Musician Jon Batiste is on tap to perform at President Joe Biden’s first White House state dinner on Thursday that will highlight long-standing ties between the United States and France and honor President Emmanuel Macron. “An artist who transcends generations, Jon Batiste’s music inspires and brings people together,” said Vanessa Valdivia, a spokesperson for first …

Italian rescue workers are continuing their search for victims of Saturday’s landslide on the island of Ischial. Authorities say at least two people have died in the mud-induced landslide in the town of Casamicciola that also injured four, and displaced 167. There was confusion earlier over the death toll, when Vice Premier Matteo Salvini said …

The play finishes. The actors take their bows. Then they let loose with wartime patriotic zeal. “Glory to Ukraine!” they shout. “Glory to the heroes!” the audience yells back, leaping to its feet. The actors aren’t done. More yells follow, X-rated ones, cursing all things Russian and vowing that Ukraine will survive. More cheers, more …

Early season merrymakers sipping mulled wine and shopping for holiday decorations packed the Verona Christmas market for its inaugural weekend. But beyond the wooden market stalls, the Italian city still has not decked out its granite-clad pedestrian streets with twinkling holiday lights as officials debate how bright to make the season during an energy crisis. …

Black Friday deals have prompted a backlash in Belgium where some businesses rejected promotions and chose to close for the day or even offered to repair used clothes for free. At the Xandres clothing store, in the Flemish city of Ghent, a sign on the window read “Green Friday – closed on November 25 – …