Month: September 2022

A group of Iranians living in Istanbul and Turkish citizens gathered Wednesday in front of the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran. Istanbul police, who on Tuesday repeatedly dispersed groups that gathered in Taksim Square, watched the action from afar. During the demonstration, at least three women cut their hair to protest the treatment of Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police because she didn’t wear her headscarf correctly and therefore her hair was showing.  She later died while in custody. Protesters shouted slogans in Persian, Turkish and …

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Chrystia Sonevytsky of Arlington, Virginia, says she has always felt a connection with Ukraine, where her roots are. She successfully advocated for a sister city agreement between Arlington and Ivano-Frankivsk in southwestern Ukraine, and the two forged a partnership in 2011. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Arlington was quick to offer help. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. VOA footage by David Gogokhia. …

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Numerous Russians have rushed to reserve one-way tickets out of the country after President Vladimir Putin decreed a partial mobilization of military reservists for the war in Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised interview that 300,000 reservists with relevant combat and service experience would initially be mobilized. Ticket prices skyrocketed amid apparent fears that Russia’s borders could soon close or that Putin might announce a general mobilization. Large numbers of Russians have already left the country since Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine almost seven months ago. Air Serbia, the only European carrier besides Turkish …

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European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said EU foreign ministers have agreed to continue and increase their military support for Ukraine and to study a new package of sanctions targeting Russian individuals and certain sectors of the Russian economy. Borrell told reporters late Wednesday after convening a special ministerial meeting in New York that the details of the sanctions package still need to be determined by EU representatives, but that he is sure there will be unanimous support. He said it was important for the ministers to meet and send a “powerful message” on the same day that Russian …

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North Korea on Thursday denied sending weapons to Russia, accusing the United States of spreading rumors about such a sale to tarnish Pyongyang’s image. U.S. officials earlier this month said Russia was in the process of “purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.” In a statement posted in the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a North Korean defense ministry official rejected the U.S. accusation. “We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,” said the vice director general of the …

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US President Joe Biden called out Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations as the Russian president significantly escalated war efforts and threatened nuclear retaliation. White House Correspondent Anita Powell, who is traveling with Biden, reports from New York. …

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The daughter-in-law of the late South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the Church of England homophobic for not allowing her wife, who is a priest, to preside over the funeral of a family friend. Marceline Tutu van Furth, who is married to Archbishop Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Andrea Tutu van Furth, said the church told them it accepts priests in same-sex relationships but not if they are married. Speaking from the Netherlands where the couple lives, Marceline Tutu van Furth said she was upset by what she called the church’s blatant discrimination against her wife. “She fell in love with …

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