Category: Світ
Lithuania Looks to US for Help Against China, Russia
11/02/2022
As Russia builds up forces along Ukraine’s borders and Chinese officials seek to punish Lithuania for opening a door to Taiwan, the heads of the Lithuanian parliament’s defense and foreign affairs committees called on their allies in Washington for support. Their message was clear: Lithuania is holding the line against two of America’s most powerful …
Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of National Security and Defense Committee, Lithuanian Parliament
11/02/2022
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As Support for NATO Grows, Has Putin Miscalculated Over Ukraine?
11/02/2022
Visiting NATO headquarters Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that Europe is facing its biggest security crisis in decades and pledged more military deployments in eastern Europe, in response to Russia’s troop buildup on the border with Ukraine. “The stakes are very high, and this is a very dangerous moment. And at stake are …
Commissioner of London Police Resigns After Multiple Scandals
11/02/2022
The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, Cressida Dick, announced her resignation Thursday following multiple accusations of misogyny, racism and sexism in the capital force’s ranks. Mayor Sadiq Khan said Thursday that he was dissatisfied with Dick’s response when he told her last week that the force needed to change to “root …
French Discoverer of HIV, Luc Montagnier, Dies at 89
10/02/2022
French researcher Luc Montagnier, who won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering HIV and more recently spread false claims about the coronavirus, has died at age 89, local government officials in France said. Montagnier died Tuesday at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a western suburb of the capital, the area’s city hall …
As NATO Support Strengthens, Has Putin Miscalculated Over Ukraine?
10/02/2022
Visiting NATO headquarters Thursday, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that Europe is facing its biggest security crisis in decades – and pledged more military deployments in eastern Europe in response to Russia’s troop build-up on the border with Ukraine. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Russian Star Practices Despite Report of Positive Drug Test
10/02/2022
Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian superstar who was expected to deliver her nation its third straight Olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating, practiced as usual on Thursday, hours after reports surfaced that she had tested positive for a banned substance. Valieva tested positive for the heart medication before the Beijing Games, the Russian newspaper …
Macron Bets on Nuclear in Carbon-Neutrality Push, Announces New Reactors
10/02/2022
France will build at least six new nuclear reactors in the decades to come, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, placing nuclear power at the heart of his country’s drive for carbon neutrality by 2050. Macron said the new plants would be built and operated by state-controlled energy provider EDF and that tens of billions …
Turkey’s Media Regulator Forces VOA and Others to Obtain Licenses
10/02/2022
Turkey’s media regulator on Wednesday gave three international broadcasters, including Voice of America’s Turkish Service, short notice to obtain broadcast licenses or have their content blocked. The order from the Radio and Television Supreme Council, known as RTUK, also affects German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and Euronews, the regulator’s opposition board member said. “A decision was …
Britain’s Johnson Calls for Solidarity Against ‘Russian Aggression’
10/02/2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is meeting Thursday with leaders of Poland and NATO as he urges what his office called “solidarity with NATO allies who bear the brunt of Russian aggression.” Johnson has ordered 1,000 British troops be ready to respond to a potential humanitarian crisis resulting from a Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine. …
UK Readies 1,000 Troops for Humanitarian Support Over Ukraine Tensions
10/02/2022
Britain ordered 1,000 troops to be on a state of readiness to provide support in the event of a humanitarian crisis caused by any Russian aggression, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the leaders of NATO and Poland on Thursday. Johnson will go to Brussels and Warsaw to stress the need …
What Are the Minsk Accords?
