Month: May 2023

New developments: The Kremlin claims Ukraine launched two drones at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence overnight but that security services disabled them, and Putin wasn’t injured. The Russian claim couldn’t be immediately verified, and a Ukrainian official denied any involvement.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in The Hague to visit to the International Criminal Court. Southern Russian refinery targeted by drone. Kyiv, Odesa targeted by Russian missiles and drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Thursday for a special tribunal to hold Russia to account for its invasion of Ukraine in a speech at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.  …

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The coronation of Britain’s King Charles III takes place in London on Saturday. The king came to the throne after the September death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Charles is head of state not only in the United Kingdom, but in more than a dozen countries. In Australia, the death of Queen Elizabeth has reignited the debate about the country’s constitutional future. As the coronation approaches, republican sentiment in Australia is again stirring. Campaigners argue that Australia’s constitutional monarchy, under which King Charles III is the head of state and is represented in Australia by a governor-general whose role …

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Adidas is set to update investors Friday about the unsold Yeezy shoes that have put the German sportswear giant in a predicament since it cut ties with Kanye West over his antisemitic comments late last year. Executives are expected to tackle the issue when the company reports first-quarter results Friday which will likely show a 4% decline in net sales to $5.07 billion, according to a company-compiled consensus. Investors have high hopes new CEO Bjorn Gulden can turn Adidas around: the stock has gained around 65% since Nov. 4 when the former Puma CEO was first floated as a successor …

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Ukrainian and Iranian women living in London are finding a common cause, joining in regular protests against Russian expansionism and the tyranny of the Iranian regime. Marcus Harton narrates this report from Umberto Aguiar in London. …

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U.S. law enforcement officials have charged a Russian national with running Try2Check, a network of websites that verified stolen credit card numbers for cybercriminals. The network’s four websites have been taken offline, and the State Department announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Denis Gennadievich Kulkov, the alleged mastermind of Try2Check. Kulkov is believed to live in Samara, Russia. A grand jury indictment unsealed on Wednesday charges him with access device fraud, computer intrusion and money laundering. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Breon Peace, United States attorney for the …

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The United States is providing about $300 million in new military aid for Ukraine in a package that is expected to include more artillery rounds and rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive, according to defense officials. The Pentagon officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the package’s release later Wednesday, said the latest aid also includes Hydra 70 air-launched unguided rockets to provide air support and anti-armor capabilities needed to push back Russian ground forces that have dug into occupied areas of Ukraine. Heavy trucks and spare …

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Journalist Margaret Sullivan says that when she received word that former colleague Evan Gershkovich had been detained in Russia on spy charges, “The color of the world changed.” Sullivan was in a Washington hotel room watching the news when her former editorial assistant Gershkovich appeared on television. The pair had worked together when Sullivan was the public editor at The New York Times. She is now a columnist at The Guardian. “It just really hit me hard from a personal standpoint to imagine this wonderful, humorous, intelligent, helpful, dedicated journalist in the situation, charged with espionage for merely doing his …

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