Month: September 2022

Izium Resolved to Recover After 6 Months of Russian Occupation

Residents of the Ukrainian city of Izium say they’re determined to rebuild their lives after six months of Russian occupation. Ukrainian officials say 90% of the recaptured city has been destroyed after enduring nearly 500 airstrikes. For VOA, Anna Chernikova has more from the eastern city, which is only 20 kilometers from the front line. Camera: Eugene Shynkar, Stephen Boitano    …

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New Warnings from Ukraine About Looming Russian Cyberattacks

Ukraine is again urging its companies and private organizations to immediately bolster their cybersecurity ahead of what could be a new wave of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) published new recommendations Thursday, warning that its experts had identified software vulnerabilities that could allow Russian cyber actors to get deep inside a computer network. The advisory further warned that the vulnerabilities could allow Russia to launch a renewed series of targeted cyberattacks on Ukraine aimed at disabling communication and information systems or designed to compromise and alter the information being processed. “The risk of new attacks …

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Vatican Sanctions Nobel Laureate After Timor Accusations

The Vatican said Thursday it had imposed disciplinary sanctions on Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in the past two years, following allegations that he sexually abused boys in East Timor during the 1990s. The Vatican admission came a day after a Dutch magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, exposed the claims against the revered East Timor independence hero, citing two of Belo’s alleged victims and reporting there were others who hadn’t come forward in East Timor, where the Catholic Church wields enormous influence. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases received allegations “concerning the bishop’s …

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Finland Bars Russian Tourists After Thousands Enter Country

The Finnish government announced it is closing its borders to Russians with European tourist visas effective at midnight Thursday night, after thousands of people streamed over their shared border with Russia in recent days. At a news conference in Helsinki Thursday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters the government is taking the action because the current situation “endangers Finland’s international relations.” He said Finland had discussed the plan with Ukraine and other nations before making a decision. Since last week’s announcement Russian President Vladimir Putin was seeking to “mobilize” 300,000 reservists for his war in Ukraine, nations sharing borders …

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Report Calls Switzerland, US, Sweden World’s Most Innovative Economies

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) cites top-ranked Switzerland, followed by the United States and Sweden, as the world’s most innovative economies.  WIPO uses some 80 indicators to rank the innovative performance of 132 economies. These include measures on the political environment, education, infrastructure, business sophistication and knowledge creation of each economy. The latest annual report shows some interesting moves in the rankings and the emergence of new powerhouses. Switzerland, once again, comes out on top. The United States moves up one position in the rankings to second place, followed by Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. A co-editor …

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Russia Plans Annexation Ceremony as Ukrainian Allies Ready Sanctions

The Kremlin said Russia will hold a ceremony Friday to officially incorporate four areas of Ukraine into Russia, a process that Ukraine and its allies have dismissed as illegitimate while promising retaliation in the form of new sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday the ceremony will include Russian President Vladimir Putin along with the Russian-appointed heads of the four regions where Russia orchestrated referendums that ended earlier this week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted Thursday that he assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Germany will never recognize the “so-called results.” “The sham referendums carried out by Putin in …

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У Мелітополі через вибух постраждала Шапурова, яка обіцяла окупантам організувати освітній процес – Федоров

У тимчасово окупованому Мелітополі через вибух постраждала Олена Шапурова, яка обіцяла окупантам організувати освітній процес, мер міста Іван Федоров. «Сьогодні було здійснено чергове попередження всіх колаборантів на території тимчасово окупованих міст. Був вибух, в якому незначно, але постраждала колаборантка. Вона пообіцяла окупантам організувати освітній процес в тимчасово окупованому Мелітополі. Це добре відомий екземпляр – Олена Шапурова, яка була під кримінальним провадженням щодо корупції. Але вона вирішила використати ситуацію – захоплення Мелітополя – як вікно можливостей для себе», – розповів він в ефірі національного телемарафону. За словами Федорова, вона «займалася терором» директорів шкіл та дошкільних закладів. «Саме вона погрожувала батькам і …

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Armenia, Azerbaijan Accuse Each Other of Violating Cease-Fire

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Wednesday of violating a cease-fire agreement that ended two days of warfare this month – the second such violation in five days. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said that at about 6 p.m. (1400 GMT), Armenian units had started firing at Azerbaijani positions in the Kalbajar region, wounding one serviceman, and that Azerbaijani forces had taken “retaliatory measures.” The Armenian defense ministry gave an opposite account, tweeting that Azerbaijani forces had fired towards Armenian positions near the common border using mortars and large-caliber weapons, and that the Armenian side had retaliated. After border clashes two …

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