Europe

GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana has been added as a second center, in addition to Belgium, to verify the origin of rough diamonds meant for export to the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries, the nation’s presidency announced Thursday. African producers had complained that making Belgium the sole verification center led to disruptions in the global diamond supply chain, as the G7 moved to stop the flow …

stockholm — One of two Baltic subsea cables that were damaged earlier this month in a suspected sabotage is back online, a spokesman for operator company Arelion said. The cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania was repaired as of Thursday and traffic had resumed at full capacity, spokesman Martin Sjogren said. Two subsea cables, the other linking Finland and Germany, were damaged in less than 24 hours …

LONDON — British and American authorities are investigating after several drones were spotted in recent days flying over four U.S. military bases in England. Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases amid concerns the overflights could be acts of deception or sabotage by an adversary such as Russia. In a statement issued Wednesday, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said that “small unmanned aerial systems …

Russian drones and missiles pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure Thursday, cutting off power to more than 1 million people across the country, Ukrainian authorities said. “As of now, 523,000 subscribers in the Lviv region are without electricity,” regional head Maksym Kozytsky said on social media. The region, in the western part of the country, borders Poland. Directly north of the Lviv region, 215,000 customers lost power …

Geneva, Switzerland — A young South African activist living with HIV will take over Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron’s Instagram account on World AIDS Day, the United Nations said Thursday. Ibanomonde Ngema, a 21-year-old activist, will be given the reins to the South African-born actress’s global account @charlizeafrica, with some 7.6 million followers, on December 1, UNAIDS said in a statement. The takeover by Ngema, who was …

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — The termination of Russian gas supplies to Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria after January 1, 2025, is a “very realistic” scenario, Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said on Wednesday after talks with Russia’s Gazprom.  Parliсov spoke with the head of Gazprom on Monday to discuss alternate routes to supply Transdniestria if transit through Ukraine stops.  The current gas-transit agreement between Ukraine and Russia ends …

BERLIN — Russia’s acts of sabotage against Western targets may eventually prompt NATO to consider invoking the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event of the DGAP think tank in Berlin on Wednesday, Bundesnachrichtendienst chief Bruno Kahl said he expected Moscow to further step up its hybrid warfare. “The extensive use of hybrid …

LONDON — Romania’s top security agency said Thursday it is investigating possible foreign interference in Sunday’s first round of the nation’s presidential election. The far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, topped all other candidates with almost 23% of the vote, despite polling in single digits before the election. Georgescu will compete in a December 8 runoff with center-right candidate Elena Lasconi, who finished second with 19% and hopes …

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence. Trump made the announcement on his Truth …

Russia’s demographic crisis is deepening, with the nation projected to lose up to half of its population by the end of this century. In response, Moscow is stepping up its war on Western-style liberal influence with a law that fines anyone who promotes a childless lifestyle. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina. …

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that Russian forces launched 89 drones in a wave of overnight attacks that left three people injured in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, said on Telegram that falling debris from a destroyed drone damaged a building. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 36 of the 89 drones, the country’s military said. In addition to Kyiv, intercepts …

STOCKHOLM — Sweden is asking a Chinese vessel to return to Swedish waters to help facilitate an investigation into recent breaches of undersea fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday, but stressed he was not making any accusations. Two subsea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged in less than 24 hours …

Russia launched its largest drone strike on Ukraine overnight with 188 drones, Ukraine’s air force said Tuesday.    Ukraine’s military said it shot down 76 Russian drones in the overnight attacks that targeted areas across the country and damaged critical infrastructure facilities.   The air force said Russia also used four missiles in the aerial assault.   “Unfortunately, there were hits to critical infrastructure facilities, …

Former Russian federal and local parliament deputies who broke away from Russian President Vladimir Putin and turned against the Kremlin are gathered for a meeting in Warsaw. Former Russian State Duma member Gennady Gudkov told VOA Russian that Russian exiles need to create efficient media outlets to oppose Kremlin propaganda and reach Russian-speaking populations inside and outside of Russia. See the full story here.   …

Moscow awaits Donald Trump’s inauguration amid escalating military tensions with Ukraine and Western powers following the Kremlin’s use of a new nuclear-capable missile against Ukrainian positions. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina. …

Among the lasting effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine is the mental health toll that the conflict has taken on the country’s children. As Lesia Bakalets reports from Kyiv, their parents often also need help. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets …

LONDON — Britain remained on high alert Monday after the second major storm of the season battered the country over the weekend, killing at least two people and disrupting road and rail travel. Hundreds of homes in England and Wales battled the floodwaters on Monday and several rail operators canceled services after Storm Bert lashed Britain with heavy rains and wind gusts up to 80 mph …

As of November 2024, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has documented more than 150,000 alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. This number continues to grow as experts highlight systemic breaches of international law, including attacks on civilians, critical infrastructure, and cases of torture and sexual violence. Kateryna Besedina has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. (Camera: Serge Sokolov) …

London — Prince Harry and other high-profile British figures’ privacy lawsuits against the Daily Mail newspaper’s publisher will go to trial in early 2026, London’s High Court heard on Tuesday, with the parties’ legal costs set to exceed $47 million.  Harry, the younger son of King Charles, is one of seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers over allegations of voicemail interception – commonly known as phone-hacking – …

Berlin — The mood in Germany’s export industry improved slightly in November as companies, generally cautious about foreign business developments, wait to see which trade policies U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will implement, a survey said on Tuesday. The Ifo Institute for Economic Research’s indicator for export expectations rose to minus 5.9 points in November from minus 6.5 points in October, the first increase in six months. …

Ukraine’s military said Tuesday it shot down 76 Russian drones in overnight attacks that targeted areas across the country and damaged critical infrastructure facilities. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 188 total drones, along with four missiles, in the latest daily aerial assault, and that there was also damage to apartment buildings in several regions. Ukrainian air defenses shot down drones in the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, …

ISTANBUL — Police detained dozens of people in Istanbul who tried to join a rally Monday calling for greater protection for women in Turkey, where more than 400 women have been murdered this year. The demonstrators tried to enter the main pedestrian street, Istiklal, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in defiance of a ban on all protests in the …

AVIGNON, France — French prosecutors asked for the maximum 20-year prison sentence for Dominique Pelicot, who organized the repeated mass rape of his then-wife by knocking her unconscious with drugs and inviting dozens of strangers to abuse her in the family home.  Pelicot, 71, has admitted the charges in a trial that attracted worldwide attention and turned into an examination of the pervasiveness of sexual violence …

VOA Russian’s correspondent reports from Georgia, where the first session of the new parliament is meeting after the election won by the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party was boycotted by the opposition and met with street protests outside the parliament building. See the full story here.    …