10/02/2022
The so-called Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015 attempted to end the war in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine between Ukraine and Russian-speaking separatists in the disputed areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. In 2014, representatives of Ukraine and Russian separatists agreed to a 12-part cease-fire deal in the Belarus capital of Minsk. The deal …
Ukrainian Americans in California Rally to Support Their Homeland
10/02/2022
Ukrainian communities in some large California cities are taking to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to express support for their homeland as Russia seems to be preparing to invade Ukraine. Khrystyna Shevchenko has this report from California. …
Backlash to Macron’s Ukraine Proposals Builds
10/02/2022
French President Emmanuel Macron is pursuing a poisoned peace plan, say critics in Europe, who fear the outcome of his talks this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be to strengthen Moscow’s hand in the crisis over Ukraine. A backlash is building to Macron’s visits this week to Moscow and Kyiv among fellow …
War in Ukraine Could Spark a Regional Conflict
09/02/2022
An international humanitarian official warns a war in Ukraine would be cataclysmic, potentially engulfing neighboring countries and turning into a regional conflict. Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland just spent a week along the government side of the frontline that separates Ukrainian armed forces from the Russian-backed rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine. He …
Iran, Energy Issues Drive Turkey-Israel Reset
09/02/2022
After years of deteriorating relations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is inviting his Israeli counterpart to visit. The invitation signals a rapprochement that observers say is driven by powerful mutual interests, including concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and the future of oil and gas imports from Russia and Iran. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from …
US Says Diplomatic Path Preferred to Resolve Russia-Ukraine Crisis
09/02/2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the optimal resolution to the Russia-Ukraine crisis is a diplomatic one and that he expects to consult with his counterparts from France, Germany and Britain in the coming days. “As you all know, we have been engaged in a two-track strategy where we have, on the one hand, …
Australia, Lithuania to Unite in Countering China Pressures
09/02/2022
CANBERRA — The foreign ministers of Australia and Lithuania agreed Wednesday to step up cooperation on strategic challenges, in particular pressures from China. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne met Wednesday at Parliament House. Australian exporters have lost tens of billions of dollars to official and unofficial Chinese trade barriers …
France’s Macron Claims Progress in Ukraine-Russia Crisis, but Kyiv Remains Skeptical
09/02/2022
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday there is an opportunity to de-escalate the crisis on the Ukraine-Russian border, after meetings with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents. Henry Ridgwell looks at whether the French leader can broker an agreement. Camera: Henry Ridgwell …
Latin America Nations Slam French Auction of Pre-Hispanic Artifacts
09/02/2022
Ambassadors from six Latin American countries on Tuesday denounced an upcoming auction of pre-Hispanic artifacts in France, reviving a longstanding grievance of the region. The joint statement came a day after Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denounced the practice as immoral after a recent major auction. The Paris ambassadors of Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, …
Explainer: What’s Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline to Europe?
08/02/2022
U.S. President Joe Biden has threatened to block the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. The undersea pipeline directly links Russian gas to Europe via Germany and is complete but not yet operating. It has become a major target as Western governments try to deter a Russian attack on its …
Baltic States, Poland Increasingly Alarmed by Revanchist Russia
08/02/2022
The former communist countries of eastern Europe are growing increasingly nervous about what they see as a revanchist Russia, with their governments carefully watching the Ukraine crisis for clues to where else Russian leader Vladimir Putin could stir trouble. Britain announced Monday that 350 Royal Marine Commandos who were on exercises in Norway will be …
Former Pope Acknowledges ‘Errors,’ Asks For Forgiveness Over Sex Abuse Scandal
08/02/2022
Retired Pope Benedict on Tuesday asked for forgiveness in what he called “errors” on how allegations of sexual abuse were handled while he was archbishop of Munich. While he admitted to errors, his lawyers have argued he bears no direct responsibility. He did not apologize. Then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict, now 94, was …
World Must Work Together to Tackle Plastic Ocean Threat: WWF
08/02/2022
Paris — Plastic has infiltrated all parts of the ocean and is now found “in the smallest plankton up to the largest whale” wildlife group WWF said on Tuesday, calling for urgent efforts to create an international treaty on plastics. Tiny fragments of plastic have reached even the most remote and seemingly pristine regions of …
Biden Meets With German Chancellor to Show Unity on Ukraine Crisis
08/02/2022
President Joe Biden says he and Germany’s new chancellor are in lockstep over the perilous situation in Ukraine, where the specter of an imminent Russian invasion haunts all of Europe. The two leaders held their first in-person meeting on Monday. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House. …
‘Amazing’ New Beans Could Save Coffee From Climate Change
08/02/2022
Millions of people around the world enjoy a daily cup of coffee; however, their daily caffeine fix could be under threat because climate change is killing coffee plants, putting farmers’ livelihoods at risk. Inside the vast, steamy greenhouses at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the leafy suburbs of west London, Aaron Davis leads …