Month: May 2019

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in London for talks with British officials on the status of the special relationship between the nations amid heightened tensions with Iran and uncertainty over Britain’s exit from the European Union. Pompeo is meeting Wednesday with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and will later deliver a speech on the potential for improved U.S.-U.K. ties after Brexit.   Pompeo arrived in London after canceling a trip to Germany to make an unannounced visit to Baghdad, where he warned Iraqi officials about what he called imminent threats to American interests …

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This story originated in VOA’s Macedonian Service. SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA — Amid tight security and raucous fanfare, Pope Francis made a historic first visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, attracting an estimated 15,000 people of all faiths to Skopje’s main square for a midmorning Mass. The highest profile international figure to visit since the country changed its name from Macedonia in January, Francis first addressed officials at Skopje’s presidential palace, where he called the small Balkan nation “a crucible of cultures and ethnic and religious identities,” and a “bridge between East and West” that proves peaceful coexistence can prevail within …

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Wednesday is V-E Day — Victory in Europe — the 74th anniversary of the formal end of World War II in Europe, when the allied powers defeated German leader Adolf Hitler and his once invincible Nazi war machine. While V-E Day is not considered a major day of reflection and thanksgiving in the United States, it is observed across Europe and much of the former Soviet Union. The true number of people killed in the war may never be known, but historians believe at least 35 million Europeans were killed during World War II, including 6 million Jews murdered by …

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This year, Russia marks 30 years since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. The nine-year long military campaign that claimed the lives of nearly 15 thousand Soviet servicemen even today is the subject of a heated debate in Russian society. The upcoming release on May 10th of Russian director Pavel Lungin’s Leaving Afghanistan, a film on events the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, are adding to the controversy. VOA’s Igor Tsikhanenka in Moscow reports. …

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Now that everyone knows Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have a baby boy, there is widespread speculation about what he will be called. Royals have a way of taking their time about naming babies and the couple is known to want to do things at their own pace, so it may be a few days before the couple reveals the name for their first child. Britain’s legal bookmakers Tuesday reported high interest in the names Alexander, James and Arthur. Bookmakers also report speculation about the name Spencer, the maiden name of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. Choosing Spencer as …

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Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, embarked on a visit to Germany Tuesday, a four-day charm offensive during which he will stress the two European countries’ close ties. Charles’ arrival in Berlin came a day after his younger son, Prince Harry, announced that he and his wife, Meghan, have had their first child, a healthy boy. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented Charles with a teddy bear for his new grandson after the two met for talks. Charles, the 70-year-old heir to the British throne, also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and was to attend a party in honor …

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Senior members of the British royal family said on Tuesday they were delighted and thrilled at the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby as the couple considered a name for their son. Meghan gave birth in the early hours of Monday morning to the boy, the seventh-in-line to the British throne, leaving his father, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, and royal fans across the world enthralled. “We couldn’t be more delighted at the news and we’re looking forward to meeting the baby when we return,” Prince Charles, the baby’s grandfather and heir-to-the-throne, said to well-wishers while on a trip to Berlin. …

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Two runaway Saudi sisters who won global attention for fleeing to Georgia and pleading online for protection said on Tuesday they were preparing to start new lives in a country where their family could not find them. Maha, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, started an online campaign to find a safe haven in April after arriving in Georgia to escape relatives they said abused them, in the latest case to highlight Saudi Arabia’s strict social control over women. “We are thrilled to announce that we are leaving Georgia,” the young women wrote on Tuesday from their Twitter account @GeorgiasSisters2, posting …

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German sports car maker and Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche will pay a 535-million-euro ($598 million) fine over diesel vehicles that emitted more harmful pollutants than allowed, Stuttgart prosecutors said Tuesday. “The Stuttgart prosecutor’s office has levied a 535-million-euro fine against Porsche AG for negligence in quality control,” the investigators said. Porsche “abstained from a legal challenge” against the decision, the prosecutors office added. Tuesday’s levy against Porsche is the latest in a string of fines against VW over its years-long “dieselgate” scandal. The auto behemoth admitted in 2015 to manipulating 11 million vehicles worldwide to appear less polluting in laboratory tests …

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