rome — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors helped worsen hunger worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, was 13.7% lower last year than the 2022 average, but its measures of sugar and rice prices growing in that time. Last month, the index dropped some 10% compared with December 2022. The drop in food commodity prices in 2023 comes despite …
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Extremely cold temperatures compounded by gale-force winds and snow wreaked havoc across the Nordic region Thursday, leaving thousands without power while others braved the cold for hours stuck in their cars along clogged highways. Heavy rains in Germany, France and the Netherlands again caused floods in regions that have seen persistent flooding in the last two weeks. One death was reported in France. The deep freeze disrupted transportation throughout the Nordic region amid reports of traffic chaos following closures of sections of highways and major roads. Problems with rail service have also been reported. Electricity was cut to …
Gambia’s Immigration Department has launched a manhunt for immigration smugglers after an increase in the death toll of Gambians attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean into Europe. Some returnees are holding workshops to tell about the dangers of trying to flee the country. Senanu Tord reports from the capital, Banjul. …
Burned residential buildings, destroyed warehouses, scorched cars — these are the consequences of a Russian missile attack Tuesday morning in Kyiv. According to the mayor’s office, 50 people were injured and at least two were killed. Anna Kosstutschenko talked to survivors. VOA footage by Pavel Suhodolskiy. …
Rome — Pope Francis has urged prayers for Nicaragua where two Catholic bishops,15 priests and two seminarians are in custody, with the most recent arrests taking place on Dec. 31. Observers fear the government of President Daniel Ortega is trying to eradicate the Catholic Church’s presence in Nicaragua. The pontiff opened the new year with an appeal for prayer for the Central American country, expressing his deep concern for bishops and priests “deprived of their freedom” there and urging “the path of dialogue be always sought to overcome difficulties.” “I follow with worry the events in Nicaragua, where priests and bishops …
Russia and Ukraine rang in 2024 by attacking each other, as Ukraine continues its quest to push invading Russian forces out. But much of the drama around this conflict is centered in Washington, where Republicans are reluctant to grant President Joe Biden’s increasingly urgent request for tens of billions in funding for Ukraine. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House. …
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Europe experienced stark weather contrasts on Wednesday, with extreme cold and snowstorms disrupting transportation and closing schools in Scandinavia while strong winds and heavy rain in western Europe caused flooding and at least one death. Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second consecutive day Wednesday. In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C (minus 46.5 F) the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, Sweden’s TT news agency reported. Extremely cold temperatures, snow and gale-force winds disrupted transportation throughout the Nordic …
The Hague — The United Nation’s top court will hear submissions next week from South Africa and Israel after Pretoria opened a case for what it called Israel’s genocidal acts in Gaza. South Africa wants the International Court of Justice to urgently order Israel to suspend its military operations in Gaza, in a case that Israel rejected “with disgust.” The United States on Wednesday criticized South Africa for bringing a genocide case, rejecting accusations against Israel over its war in Gaza. “This submission is meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever,” White House National Security Council spokesman John …
ISTANBUL — Turkey on Wednesday opened the first major trial linked to the construction of buildings that crumbled in two massive earthquakes that claimed more than 50,000 lives in February 2023. The hearing in the southeastern city of Adiyaman involves 11 defendants accused of “conscious negligence” while overseeing the construction of the Isias Hotel. Five of the 11 defendants, including the hotel’s owner, have been arrested and charged with crimes that could see them jailed for more than 20 years each. The hotel’s collapse killed 24 children from Northern Cyprus who had flown to Turkey to attend a students’ volleyball tournament. …
LONDON — Patients faced canceled treatments after thousands of British doctors walked off the job on Wednesday, the start of a six-day strike over pay that was set to be the longest in the history of the state-funded National Health Service. Managers said tens of thousands of appointments and operations will be postponed because of the walkout across England by junior doctors, those in the first years of their careers. The doctors, who form the backbone of hospital and clinic care, plan to stay off the job until 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Senior doctors and other medics have been drafted to …
VYSHNEVE, Ukraine — Inured by nearly two years of war, Olena Ohiievych wasted no time getting to work on Tuesday as she confronted the shambles left in her apartment by the latest Russian air attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs. It was cold outside and bound to get colder. “There are no windows left, no balcony. The balcony doors are shattered, the window glass and frame in every room have been torn out,” said Ohiievych, 25, who manages social media accounts. “We will install something. We plan to do something about all this.” The overnight missile and drone attack was the …
OSLO, NORWAY — Denmark’s Maersk and German rival Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday their container ships would continue to avoid the Red Sea route that gives access to the Suez Canal following a weekend attack on one of Maersk’s vessels. Both shipping giants have been rerouting some sailings via Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope as Yemen-based Houthi militants attack cargo vessels in the Red Sea. The disruption threatens to drive up delivery costs for goods, raising fears it could trigger a fresh bout of global inflation. Maersk had on Sunday paused all Red Sea sailings for 48 hours following …
Madrid — A Spanish soccer fan who was detained by the Iranian authorities on espionage charges for over a year as he walked to the Qatar Soccer World Cup from Europe returned to his home country on Tuesday. Santiago Sanchez, who was 41 when he disappeared, touched down at Madrid’s Barajas Airport at around 1 p.m. (1200 GMT), where a large crowd of well wishers awaited him. “It has been very long, very hard but I am here in my country,” a jubilant Sanchez told reporters at the airport after an emotional reunion with his family and friends. “We are not …