Category: Євросоюз

Tens of millions were battling dangerously high temperatures in the United States on Saturday as record heat forecasts hung over Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the threat from climate change. A powerful heat wave stretching from California to Texas was expected to peak as the National Weather Service warned of an “extremely hot and dangerous weekend.” Daytime highs were forecast to range between 10- and 20-degrees Fahrenheit above normal in the U.S. Southwest. In Arizona, one of the hardest-hit states, residents face a daily endurance marathon against the sun. The state capital, Phoenix, recorded 16 straight days …

READ MORE

Even on the streets of London, Finn Lau does not feel safe from the reach of the Chinese Communist Party. He is among the exiled pro-democracy activists facing arrest warrants issued by Hong Kong authorities last week, with a reward of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,000) offered for information that helps lead to their detention. Since then, Lau said he has seen several menacing online messages from pro-Chinese groups. “I got some screenshots coming from some Telegram groups, saying that ‘perhaps we should lure them with some kind of tactics, such that we could catch them or kill them,” …

READ MORE

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers. Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws. Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground …

READ MORE

The United States took custody Friday of a Russian national extradited from Estonia and suspected of being an intelligence agent as the Biden administration pursues possible prisoner exchanges for U.S. detainees in Russia.  Vadim Konoshchenok was arrested in Estonia late last year as he sought to cross the border into Russia carrying semiconductors and U.S.-made ammunition for sniper rifles, according to charges filed against him.  He is alleged to be a central figure in a seven-person smuggling ring, which included five Russians and two Americans who operated “under the direction of Russian intelligence services” to obtain U.S. electronics and other …

READ MORE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the guest of honor at this year’s Bastille Day celebration Friday in Paris. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron will watch the spectacle together as French and Indian soldiers march down the Champs Elysee. French-manufactured Rafale fighter jets that India purchased a few years ago will also participate in a flyover of the Arc de Triomphe. Modi’s guest of honor status in the annual event marking France’s national holiday comes after India’s recent approval to purchase 26 Rafale jets and three Scorpene-class submarines from France for India’s military. Macron said Thursday at a dinner …

READ MORE

LATEST DEVELOPMENT:   – France has posthumously awarded the Legion of Honor, the country’s highest award, to Arman Soldin, an Agence France-Presse journalist who was killed in Ukraine.  “Through his strength of character, his journey and his drive,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a letter to AFP, Arman Soldin “embodied your editorial staff’s passion — a passion to convey the truth, tell stories and gather testimonies.” The British Defense Ministry said Friday in its daily report on Ukraine that Russia’s recent announcement that the nuclear-powered submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet will not participate in the Navy Day fleet review …

READ MORE

President Joe Biden wrapped up his European trip in Finland, meeting with NATO’s newest member and other Nordic leaders as conflict in Ukraine casts a pall over the continent’s future. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports from Helsinki. …

READ MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered mercenary fighters with the Wagner Group the opportunity to remain serving together in Russia after their revolt, he said in an interview published late Thursday. Putin, interviewed by the Russian daily Kommersant, said this was one of several offers he made at a meeting with around three dozen fighters and Wagner founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, late last month, five days after Wagner staged the abortive revolt against Russia’s military hierarchy. Under the offer, the fighters would stay under their current commander, who the newspaper identified only by his call sign of “Grey Hair.” Putin also said …

READ MORE

A separatist official in Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan on Thursday called on Russia to ensure free movement on the only road linking the breakaway region to Armenia, warning of dire humanitarian consequences.   Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks, as Western engagement grows in a region where Russia, distracted by its war in Ukraine, appears to be losing influence.  Karabakh has been at the center of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.  On Tuesday, Azerbaijan said it was shutting the …

READ MORE

Israel’s defense minister visited Azerbaijan on Thursday, seeking to strengthen ties between countries with shared opposition to Iran.  Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Azerbaijani officials agreed to work together to deter threats from Iran, the Israeli Defense Ministry said. Israel views Iran as its archenemy, while Azerbaijan, which borders Iran to the north, also has a rocky relationship with Iran.  “We have many shared challenges — in particular the fight against terrorism — which not only threatens national security but also aims to destabilize the region,” Gallant said in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. “Together, we may further deepen the …

