Last week, a small inflatable boat capsized in the English Channel killing 27 migrants who were attempting to cross from France to the United Kingdom. The family of one of the victims spoke to VOA’s Ahmad Zebari from Soran, Iraqi Kurdistan, about the tragedy’s impact. Rikar Hussein narrates the story. Camera: Ahmad Zebari Produced by: Ahmad Zebari …
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns Russia Wednesday that any military action in Ukraine will have severe consequences. He plans to meet separately Thursday with both the Ukrainian and the Russian foreign ministers in Stockholm to discuss the heightened border tensions. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow would seek Western guarantees precluding any further NATO expansion and deployment of its weapons near his country’s borders, a stern demand that comes amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western officials have worried about a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, saying it could signal Moscow’s intention to attack. Russian diplomats countered those claims by expressing concern about Ukraine’s own military buildup near the area of the separatist conflict in the eastern part of the country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, noting that Putin could quickly order an invasion …
Russia said on Wednesday it was ordering U.S. Embassy staff who have been in Moscow for more than three years to fly home by January 31, a retaliatory move for a U.S. decision to limit the terms of Russian diplomats. The step, the latest in an escalating diplomatic row, comes after Russia’s ambassador to the United States said last week that 27 Russian diplomats and their families were being expelled from the United States and would leave on January 30. Washington says the diplomats were not expelled but had been in the country for longer than a new three-year limit. …
A French military spokesperson has denied an accusation that French soldiers shot into a crowd of protesters in Niger late last month. The deteriorating security situation in Africa’s Sahel region has been accompanied by protests against the French forces sent to help African governments battle the Islamist militant groups who are increasingly active in the region. Demonstrations against the French are driven by misinformation spread online that French forces are arming groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida — the same groups the French were deployed to fight in the Sahel nearly a decade ago. On November 26, a French …
За даними Радіо Свобода, робота над шостим пакетом вже почалася …
Як заявив в ефірі Радіо Свобода співорганізатор події Мирослав Гай, учасники акції згодом вирішать, чи буде вона безстроковою …
European Union leaders said Wednesday they are considering a number of public health options, including vaccine mandates, to address the growing threat posed by the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said little is currently known about the variant, but enough is known to be concerned. She said they expect scientists to have a handle on the nature of the variant in about two to three weeks, but in the meantime are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Von der Leyen said the …
Адвокат Еміль Курбедінов виступав проти продовження запобіжного заходу, вказуючи, що умови утримання дуже вплинули на здоров’я затриманих …
Migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe make a dangerous journey in overloaded and flimsy boats. Nearly 1,600 have died this year, while the tens of thousands who make it to Europe have no guarantee of being granted asylum. Ruud Elmendorp reports their stories of desperation and hope on board a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean Sea. …
Спостережна група СЦКК задокументувала обстріл і передала матеріали Спеціальній моніторинговій місії ОБСЄ, а також Донецькій обласній прокуратурі …
29 листопада поліція відкрила кримінальне провадження через повалення в центрі Дніпра ханукії – символу юдейського свята Ханука …
Найхолоднішим днем було 17 листопада, коли мінімальна температура знизилась під ранок до -7,1°С, а найтеплішим – 5 листопада, коли максимальна температура досягла +15,8°С …
В Україні близько 257 тисяч людей живуть з ВІЛ …
Український народ підтвердив прагнення жити в незалежній державі – 90,32% учасників референдуму відповіло: «Так». А 8 грудня 1991 року Біловезька угода констатувала припинення існування СРСР …
After expressing solidarity against any Russian aggression toward Ukraine, NATO foreign ministers are closing two days of talks in Latvia on Wednesday with a focus on the situations in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as Afghanistan. Discussing Russian troop movements near the border with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday there is “no clarity about exactly what are the Russian intentions.” “You can discuss whether the likelihood for an incursion is 20% or 80%, it doesn’t matter. We need to be prepared for the worst,” Stoltenberg said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russia that “any …
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has again warned Russia of “serious consequences” for any escalatory actions toward Ukraine, as he meets with NATO allies during a trip to Latvia and Sweden. VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
Через пориви вітру і мокрий сніг в Україні знеструмлена низка населених пунктів, повідомляє Державна служба з надзвичайних ситуацій. «Через спрацювання систем автоматичного захисту ЛЕП знеструмлено 56 населених пунктів у 5 областях (Івано-Франківська – 37, Чернігівська – 8, Чернівецька – 6, Закарпатська – 3 та Донецька – 2», – йдеться в заяві рятувальників. Повідомляється, що до відновлення електропостачання залучені бригади обленерго. …
When Pope Francis visited the Greek island of Lesbos in 2016, he was so moved by the stories he heard from families fleeing war in Iraq and Syria that he wept and brought a dozen refugees home with him. Speaking to reporters on the way home that day, he held up a drawing handed to him by a child from the island’s sprawling refugee camp. “Look at this one,” he said, revealing a bird neatly decorated in colored pencil, the word “peace” scrolled in English underneath it. “That’s what children want: Peace.” Francis is returning to Lesbos this week for …
Poland’s president on Tuesday signed into law legislation that would limit the access of aid charities and journalists to its border with Belarus as the country grapples with a simmering migrant crisis. The law is a blow to the opposition parties that advocated for unlimited media access, an amendment approved by the upper house of parliament on Friday but rejected by the lower house. Under the state of emergency declared in the border region in September and ending at midnight, the media and aid charities were completely banned. The opposition said the ban was intended to cover up rights abuses …