Author: Fworld

Murdoch’s UK tabloids apologize to Prince Harry, admit intruding on Diana

LONDON — Prince Harry claimed a monumental victory Wednesday as Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit. News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by …

 Trump expresses possibility of more sanctions against Russia for Ukraine war

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of placing additional sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine. Asked about the prospect while speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump responded, “Sounds likely.” Trump said his administration has been in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and would be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon.” …

Turkey detains nine people over ski resort hotel fire that killed 76

ANKARA, TURKEY — Turkey has detained nine people, including the owner of the hotel, in connection with a deadly fire that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in western Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Wednesday. Yerlikaya also reported that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed …

Trump says he would sanction Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if its president, Vladimir Putin, refuses to negotiate about ending the war in Ukraine.  Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. The United States has already sanctioned Russia heavily for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.  Trump said …

Trump says EU ‘in for tariffs,’ warns of 10% rate on China

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to hit the European Union with tariffs, adding that a 10% duty on Chinese imports could also come as soon as February 1.  Trump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House a day after being sworn in, cited the need to rectify the EU’s trade imbalances with …

US withdrawals from WHO, Paris Agreement met with regret, calls for reversal

Geneva — United Nations agencies say the imminent U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and Paris climate agreement will have serious consequences for global health and efforts to slow down climate change. “The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organization,” the WHO said Tuesday …

Zelenskyy: Ukraine would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers for ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that if a ceasefire deal were enacted with Russia, “at least 200,000 European peacekeepers” would need to be on the ground in Ukraine to defend the Eastern European country against a possible attack by Russia.   Zelenskyy, speaking a day after Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, said Europe …

EU, China warn against trade friction at Davos after Trump return 

Davos, Switzerland — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared Tuesday that Europe was ready to negotiate with the United States and seek to improve ties with China as Beijing warned against damaging trade wars in the face of Donald Trump’s protectionism. Trump returned to the White House on Monday, and while he may not be …

Russia’s Putin discusses ‘multipolar global order’ with China’s Xi hours after Trump inauguration 

Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president. The two leaders have developed strong personal links that helped bring relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent …

Ukrainian officials say Russian drones damaged residential buildings

Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that Russian drone attacks damaged residential buildings in several parts of central and southern Ukraine. The attacks were part of an assault that Ukraine’s military said involved 131 Russian drones and four ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 72 of the drones, the air force said. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysask …

China, EU, Ukraine leaders take Davos stage under Trump shadow

Davos, Switzerland — With Donald Trump back as US president with his confrontational style, Chinese, European and Ukrainian leaders are expected to defend global cooperation on Tuesday at the annual gathering of the world’s elites in Davos. There will no doubt be a Trump-sized elephant in the rooms at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the …

World leaders congratulate Trump on inauguration

World leaders on Monday are congratulating President Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those who congratulated Trump. “President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and …

Ukraine reports downing 93 Russian drones

Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 93 of the 141 drones that Russian forces launched overnight in attacks targeting regions across the country. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy and Vinnytsia regions, Ukraine’s air force said. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said on …

Pope calls for Gaza ceasefire to be ‘immediately respected’

Vatican City — Pope Francis called Sunday for a ceasefire in Gaza to be “immediately respected,” as he thanked mediators and urged a boost in humanitarian aid as well as the return of hostages. “I express gratitude to all the mediators,” the Argentine pontiff said shortly after the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas …

23-year-old American loses nearly all eyesight defending Ukraine

At 23, American Army veteran Manus McCaffery volunteered to join the fight against Russian aggression in Ukraine. In 2022, a Russian shell left him partially blind, but despite his wounds he continues to fight for those on the front lines. Ivanna Pidborska met with McCaffery. Anna Rice narrates her story. VOA footage by Iurii Panin. …

Macron praises World War II French Resistance activist, author

PARIS — France’s President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to former French Resistance activist and author Genevieve Callerot, who has died at age 108. Callerot, who was among the last survivors of the groups that fought the country’s World War II occupation by Nazi Germany, died Thursday in a care home in Saint-Aulaye-Puymangou, a town in …

Swedish forces in Latvia make their largest NATO deployment to date

WARSAW, POLAND — Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO’s eastern flank, a mission Sweden is calling its most significant operation so far as a member of the Western defense alliance. A ship carrying parts of a mechanized infantry battalion arrived early Saturday in the port …

Far from home, exiled journalists say Russia is always on their minds

PRAGUE — “Are you going to ask why I brought you here?” asked Alexey Levchenko as he arrived in Prague’s Smichov neighborhood. It was a brisk October morning, and the editor of the Russian outlet The Insider had suggested the meeting place: a small park with a Baroque fountain featuring the Roman god Neptune held aloft by …

Ukraine officials say 4 killed in Russian strike on Kyiv

Ukrainian officials say at least four people were killed early Saturday in a nighttime Russian attack in the capital, Kyiv. Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration said on Telegram that the deaths occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivsky district.  He said the Holosiivsky district on the west bank of the Dnipro River that …

VOA Kurdish: Erdogan will renegotiate relationship with Trump administration

During Donald Trump’s first presidential term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close relationship with the U.S. leader, benefiting from policies such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria. With Trump returning to the White House, Erdogan hopes to revive ties to secure the final U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria and lift …

Russia adds VOA, Current Time, BBC journalists to register of ‘foreign agents’

WASHINGTON — Russia’s Justice Ministry on Friday added more journalists to its list of so-called foreign agents, including reporters for Voice of America, Current Time and the BBC. Six journalists were named to the registry, including Ksenia Turkova, who works for VOA’s Russian language service in Washington, and Iryna Romaliiska, who works for Current Time, a …

Journalists in Azerbaijan face trials, jailings, travel bans

WASHINGTON — An Azerbaijani court on Friday denied petitions by two jailed journalists to be released from house arrest, their lawyers said. The journalists, Aynur Elgunesh and Natig Javadli, work for Meydan TV, an independent outlet based in Germany. They were among six journalists arrested in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, in early December. Azerbaijan is among …

UK leader condemns ‘poison of antisemitism’ on Auschwitz visit

WARSAW, POLAND — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday condemned what he called “the poison of antisemitism rising around the world” after a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration camp. His visit came as many international delegations are expected to attend the Jan. 27 ceremony commemorating 80 years since the Soviet Red Army …

US medic helps wounded Ukrainians during war 

For nearly three years, a combat medic from California named Jennifer Mullee has been saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines. Mullee decided to join the Ukrainian war effort following the death of a close friend. Anna Kosstutschenko has her story. Camera: Pavel Suhodolskiy   …

Russia upholds jail term for ex-US Consulate worker

MOSCOW — A Russian court on Friday upheld the jail term of Robert Shonov, a former U.S. Consulate worker sentenced to almost five years for “secret collaboration with a foreign state.” Shonov, a Russian citizen, worked for more than 25 years at the U.S. Consulate in the far eastern city of Vladivostok until 2021, when Moscow …

Iranian president in Moscow for treaty signing with Putin

MOSCOW — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the signing of a strategic partnership treaty involving closer defense cooperation that is likely to worry the West. Pezeshkian, on his first Kremlin visit since winning the presidency last July, will hold talks with Putin focusing on …