As soon as he arrived with a small motorcade in rural Eureka, Illinois — population 5,400 — he was the center of attention. “It looks like everyone in this small town is a photographer!” former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev exclaimed through his translator amid the crowd of cameras. He wasn’t the biggest name to visit these parts, however. That distinction belongs to the man who …
State Department Recap: August 24-31
Here’s a look at what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top diplomats have been doing this week: US-Pakistan The United States, through USAID, is providing an additional $30 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan as the South Asian country suffers severe flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains, landslides and glacial lake outbursts that have occurred since mid-June. The flooding has damaged roads and more than …
As Boris Johnson Departs, Britain’s Next Leader Faces Daunting Challenges
Britain will have a new prime minister next week, nearly two months after the resignation of Boris Johnson in July, following a series of scandals. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Johnson’s successor faces a series of daunting challenges — while Britain’s allies, including Ukraine, are watching closely. …
American Nun, 83, Abducted by Jihadists in Sahel is Free
An 83-year-old American nun who was abducted by jihadists in northern Burkina Faso in April has been released, the Catholic Church said. Sister Suellen Tennyson, a nun with the Congregation of Marianites of the Holy Cross, had been kidnapped in the parish of Yalgo, where she had worked since 2014. In a statement, the bishop of the diocese of Kaya, Theophile Nare, announced “to all, …
As Johnson Departs, Britain’s Next Leader Faces Daunting Challenges
A new prime minister will take power in Britain next week after the resignation of Boris Johnson in July, following a series of scandals. His successor faces a series of daunting economic and political challenges, while Britain’s allies — especially Ukraine — are watching closely. The fewer than 200,000 Conservative party members, around 0.3 percent of Britain’s voting population, will choose the next leader of …
Borrell Says EU Members Agree on Suspension of Visa Deal for Russians
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, says the bloc’s 27 members have agreed to suspend an agreement with Russia, which had made it easier for Russians to obtain tourist visas, as a sanction for Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Borrell announced the decision, which falls short of the total ban on visa issuance some countries sought, on Tuesday after the second day of a …
Fans of Princess Diana Gather to Mark Her Death 25 Years Ago
Fans of the late Princess Diana placed tributes outside the gates of her Kensington Palace home on Wednesday, marking the 25th anniversary of her death in a Paris car accident. An arrangement of white chrysanthemums spelling out “Princess Diana” sat among dozens of photos and messages left by admirers, some of whom said they make annual pilgrimages to the spot to remember the tragedy. “We …
Condolences Pour in as Last Soviet Leader Gorbachev Dies At 91
Leaders and politicians around the world have expressed their condolences as news spread that the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, whose reforms helped end the Cold War and free Eastern Europe from communism, but also led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, died overnight at the age of 91. Some in Russia and elsewhere took to social media to criticize the man they blamed …
Democrats’ Chances in November Elections Seen as Improving
When Democrats took over the presidency and scored razor-thin majorities in both houses of Congress in 2021, the general expectation was that their hold on Washington’s levers of power came with an expiration date. Conventional wisdom and U.S. election history suggested that in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans were likely to take over the House, the Senate, or both. Now, though, it’s beginning to …
India and China to Take Part in Joint Military Drills with Russia
India and China are among several countries taking part in Russia’s weeklong joint military drills scheduled to get underway on Thursday in the east of the country, according to Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass. While India has previously taken part in multinational military drills in Russia — an Indian contingent was part of Zapad military exercises held in September 2021 — analysts say its participation …
UN Team Heads to Assess Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant
A team of inspectors from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog headed Wednesday to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess safety and security issues at the Russian-controlled site. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said the team he is leading will spend several days at the plant and said their mission is a “very complex operation.” “We are going to a war zone. We …
Justice Department Cites Efforts to Obstruct Probe of Documents at Trump Estate
The Justice Department said Tuesday it had uncovered efforts to obstruct its investigation into the discovery of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida estate, saying “government records were likely concealed and removed” from a storage room even after the former president’s representatives had assured officials that they’d thoroughly searched the property. The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified records during its …
US Considers Stopping Nicaraguan Imports Over Governance Concerns
The White House is considering cutting imports from Nicaragua over its objections to the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega, sources in the Biden administration tell VOA’s Jorge Agobian. Anita Powell looks at the implications of such a move on the cash-strapped central American nation, and reports from Washington. …
Mikhail Gorbachev, Last Soviet Leader, Dies at 91
Mikhail Gorbachev, who presided over the demise of the Soviet Union and helped end decades of Cold War fear, earning a Nobel Peace Prize and the lasting enmity of millions of Russians bitter about the chaos unleashed by the collapse of the world’s largest country, has died at age 91. The Central Clinical Hospital on the outskirts of Moscow told the state news agency Tass …
Biden Talks Tough on Guns and Crime
U.S. President Joe Biden visited the swing state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday to defend his record on gun safety and unveil his $37 billion “Safer America” crime prevention plan that the White House said will “save lives and make communities safer.” “When it comes to public safety in the United States, the answer is not defund the police. It’s to fund the police,” Biden said, …
Global Reaction to Death of Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said. Below are some reactions from around the world: Russian President Vladimir Putin: He expressed “his deepest condolences,” his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency. “Tomorrow he will send a telegram of condolences …
US Considers Halting Nicaraguan Imports Over Concerns About Its Government
Two top U.S. officials told VOA this week that the Biden administration is considering blocking imports from the impoverished nation of Nicaragua — a move that would deal a serious blow to the Central American country’s economy –— over U.S. objections to the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega. “There has been a dramatic deterioration of respect for democratic principles and human rights by …
Russian Media: Ex-Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev Is Dead at 91
Mikhail Gorbachev, who as the last leader of the Soviet Union waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, has died at 91, Russian media reported Tuesday. News organizations quoted a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital as saying he died after a long illness. No other details were given. Though …
Vatican Seeks to Clarify Pope’s Stance on Ukraine
The Vatican sought on Tuesday to clarify the pope’s position on Ukraine, after the pontiff’s comment on the death of a Russian ultranationalist’s daughter ruffled feathers in Kyiv. “The Holy Father’s words on this dramatic issue are to be read as a voice raised in defense of human life and the values associated with it, and not as political positions,” the Vatican said in a …
Ukraine Lawmaker Questions Kyiv’s Strategic Partnership With Beijing
While China’s strategic partnership with Russia “without limits” has been widely reported since the start of the war in Ukraine, much less known is the strategic partnership Ukraine and China forged in 2011. Now, that partnership is being questioned by a key lawmaker in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month sounded a soft tone on China, casting Beijing’s role in the conflict as …