Section: Time (USA)
Russians Voters Agree to Extend President Putin’s Rule Until 2036
(MOSCOW) — A majority of Russians approved amendments to Russia’s constitution in a weeklong vote ending Wednesday, allowing President Vladimir Putin to hold power until 2036, although the balloting was tarnished by widespread reports of pressure on voters and other irregularities. With most of the nation’s polls closed and 15% of...
Vladimir Putin Signals He May Seek to Extend His Rule in 2024
Vladimir Putin said he’ll consider running for a fifth presidential term in 2024, arguing that the hunt for any successor risks paralyzing Russia’s government as the next election nears. “I don’t rule out such a possibility,” if the necessary amendment to the constitution is approved, Putin said in a Rossiya 1 television...
Wife of Ukraine’s President Zelensky Is Hospitalized After Contracting the Coronavirus
(KYIV, Ukraine) — The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been hospitalized with double pneumonia after contracting the new coronavirus, joining the ranks of several first ladies around the world who got infected with COVID-19 earlier this year. Zelensky’s office said in a statement Tuesday that Olena Zelenska’s...
Foreigners Are Being Allowed Into Ukraine to Collect Their Surrogate-Born Babies
KYIV, Ukraine — Authorities have allowed foreign parents into Ukraine to collect babies who were born to surrogate mothers and stranded in the eastern European country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman, Lyudmila Denisova, said Wednesday that 31 couples had arrived and been united with their children. “It is...
These Are 10 ‘Most Urgent’ Cases of Threats to Press Freedom In The World Right Now
A text to a colleague that he was “surrounded by soldiers” was the last that was heard of journalist Ibraimo Abú Mbaruco after he left work in the northern Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique on April 7. Since then, the reporter and news presenter for Palma Community Radio broadcaster hasn’t been seen, nor has he answered calls or messages....
‘Like a War Situation Here.’ Ukraine’s Overburdened Doctors’ Desperate COVID-19 Fight
(CHERNIVTSI, Ukraine) — A breathing machine at a Ukrainian hospital breaks down, leaving a coronavirus patient gasping helplessly for air. Dr. Olha Kobevko rushes from room to room to see if there is an electrician among her other patients who can fix it. Eventually, she figures out a way to get the device working again on her own. “We are like...
Nearly 100 Surrogate Babies Stranded in Ukraine Under Coronavirus Lockdown
(KYIV, Ukraine) — Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman has appealed to authorities to find a solution for scores of infants born to surrogate mothers for foreign parents who are stranded because the country’s borders are closed under coronavirus restrictions. “About 100 children are already waiting for their parents in different centers...
World War II in Europe Ended 75 Years Ago—But the World Is Still Fighting Over Who Gets to Say What Happened
At the end of March, the historian Jan Grabowski was set to have a busy few weeks. First came the release of what he describes as “the most important” of his 17 books, which features his research into the Polish policemen responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Polish Jews during the Holocaust. A week later, a hearing was set to...
Where’s Putin? Russia’s President Stays Out of Sight as Coronavirus Hits Economy
March is usually an important month for Alexandra Gerasimova’s business, Fitmost, which offers subscription fitness classes across Russia. People want to shape up after the long winter, and revenue from that month helps to cover the income loss during the quieter seasons of spring and summer. But by mid-March, after weeks of slowing...
Russia’s Foreign Minister Rejects Suggestion of Using the Pandemic to Expand Political Influence
(MOSCOW) — Russia’s foreign minister on Tuesday angrily rejected Western claims that Moscow has used the coronavirus crisis to expand its political influence, saying the world needs unity to surmount the pandemic. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that suggestions from some in the West that Russia had opaque motives for helping Italy...
