Month: August 2021

Two Belarus Coaches Kicked Out of Olympics Over Tsimanouskaya Removal

Two Belarusian coaches have been stripped of their Tokyo Olympics accreditations over an alleged attempt to force a sprinter to fly home, an incident that drew international condemnation.The International Olympic Committee on Friday said it had removed the accreditations of Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich and they had left the Olympic Village.The body said this week that it was investigating the pair over their role in the case of Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who sought protection at a Tokyo airport to avoid being put on a plane home.She said she feared for her life if forced back to Belarus, which has been …

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Resurgent Wildfires in Greece Burn Homes, Threaten Monuments

A resurgent wildfire burned homes north of Athens, and blazes across southern Greece forced more evacuations Thursday as weather worsened and firefighters in a round-the-clock battle strove to save a former royal palace and the birthplace of the ancient Olympics.In a dramatic scene as flames approached, fire crews went house to house to escort residents out of homes 20 kilometers (12½ miles) north of the capital. The fire threatened the power supply to parts of the capital after damaging the transmission network, officials said, adding that fire crews with more than 700 people were working through the night.Greek and European …

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Russia Begins Military Drills with Allies along Afghan Border

Russia begins mass military exercises with its Central Asian allies Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the Tajik border with Afghanistan this week.  The maneuvers come against the backdrop of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan – and rapid territorial gains by its adversaries in the Afghan Taliban. For VOA from Moscow, Charles Maynes reports.  Camera: Ricardo Marquina-Montanana, Producer: Marcus Harton …

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Belarus Olympic Sprinter Says Grandmother Advised Her Not to Come Home

A Belarusian Olympic sprinter told reporters Thursday she was advised by family members not to return home because she was being criticized by the Belarus media, who reported that she was mentally ill.Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, arrived in Warsaw, Poland, late Wednesday. Polish authorities granted her a humanitarian visa to seek political asylum earlier this week after she alleged her team’s officials were trying to force her to fly home to Belarus against her wishes.At a news conference, Tsimanouskaya told reporters that after she posted a message on social media earlier this week criticizing how she was being handled by her …

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Бойовики на Донбасі здійснили 7 порушень з початку доби – штаб ООС

Шість із цих порушень були пов’язані з обстрілами, зокрема, в районі Красногорівки в Донецькій області бойовики обстріляли не лише позиції українських військових, а й будинки місцевих жителів …

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СБУ заявляє, що зупинила діяльність злочинної групи на Харківщині, до якої входили правоохоронці

«Під час санкціонованих обшуків співробітники СБУ вилучили великi суми грошей, чорновi записи облiку «поборів з підприємців», зброю, боєприпаси, а також посвiдчення дiючих спiвробiтникiв Національної поліції» …

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China Lodges Protest With BBC Over Flood Reporting 

China has lodged a stern representation with Britain’s BBC about its reporting of the floods in Henan and its statement on how foreign journalists were being treated, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.The head of communications for the BBC World Service declined to comment.The broadcaster had said in a statement last month that the Chinese government should take immediate action to stop attacks that endanger foreign journalists.The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China had said journalists from several media outlets covering the floods were harassed online and by local residents. Some journalists received death threats, it said.”The BBC statement is inverting black and white,” …

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