The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked a rise in antisemitism in Russia, which in the past few days saw what observers say has been the worst outbreak in decades. As VOA’s Moscow Bureau reports, the incidents have created a climate of fear and uncertainty among Russia’s Jewish community — among the largest in the world. Marcus Harton narrates this report from Moscow …
Britain’s King Charles said Tuesday there is “no excuse” for the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans during the East African nation’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule. The monarch made the acknowledgement during a state banquet in Nairobi at the start of a four-day state visit by Charles and Queen Camilla. The visit comes ahead of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Kenya’s independence on December 12. More than 10,000 Kenyans were killed and others rounded up, detained and tortured during the brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising at the hands of British authorities …
Israel’s ambassador to Moscow gave new details Wednesday of the weekend riot at an airport in southern Russia when a flight from Tel Aviv landed there, saying some of the passengers had to hide in the terminal before being flown by helicopter to safety. Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi blamed Sunday night’s unrest on extremist elements resulting from “indoctrination” in the mostly Muslim republic of Dagestan. But he said that overall, there is no antisemitism “on an organized level” in Russia. He added, though, that authorities should take the incident seriously so such actions don’t spread. “Of course, there has always …
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament on Wednesday and called an early election on Dec. 17, aiming to cement his authority as he works out how to normalize ties with Kosovo, the main precondition for EU membership. The parliamentary election will coincide with local votes in 65 municipalities, including the capital Belgrade. Experts say the vote and an absence of a working parliament, will allow Vucic to buy time and delay decisions over ties with independent and predominantly Albanian Kosovo, which Serbia still sees as its southern province. “We are living in a time in which it is necessary for …
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday on the first leg of a trip to Central Asia, a region long regarded as Russia’s backyard which has drawn fresh Western attention since the war in Ukraine began. Oil-rich Kazakhstan has already emerged as a replacement supplier of crude to European nations turning off Russian supply and an important link in the new China-Europe trade route bypassing Russia. At a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Macron complimented Kazakhstan for refusing to side with Moscow on Ukraine and said the two countries signed business deals, including a declaration of intent for …
The abbreviation of artificial intelligence (AI) has been named the Collins Word of the Year for 2023, the dictionary publisher said on Tuesday. Lexicographers at Collins Dictionary said use of the term had “accelerated” and that it had become the dominant conversation of 2023. “We know that AI has been a big focus this year in the way that it has developed and has quickly become as ubiquitous and embedded in our lives as email, streaming or any other once futuristic, now everyday technology,” Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said. Collins said its wordsmiths analyzed the Collins Corpus, a database …
A Russian court on Tuesday denied the appeal filed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva against her pretrial detention on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. Kurmahseva’s lawyer had requested pretrial restrictions for the journalist other than placement in pretrial detention, but the Supreme Court of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan denied the appeal. Last week, a district court ordered her to be held in pretrial detention until at least December 5. Kurmasheva participated in Tuesday’s closed-door hearing via video link from a detention center in Kazan, Tatarstan’s capital. The Prague-based journalist faces up …
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that Russia would be successful in Ukraine unless the United States kept up its support for Kyiv. Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee on President Joe Biden’s request for $106 billion to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. border security. “I can guarantee that without our support [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will be successful,” Austin said during the hearing. “If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he …
Britain’s King Charles has begun a four-day visit to Kenya, his first trip to Africa since becoming king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, last year. Addressing aspects of Britain’s colonial past, issues related to the climate crisis, education and the importance of national security will top the monarch’s agenda. The royal visit kicked off with a welcoming ceremony at the State House led by Kenyan President William Ruto and the country’s first lady. It was followed by a visit to Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museum — a new location dedicated to telling Kenya’s history through Kenyan …
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an impassioned plea for peace on Tuesday from a Nepalese site venerated as Buddha’s birthplace, against a backdrop of conflict, including in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. While on his visit to Nepal, Guterres has spoken of the urgent need for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed. “In the Middle East, Ukraine, the Sahel, Sudan and many other places around the world, conflict is raging,” Guterres said. “Global rules and institutions are being undermined as human rights and international law are trampled.” Guterres held prayers at Lumbini in …
