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India, Russia see deeper relationship
At a summit between India and Russia this week, both countries said they were committed to deepening the relationship. Anjana Pasricha reports on why India is enhancing its partnership with Russia, which has been isolated by Western countries over its war in Ukraine. …
Oil tanker held by Iran for over a year heads toward international waters
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An oil tanker held by Iran for over a year after being seized amid tensions between Tehran and the United States was sailing Thursday toward international waters, tracking data showed. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet traveled toward the Strait of Hormuz, where it was seized in April 2023 by Iran’s navy while carrying $50 million worth of oil from Kuwait …
Ukraine, China front and center of NATO 75th anniversary summit
NATO allies on Wednesday pledged to support Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to integration while calling on China to cease all support for Russia’s war effort against Kyiv. This as new fighter jets are set to patrol the skies of Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the details. …
Poland must prepare army for full-scale conflict, army chief says
WARSAW — Poland needs to prepare its soldiers for all-out conflict, its armed forces chief of staff said on Wednesday, as the country boosts the number of troops on its border with Russia and Belarus. Poland’s relations with Russia and its ally Belarus have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, starting a war that is …
US veteran killed in Ukraine finally laid to rest in California
American soldier Jericho Magallon went to fight in Ukraine in March 2022. He was killed in September near Bakhmut. In late June, his body was brought back home to California for a funeral. VOA Russian Service spoke with his mother and siblings about his life in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian. …
Vatican will prepare document on role of women in Catholic Church leadership
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said Tuesday that its doctrine office will prepare a document on women in leadership roles in the Catholic Church, a new initiative to respond to longstanding demands by women to have a greater say in the church’s life. The document will be written by the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith as its contribution to Pope Francis’ big church reform …
Biden launches NATO summit with sober warning about global threats
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday welcomed NATO leaders and heralded the alliance’s 75th anniversary while making the case for peace through strength amid the largest challenge to peace Europe has faced in decades. Other administration officials made similar arguments for bolstering defense to fight global threats. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington …
Russian election meddlers hurting Biden, helping Trump, US intelligence warns
WASHINGTON — Russia is turning to a familiar playbook in its attempt to sway the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, looking for ways to boost the candidacy of former President Donald Trump by disparaging the campaign of incumbent President Joe Biden, according to American intelligence officials. A new assessment of threats to the November election, shared Tuesday, does not mention either candidate by name. …
Hundreds of Ukrainian children evacuated from hospital hit by Russian missile
geneva — U.N. agencies have condemned a wave of Russian missile attacks Monday on densely populated areas of Ukraine that has killed dozens of people and forced the evacuation of hundreds of children from a hospital in the capital city Kyiv, severely damaged by a probable “direct hit” by a Russian missile. “Yesterday’s massive missile attacks across Ukraine, including the horrifying strike on Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest …
Ukrainian boxer sacrificed Olympic dreams and life to fight against Russia
Romny, Ukraine — Maksym Halinichev won silver at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in a match described at the time as “two of the best young fighters going for glory.” He considered the bout a loss – it wasn’t gold, after all – but it gave him a map for the future. So Halinichev made plans: He would defeat that boxer the next time around. …
French parties scramble for influence after inconclusive vote
Paris — French parties sought to project strength and gather allies on Tuesday, with the government adrift following an election in which no one political force claimed a clear majority. Having defied expectations to top the polls, new MPs from the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance began showing up to visit their new workplaces in parliament ahead of a first session on July 18. But …
NATO alliance meets under cloud over President Biden’s future
President Joe Biden welcomes members of the newly enlarged NATO alliance this week for a summit aimed at planning for Ukraine’s future defense — and, some observers say, “Trump-proofing” it if Biden loses the November poll amid growing doubts over his future. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from the White House. …