Month: July 2023

Media associations are warning that a rise in visa rejections for Turkish citizens is affecting the ability of the country’s journalists to work. The number of journalists whose applications for a Schengen visa have been turned down has “significantly risen,” according to the European Federation of Journalists, or EFJ. The visas permit free travel across …

After Russia withdrew from a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain through ports on the Black Sea, the Kremlin launched attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain hubs. Anna Kosstutschenko spoke with Ukrainian farmers about how this will impact them. VOA footage by Pavel Suhodolskiy …

The restoration of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Egypt in early July is raising hopes for ending conflicts across the Middle East and Africa. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

Images of the red and gold Spanish flag dominate the social media feeds of Spain’s right-wing Vox party, along with videos that demonize Muslims or glorify the 15th century reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. As the country heads to a general election Sunday that polls indicate could deliver power to the populist …

Iraq’s prime minister ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden on Thursday as a man desecrated of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm with permission from Swedish authorities. The diplomatic blowup came hours after protesters angered by the planned burning of a …

Latest developments: Belarus says its military is training with fighters from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group at a site near the Belarus-Poland border. European Union foreign ministers met Thursday to discuss a proposed four-year, $22.4 billion military aid plan for Ukraine.   Officials in southern Ukraine said Thursday that Russia carried out an overnight airstrike on …

TAIPEI – As the war in Ukraine rages on, China and Russia are hosting joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan that analysts say are the latest sign of deepening cooperation between the two military powerhouses. The drills are also part of an effort to counter growing partnership of the U.S. and its allies …

Now that Sweden’s ascension into NATO appears closer to approval following developments during the NATO summit last week, many wonder what power Sweden’s military can bring to the alliance. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb explains more about Sweden’s military might beneath the surface of the Baltic Sea. …

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy compound in Baghdad early Thursday morning and set a building on fire, a source familiar with the matter and a Reuters witness said, in a protest against the expected burning of a Quran in Sweden.  The source said no embassy staff had been harmed and declined to say …

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pardoned rights researcher Patrick Zaki a day after he was handed a three-year prison term on charges of spreading false news in a case that drew new attention to Egypt’s crackdown on dissent.  Zaki had been studying in Italy before his detention during a trip home in …

A video released Wednesday appears to show Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin for the first time since he led a short-lived rebellion last month. He is seen telling his troops they will spend some time in Belarus training its military before deploying to Africa.  Messaging app channels linked to Prigozhin’s Wagner private military company said …