READ MORE

Russia and Belarus will not get a formal invitation to the 2024 Paris Olympics when more than 200 national teams receive their traditional invites later this month, the IOC said Thursday. It is an International Olympic Committee tradition exactly one year before a Summer Games or Winter Games opens to invite all the national teams worldwide to the event. Despite the protocol move, some Russian and Belarusian athletes could still compete in Paris — despite their countries’ war on Ukraine — without their national teams being invited. The IOC said Thursday that 203 eligible national Olympic committees (NOCs) will be …

READ MORE

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to the Arab Gulf States next week in his latest effort to improve ties across the region after years of tensions. Earlier this month, Turkey restored full diplomatic relations with Egypt, and rapprochement efforts continue with Israel. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

READ MORE

The British government offered millions of public sector workers pay raises Thursday in a bid to end an array of strikes, including a five-day walkout from doctors in Britain’s publicly funded health service. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the government was accepting the recommendations from pay review bodies, which will see a 7% rise for police, 6.5% for teachers and 6% for the striking junior doctors, who are at the early stages of their careers in the National Health Service. Sunak said the offers, which are not being funded by extra borrowing, are “final” and that there would be …

READ MORE

Sweden’s highest court Thursday blocked the extradition of two men wanted by Turkey for alleged involvement with a group Turkey blames for a 2016 coup attempt. The Swedish court said the men, who are refugees, faced the risk of persecution if they were to be sent to Turkey. Turkey says the men are part of a group led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. The Swedish court also said the allegation that the men downloaded a mobile application that is used by members of the group was not grounds for extradition because that act would …

READ MORE

China’s two-way trade with Russia rose in June to its highest level since the Ukraine war started, Chinese customs data showed on Thursday, at a time that both of the neighbors have described their relations as at a new high.  Bilateral trade value surged to $20.83 billion in June, the highest since February 2022, according to the data by the General Administration of Customs, despite slowing global demand and rising geopolitical risks.  China’s imports from Russia rose 15.7% to $11.28 billion, faster than a 10% increase in May. China has been buying discounted Russian oil, coal and some metals.  Outbound …

READ MORE

U.S. President Joe Biden is in Helsinki to meet Thursday with leaders from Nordic countries and praise Finland’s NATO accession.  Biden’s schedule includes a separate meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto before the larger gathering that includes Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir.  The agenda for the U.S.-Nordic summit is expected to include discussion of climate change, security cooperation and emerging technologies.  Finland and Sweden sought NATO membership in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.  The alliance admitted Finland in April, but …

READ MORE

Wrapping up a two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered an address highlighting how Washington and its allies are supporting Ukraine, defending democratic values and taking action to address global challenges. VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara reports. …

READ MORE

A Turkish court in Diyarbakir decided on Wednesday to release 14 Kurdish journalists on bail after detaining them for 13 months awaiting trial. The journalists were initially detained on June 8, 2022, without knowing the charges against them. The indictment was released in March 2023, charging 17 journalists with membership in a terrorist organization in reference to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Three of the journalists were released, pending trial. The journalists worked for several pro-Kurdish media outlets, including the Mesopotamia News Agency, the PEL production company and the Dicle Firat Journalists Association. The first hearing in their …

READ MORE

Spain sweltered under an unrelenting heat wave Wednesday as temperatures started to build toward what is forecast to be a torrid weekend across southern Europe. Spain’s weather service said thermometers could potentially hit 45 C (113 F) in southeastern areas of the Iberian Peninsula, which are under alert for extreme heat. That mark was reached Monday in the village of Loja near Granada at the start of the heat wave that is causing restless nights across the country. More than 100 weather stations registered temperatures of at least 35 C (95 F) as early as 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to …

READ MORE

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, outlining a proposal aimed at satisfying a Russian demand that threatens to shut down the key Black Sea Grain Initiative. “The secretary-general remains engaged with all relevant parties on this issue and expresses his willingness to further engage on his proposal with the Russian Federation,” Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday. Dujarric declined to go into details about the proposal, saying “we are in very delicate times.”  The initiative, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain from ports Russia blocked during its invasion of Ukraine last …

READ MORE