Russia reports downing 30 Ukrainian drones

read me leave comment

US expected to announce $150M in new military aid for Ukraine

Pentagon — The U.S. is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine valued at up to $150 million as soon as Tuesday, two U.S. officials tell VOA. The package is being provided to Kyiv under the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), which pulls weapons, ammunition and equipment from U.S. military stockpiles to fulfill Ukraine’s short-term needs.  One of the officials — who spoke on …

read me leave comment

For Ukraine’s older workers, war opens hope for ending age discrimination

As in many countries, job seekers in Ukraine who are in their 50s and 60s have a harder time than younger workers. One organization is trying to change that by taking advantage of Ukraine’s wartime labor shortage. For VOA, Lesia Bakalets reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Vladyslav Smilianets. …

read me leave comment

Heat wave in Greece claims more lives among tourists

read me leave comment

US TV host Rachael Ray visits Ukraine, cooks for locals

TV personality Rachael Ray is a U.S.-based chef, author and celebrity. But Ukrainians know her better thanks to her charity work to help the war-torn country. Omelyan Oshchudlyak reports. Camera: Yuriy Dankevych. …

read me leave comment

Fresh unrest erupts in French territory of New Caledonia

Nouméa, France — A fresh surge of unrest hit the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, with several buildings set on fire overnight, including a police station and a town hall, authorities said Monday. The new spike in violence comes as France prepares to vote in historic legislative elections this weekend and support for the far-right surges across the country. In mid-May, rioting and looting erupted …

read me leave comment

China wants EU to remove tariffs on EVs by July 4 as talks resume 

BEIJING — Beijing wants the EU to scrap its preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by July 4, China’s state-controlled Global Times reported, after both sides agreed to hold new trade talks.  Provisional European Union duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese-made EVs are set to kick in by July 4 while the bloc investigates what it says are excessive and unfair subsidies.  China has …

read me leave comment

Ukraine says new EU sanctions will ‘further strangle Putin’s war economy’

read me leave comment

Apple’s App Store rules breach EU tech rules, EU regulators say

AMSTERDAM — Apple’s App Store rules breach EU tech rules because they prevent app developers from steering consumers to alternative offers, EU antitrust regulators said on Monday, a charge that could result in a hefty fine for the iPhone maker. The European Commission, which also acts as the European Union’s antitrust and technology regulator, said it had sent its preliminary findings to Apple following an investigation …

read me leave comment

Russia’s North Korea defense deal may create friction with China, US top general says

Espargos, Cape Verde — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mutual defense agreement with North Korea has the potential to create friction with China, which has long been the reclusive state’s main ally, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday. “We’ve got someone else who’s kind of nudging in now, so that may drive a little bit more friction between (China) and Russia,” Air Force General Charles Q. …

read me leave comment

Thousands of women march in France against far right

Paris — Thousands of women took to the streets in cities around France on Sunday to protest Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, as polls indicated the party could win the upcoming parliamentary elections. About 200 women’s rights groups and unions organized the marches in dozens of cities, including Paris, saying women’s rights come under attack when countries are governed by far-right parties. In Paris, more …

read me leave comment

Priest, 6 police officers killed by armed militants in Russia’s Dagestan

Moscow — Armed militants attacked two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a traffic police post in Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan, killing a priest and six police officers, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said Sunday. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement that a Russian Orthodox Church priest and police officers were killed in the “terrorist” attacks. Dagestan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said a …

read me leave comment

Yacht crew faces criminal charges over Greek island fire allegedly started by fireworks

Athens, Greece — A Greek prosecutor on Sunday brought criminal charges against the captain and crew of a chartered yacht suspected of triggering a forest fire on a resort island in the Aegean Sea during a firework display. Greece has been plagued in recent days by scores of wildfires amid hot, dry and windy weather. On the day of the blaze authorities had warned of a …

read me leave comment

UK election betting scandal widens as a fourth Conservative Party official reportedly investigated 

London — The chief data officer of Britain’s Conservative Party has taken a leave of absence, British media reported Sunday, following growing allegations that the governing party’s members used inside information to bet on the date of Britain’s July 4 national election before it was announced. The Sunday Times and others reported that Nick Mason is the fourth Conservative official to be investigated by the U.K.’s …

read me leave comment

Conservation efforts bring Iberian lynx back from brink of extinction

MADRID — Things are looking up for the Iberian lynx. Just over two decades ago, the pointy-eared wild cat was on the brink of extinction, but as of Thursday the International Union for Conservation of Nature says it’s no longer an endangered species. Successful conservation efforts mean that the animal, native to Spain and Portugal, is now barely a vulnerable species, according to the latest version …

read me leave comment

Olympics have become billion-dollar business with political overtones

read me leave comment

Germany assures China that doors still open to discuss EU surcharges

Shanghai, China — The German vice-chancellor assured China on Saturday that the “doors” remained “open” to discuss EU surcharges on Chinese electric vehicles, without reassuring Beijing which promised to “firmly defend” its manufacturers. Also, the Minister of Economy and Climate, Robert Habeck is making a visit that seems like a last chance to avoid a trade war between the Old Continent and the second world power, …

read me leave comment

Greece battles wildfires fanned by gale force winds

ATHENS — Hundreds of firefighters struggled Saturday to contain wildfires fanned by gale force winds on two Greek islands and in other parts of Greece, as authorities warned many regions face a high risk of new blazes.  More than 30 firefighters backed by two aircraft and five helicopters were battling a wildfire burning on the island of Andros in the Aegean, away from tourist resorts, where …

read me leave comment

China, France launch satellite to better understand universe

Xichang, China — A French-Chinese satellite blasted off Saturday on a hunt for the mightiest explosions in the universe, in a notable example of cooperation between a Western power and the Asian giant. Developed by engineers from both countries, the Space Variable Objects Monitor, or SVOM, will seek out gamma-ray bursts, the light from which has traveled billions of light years to reach Earth. The 930-kilogram …

read me leave comment

Russian air strike damages Ukrainian power facilities, injures 2

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine on Saturday, damaging energy facilities in the southeast and west of the country and injuring at least two energy workers, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s air defense shot down 12 of 16 missiles and all 13 drones launched by Russia in the second large strike this week, the air …

read me leave comment

Antisemitism comes to fore in French election campaign

PARIS — The alleged rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a suspected antisemitic attack has sent shockwaves throughout France and thrust concerns about antisemitism to the forefront of campaigning for the country’s legislative elections. The anti-immigration National Rally party, which has tried to shed historical links to antisemitism, is leading in preelection polling and has its first real chance of forming a government, if it …

read me leave comment

Pentagon changes rhetoric on Ukraine crossfire into Russia

read me leave comment

Georgia tries to reconcile contested Soviet history with Western future

Georgians are preparing for elections this year amid fears in the West that the government is straying from the country’s ambition to join the European Union. The nation appears to be caught in a struggle to reconcile its turbulent past with its West-aligned future. Henry Ridgwell reports. …

read me leave comment

Half a million Ukrainians in frontline city of Mykolaiv suffer through 3rd year without clean water

Going into a third year of war, life without clean water has become routine for nearly half a million residents of Ukraine’s frontline city of Mykolaiv. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Russian forces destroyed the water distribution system. As Lesia Bakalets reports, the city has been looking for ways to restore it since then. Video: Vladyslav Smilianets …

read me leave comment