Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the longest living former U.S. president in American history, marks his 98th birthday on October 1. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, while Carter’s health has prevented him from being publicly active in recent years, he is still engaged with his global nonprofit Carter Center to promote peace and health throughout the world. …
UN Weekly Roundup: September 24-30, 2022
Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy briefs Security Council Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that Russia must be completely isolated internationally for its sham referendums in his country. In a video briefing to the council, he warned such …
Russians Fleeing to Belarus to Avoid Draft — But Will It Help?
Thousands of Russians are fleeing Russia’s military conscription, hoping to wait out the war in neighboring countries. But those who have wound up in Belarus might not be safe from Moscow. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Produced by: Dana Preobrazhenskaya …
Space Telescopes Captured Asteroid Strike With Striking Clarity
The world now has stunning new photos of this week’s asteroid strike, the first planetary defense test of its kind. NASA on Thursday released pictures of the dramatic event taken by the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. A few hours later, SpaceX joined NASA in announcing that they’re studying the feasibility of sending a private mission to Hubble, potentially led by a billionaire, to raise …
US Hits Russia with Sanctions for Annexing Ukrainian Regions
The U.S. on Friday sanctioned more than 1,000 people and firms connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including its Central Bank governor and families of Security Council members, after President Vladimir Putin signed treaties absorbing occupied regions of Ukraine into Russia, in defiance of international law. The Treasury Department named hundreds of members of Russia’s legislature, leaders of the country’s financial and military infrastructure and …
Turkey-Greece Relations Tense over Cyprus, Aegean Islands
Tensions between Greece and Turkey over the divided island of Cyprus appear to be escalating. Turkey says it’s increasing its military presence on the island in response to Washington’s lifting of an arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot administration. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the United States Friday for its stance toward Greece, saying it has become a toy of Athens in the Cyprus …
Ukrainian Mural Artist Leaves US, Returns to Irpin Despite War
Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, was under Russian occupation in March. Officials say over 70% of its infrastructure was damaged. When the Russians retreated, several residents started returning from abroad to help rebuild their city. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. …
New York Film Festival Fetes 60 Years with Eye to the Future
The past and future of film mingle like a pair of moviegoers huddled in debate outside a movie theater at the New York Film Festival, which on Friday launches its 60th edition with the premiere of Noah Baumbach’s Don DeLillo adaptation “White Noise.” In those six decades, the Lincoln Center festival has been arguably the premier American nexus of cinema, bringing together a teeming portrait …
FBI Joins Australian Hunt for Data Hackers
Australia has asked the American FBI to help catch computer hackers responsible for one of Australia’s biggest data breaches. Personal details, including home addresses, driver license and passport numbers, of more than 10 million customers of the Singapore-owned telecom giant Optus were stolen. A massive amount of personal information about Optus customers in Australia was stolen and an extortion threat made to the company. But …
Russia Scheduled to Celebrate Annexation of Ukrainian Territories
On the day that Russia is set to celebrate its annexation of four Ukrainian territories, a humanitarian convoy was hit by Russian shelling near the town of Zaporizhzhia. Officials say at least 23 people were killed in the incident and 28 people were wounded. The convoy was headed to the area to rescue family members from the occupied territory. Russia is set to formally announce …
Comedian Trevor Noah to Leave ‘The Daily Show’ After 7 Years
Comedian Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, said he was going to leave the program after hosting it for seven years, indicating he wanted to dedicate more time to stand-up comedy. The 38-year-old comedian — who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to the United States in 2011 — had big shoes to fill when he took over in …
Hurricane Ian Headed for Carolinas, Georgia
Ian, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm, is now a hurricane again, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday. Ian is “taking aim,” the center said, “at the Carolinas and Georgia with life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds.” Ian is predicted to approach the coast of South Carolina on Friday, with its center moving farther inland across the Carolinas on Friday night …
Italy’s New Government to Take Different Position on China
Italy has elected its most right-wing government since the end of World War II, and China watchers are anticipating a different type of relationship between Giorgia Meloni, in position to become Italy’s next prime minister, and Beijing based on her comments about Taiwan during her campaign. Diplomatic issues in Asia are not usually the focus of political debate in Italian elections, but analysts noted that …
US Charges Russian Oligarch Deripaska with Sanctions Evasion
The Justice Department on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and three associates with violating U.S. sanctions. The indictment grew out of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement group formed in the wake of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion to enforce the sweeping economic sanctions, export restrictions and other measures the United States and its Western allies imposed on Moscow. “In the …
Several People Try to Enter Iranian Embassy in Oslo
Several people in a violent crowd attempted to enter the Iranian Embassy in Oslo, police said Thursday, with scuffles breaking out and rocks being thrown at officers. Authorities said 90 people had been detained. A crowd had gathered outside the diplomatic mission in Oslo to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in Iran after she was detained by Iran’s morality police. Several …
US Warns Putin Against Any Use of Nuclear Weapons
The U.S. has warned Russia that using nuclear weapons in Ukraine will trigger extraordinary consequences. Russia’s Vladimir Putin said last week that if Russia was threatened, he was prepared to “use all the means available to us.” VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
US Sanctions Traders of Iranian Oil
The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday against several companies that facilitate trade in Iranian oil and petrochemical products. The U.S. Treasury Department issued a statement and warned it would take more measures to apply its economic restrictions against the Islamic Republic. “The United States is committed to severely restricting Iran’s illicit oil and petrochemical sales,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism …
Many Americans in No Rush to Get Bivalent COVID-19 Booster
For weeks, reformulated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters have been available across the United States that aim to protect against newer omicron variants that have sickened millions of people in recent months. Initial reports, however, suggest Americans are not rushing to get the new vaccines. While health officials view this as a challenge, some say a drop-off in demand shouldn’t be surprising. “Back in …
US Schools Are Front Line in Clash Over Gender Identity
In the U.S. state of Virginia, hundreds of students walked out of school this week to protest new guidelines from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin that roll back transgender rights. As VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias explains, it’s part of a conservative wave creating controversy across America. …
NATO Vows Retaliation for Attacks on Infrastructure, Blames Sabotage for Pipe Blasts
NATO vowed retaliation Thursday for attacks on the critical infrastructure of its 30 member nations, while strongly suggesting the rupture of two Baltic Sea pipelines meant to send natural gas from Russia to Germany was the direct result of sabotage. Ambassadors to NATO, the West’s key military alliance, said in a statement, “Any deliberate attack against allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united …