Month: May 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he landed Friday in Saudi Arabia, host of an Arab League summit attended by long isolated Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally. The previously unannounced visit is Zelenskyy’s first to the Middle East since Moscow’s invasion in February 2022, giving the Ukrainian leader an opportunity to address leaders …

Members of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies at this year’s summit will place more sanctions on Russia and crack down on those helping it to evade them — a move aimed at hampering Moscow’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine. VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara is traveling with President Joe Biden …

More than half of the world’s large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published Thursday found. An international team of researchers reported that some of the world’s most important water sources — from the Caspian …

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he is pulling out of the French Open because of a lingering hip injury, and he expects 2024 to be the final season of his career. The owner of a record 14 championships at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament will miss it for the first time since …

Chinese special envoy Li Hui arrived in Kyiv this week to discuss efforts by his country to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian analysts say Kyiv has no illusions about China’s ability to deliver a peace agreement, but say it is important for Ukraine to maintain a dialogue with China. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. …

Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the German lender should have seen evidence of sex trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein when he was a client, according to lawyers for women who say they were abused by the late financier. A woman only identified as Jane Doe sued the …

New developments: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed “ways to stop Russian aggression” in talks with Chinese envoy Li Hui, Ukraine says. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian shelling killed a 5-year-old boy in Kherson. Group of Seven leaders convening in Hiroshima, Japan, later this week are set to engage with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, …

A top Republican lawmaker said Wednesday the funding priorities for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) do not go far enough in addressing the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Biden administration has requested $32 billion in foreign assistance for USAID — $3 billion more than the amount appropriated by Congress …

Iran’s oil minister Javad Owji said that the oil market is on the right track after decisions made by OPEC+, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported on Wednesday. “Iran and Russia have the same views inside OPEC+,” Owji added on the sidelines of an Iranian-Russian conference of economic cooperation held in Tehran. OPEC and …

Russia’s media crackdown that followed its invasion of Ukraine has made it more difficult for people outside the country to know what Russians think about the war. Reporter Genia Dulot met some Russian tourists in Egypt who described how their lives have changed. …