French police opened fire on a woman after she threatened to blow herself up on a train heading into Paris on Tuesday. The woman reportedly threatened other passengers and yelled phrases like, “You’re all going to get it,” “Allahu Akbar” and “Boom,” said Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez. The woman was wearing a long robe known as an abaya, as well as a hijab, clothing typically worn by Muslims. Two Paris police officers stopped the woman at the Bibliotheque François-Mitterrand station, in eastern Paris, where they initially attempted to calm down the woman before they “had no option but to …
Ukraine says a family of nine were shot and killed in their home in the Russian-occupied eastern town of Volnovakha. Photographs of the home issued by authorities depict a gruesome crime scene, with the victims lying dead in their beds amid blood-splattered walls. The Ukrainian-backed prosecutor’s office in Donetsk province, home to Volnovakha, says the murders occurred after the owner refused a demand by a group of men in military uniforms to vacate the house so Russians forces could stay there. The office says the victims include two young children. Russian investigators say two soldiers from Russia’s Far East are …
The inflation that has been wearing on European consumers fell sharply to 2.9% in October, its lowest in more than two years as fuel prices fell and rapid interest rate hikes from the European Central Bank took hold. But that encouraging news was balanced by official figures showing economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro shrank by 0.1% in the July-September quarter. Inflation fell from an annual 4.3% in September as fuel prices fell by 11.1% and painful food inflation slowed, to 7.5%. The drop to under 3% is down from the peak of over 10% in …
The Spanish soccer official who provoked a players’ rebellion and reckoning on gender when he kissed an unwilling star player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final trophy ceremony was banned for three years on Monday by the sport’s global governing body. Luis Rubiales’ conduct at the Aug. 20 final in Australia — and his defiant refusal to resign as Spanish soccer federation president for three weeks — distracted many people from the women’s career-defining title win. Rubiales is now barred from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban will expire before the …
Kyiv military officials said on Monday that Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and has switched its troops from defense to offense, but Ukraine has been preparing to repel the attacks. Russia captured Bakhmut, theater of some of the bloodiest fighting of the 20-month-old war, in May. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June aimed at retaking occupied land in the country’s south and east, including Bakhmut. “In the Bakhmut area, the enemy has significantly strengthened its grouping and switched from defense to active actions,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander of ground …
The first U.S.-made F-16 combat aircraft the Netherlands is donating to Ukraine will arrive in Romania’s training center within two weeks, outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday. “I expect the Patriot missiles to be delivered shortly, to aid Ukraine in the upcoming winter. And the same speed applies to the F-16s,” Rutte during a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “The first ones will be shipped to the training center in Romania within the next two weeks so that day we will get ready for further training,” …
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of top security and law enforcement officials on Monday, the day after a mob stormed the airport in the region of Dagestan after a plane from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv landed there. Hundreds of angry men rushed onto the tarmac of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, late on Sunday, looking for Israeli passengers, according to Russian news reports. Dagestan’s Ministry of Health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians. The local …
A leading Turkish bank, Ziraat Katilim, has opened a branch in Mogadishu, becoming the first foreign bank to operate in Somalia in over a half-century, officials said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sunday in Mogadishu, where officials hailed the inauguration as a “historic moment.” “This marks more than 50 years [since] the first international bank that comes to the country,” the governor of Somalia’s central bank, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, told VOA Somali in an interview. All foreign banks closed down in 1970 when the Somali government nationalized the banking system. “We welcome the investment and the establishment of Ziraat Bank,” …
Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China’s second most senior military commander vowed to boost defense ties with Washington. The lack of regular communications between the U.S. and Chinese militaries has been a worry for Washington as tensions rise over various issues and given the risks of an accidental clash in the South China Sea or near Taiwan. The Xiangshan Forum, China’s biggest annual show of military diplomacy, began on Sunday without a Chinese defense minister, who typically hosts the event, but including a U.S. …
Russia would likely confiscate the assets of European Union countries, if the bloc takes frozen Russian funds to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s lower house of parliament and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was crafting a proposal that would take the profits from Russian frozen state assets to finance Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. “Such a decision,” Volodin said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, “would require a symmetrical response from the Russian Federation. In that case, far more assets belonging …