Author: Fworld

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has arrived in Brussels for talks with NATO leadership and allied defense ministers, as tens of thousands of Russian troops have surrounded Ukraine from the north, south and east. During the gathering on Wednesday and Thursday, Austin and his counterparts will discuss how to deter Russia from invading Ukraine …

Britain’s Prince Andrew has settled a lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. News of the settlement came in a letter filed with a Manhattan court Tuesday by Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies. Details of the settlement have not been disclosed, but the letter said Andrew …

Russia says it is withdrawing some of its forces from areas close to the Ukrainian border after completing military drills, mocking Western intelligence agencies for naming February 16 as the date a Russian invasion of its neighbor would start. And the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his senior aides say diplomacy is winning. “We and …

The trial of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has started inside a penal colony on new charges of embezzlement — which he calls politically motivated — that could see as many as 10 more years tacked on to his prison time. Moscow’s Lefortovo district court started the trial on February 15 inside Correctional Colony …

Tennis star Novak Djokovic says he is prepared to skip the next two major championships if it means he will have to take a COVID-19 vaccine to enter the host countries. During an interview with the BBC Tuesday, the world’s number one male tennis player said he remains opposed to taking the vaccine, and says …

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia, Ukraine and the West on Monday to de-escalate tensions, saying “there is no alternative to diplomacy.”  “The price in human suffering, destruction and damage to European and global security is too high to contemplate,” he said of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the West says could happen …

Despite their popularity in recent years, Azerbaijan’s Valentine’s Day celebrations are somewhat muted this year. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, as well as poverty, are blamed by some shopkeepers for the gloomy attitude. “During the pandemic, our business has been weak. Can’t sell much,” street vendor Tamkin Nagiyev told VOA. “People ask the …

Polish ministers say they are drafting plans with the country’s regional governors to cope with the possible arrival of up to a million refugees from neighboring Ukraine in the event Russia decides to invade — an action U.S. and British officials have warned could come as early as this week. Mariusz Kamiński, the country’s interior …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting the United Arab Emirates, hoping to repair strained ties. Analysts say shared concerns over Iran could provide common ground. Erdogan said that his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday, aims to ease years of tension and rivalry with the Persian Gulf state. He said …

Camilla, the wife of British heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, has tested positive for coronavirus. “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating,” Clarence House said in a statement. “We continue to follow government guidelines.” The 73-year-old Charles tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time last week. Clarence House …

The wife of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny lashed out at Russian authorities Monday, on the eve of a new trial that could extend his sentence by over a decade. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic, was jailed last February for two and a half years on old fraud charges after surviving a …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks Monday in Kyiv as Western leaders express solidarity with Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion. Scholz told reporters Sunday that Russia’s buildup of troops along the border with Ukraine is a “very, very serious threat,” and that his Monday visit to Kyiv …

BEIJING — Asian stock markets fell Monday and oil prices rose amid concern about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tokyo’s benchmark index fell by an unusually wide daily margin of 2.6%. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul also retreated.  On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index tumbled 1.9% on Friday after the White House …

The guessing game about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions continued Sunday, with alarmed Western military officials and independent experts agreeing the Kremlin has amassed sufficient forces to invade Ukraine. Disagreements persist, though, among allies over whether the military buildup is a feint designed to extract Western concessions or an invasion force primed for assault. Washington …

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday as the United States says the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms as a “distinct possibility” in the coming days.  Biden conferred by phone with the Ukrainian leader from the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, where the U.S. leader is …

U.S. President Joe Biden again warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call Saturday of “swift and severe” consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, according to a statement from the White House.   Biden and Putin discussed the crisis as tensions continue to grow amid concerns that Russia is ready to mount an invasion of …

Waving flags and singing the national anthem, thousands of Ukrainians braved the winter cold to march across Kyiv on Saturday to show unity in the face of a feared Russian invasion. “Panic is useless. We must unite and fight for independence,” said student Maria Shcherbenko, expressing a sentiment similar to that voiced by Ukranian President …

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to have a telephone conversation Saturday as tensions continue to grow amid concerns that Russia is ready to mount an invasion of Ukraine. Washington has received intelligence reports that the invasion could happen as early as Wednesday. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has begun …

Britain joined the United States on Friday in urging foreign nationals to evacuate Ukraine while there are still commercial means to do so. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its advice shortly after the country’s defense minister, Ben Wallace, flew out of Moscow after talks with senior Kremlin figures. Estonia is also urging …

Ukraine’s LGBT+ community is on high alert in the face of a potential Russian invasion. Under President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, they enjoy free speech and assembly protections, but fear discrimination if Ukraine falls under Moscow’s authority. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …

Unnamed U.S. intelligence officials say Washington is ready to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv in anticipation of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to an Associated Press report. The AP story says the State Department will announce the plans early Saturday that would require all American embassy staff to leave Ukraine because of the …

Facing increasing pressure from China, Lithuania has been gaining support this week in a standoff that began over trade and was elevated when the small Baltic nation became the first European Union member to allow Taiwan to use its name on a de facto embassy. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius …

The International Criminal Court will next week hear an appeal by Ugandan former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Ongwen, a former child soldier in the notorious rebel group led by the fugitive Joseph Kony in the early 2000s, was sentenced by the ICC in …

Spanish power company Iberdrola is suing the holding company of business news site El Confidencial over coverage of an industrial espionage case, a move the site’s director says threatens its survival. The multinational energy firm, which is seeking $20 million in damages, said that for more than two years up to November 2021, El Confidencial …

World leaders met Friday in the French northwest coastal city of Brest for a three-day summit aimed at taking action to clean and protect the earth’s oceans. The One Ocean Summit is being hosted by France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union Council, along with the United Nations. The goal of …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that Russia could attack Ukraine at “any time” and warned Americans to leave Ukraine immediately. Blinken issued the warning in Australia after meeting leaders of the Quad countries, the United States, Australia, Japan and India. Blinken cited “troubling signs” regarding Russia, including adding to the more than …