Month: May 2023

The World Health Organization on Saturday launched a global network to help swiftly detect the threat from infectious diseases, like COVID-19, and share the information to prevent their spread. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will provide a platform for connecting countries and regions, improving systems for collecting and analyzing samples, the agency said. The …

New developments: Russia warns Western alliance they will face “colossal risks” if they provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, TASS news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Saturday. U.S. President Joe Biden told G-7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters, …

Russian air strikes hit several locations in Ukraine overnight, including the capital, Kyiv, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Japan for a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) leading global economies. In a post on Twitter shortly after his arrival in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Zelensky wrote that the summit means “security …

Italy received offers of international aid on Friday for floods, described as its worst for a century, which killed 14 people and left thousands stranded in waterlogged homes or in evacuation centers. As some areas began the clean-up following downpours earlier this week, others were newly evacuated on Thursday and authorities extended a red weather …

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Serbia’s capital Friday for the third time in a month to protest the government’s handling of a crisis after two mass shootings in the Balkan country. Officials ignored their demands and claimed protesters were being manipulated by foreign secret services.  In a show of defiance, the nationalist right-wing …

New developments: U.S. President Joe Biden has endorsed plans to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, The Associated Press reports. Russia has added International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan to its wanted list. Khan prepared an arrest warrant last March for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges, Russian media reported on …

Some 700 people were evacuated from four small towns in western Spain owing to a wildfire fanned by strong winds that have charred some 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres), officials said Friday.  More than 400 firefighters, including 50 agents from the army’s Military Emergency Unit, are battling to bring the fire under control in Las Hurdes, …

Amid Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to normalize relations with Damascus and his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s vow to return Syrian refugees to their war-torn country, Syrians in Turkey are watching Turkey’s presidential election runoff closely. In the first round of the presidential election, Erdogan got 49.52% of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu received 44.88%. Because …

Russian-built helicopters arrived in Zimbabwe on May 18 in what authorities say is part of an effort by Russia to strengthen relations between the two countries. Analysts say Russia is rewarding Zimbabwe for not joining with nations seeking to isolate Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Keith Baptist attended the event in Harare and Salem …

As Greece gears up for uncertain parliamentary elections Sunday, the country’s media landscape is as polarized as ever and press freedom remains in crisis, experts say. Against a backdrop of political tension and hemorrhaging media freedom, Greeks will vote May 21 to fill all of parliament’s 300 seats for the next four years. The election …

Campaigning ahead of Greece’s national elections Sunday ends Friday, leaving at least 17% of voters undecided. Gallup polls predict a tight race, with Greece’s largely disaffected youth holding the key to the outcome. VOA looks back on the monthlong campaign and the unprecedented scramble by political leaders for those votes. At the age of 17 …