Month: November 2023

A surge in the number of migrants making the treacherous journey from West Africa to the Spanish Canary Islands is straining local authorities, with human rights groups warning that many child migrants are being wrongly classed as adults by Spanish police, putting them at increased risk.   So far this year, more than 32,000 migrants have arrived on the Canary Islands from West Africa – the highest number since 2006. Unaccompanied children  Fifteen-year-old Moussa Camara was orphaned following the 2021 coup in his home country of Guinea. He chose to escape, spending 11 days at sea in a wooden boat on …

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A surge in the number of migrants making the treacherous journey from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands is straining local authorities. Human rights groups say many child migrants are being wrongly classified as adults by Spanish police — putting them at increased risk. Henry Ridgwell reports. …

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An official from another key Western ally paid a surprise visit to Ukraine Tuesday while Russian forces continued to pound civilian infrastructure with missiles and drones. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv a day after a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.  Both men said their nations would help Ukraine during what is expected to be a long, cold, uncertain winter. Germany is the second-biggest supplier of military assistance to Kyiv, behind the United States. Pistorius’ second visit to Ukraine came during a commemoration of the country’s November 2013 pro-democracy uprising.  “I am here again, firstly to …

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a visit to Ukraine Monday to reassure Ukrainian leaders the United States will continue to support the country in its fight against Russia. It was Austin’s first visit to the Ukrainian capital since April 2022, and the first time members of the press accompanied him since the war began. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb is traveling with the secretary and has more from Kyiv. …

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France’s Senate is this week to debate a draft law that would allow people convicted under anti-gay laws before 1982 to receive financial compensation.   Thousands of people were sentenced under two French laws in force between 1942 and 1982, one determining the age of consent for same-sex relations and the other defining such relations as an aggravating factor in acts of “public outrage.” The sponsor of the bill to be debated on Wednesday, Senator Hussein Bourgi of the Socialist party, said he wanted the French government to recognize the state’s role in discriminating against people engaging in same-sex relations. …

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Two Ukrainian senior cyber defense officials were fired Monday for alleged embezzlement in the government’s cybersecurity agency, a government official said. Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP) of Ukraine, and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were dismissed by the government, senior cabinet official Taras Melnychuk wrote on Telegram. Melnychuk, the cabinet’s representative to parliament, did not give the reason for the dismissals. Shchyhol wrote on Facebook that he was confident he could prove his innocence, Interfax Ukraine reported. There was no immediate comment from Zhora. The SSSCIP is responsible for securing government communications and …

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Innovations in food production could alleviate hunger for millions of people, according to Britain, which hosted a global summit on food insecurity Monday. Critics say the focus on technology ignores the real driver of food shortages – growing inequality and poverty. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

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Innovations in food production could alleviate hunger for millions of people, according to Britain, which hosted a global summit on food insecurity Monday, but critics say the focus on technology ignores the growing inequality of wealth. The summit was a joint initiative between Britain, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed at boosting food security through science and innovation. Innovation hub British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said a renewed focus was needed to alleviate hunger. “It can’t be right that today in 2023, almost 1 billion people across the …

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