Europe

The iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is reopening Saturday evening, more than five years after a fire destroyed its roof and spire. An invitation-only ceremony will include heads of state and government, with French President Emmanuel Macron delivering a speech before Archbishop Laurent Ulrich formally reopens its doors. …

As North Korean troops bolster Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, the U.S. is urging China to rein in its allies’ provocative actions. This comes amid indications that Beijing is increasingly uneasy about the expanding partnership between Russia and North Korea. VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching reports. …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday introduced new long-range Peklo drone missiles being manufactured in a Ukrainian factory, the first batch of which, he said, already has been delivered to the nation’s armed forces. In footage released by his office, Zelenskyy could be seen touring the factory in an undisclosed location alongside Ukraine Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and other officials. In a post to …

Moscow — Russia said Friday its forces had captured a village near the embattled supply hub of Pokrovsk and another near the industrial town of Kurakhove, gaining ground in two key areas of the east Ukraine front line.    Moscow has been advancing in east Ukraine for months, pressing its advantage against overstretched and outgunned Ukrainian soldiers.   Russian army units “liberated the settlements” of Sukhi Yaly and …

The Russian veto blocked a U.N. resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Sudan, where a civil war has killed at least 66,000, destroyed civil institutions, causing widespread hunger, disease, sexual violence and a refugee crisis with more than 11 million people displaced. …

Prominent Georgian opposition leader and former journalist Nika Gvaramia is recovering after being beaten unconscious by police Wednesday amid pro-Europe protests in Tbilisi, according to his lawyer.   Gvaramia, head of the Akhali party under the Coalition for Change umbrella, was detained Wednesday during police searches of opposition parties’ headquarters in the Georgian capital, according to media reports.  Gvaramia was repeatedly hit in the stomach until …

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron vowed Thursday to stay in office until the end of his term, due in 2027, and announced that he will name a new prime minister within days following the resignation of ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier.  Macron came out fighting a day after a historic no-confidence vote at the National Assembly left France without a functioning government. He laid blame …

This month marks 30 years since Ukraine signed an agreement to give up its nuclear arsenal, the world’s third largest at the time. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearing the three-year mark, Kyiv now calls the agreement with Moscow short-sighted. VOA Ukrainian’s Tatiana Vorozhko looks at the history of the deal. Videographer: Iurii Panin …

Ta’Qali, Malta — Ukraine’s foreign minister called Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov a “war criminal” Thursday as they both attended an international summit in Malta, the latter’s first visit to an EU member since the 2022 invasion. Ukraine’s Andriy Sybiga also accused Moscow of being “the biggest threat to our common security” as the two foreign ministers sat on the same huge table at a meeting …

WASHINGTON — Thirty years ago, leaders of the United States, Britain Russia and Ukraine met in Budapest, Hungary, and signed a memorandum that provided security assurances to Ukraine in exchange for it giving up its nuclear arsenal, then the world’s third largest. Today, nearly three years after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials are calling the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances “a monument …

PARIS — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will resign on Thursday after far-right and leftist lawmakers voted to topple his government, plunging the euro zone’s second-largest economy deeper into political crisis. Barnier, a veteran politician who was formerly the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, will be the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history after he hands in his resignation at around 10 a.m. No French government …

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry denounced on Wednesday criticism by Western ambassadors of the country’s human rights record, saying the diplomats’ comments amounted to interference in its judicial system. A ministry statement posted on the Telegram messaging app said ambassadors from the United States, European Union and Switzerland made the comments at an event in Baku, referring to the detention of journalists and “political activists.” The statement …

An operation by Ukraine launched on August 6 captured dozens of towns and villages and gained control of about 1,000 square kilometers in Russia’s Kursk region. Gradually, Russia has pushed Ukrainian forces out of about half of the territory they captured.   Our correspondent spoke to experts about how the military situation in the region could affect the initial positions taken in future peace talks between …

The U.S. and EU are urging Beijing to stop supporting Russia’s war machine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited China on Monday, asking China to stop backing Russia and to work for peace in Ukraine. Our correspondent spoke to experts: Can Western sanctions change Beijing’s position?  See the full story here.    …

PARIS — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. first lady Jill Biden are among global dignitaries expected in Paris Saturday as the city’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral reopens five years after a massive fire. Trump’s visit to Paris is expected to be his first foreign trip since winning the election last month. U.S. President Joe Biden is not expected to attend. It has taken five years, …

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration issued a fresh round of Russia-related sanctions on Wednesday, taking aim at what it called an illicit finance network that allowed Russian elites to leverage digital assets to avoid sanctions. In a statement, the U.S. Department of Treasury said it was targeting five people and four entities tied to “a sprawling international network of businesses and employees that have facilitated significant …

Beijing — Business sentiment among German companies in China is at an all-time low, a German business lobby group said on Wednesday, as they face rising Chinese competition and a slowing economy. Over half of German companies said conditions in their industry had worsened this year, the German Chamber of Commerce in China said citing a survey, while only 32% forecast an improvement in 2025 – …

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Tuesday he is confident that whatever military aid allies can supply to Ukraine in the coming months will be provided, as he warned that Russia is again using the onset of winter as a weapon in its war in Ukraine. Rutte told reporters in Brussels ahead of talks with NATO foreign ministers that there is a priority on protecting Ukrainian …

GENEVA — The United Nations on Wednesday sought $47 billion in aid for 2025 to help around 190 million people fleeing conflict and battling starvation, at a time when this year’s appeal is not even half-funded and officials fear cuts from Western states including the top donor, the U.S. Facing what the new U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher describes as “an unprecedented level of suffering,” the …

TBILISI, Georgia — Thousands of demonstrators in the Georgian capital converged on parliament again on Tuesday, venting outrage against the governing party’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union. Like on five previous nights, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to push back the protesters, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital’s central boulevard. Nearly 300 …

The government of France faces a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a move that could topple the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Analysts predict French lawmakers will likely vote in favor of a no-confidence motion. Barnier warned the politicians that voting his government down “would make everything more difficult for France.” The no-confidence vote follows a seldom-used constitutional move the prime minister invoked Monday when he …

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock this week repeatedly criticized China’s economic and military support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, which she said is threatening peace in Europe. During a visit to China, she also pledged to stand up for Germany’s economic interests when it comes to electric vehicles, climate and security policy. VOA Mandarin spoke with analysts about what China’s muted response to her criticism …

The FBI has charged Nomma Zarubina, a Russian national living in New York, with two counts of making false statements to FBI agents regarding her ties to Russian intelligence services. According to the FBI, Zarubina sought connections with U.S. journalists, military personnel, and think tank experts on behalf of Russian intelligence agencies. Court documents reveal that she initially lied to U.S. authorities about her ties …

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Political analysts in Nigeria say the country needs to be careful after signing a series of agreements with France during President Bola Tinubu’s three-day visit to the European country last week. Tinubu’s three-day visit to France was the first official state visit to Paris by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades. During the visit, Nigeria and France signed two major deals, …