Europe

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On May 31, U.S. troops concluded first joint exercises practicing the reinforcement of Northern Finland in case of an attack from Russia. Both Norway and Finland have recently signed new defense pacts with the U.S. military giving access to bases in the far north of their territories. In this report for VOA, Henry Wilkins speaks to Finland’s minister of defense and U.S. officers about what …

PARIS — A multinational operation by Interpol and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation cracked down on attempts in Moldova to sabotage one of the international police agency’s key tools, the Red Notice system, officials said Tuesday. Four people were detained in the eastern European country. The joint sting, which also involved cooperation with French and British authorities, uncovered an international criminal organization with ties to …

Recent violence between soldiers and migrants at the Polish-Belarusian border has prompted the Polish government to increase security and reintroduce a 200-meter buffer zone this week. Poland sees the latest migrant influx from Belarus as a hybrid warfare tactic. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze visited the region and has this report. VOA footage by Daniil Batushchak. …

Washington — There are new warnings about potential attacks aimed at disrupting the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Paris, including the potential for more terror plots like the one disrupted last week by French officials. A report released Tuesday by the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future states that despite a high likelihood of cyberattacks, the greatest risk to the Paris Games will come from in-person threats instead …

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Paris — Humanity has made strides tackling global warming but remains on track for a “ruinously high” rise in the Earth’s temperature, the U.N.’s climate chief said as crucial negotiations began Monday.   Diplomats meet every June in Bonn to try and advance the stickiest points in climate negotiations so that political leaders can finalize agreements at the year-end COP summit.   At this year’s Bonn talks, which …

DEAUVILLE/PARIS — Crowds cheered and applauded as U.S. veterans arrived at French airports ahead of ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers landed in Normandy to drive out Nazi Germany forces.   Many of those flying in over the weekend into Monday were older than 100, pushed on wheelchairs by relatives and aides.   “It’s unreal. It’s unreal. Wow,” 107-year-old …

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Atlanta, Georgia — Hilbert Margol says he didn’t look on himself as a hero when his U.S. Army artillery unit fought its way across Europe during World War II. But he will be feted in France as one of 60 American veterans of that conflict traveling to Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. “I know my brother and I never looked at …

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London — Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman and investor, has won Iceland’s presidential election, topping a crowded field of candidates in which the top three finishers were women, the country’s national broadcast service reported.  Tomasdottir was elected to the largely ceremonial post with 34.3% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, with 25.2%, and Halla Hrund Logadottir, with 15.5%, RUV said Sunday.  Tomasdottir, 55, campaigned …

SINGAPORE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday urged countries to participate in the June 15-16 peace summit in Switzerland. Zelenskyy, in his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, emphasized diplomacy’s role in maintaining Ukrainian efforts in the war with Russia, now in its third year. “Not so long ago, it seemed that the world would always be fragmented, but we saw that most …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The teacher’s opening question to students in Stockholm is blunt: “Has joining NATO increased the threat to Sweden?” Sweden became the Western military alliance’s 32nd member in March. The abrupt end to the Scandinavian country’s 200 years of neutrality following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and officials’ warnings about the Russian threat to Sweden itself, worry many. Teenagers are no exception. Masai Björkwall …

London’s Chinatown is at the beating heart of the capital’s entertainment district – with unique flavors that link back to Britain’s colonial history, as Henry Ridgwell reports …

BUDAPEST, Hungary — A crowd of tens of thousands gathered in Hungary’s capital Saturday in a show of strength behind Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a week ahead of European Parliament elections, a contest he has cast as an existential turning point between peace in Europe and a world war. The demonstration, dubbed by organizers as a “peace march,” brought Orbán’s supporters from all over Hungary and …

LONDON — Voters in Iceland are choosing a president Saturday, selecting from a field of 12 people that includes a former prime minister. The candidates are vying to replace outgoing President Gudni Th. Johannesson, who didn’t seek reelection for the largely ceremonial post. The winner will be the seventh president of Iceland since the founding of the republic some 80 years ago. Among the best known …

KYIV — Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday, damaging energy facilities in five regions across Ukraine, officials said. Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo said the attack damaged energy facilities in the eastern Donetsk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, central Kyrovohrad region, and Ivano-Frankivsk region in the west. “Today morning the Russians launched another strike on Ukrainian energy facilities. Since March it is …

BRUSSELS — Around 400 million European Union citizens go to the polls next month to elect members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events. Far-right parties are seeking to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers’ discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are on the minds of voters. One of the …