Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits Turkey on May 13 for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The leaders hope to ease tensions that have brought the two NATO members close to armed confrontation several times in recent years. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Camera: Berke Bas. …
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim 2 attacks; Iran renews threat of nuclear weapon
jerusalem — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed responsibility for two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage. Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader again threatened that Tehran could build a nuclear weapon if it chose to pursue atomic armaments. The comments by Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree and former Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal …
North Macedonia’s right-wing opposition scores victory in elections
WASHINGTON — North Macedonia elected its first woman president Wednesday as the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia suffered historic losses in presidential and parliamentary elections. With nearly all the votes counted, university professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the presidential candidate of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE opposition party, won nearly 65% of the vote, with incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski winning 29%, according to the country’s State Election Commission. In …
Greece criticizes Turkey for converting ancient church to mosque
Athens — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially dedicated an ancient Byzantine church as a mosque, drawing a protest from Greece. Many Greeks want a summit scheduled for Monday in Ankara between Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to be canceled. Greece’s criticism centers on the formal opening of the Church of St. Saviour in Chora as a Muslim house of worship, four years …
Poland bolstering its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration
Warsaw, Poland — Poland’s defense minister said Thursday his country is strengthening the metal barrier along its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration. “We are mending the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border, we are strengthening this barrier,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on private Radio Zet. “The spending on these purposes is the highest in [Poland’s] history.” Kosiniak-Kamysz said the increased presence of Polish and allied military …
Guam undergoes military buildup without additional border resources
Last year, Congress called for an investigation into 100 reported incidents of Chinese nationals attempting to enter U.S. military bases and other sensitive sites around the world. Officials on the island of Guam – which hosts some of the most strategically important U.S. bases in the Pacific – says they too are at risk and are asking for help in protecting their shores. VOA’s Jessica Stone …
Europe to fund Ukraine weapons with profits from frozen Russian assets
The European Union has agreed in principle to a deal that would use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to supply weapons for Ukraine. As Henry Ridgwell reports, allies in Washington want the EU to go much further …
Chinese cities lift curbs on buying homes as property crisis bites
Beijing — Two of China’s wealthiest cities said Thursday they would lift all restrictions on buying homes, joining a growing list of urban areas rolling back curbs as they look to prop up the faltering property market. Many Chinese cities imposed restrictions and tough credit requirements on home purchases well over a decade ago in an effort to tamp down soaring prices and rampant speculation. But …
Norway’s Arctic is scene of new ‘Cold War’ between Russians, Ukrainians
In Barentsburg, Norway, a coal mining town in the high Arctic, Ukrainian residents lived side by side with Russians. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however, Ukrainians have left the town after finding themselves in conflict with the Russian community. Henry Wilkins reports from Barentsburg. Camera: Henry Wilkins …
Iran jails film award-winning director for ‘security’ offenses, lawyer says
Tehran, Iran — An Iranian court has sentenced prominent filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof to jail time for “collusion against national security,” his lawyer Babak Paknia said Wednesday. Rasoulof’s film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is to be shown at the main competition at Cannes Film Festival this month. The director, who is in his early 50s, has been sentenced to eight years in prison but will …
Al Jazeera shutdown in Israel spells ‘dark day for democracy,’ say media groups
washington — Israel’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera in the country puts audiences at risk of missing out on news and may herald a concerning turn for the future of free expression, analysts say. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government had unanimously decided to shut down the Qatari-owned news outlet over national security concerns. The channel went off air in Israel …
Turkey takes aim at Israel’s economy, raising concerns of wider impact
Turkey’s decision last week to stop all trade with Israel until Israeli leaders reach a permanent cease-fire in Gaza is likely to hit Israel’s economy hard. Adding to those concerns are signs Turkey is encouraging other nations in the Islamic world to do the same. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou becomes first torch carrier in France as relay heads to Paris
MARSEILLE, France — French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou became the first Olympic torch carrier in France after the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille’s Old Port Wednesday on a majestic three-mast ship from Greece for the welcoming ceremony at sunset in the city’s Old Port. The ship sailed into Marseille’s old port with the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, echoing from the embankment and a French Air …
Another Conservative lawmaker defects to Labour in UK
LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was accused Wednesday of leading a “chaotic” government as another one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a looming general election. In a stunning move just ahead of the weekly prime minister’s questions, Natalie Elphicke crossed the floor of the House of Commons to join the ranks of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, …
Myanmar junta rebuffs Cambodia ex-leader’s request to meet Suu Kyi
Yangon — Myanmar’s junta on Wednesday denied a request by former Cambodian leader Hun Sen for talks with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since a 2021 coup. Suu Kyi has largely been hidden from view since the military detained her as they seized power in a putsch that has plunged the country into turmoil. The junta has rebuffed numerous requests by …
Croatian dive instructors bring solace to Ukrainian veterans
Three decades ago, the breakup of the country of Yugoslavia led to 10 years of conflict involving Serbian nationals fighting against the former Yugoslav republics of Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Millions of people were displaced, and hundreds of thousands were killed and wounded. Now veterans of the war in Croatia are helping rehabilitate wounded Ukrainians. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. Camera and edit: Yuriy Dankevych …