Month: April 2023

A Russian court on Thursday fined the Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, two million rubles ($24,510) for not deleting what it said was “banned content” related to the Russian military, Interfax reported. It said this was the seventh fine imposed on Wikimedia in 2023 for not removing prohibited information. The fines now total 8.4 million …

The humanitarian suffering created by Russia’s war on Ukraine has been accompanied by an economic shock that resonates globally, driving up food and energy prices on distant continents. With Russia’s shelling of energy infrastructure and industrial plants, its destruction of cities, mining and agricultural sites, Ukraine lost a third of its economic output in 2022 …

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said Wednesday that he was facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for life, as authorities set the stage for a new trial against the Kremlin’s leading critic.  Navalny said by video link from prison during the hearing that the extremism charges which he …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced he was canceling a day of election campaigning Wednesday to rest at home, a day after he was forced to briefly interrupt a television interview over what he said was a stomach complaint. Erdogan was being interviewed live by Turkey’s Ulke TV and Kanal 7 stations late Tuesday when …

In the first nine months of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a Polish business group says, Ukrainians started 14,000 companies in neighboring Poland. Now, those Ukrainian entrepreneurs are succeeding and making contributions to their country’s war efforts. For VOA, Lesia Bakalets reports from Warsaw. …

The European Union’s environment agency on Wednesday urged member states to reduce pesticide use over concern that sales of harmful chemicals remain strong despite its effects on human health and biodiversity. The warning comes amid findings that one or more pesticides were detected above thresholds of concern at 22% of all monitoring sites in rivers …

Although the European Union has boosted its press freedom record over the past few years, the organization still has room for improvement, according to a new report on the Brussels-based group. “Much progress has been made, but combating entrenched pressure on and threats to journalists in Europe — and setting an effective example for governments …

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of a Russian government-backed paramilitary group, has offered weapons to one of the warring parties in Sudan, according to several media reports. Since the fighting began in April, there have been unconfirmed reports and diplomatic sources who spoke to news outlets saying that Wagner fighters are supporting the paramilitary group known …

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa backtracked on remarks he made Tuesday that the country would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. The president’s office late Tuesday walked back comments Ramaphosa made earlier that day at a briefing, saying he misspoke when he said …

Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, an historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church. Francis approved changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops, a Vatican body …