Month: May 2023

Amid Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to normalize relations with Damascus and his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s vow to return Syrian refugees to their war-torn country, Syrians in Turkey are watching Turkey’s presidential election runoff closely. In the first round of the presidential election, Erdogan got 49.52% of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu received 44.88%. Because neither candidate passed the 50% threshold, they will meet in the runoff May 28. Ali Al Mohammad, 33, who left Damascus in 2014 and has held Turkish citizenship since 2018, said he was not happy with the election results, but he was relieved, as he …

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Russian-built helicopters arrived in Zimbabwe on May 18 in what authorities say is part of an effort by Russia to strengthen relations between the two countries. Analysts say Russia is rewarding Zimbabwe for not joining with nations seeking to isolate Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Keith Baptist attended the event in Harare and Salem Solomon has this story. …

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As Greece gears up for uncertain parliamentary elections Sunday, the country’s media landscape is as polarized as ever and press freedom remains in crisis, experts say.  Against a backdrop of political tension and hemorrhaging media freedom, Greeks will vote May 21 to fill all of parliament’s 300 seats for the next four years. The election — which analysts say is unlikely to bring about an outright winning party in the first round — is among the country’s most unpredictable in years.  This election will also take place against a backdrop of general frustration with the Greek government — in particular, …

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Campaigning ahead of Greece’s national elections Sunday ends Friday, leaving at least 17% of voters undecided. Gallup polls predict a tight race, with Greece’s largely disaffected youth holding the key to the outcome. VOA looks back on the monthlong campaign and the unprecedented scramble by political leaders for those votes. At the age of 17 and a junior in high school, Evelina Androulaki says, she is ready to cast her vote for the first time. We have had heated talks at home, and I have decided on the party I will vote for Androulaki says. While she refuses to divulge …

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he landed Friday in Saudi Arabia, host of an Arab League summit attended by long isolated Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally. The previously unannounced visit is Zelenskyy’s first to the Middle East since Moscow’s invasion in February 2022, giving the Ukrainian leader an opportunity to address leaders in the region that has been far less united in its support of Kyiv than staunch Western allies. “Arrived in Saudi Arabia. I will speak at the Arab League summit,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter, adding he plans to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin …

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Members of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies at this year’s summit will place more sanctions on Russia and crack down on those helping it to evade them — a move aimed at hampering Moscow’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine. VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara is traveling with President Joe Biden and reports from Hiroshima, Japan, where the summit begins Friday. …

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More than half of the world’s large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published Thursday found. An international team of researchers reported that some of the world’s most important water sources — from the Caspian Sea between Europe and Asia to South America’s Lake Titicaca — lost water at a cumulative rate of about 22 gigatonnes per year for nearly three decades. That’s about 17 times the volume of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Fangfang Yao, …

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New developments: Air raid alerts were declared throughout Ukraine early Friday, with some areas reporting explosions. The U.S. overcounted the total of U.S. military aid provided to Ukraine by about $3 billion, a senior defense official and a military official said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed “ways to stop Russian aggression” in talks with Chinese envoy Li Hui, Ukraine said. Air raid alerts were declared across Ukraine early on Friday, local time, with some areas reporting explosions. Ukraine’s military said on Telegram that Russian aircraft were in the air and there was a threat of strikes from hypersonic Kinzhal …

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